Anne Easter Smith

Anne Easter Smith is an English-American historical novelist.

Her novels are set during the Wars of the Roses, the period during which the Yorkist and Lancastrian houses were in contention for the throne of England. As a member of the Richard III Society, Anne Easter Smith's novels show a more sympathetic treatment of Richard III than Shakespeare's famous play - but Shakespeare was writing under the reign of the Lancastrian's, whereas Easter Smith is a British expatriate with no need to please any current monarch.

Smith's first novel, "A Rose for the Crown", has as its central theme the love story between Richard, Duke of Gloucester (during the time his brother Edward was king), and the woman who fathered Richard's pre-marriage illegitimate children. History tells us of these children, but never identifies who their mother was (or mothers were...). Easter Smith's well-researched novel puts the real characters in the right places at the right dates, eating the period foods, and suffering from period maladies, while inventing other characters to round out the story.

In her second novel, Anne Easter Smith focuses on Margaret of Burgundy, Richard and Edward's sister, who, like all royals of the time, marries for political alliance. In Margaret's case, she marries Charles the Bold, ruler of the wealthiest duchy in Europe. Daughter of York tells the story of Margaret's early life in England, her lavish wedding to Charles, and both her personal and public life in Burgundy's leading cities, which at the time included Bruges, Binche, and Mechelen, among others.

Smith's upcoming third novel, "The King's Grace", will focus on the life of Perkin Warbeck, through the eyes of Grace Plantagenet, an illegitimate daughter of King Edward IV. Her untitled fourth novel will be about the life of Cecily Neville, mother of King Edward IV.

Bibliography

* "A Rose for the Crown", Simon & Schuster, 2006.
* "Daughter of York", Simon & Schuster, 2008.
* "The King's Grace", Simon & Schuster, 2009.

External links

* [http://www.anneeastersmith.com Official web site]

References

* [http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/ec-feb-2006.htm#arose]