History updated     

My rating:  5 out of 5     

Set during the period 1993 to 2014, this book tells the enthralling story of the York family who run a very successful business empire in England.  The characters (according to the author) are based on the York family at the time of the War of the Roses, and there is a list at the back of the book as to who is who.

The  story provides a wonderful escape into family life, with the narrative coming from the varying perspectives of the different members of the family.  It seems that most of life’s up and downs are ex
perienced by this family – however despite the drama this is an uplifting,  wonderful and gripping read.  The external appearances of the characters are deceiving, and this adds excitement, action and suspense to the book.

Many real places are referred to in the book, which I loved.

Primarily the book is focused on the four York siblings and their spouses.  Therefore only 8 main characters, though when they had children I did occasionally get a little confused as to who was who.  So if you’re like me and useless with names, jotting down a list (or family tree)  might prove helpful.

I have no idea how much the actions of the family relate to events in the War of the Roses – I was far too gripped by the book to break off to look up history! Let’s hope someone adapts it for TV; it would be a perfect modern day filler for the gap left by the ending of Downton Abbey.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to discover Terry Tyler – what a great author!