Official Review: Memoirs of a Traitor by Lee Levin

[Theresa Moffitt]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Memoirs of a Traitor" by Lee Levin.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Memoirs of a Traitor by Lee Levin is a novel of historical fiction. It focuses on the life of an English knight, Sir William Stanley, who lived during the War of the Roses. The book is well-written and interesting. It includes detailed descriptions of battles between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists in their quests for the throne. Many familiar historical figures are highlighted in the book because William Stanley interacts with many important and influential people from this time-period.

William Stanley is the younger brother of Lord Thomas Stanley who is a wealthy and influential man in England during this time. As the younger brother, William did not inherit the same lands, wealth or title. William frequently laments that he is only a knight, but eventually accumulates wealth and property due to his successes on the battlefield. William fights for both the Yorkists and the Lancastrians at different times during his life with some success. However, this book serves as his autobiography written while he is imprisoned in the Tower of London for treason. It serves as evidence of the risks he has taken and the enemies he has made throughout his life.

The author was very creative in writing this book from the point of view of William Stanley as he sits in the Tower of London awaiting his trial. As he tells his life story, he questions some of the decisions he made that may have led him to the Tower. The descriptions of the battles were detailed and realistic. There are several battles that were specifically named by the author that were historically significant. It is obvious that the author conducted a considerable amount of research while writing this novel.

Since the novel is told in a first-person narrative style, we don’t learn much about the motivation or lives of the other characters. For example, it would have been interesting to know the reasoning behind some of the decisions made by William’s brother, Thomas. They obviously didn’t have a close relationship, but a look at the relationship from another point of view would have been interesting. Also. there were several secondary characters that would have been interesting to learn more about.

I really enjoyed reading this book. William was not the most likeable character at times, but his life was remarkable. I appreciated the historical aspects of the book and the amount of research the author must have conducted to tell this story. There were some typographical and grammatical errors, but they didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. This book doesn’t contain any profanity or explicit sexual content, so I would recommend it to young adult readers.

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Memoirs of a Traitor
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[Ngozi Onyibor]

I'm no fan of historical fiction but the book does sound interesting. It's good to know the information contained is historically accurate.

[kandscreeley]

This isn't my favorite time in history, but it does sound like it has some educational value along with entertainment. It's nice that it's clean, but it's too bad about the errors. Thanks for the review.

[OuKoyoo]

I love historical fiction and since this book is full of historical facts, I would love to read it and enjoy it just like you did. Thank you.

[Wyland]

I have always been intrigued by the history of England due to their early civilization. This looks like an interesting book from the likeable characters like William Stanley. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[kdstrack]

Writing while imprisoned gives the author a peculiar perspective. I enjoyed your description of Stanley's reflections on his decisions. I admire authors who have done their research to give readers an accurate depiction of the events and the era. Thanks for the wonderful recommendation.

[kdevilbiss]

I don't know much about the War of the Roses, so this sounds like it would be a good fiction introduction to that period of history. I also like the narrative choice of a character telling their own story back as I think it adds insight into the story! Thanks for the review!

[Jeremie Mondejar]

I have always been intrigued by the history of England due to their early civilization. This looks like an interesting book from the likeable characters like William Stanley. Thanks for the wonderful review.

Me, too. I want to know England stories written in the 20th century.
The book seems interesting and a bit sad.