The English Roses admonishing her older provocative self. Madonna's narration was described by Ginny Dougary as "bossy". She also found parallels with the singer's childhood in "The English Roses". "Slate"s Polly Shulman found the book to be "charmless, didactic" and egoistic since she felt it revolved around Madonna and her daughter. Shulman added that ""The English Roses" is a dull little thing, though not incompetent. Madonna does understand the basic structure of storytelling—perhaps too well", with multiple cliches present while making the titular characters "so passive that they might as well be good." David Kipen of the "San Francisco Chronicle" humorously said that
Blood and Roses (book) Blood and Roses (book) Blood and Roses: One family's struggle and triumph during the tumultuous Wars of the Roses, by Helen Castor, is a narrative based on the Paston letters of 15th century England. The book traces five generations of the Pastons, an influential family from the Norfolk village of the same name. Based largely on an extensive collection of correspondence, "Blood and Roses" records the competition among the landed gentry for land, property and advancement. Set among the turbulence of the Wars of the Roses, the Pastons survive and thrive through shrewd political manoeuvres. "Blood and Roses" was long-listed