A Tower, a Queen, and the Ghosts of History

I’m a spiritual person — and a firm believer in karma. So when Judith Arnopp’s A Song of Sixpence: The Story of Elizabeth of York and Perkin Warbeck popped up in my feed right before my trip to Europe, I had to smile. Karma, it seems, knew exactly what I needed to pack.

For those of us who slurp up historical fiction with a straw, this book does not disappoint. My Kindle kept me company with me through Amsterdam, Paris, and especially London — where I found myself walking the same echoing steps Elizabeth of York once took inside the Tower. Goosebumps doesn’t begin to describe it.

Duty, Love, and the Silent Strength of Queens

Arnopp’s storytelling breathes life into women history often pushes to the margins — queens, mothers, and daughters who shaped nations not through war or decree, but through endurance. Elizabeth of York’s sense of duty, her heartbreaks, and her quiet heroism made me tear up more than once.

Loveless marriages, dangerous alliances, and impossible choices — these women bore kingdoms in their bodies and carried grief in their bones. Their fiercest battles were fought in birthing chambers, and their victories were measured in survival.

A Haunting Walk Through the Tower

Reading Arnopp’s novel before visiting the Tower of London transformed the experience. I could almost feel Elizabeth’s whisper in the wind, the soft echo of her footsteps in the halls. In the room where her two brothers — the lost princes — were once imprisoned, I joined a small, hushed group as ghostly projections and sounds brought their story to life. No one spoke; we were all caught in the spell.

History Reimagined

Arnopp’s portrayal of Elizabeth — often dismissed as meek — is refreshingly powerful. Her endurance becomes a form of resistance. The novel also highlights the formidable Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII’s mother, who gave birth at thirteen, survived widowhood and political peril, and went on to shape the very foundations of Tudor rule.

By the time I stood on the Tower’s ramparts overlooking the Thames, I could see not just stone and water, but centuries of ambition, sacrifice, and love that forged a dynasty.

My Verdict

A Song of Sixpence is a haunting, heartfelt journey through one of England’s most perilous chapters — a perfect companion for travelers, dreamers, and history lovers alike.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommend — especially if you plan to walk where history’s ghosts still linger.