The Paston Family

by Anne O’Brien 2 books in this series

The Paston Family sequence follows a Norfolk gentry household during the Wars of the Roses, drawing on the surviving Paston Letters. The Royal Game centres on Margaret Paston, Elizabeth Paston and Anne Haute as the family acquires land and influence amid legal disputes and violence.

A Marriage of Fortune continues the family’s struggle after the loss of Caister Castle, bringing Margery Paston and the marriage negotiations of the younger generation to the foreground. Together the novels use documented correspondence to reconstruct women’s work in property management, marriage strategy and family survival.

Reading order

Books in this series (2 books)

#1 – The Royal Game

Anne O’Brien

England, 1444. The Pastons are a rising Norfolk gentry family whose claim to land and influence remains vulnerable to older and more powerful neighbours. Margaret Paston manages households and estates while her husband pursues legal business; Elizabeth Paston confronts the use of marriage as an instrument…

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#2 – A Marriage of Fortune

Anne O’Brien

England, 1469. The Pastons have lost possession of Caister Castle, and Margaret Paston must preserve the family’s position while civil conflict makes every alliance uncertain. She sees an advantageous marriage for her daughter Margery as one route to security, but Margery has fallen in love with…

Amazon World of Books