Rating:  Summary: Unforgettable Review: I read this book years ago in it's hardcover form (the art on the cover is incredible), loaned it out and never saw it again. It has stayed with me all this time, as one of my favorite books. Sharon Kay Penman meticulously researches her novels and presents them in such a way that you are there, experiencing everything along with the characters. Her other books such as Sunne in Splendor, etc. are fantastic too, but this is the best. More recently she has written some mysteries, (I read "The Queen's Man), but they are much less satisfactory. Other than Dorothy Dunnett and Diana Gabaldon, this is my favorite author.
Rating:  Summary: First Penman book I read Review: This was the first Penman novel I read and after reading some of the other reviews I can't wait to read her others. This book is chalk full of historical truths with an excellent mix of fiction to add the spice needed. The method Penman uses to bring her characters to life with real feeling and tangible emotions is superb. You will find yourself loving one character while equally disliking another. If you truly love a good story and you like to get involved in the story both emotionally and mentally (as if you were there) you will throughly enjoy this story. Let Penman's well evolved characters (such as Robert, Stephen or even Ranulf and Rhiannon)sweep you off your feet and transport you into their world. After all, that is why people read books like this, for the adventure of the story, is it not? The title itself was intriguing enough for me to be interested in reading it, but I was lead to it by another reviewer online after reading Pillars of the Earth by Follet. For me this book was better.
Rating:  Summary: Not easy to put down Review: I must be the only person who thinks the characterisation in this book is less than 'realistic'. While I have to admit the author presented history in a palatable form (despite battle after battle, I was kept fascinated) I was rather skeptical about some of the speculations on the thoughts and possible conversations held by the historical figures. I felt that the character motivations were sometimes a wee bit too altruistic (Stephan for example) and Penman was trying to push a view forward (eg. that Stephan's only motivation was to 'save' England from a woman, no mention how much he WANTED to be king?), or in the case of Maude, too single-mindedly stupid and stuck in the martyr mind-set. I felt it was politically too simplistic. I was also a little leery about the way the love story was built up between Maude's son Henry and Elenor of Acquitane - it seemed a bit too laboured, too obviously a way to make the story more interesting, possibly at the expense of the perspective we take on history.But, I am complaining about what makes this book 'palatable', and in balance I am glad that the author did it this way - only I think it requires the reader to be vigilant of the assumptions he or she is led to hold by the perspective the author tries to push forward. It could somewhat cloud the 'education' we are getting by enjoying this book.
Rating:  Summary: Fabulous story Review: There are times when you wonder why people have to make up stories when history provides such wonderful tales. The events in English history portrayed here are an excellent example of this, and Ms Penman does a wonderful job narrating them. We have the fabulous characters of Steven and Maude, and their seemingly endless conflict, and we meet her son Henry and the wonderful Eleanor of Aquitaine, some of the most remarkable people in history. Ms Penman does a wonderful job in animating them for the modern reader. There are adventures aplenty, like Maud escaping from a castle in a snow storm wrapped in a white cloak, as well as all the richly embroidered details of every day life you expect from a great historical novel. Ms Penman is a great writer, as she showed so well with "The Sunne in Splendour", and this is a great book.
Rating:  Summary: The Four "E's" Review: Educational, enlightening, and especially entertaining. No lengthy review here, you can read the other reviews for that. I simply think this is one of Ms. Penman' best books. It grabs hold of you from the first page and doesn't let go, only spitting you out when there are no longer any pages left to turn. If you decide to read this book, start on a Friday night because you'll spend all weekend absorbed in it.
Rating:  Summary: Another magic carpet Review: Like all other Penman books, this takes you away to the time and place of its setting -- medieval England and France. I was actually forced to read this for my English class a couple years ago, and I was so enthralled with it that I went out and bought some of her other books (Sunne in Splendour, Wales trilogy). This book is lengthy, but it is full of excitement and wonderful description. You actually care about the characters, and in my opinion, that is a hallmark of an excellent book. It didnt have as much humor as her books in the Wales trilogy, and yes, as another reviewer said, it had a little too many characters, but it was still a great book. I suggest you read it.
Rating:  Summary: I'll admit it.... Review: I'm an Anglophile. I have a passion for British History. I picked this book up 6 months ago because it looked interesting and it is about a period of history that I am fascinated with. However, it sat on my shelf until last week, when I finally read it. I was immediately intrigued. The characters were well fleshed out and even the observers became important to me (at times I cared a little bit more about what happened to Ranulf than I did about what happened to Henry). There are attitudes and beliefs that are integral to the time period that she brings out in the story to make it even more realistic. I do agree with another reviewer though...it is hard to keep track of who is earl of what and whose side he is on. But overall, she makes the main characters so real that you are affected by what happens to them. Her writing also makes me actually able to visualize the setting. I think the book is extremely well written, and I can't wait until the next one in the series comes out.
Rating:  Summary: Extraordinarily well researched, AND well written! Review: I've long been interested in the period of history from the fall of the Roman Empire to Elizabeth I of England. Most of my reading about this period has been non-fiction until now. I usually find most historical fiction takes too many liberties with the facts and/or deteriorates into the "bodice-ripper" genre all too common when historical fact is scarce. Ms. Penman's work is, therefore, a pleasant surprise. She sticks to the facts where it matters. She introduces fictional characters as *observers* to the action (as in the character of Ranulf, purported to be one of Henry I's many illegitmate children), rather than active participants who could change the course of history. Where these fictionalized characters were involved in action, it was always along side one of the non-fictional participants, as a "witness." Penman is very careful not to let her fictional characters do too much. Seeing the long civil war through Ranulf's eyes made it seem very personal, and revealed what was probably the real human cost of the bloody and largely unnecessary conflict. It is a device used also by Edward Rutherfurd in _Sarum_ (his description of the of the plague and its contagious consequences from the perspective of the rat is brilliant). I felt that I was looking at a sort of historical "connect the dots" -- there exists some documentation about this period, but there are gaps. Penman has adeptly connected the the known factual battles, seiges, etc. with fictionalized-but-plausible minor events dealing with day-to-day life. I particularly liked her inclusion of concluding notes, in which she explains which characters are fictional, which are "real," and some of the background including different (sometimes conflicting) theories on how/why certain characters acted and reacted. All in all, an excellent effort in shining light on the darkness that fell on England in the twelfth century, a period of chaos followed the Plantagenets, starting with Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I'll be looking forward to Penman's next book in this series.
Rating:  Summary: Cadfael lovers check this out.... Review: Because "When Christ and His Saints Slept" is a work of fiction, some history lovers interested in Henry II might find it unacceptable. I like historical fiction as well as the "real" stuff, and I wanted to know more about Queen Maude--Henry II's mother so I read this book. Penman is a good historian, and what makes her book fiction is not that she alters fact, but that she literally puts words in people's mouths that they may or may not have said. If you like historical fiction because of a love story angle, this book may prove a bit disappointing. On the other hand, the verismilitude of the life of the times (cold castles, dirt, poor food) is more real than any history could make it. One can say, "they ate poorly" or one can describe in detail the quality and kind of the food eaten as well as the dining actors. Also, we really don't know what peole said in private moments and thought when riding on horseback alone. Penman speculates and builds her speculation on the information at hand. This book provides excellent background for Ellis Peters' fans. Here, you can actually obtain an idea of what's going on between Maude and Stephen through the course of Peters' 20 Brother Cadfael mysteries, as first one then another of the royal sides sweeps through Shrewsbury. You can also understand why Cadfael (Peters aka Pargeter-her real name) remains neutral. I found it rather amusing that at one point in Penman's book a character traveling in the vicinity and seeking medical aid for a wounded comrade mentions a certain 'brother' in the Shrewsbury abby of Saints Peter and Paul who is known for his healing skills. The book switches back and forth between Maude and Stephen, and one can develop sympathies for both but I have and continue to side with Maude. Maude was rightfully the heir to the throne, and it was taken from her by men who did not want to be ruled by a woman. Fortunately, by the time of Queen Elizabeth I this attitude had ameliorated somewhat. Apparently Stephen did not really want to be king, but he let himself be goaded into it which says much about his dissimulation or his weak nature or both. One can sympathize with Stephen not because he is in the right, but because he is portrayed as one who step by step slides down a slippery slope and becomes something alien to himself. If he had understood where he would end up, perhaps he would not have taken the first step. Maude never regains her throne, but in the end the throne of England is won by her son, Henry II who apparently became a first-class ruler. The book ends as Henry II triumps over Stephen's forces.
Rating:  Summary: Really enjoyed this book Review: This is the first book that I have read of Sharon Kay Penman. At first I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy her way of outlining the book. Between chapters, a month can go by or a year or more can go by. Therefore, the story itself is not in typical flowing novel format. But after having read it, I didn't find it too disturbing. I agree with a previous reviewer that too many unimportant details has been provided. For me, there is not enough dialoge. There is, however, untold wisdom in the details she provides and I am sure her attention to historical happenings has been accurately mentioned. I found the story line to be enjoyable and I will certainly look to read another of this author's novels.
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