When Christ and His Saints Slept

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Summary: The best Historical Fiction I have read in awhile.
Review: Ms. Penman caught the flavor and the style of the Middle Ages with a certian quality that most Historical Fiction writers lack. I found the book to be very true to the time and the style of life back then. Being a member of a Middle Ages re-enactment group it was a good source of information for me. In closing I would suggest this book and the others in the cannon to anyone.

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Summary: The Queen Who Never Was
Review: Until "When Christ and His Saints Slept," I didn't think anything out of the ordinary (battles, wars, etc.) happened between the Conquest and the Plantagenet dynasty. There was, of course, an incompetent King Stephen and his wretched son Eustace and someone named Matilda who made some claims to the throne, but more importantly, was Henry II's mother. Real medieval history for me didn't begin until Eleanor of Aquitaine. And then there was Maude. To come so close to winning her birthright and then be sent back to that demonic Geoffrey. In some ways, history has slighted her as much as Richard III. My sympathies were all for Maude (and maybe some for Stephen) and her struggles. And yet, to be remembered only as Henry's mother would slight her pivotal role in English history against Stephen. Unlike in her other books, I think Penman could have explored more the emotions of her other major characters.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Not only does this book bring real people from the distant past to life, but it does so in a manner enabling the reader to learn about the time period and political strife without even realizing it. I enjoyed the clarification at the end of the book as to what was historical fact and what Penman made up herself. I would definitely recommend this book to fiction and history lovers.

Rating:
Summary: great read
Review: I've read this book several times and it just keeps getting better with each read. It's definitely up there with The Sunne in Splendour as Penman's best. Another side of the same story is told in The Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones. Admittedly it's more fiction than history (as it focuses on a love affair between Maude and Stephen) but it's a good read all the same.

Rating:
Summary: A fabulous read!!
Review: I confess to being unfamiliar with Ms. Penman before reading this book. I also confess to fist being drawn to this book because of it's jacket. I was floored when I read it. It was WONDERFUL. Very rich in details and ideal descriptions on the characters. I learned and retained more information about this time in English History than I ever did in school. I highly recommend this book whether one is into History or simply enjoys reading a wonderful book...who will ever be able to forget Maude's dramatic exit at Oxford??!!

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Summary: I love Penman's approach to historical novels, Great book!
Review: I read this book about two years ago and loved it! I loved the characters and her interpretations. She truly made me love this period and it's rulers. I felt incredibly compelled to visit England, and did so last June. I credit my interest in Penman's portrayals and vivad desscriptions. I look foward to any thing she writes. And am quite anxious, When?

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as earlier works, but, still, a great read!!
Review: I was introduced to Penman years ago, with The Sunne in Splendour (outstanding!); then she improved on it with her Wales trilogy (Here Be Dragons, Falls The Shadow, The Reckoning). When Christ & His Saints Slept is not QUITE as good, but still an excellent read. She has a tremendous feel for the period, & you can truly get lost in her stories & characters. She always seems to find a way to add depth & sympathy to historical figures (Stephen in this book, Richard III in her first) - you may not always agree with them, but you learn to care about them. Being an avid history buff, I really enjoy these novels about a very interesting historical period, & Penman makes you feels almost as if you were really there. I look forward to her NEXT novel!!

Rating:
Summary: When Christ and His Saints Slept
Review: A great book! If you are looking for a novel that will hook you and keep you in forever excitment till the end, this is it. This book involves the first King of the Plantaengent dynasty in England, King Henry and his famous wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. This was the first book I read from Sharon Kay Penman and now I'll be reading her books for life

Rating:
Summary: A good read, but definitely not her best work.
Review: After the long buildup after the release of The Reckoning, I anxiously awaited Ms. Penman's next work. When I read WCAHSS, I loved it (as I love all Penman works) but I felt somewhat cheated by the introduction of fantastic character after character, only to see them disappear after a chapter. These characters could have easily been a "mirror" of the times for the reader, allowing us to view the world in a different point of view than of the royalty and nobility she always features. Perhaps my standards were a bit high (considering the subject matter -- I love the legends of Eleanor of Aquitaine), but I felt a bit cheated at the end. Hopefully this was an aberration and her next work(s) will resume the mantle established by the Here Be Dragons/Falls the Shadow/The Reckoning trilogy.

Rating:
Summary: Historial figures were real living breathing people .
Review: I am becoming an avid reader. My friends tell me they have seen me stop in the middle of a busy street to read an old comic from a bubble gum wrapper that has been left on the side walk. It's all a lie of course. I have never done that, at least not yet! I had never heard of Sharon Kay Penman until I read this book. I am a great lover of middle ages history so the subject matter interested me. The book is set in Europe mostly England after the death of Henry the First. Everybody and his mother, wife and granny are after the throne. Henry's original heir drowned in the white ship accident (it's a long story, it's a long book) Penmen makes Maude and Stephen (they are the ones fighting over the throne) real living beings, she makes you want to run out and read some of your old dusty history books. She makes history real. The charactorzations are believeable. There is no good or bad guy. I really recomend this book, it's a great; if bloodly story of power in the 10th and 11th centeries. I wouldn't tell who wins the war. I cannot wait for the next Sharon Kay Penmen book