When Christ and His Saints Slept

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: Great Tale!
Review: This is a marvelous way to absorb a great deal of early English history after the Norman conquest. Penman's scholarship is first-rate and her narrative skillfully blends a medieval feel with modern prose. Her fictional character, Ranulf, serves as the conscience of the book; he (...)is respected,ultimately, by both sides. Ranulf, therefore, is the tool Penman uses to allow us entry to both factions. And since Ranulf's mother was Welsh, we will also be allowed an intimate view of the Welsh perspective on the events. Ranulf takes us from _...Saints Slept_ to _Time & Chance_,where that perspective creates a real tension and goes a long way toward explaining how Wales, then Ireland, figured into Henry's plans. Penman's story allows us to experience Stephen's ambivalence toward really ruling and Maude's inability to bend in order to conquer. I hope the 3rd book in this trilogy, _The Devil's Brood_ comes out soon!

Rating:
Summary: I'm bored
Review: I have 1/4 of the book to go, and I'm giving up. If it hasn't hooked me by now, it's not going to. What a shame that such a marginalized, pushed-around, forgotten historical character as Maude has to have not only her crown but the telling of her story usurped by the male characters (one of them totally fictional, with a trite romance invented for him as well). The Ranulf-Annora subplot is a pale repeat of the one between Richard and Anne in Sunne in Splendoure, and while the rotating perspective worked pretty well in that book, here it's just plain confusing. Every page and a half the p.o.v. switches AGAIN, and we can never really get inside anyone's head. A waste of a thousand pages.

Normally I like accurancy in my historical fiction but I also believe in a little author's license for the sake of not confusing the reader (as she did in SIS). She could have named her characters a bit more distinctively! The tangle of Matilda-Maude-Maud (yes, without the e)-Annora-Amabel-Robert-Rainald-Ranulf gets kind of irritating after awhile.

Rating:
Summary: another classic
Review: This book is so long it could easily be broken up into three separate books. And in fact, the subject of the story evolves from Maude as a young woman to Maude as a struggling queen and then to young Henry, and it can easily be seen as having three different main characters! And don't even get me started on the evolution of Stephen's character.... from protaganist (or at least a likable character) to arch-villan!!
This might help to exemplify just how dynamic and believable the characters were. They changed and they were both good and bad in their own ways, likable and terrible.

It's a great book. Slow at first...probably the first 100 pages I was wondering when things would pick up. I think that happened when Maude's character set foot in England. I especially liked the way Penman portrayed the love between Maude and Brien Fitz Count. She turned rumors and speculation into a believable and heart wrenching romance.

My favorite part of the book was the chapter when Maude stole secretively away from a castle, being besieged by Stephen at the time, through a heavy snowstorm and made it all the way to Brien's castle! The best part is that, while fantastical, that part is completely based in historical record.

This book, while complete on it's own, is also a great opener for Time and Chance, the book about Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Absolutely recommended. Although, I'm not sure I like it more than Here Be Dragons, et all....


Rating:
Summary: Bringing an English Civil War to Life -- Awesome!
Review: "When Christ and His Saints Slept" kicks off Sharon Kay Penman's treatment of the timeless tale of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitane, and does so in grand style. But this evocative title refers to the bloody civil war between King Stephen and his cousin Maude -- the vicious cauldron of strife from which Henry's reign emerged.

One of England's most dynamic kings had the wheels of his monarchy set in motion through the deadly sinking of the White Ship, which claimed the only legitimate son of King Henry I, along with dozens of other nobles. And even though Henry I had sired dozens of bastards, he insisted that the crown go to a member of his legitimate bloodline, and so he demanded that fealty be sworn to his daughter, Maude. As one can imagine, naming a queen in the twelfth century shocked more than a few sexist sensibilities, and haughty, tempermental Maude was not the kind of woman to naturally command the love of her subjects.

Her cousin Stephen, a charismatic, thoughtful, romantic figure, decided to seize the throne and was actually crowned King with the sanction of the church. Maude and her supporters could not accept this usurpation, and soon England was wracked with a civil war, all Britain was convinced that Christ and his saints must be sleeping.

Penman brings this complex tale of courtroom intrigue and battlefield exploits to life in a highly detailed book that brings the reader into the harsh daily life of twelfth century Britain. This is a world where more women die in childbirth than men die on the battlefield, where it was common for children to die before age 3, and where meals of stewed lampreys could bring down the royal succession. But this harsh world is populated by rich characters, filled with passion, humor, and ambition.

Be advised that Penman's novels are more focused on relationships and dialogue than riveting battle scenes -- although she proves on more than one occasion that she is able to write battle scenes very well, her focus is elsewhere (in contrast to, say, Bernard Cornwell, whose "Grail Quest" trilogy may set the standard for medeival action pieces). But this focus does not diminish the thrills of Penman's scenes . . . a testament to Penman's gift of giving her characters different-yet-intriguing voices.

Penman also tells several love stories, the most enjoyable of which is between the fictional Ranulf (Henry I's half-Welsh illegitimate son) and the blind Welsh beauty Rhiannon. Ranulf's exploration and re-introduction to his Welsh homeland provides some of the most moving passages in this excellent book.

A close second is the torrid romance between Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitane. Henry II, Maude's eldest son, grows from precocious child to threat to Stephens' reign, and the mutual seduction between Eleanor and Henry is both charming and highly erotic.

But while Henry and Eleanor command the last third of the book, the figures who influence its entire, vast scope are Stephen and Maude. Both tragic figures in their own way -- Maude is the rightful queen, unforgiveably wronged by her cousin Stephen, but too proud and too impulsive to be a queen, while Stephen is the admirable man who has too many virtues to be an effective king -- their feud is truly one for the ages.

This is the first novel in a series -- "Time and Chance" is its sequel (definitely read these in order!), and it appears that Penman is considering a third work to complete the saga of Henry and Eleanor. When finished, this trilogy would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any historical fiction series you could name. A must read!

Rating:
Summary: What a relief for fans of serious historical fiction!
Review: Finally! Historical fiction, about a woman, written by a woman, that does not descend to bodice-ripping! (You know who you are.) This is the first novel by Penman that I have read, but it will most certainly not be the last.

The war between Stephen of England and Empress Maude (or Matilda) was a little-known precursor to the rule of the Plantagenets. Penman details their struggle for the throne and the chaos that ensues, a time of such suffering and hardship for the English people that it was said that "Christ and his Saints slept". Penman doesn't hesitate to point out that neither Stephen nor Maude was the best choice for sovereign; their antagonism comes from the fact that their flaws lie on opposite ends of the spectrum. As one character points out, Stephen would listen to anybody, Maude would listen to nobody.

While the struggle between the two cousins takes center stage, the book is populated with a range of secondary characters, both historical and fictional. Chief among the former is Maude's half-brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and among the latter another half-brother, Ranulf. (The (...)children of Henry, or the "Fitz Roys", account for a large fraction of Maude's allies.) Indeed, if there is any romantic moonings or bodice-rippings at all in this book, they come at the expense of Ranulf. Others include Maude's jerk of a husband Geoffrey, Stephen's sweet wife with a heart of steel, their respective sons the brash Henry and cruel Eustace, and their assorted allies. Penman never lets any of her characters descend into caricature, however, allowing each to display their own set of flaws and virtues. Moreover, she takes care to point out that what in an ordinary man might be a virtue can be, in a ruler, a fatal flaw.

While slightly tedious at times, Penman's skill at creating sympathetic characters means that the reader starts to take a personal interest in the outcome of each battle. Even if you know what's coming, you can still taste Maude's defeat when she comes so close to being crowned and then it slips away.

Richly detailed, with a compelling story and likeable characters, this is a fantastic novel of medieval England


Rating:
Summary: Fabulous! Fabulous!
Review: I have read this book three times & it gets better every time. The characters are richly drawn, the plot detailed & complex, the story beautifully written. All pretty much par for the course with this author who is one of my favorites.


Rating:
Summary: Great Tale!
Review: What a disappointment. I have read many of Ms Penmans books with great interest but this one was just plain old boring. Her other historical fiction books were extraordinary reads because the true life characters she wrote about were remarkable people.

Stephen of Blois struggle with Maude for the crown may have been bloody but the people involved in this struggle just didn't grab your attention as the characters in Ms Penmans other books. I felt little compassion for either side. The fact that Ms Penman has Ranulf, a purely fictional character, as a main character shows how weak a story line this was to begin with. Also, I believe most readers DO UNDERSTAND that Ranulf is used as a literary device used to gain the Welsh perspective and also to serve as a "conscience" of sorts. Knowing that doesn't make his character any less one dimentional, flat and boring.

The last quarter of this book begins the fascinating and remarkable lives of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Now there is the story. I look forward to reading Time and Chance to continue Henry II and Eleanors saga.

If you want to read some really good historical fiction by MS Penman read: Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, The Reckoning, and Sunne in Splendour.

Rating:
Summary: Evocative history, lacking character development.
Review: This is a better-than-average novel of the historical fiction genre, but not exactly outstanding. Penman, forgivably, resorts to the usual tendencies to make her characters more modern and therefore more likeable to the 21st-century reader, using more or less vernacular language (throwing in "for certes" and "mayhap" and "whoreson" -- incidentally, apparently the only epithet men used to insult each other, as no other is used -- but otherwise using modern English) and giving her characters modern sensibilities. Her prose is by no means exhilarating, but neither is it clumsy or difficult to read.

I'm aware that most potential readers won't be any too concerned for the books technical merits (and who can blame them?), so a few notes on the plot. I liked the beginning a lot more than the end, for several reasons. The way she drew in common people to illustrate the plot or provide background information was clever, but unfortunately she gave this up early on in the novel. Given the title I expected more of the plot from the common population's perspective (because granted it was a rather trying time for Stephen and Maude, but it was the common people who felt abandoned by God), but she just writes gruesome accounts of the sackings of towns and leaves it at that.

Initially her accounts of Stephen's and Maude's opposition were pretty balanced and didn't try to shade one of them as being the heartless usurper or the grasping harpy. Though she certainly does create her share of cardboard villains. But later in the book Stephen and Matilda are left out more and more; she doesn't much explore Stephen's justification for terrorizing the countryside (the only reason we're given is one of Maude's supporter's derisive suggestion that he is being ruled by his son Eustace), and basically everything going on in his kingship is left out in favor of Ranulf and the young Henry. You'll have to forgive me, but I liked Stephen and Matilda and missed them.

I also thought it was strange ("passing strange," as her characters would have it -- surely 12th-century royalty had more than one figure of speech for any given feeling or thought, but she reuses the same ones ad infinitum) that she should spend so much time developing Ranulf, an entirely fictional character. His plot usefulness is obvious, but why chapter after chapter should be devoted to his love life (and basically nothing else) while huge omissions of actual history aren't even mentioned, and as aforesaid, Stephen is left out almost entirely.

If you're looking for new insight into the motivations or lives of any of these characters, this is not the place to find it. If you're already familiar with the history of Stephen and Maude, this will be quite a dull read, as it's entirely plot-driven. However, if you haven't studied medieval English history since high school, doubtless it will be more entertaining. My rating is more like 3-1/2 stars, but Amazon requires that one be more decisive, so I rounded up to four for its sheer readability, her creation of a user-friendly, spit-polished 12th-century England. And who really cares if her historical evocation isn't entirely accurate -- this is history almost a thousand years old, after all, and this is a novel of escapist fiction that doesn't insult the intelligence or bore the imagination.

Rating:
Summary: EMOTIONALLY RESONANT, EPIC SCALE, TRIALS AND JUBILIATIONS
Review: Penman's broad epic scope focuses on the dynastic struggle for the crown of England. This takes place in the early 12th century when Henry I, who had over 20 illegitimate children, loses his one legitimate heir in the White Ship Ordeal (i.e. basically, a chunk of the fleet sank in the British storms). Upon Henry I's death it was settled that Henry's daughter, Maude, would rule. For his barons this was quite unpopular as women were not supposed to rule, which opened the doors for a cousin, Stephen of Blois, to usurp the crown.

What followed was an 18 year struggle in which both sides controlled the throne.

The interesting aspect of this tale was that both potential rulers had serious flaws which blocked them from truly ruling. Stephen was kind and gentle yet his kindness was sometimes taken as a weakness by his barons. Additionally, his stubbornness at the Battle of Lincoln (i.e. when his vassals urged him to retreat) almost cost him his life and put him into confinement. But then, Maude underestimated Stephen's wife, as well as the Londoners, who tossed her out and put her in a precarious position. She then escaped but soon found herself forced to leave her army behind which endangered her illegitimate brother, Robert, and resulted in his capture.

Thus, Robert was exchanged for Stephen and the war continued after a truce.

Eventual fighting led to Maude's army being confined at Oxford. Matters got so bad for her during this siege that she and three others wore white cloaks and snuck past Stepehen's army during a snowstorm. Stephen, who eventually captured the castle, was flustered (i.e. during the first battle from long ago he had allowed Maude to leave the castle in an act of gallantry. His barons blamed him for this much later and, even when he tried to capture her, she always managed to slip away).

Victories came and went for both sides, and vassals continued to switch sides. Maude lost her main supporter, Robert, who died in the later years of this struggle. Because of this, Maude's vassals could no longer be held together and she was forced to flee across the waters to Normandy (i.e. northern France).

Note that during this war Maude's husband, Geoffrey, Duke of Anjou, had managed to seize many of the British territories, giving Normandy to Maude.

But kingship for Stephen left a bitter aftertaste. His wife, Mathilda, died and Stephen continued to have problems with the Church and unruly vassals. Meanwhile, Maude's son, Henry, was securing Normandy and ended up marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine, which only made more powerful by leaps and bounds.

In the end, and, in less than two years, Henry landed in England, where he was supported by his own troops as well as British lords. Stephen put up resistance, but the tides of war were against him. Bad omens and war weary vassals eventually convinced him to pass his title to Henry upon his death.

And, in the end, Henry II took the throne of England with very little bloodshed.

Penman's writing strengths are in her vivid descriptions, her real and varied characters, her build up of conflict and conclusions and, of course, let us not forget that her love stories are pretty good, too.

Overall, this is sterling silver quality, so read it right away.