Rating: 
Summary: The Trap of Historical Minutiae
Review: I am an avid fan of ALL of Penman's works (yes, even those "medieval lite" mysteries--I like them for what they are). But, I'm saddened to say that Penman has fallen into the trap of history with this one. In her previous books, few of us really knew that much about her topics. Other than medievalists, who knew much about Maud, King Stephen, Llewelyn of Wales, Joanna (King John's illegitimate daughter), Simon de Monfort, etc.? But most of us have read or seen "Becket" and "The Lion in Winter"; and any medieval fan knows a great deal about Eleanor and Henry and Beckett! So we were looking for Penman's viewpoint of this familiar material--some satisfying psychological motivations and explanantions for the oftimes incomprehensible behavior of Becket, for example--and Henry, too, for that matter. We were looking for the sort of "alternative understanding" of Richard III that appeared in Sunne in Splendour, for example. But Penman gets so bogged down in the excruciatingly minute details of the church vs. state dispute between Becket and Henry II that the rest of the story suffers greatly. The whole pace is off, here!It is true that the minutiae are sometimes lightened by glimpses into the (still) fascinating relationship between Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry (though I learned nothing new about them), but then it bogs down again--over and over this pattern repeats itself. It's wonderful to find (again) Penman's fictional Ranulf and his blind wife, Rhiannon; it's fascinating to get a glimpse into the ancestors of Llewelyn and the English-Welsh hostilities. But, despite these moments, this book moves far more slowly, loses its focus more readily that her previous works. Worse, I don't feel that I understand Becket or Henry now any better than I had before--we see both men almost totally from the outside. All she really has to tell us about Becket is that he is a "chamelon" while Henry is "stubborn"! Perhaps I was too eager to read this novel--and set myself up for a disappointment? I know that I'm glad I bought it (and yes, I'll buy the last part of the triology, too), but not with the same enthusiasm as in the past. Sorry, Sharon, but I really got bored about half-way through, and had a hard time getting back into the rest of the story! I really wanted to give this book a 2 and 1/2 star rating, but pushed it up to three for Wales!
Rating: 
Summary: This "Time" we have a winner.
Review: I felt lukewarm about "When Christ and His Saints Slept", the book to which "Time and Chance" is a sequal to, largely because the two central characters in "When Christ and His Saints Slept" created so many of their own problems out of pride or foolisness that it was difficult to sympathize with either of them. Neither deserved to be ruler of England, consequently, it was difficult to care about what the outcome of the story was going to be. However, there is no such problem with "Time and Chance". Penman has done an excellent job of making a well-known story interesting again. Although the characters' feelings and emotions could be considered "modern", she takes care to set them against their proper historical context. Although people had different views on marriage, etc. at that time (a fact which Penman makes perfectly clear) human desires haven't, at their core, changed very much in nearly a thousand years. Penman also does a remarkably good job building suspense - a very diffcult task when many readers already know the outcome of the story. She also does a good job interweaving her characters' various stories, keeping the reader interested as she moves between one plotline to another. All in all, this novel is a very solid effort on par with her "Welsh" trilogy and "The Sunne in Splendor".
Rating: 
Summary: Time and Chance
Review: I found this book unreadable. I liked some of Penman's earlier work. This book... The writing is pedestrian. Boring words outnumber vivid ones by a *lot*. The setting is that of the reign of Henry and Eleanor, with an emphasis on conflicts with Owain Gwynedd. Again, it's not vivid. I can't smell it, can't taste it. It just... lies there. And it's flawed by a severe historical error. Penman seems unaware that medieval people thought differently than we do today about life; about marriage, children, family, duty, identity, and all sorts of things. Her characters all act and talk like modern people, and people who've read a lot of self-help books, at that. It's obvious that none of her research has involved Duby, LeGoff, or any of their colleagues. As for the plot, it's painfully slow to get started. Henry and Eleanor make love; Becket hangs around being suave; there are some vague rumblings of action in the Marches; Henry argues with churchmen. As a reader, I need to be drawn in quickly. I need a reason to continue with the book. I didn't find that here. I recommend avoiding this.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best, but reasonably entertaining
Review: I guess this book may be many things to many people. As an ardent fan of Ms Penman, I found myself disappointed with the characters in a time in history when the real players were as fascinating as any who have ever walked the earth. Eleanor is my favourite historical character, and Henry and Thomas Becket were among the most powerful personalities of their times. Alas, I feel that this book does not do them justice. Henry is portrayed well enough, as the fesity and stubborn king, but Eleanor is relegated to child-producing wife, and almost nothing is mentioned of Becket, save to imply that he was perhaps losing his mind. What is worse, is that by far the most interesting character in the book is fictional - Henry's uncle Ranulf. Fair enough, you might say, this is a novel. But I don't understand why Ms Penman places so much emphasis on a fictional character, when the real ones give her such rich material. However, when all is said and done, this is a novel, and a well written one at that. Therefore it was able to keep me engrossed enough to finish it in my usual rapid time. But beware that this is a book which is clearly intended to have a sequel - we have yet to see any of the fireworks between Henry and Eleanor that marked the latter years of their marriage, and I hope that Ms Penman will let us see these characters in all their glory in the next book. If you are not someone with a great interest and knowledge of the period, you will enjoy this as it is a ripping story full of interesting people. If not, you may find that the book leaves the most fascinating people in history a little wanting, and in turn leaves you wanting a little more.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book, but not as great as first in trilogy.
Review: I like this book, but too often the story lagged as Henry II went from battle to battle. Because for me the heart of this story is the relationship between Eleanor and Henry, I felt this book wasn't nearly as great as its predecessor, AS CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT. For people who like historical fiction, this book certainly is worth the read, but for people interested in an in-depth look at Henry and Eleanor, the book moves too slowly and the couple's relationship is often on the back-burner, even as Henry begins an affair with Rosamund Clifford. I will still likely purchase the final book in this trilogy when it is published, but would recommend that people check this book out from the library rather than purchase it.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I loved Penman's other books but this one lacks Penman's usual magic. There are no interesting new characters, and the old ones have lost much of their luster. The most interesting subplot, the growing estrangement between Eleanor and Henry, is overshadowed by the tale of Thomas Becket, a story that never grabbed my interest because the character of Becket is not developed. It reads like a recitation of facts, not a historical fiction novel. Similarly, the subplot of Hywel, son of Owain Fawr, never pulls me in because Penman tells it through the eyes of her made-up character Ranulf, who is not directly involved in the action. Penman's other books kept me up half the night because I couldn't put them down. This one, by contrast, was a chore to read. I hope the next one will be better.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars, but a few reservations...
Review: I read and re-read SKP's books. I don't normally do that, but I do that with SKP because rereading them allows for fuller, more complete understanding of the events going on in different places around Europe at the same time. Time and Chance is no exception; there are lots of things going on in France, England, and Wales to keep track of. That's not to say that it's fast-paced or confusing. It isn't. This is not an action based thriller; it doesn't even contain the riveting battles that previous books have included (Remember Richard III on the battlefield? Nail-bitingly intense.) No, this book is less about wars and more about politics and people. Specifically, it's about Eleanor and Henry's marriage, Henry and Thomas a Becket's friendship, and Henry's fictional uncle Ranulf and how the English monarchy affects Ranulf's Welsh side of the family. It also includes a large smattering of Welsh dynastic intrigue. My reservations are few, but to me they are serious. SKP's Eleanor in this book is not the strong, charismatic queen that I thought I knew from other sources. Instead, she has fits of anger and bedroom charisma. I do think SKP is working up to the Eleanor I thought I knew though; this is a relatively young Eleanor we see in this book. My biggest problem was with Thomas a Becket. He undergoes a massive personality change that is not explained adequately to my satisfaction. However, I give this book 5 stars because I see no reason why my reservations make it a book worthy of less than 5 stars. The characters in question -Eleanor and Thomas- need not conform to my traditional beliefs in order to be intriguing; they do a very good job of being interesting AND endearing while at the same time not conforming to the personalities other authors have set forth for them. It is also worth noting that, despite another reviewer's views to the contrary, Ranulf is more than a literary device. He *is* an invented literary device, but he is also a well-developed character who spends a lot of time agonizing over decisions he must make that are going to impact his own family. You view much of the story from his eyes, and although he isn't a dynamic character (that is, he does not undergo a change; he is the same man at the end of the story that he is at the beginning) he is a fully developed character, very capable of propelling the reader through the circles of Henry and Eleanor's court to provide insights that a story told from Henry or Eleanor's point of view couldn't. If you haven't read While Christ and His Saints Slept, you need not do so to understand the story told in this novel. This book can stand alone, but I recommend reading While Christ...before this one anyway, because you can watch Henry become the king you meet in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I really enjoyed Sharon Kay Penman's earlier books, and I was excited about this one. The beginning was fairly entertaining, although I knew too much about Henry and Eleanor for it to seem as fascinating as some of Penman's earlier books. Still, I enjoyed some of those bits. Unfortunately, about three quarters of the way through, I was starting to hope Becket would just die already! Each political move among Becket, Henry and the Pope seems to be described in minute but somehow uncompelling detail. I honestly found that rather than wanting to stay up late to read (which is usually the case with Penman's books), I'd drop off in mid-paragraph. It was really a struggle to finish. Overall, not one of the best books about this era and a real letdown.
Rating:
Summary: Too lean!!
Review: I thought that Time and Chance was bit lean in characterization. It was not as complete or good as As Christ and His Saints Slept and this is probably because the first book centered around Matilda while the second book really don't have a real center. I thought Time and Chance was perhaps too short of a book and more pages could have been given to dig deeper with Thomas Becket or any other characters who looked like they needed more fleshing out. I thought Eleanor have gotten a short end of the stick which is kind of funny since Penman wrote her pretty well in her shorter mystery novels. I hope this will be just the weak link of the trilogy since I am looking forward to the third book, perhap realizing that it cannot be as bad as the second.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the wait
Review: I've been waiting for Time and Chance for years now, so much that I hesitated to start it because I didn't want it to be over. But it was well worth the wait. Ms. Penman did an excellent job of starting with two healthy relationships, Henry and Beckett and Henry and Eleanor, and showing the slow spiral downward. At times I wanted to jump in and shake some sense into all three of them - how could such politically intelligent people have misread and miscommunicated with each other over and over again? I'll be waiting impatiently for the next Justin de Quincy and then the follow-up to Time and Chance.
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