Troutbirder

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Christ and His Saints Slept



It was so bad the people said "Christ and His Saints Slept."It was in the 12th century, several generations after the Norman conquest, of England. Civil war raged across the land. Two people battled for the English Crown. One a man and most surprisingly, the other, a woman.
The woman was Maude, daughter of Henry I, who dies without a male heir. He annoints and trains his daughter for the job. She is smart, courageous and yes stubborn. The problem is many of the English barons (this is a feudal system) will not submit to a woman. Mauds cousin usurps the throne and the battle is on, as some of her barons and relatives remain loyal.
Never quite fullfilling her quest, she becomes the "mother" of kings. In effect, through the child she bore to the abusive Count Geoffrey of Breton, a son, the future Henry II, founds the Plantagenet Empire and dynasty. What a remarkable story. What a remarkable woman! I loved it.
This book is the first in a series of eventually to be four volumes, in author Sharon Kay Penman's "Eleanor of Aquitaine" series. If you like historical fiction this is a real good stuff. Penman combines excellent historical background knowledge with realistically drawn characterizations.

6 comments:

Montanagirl said...

Might be good reading!! Right now I'm re-reading Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. Simple reading, but such a good writer. There's also a movie made from the book starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan.

Willow said...

History fascinates me, particularly medieval times.

Jo's World said...

I love reading about Eleanor of Aquitane so I shall have to look for this series. Have you seen the movie Lion in Winter, with Peter O'Toole as Henry and Kathryn Hepburn as Eleanor. Its one of my all time favorites, plus it introduces Anthony Hopkins as their eldest son. What a star he has become!

Cheers,

Jo

Anonymous said...

Hi Troutbirder-thanks for visiting my blog today. I wanted to come return the favor. Did you feel like you were in Oz over there?:-) It doesn't sound as though the trials and tribulations of shoe shopping would be quite your cup of tea, but I appreciate you checking it out. On the other hand, I love any blog that talks about books and has photos of eagles. This sounds like a series I would like. Thanks for the suggestion.

Jo's World said...

Its me again, Troutbirder, I checked for the trilogy on Amazon and there are used hardback copies available for a penny a piece plus $3.99 postage. I don't know if you buy or library, but if you want to own these, its a good price and I have never been disappointed with a used book, always good or nearly new condition, plus they don't have to cut down another tree!

Cheers,

Jo

CailinMarie said...

I haven't read Sharon Penman in a while. Haven't read this series- my brother brought home The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard III about 10, or so years ago. Holy Cow that was a great book.