Review: A King's Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Lionheart comes the dramatic sequel, telling of the last dangerous years of Richard, Coeur de Lion’s life.

This long-anticipated sequel to the national bestseller Lionheart is a vivid and heart-wrenching story of the last event-filled years in the life of Richard, Coeur de Lion. Taken captive by the Holy Roman Emperor while en route home—in violation of the papal decree protecting all crusaders—he was to spend fifteen months chained in a dungeon while Eleanor of Aquitaine moved heaven and earth to raise the exorbitant ransom. But a further humiliation awaited him: he was forced to kneel and swear fealty to his bitter enemy.

For the five years remaining to him, betrayals, intrigues, wars, and illness were ever present. So were his infidelities, perhaps a pattern set by his father’s faithlessness to Eleanor. But the courage, compassion, and intelligence of this warrior king became the stuff of legend, and A King’s Ransom brings the man and his world fully and powerfully alive. 

Hardcover, 685 pages

Published March 4th 2014 by Marian Wood Books/Putnam

personal library

 ***** 

I couldn't decide which cover to include here so I put 2 of them, different but yet both reflecting the time period.

Part of me thinks that if I just say the words 'Sharon Kay Penman' than everyone should nod their heads and understand my feelings here.  That they would know her name is synonymous with epic historical fiction, door stopper sized books and has the ability to cause one to mourn figures long departed this world.

I love reading a time period that I know next to nothing about and A King's Ransom is one of those time periods.  The 5th book in her Plantagenet Series, though it does work as a standalone I highly recommend starting at the beginning with When Christ and His Saints Slept.  It's been awhile since I finished Lionheart but SKP was able to get me up to speed in no time, not with drawn out scenes but enough to refresh my memory.  What I loved about this series is the authors ability to make everything extremely realistic.  I could feel the fear and anxiousness of Richard and his travelers as they try to make it across Europe undercover.  His capture, sub sequence captivity and then the aftermath of adjusting to life again showed his physical and emotional state, humanizing him.  There is more that I would love to say and expound on, but I must stop myself for fear of spoilers, I don't want to give anything away of this wonderful book.

This book wasn't just about Richard, but his sister Joanna and the ever courageous Eleanor.  It was sad to say goodbye to them all and I will admit that this was one of those books where I had to take a breath (or two) before I could start something fresh, such emotional writing.

Suffice to say Sharon Kay Penman is a favorite of mine, it isn't hard to get lost in her books.   I have taken to going to ebook route for the sheer fact that my arms get tired holding her books (they are huge).  I had the awesome opportunity this past June of not just meeting her but talking with and listening to panel discussions that she was involved in.  An absolutely friendly lady, she took time to chat, eager to listen to me - it was truly a privilege.
 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! 

June 3: Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag or Ten Books That Will Be In My Beach Bag This Summer

Here is a list of ten books that I will be reading this summer:

1.  The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness being released July 15th, so excited!!!

With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close. 

2.  Revenge & Retribution by Anna Belfrage is the sixth book in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveller Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham. 

I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!

3.  The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier - I loved Juliet and can't wait to read this one.  Lovin' that cover too!

The Lost Sisterhood features another group of iconic, legendary characters, another grand adventure--you'll see in these pages that Fortier understands the kind of audience she has built with Juliet, but also she's delivering a fresh new story to keep that audience coming back for more.

 

4.  Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown - being released July 1st, however I was lucky to get an advanced copy

Based on the compelling true narrative of Mary Rowlandson, Flight of the Sparrow is an evocative tale that transports the reader to a little-known time in early America and explores the real meaning of freedom, faith, and acceptance.

5. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. 

 6. Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton - because I LOVED The Secret History and adore all things Egypt.

Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course. 

 7. The Queen's Gamble by Barbara Kyle - book 4 in the Thornleigh Series, started it this year on audio and love it.

Young Queen Elizabeth I's path to the throne has been a perilous one, and already she faces a dangerous crisis. French troops have landed in Scotland to quell a rebel Protestant army, and Elizabeth fears once they are entrenched on the border, they will invade England. 

 8. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin - I am feeling the need for a big book, coming in at 768 pages this fits the bill.  Plus I have to read the book before watching the movie (one of my quirks).

New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake, orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. 

 9. The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley - I wasn't really thrilled with another book this author wrote and want to give her another chance.  

Spanning four generations, The Midnight Rose sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a remarkable girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day . . . 

10. A King's Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman - being a big fan of this author I am embarrassed to say that I haven't read this yet - it was released in March - what is wrong with me??! 

Traveling home from the bloody battlefields of the Holy Land, the Crusader King Richard the Lionheart is shipwrecked in the Mediterranean after an encounter with pirates. He should be protected by a papal decree, but he is betrayed and captured by the Duke of Austria – a man who has good reason to loathe him – and is immediately claimed by the Holy Roman Emperor, who also bears him a bitter grudge.

Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

They were called "The Devil's Brood," though never to their faces. They were the four surviving sons of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine. With two such extraordinary parents, much was expected of them.
But the eldest-charming yet mercurial-would turn on his father and, like his brother Geoffrey, meet an early death. When Henry died, Richard would take the throne and, almost immediately, set off for the Holy Land. This was the Third Crusade, and it would be characterized by internecine warfare among the Christians and extraordinary campaigns against the Saracens. And, back in England, by the conniving of Richard's youngest brother, John, to steal his crown.

 

Hardcover, 594 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by G.P. Putnam's Sons (first published January 1st 2011)

The fourth book in the Plantagenets Series by one of my very favorite authors, Sharon Kay Penman.  This book had a somewhat different feel to it than the others in this series.  Maybe because it was very male dominated or maybe just because I really missed Eleanor (I think she is in her 60's during the very brief time she appears and I am going to be very sad when she passes).  Focusing mainly on King Richard over the span of a couple years, it was also very interesting to learn more about Henri of Champagne, though I couldn't get my head how they are related - that was one of my favorite scenes, my head was also spinning trying to figure that one out (if you read the book you will know what I mean, lol).

One of the things I really enjoy about historical fiction is not just a wonderful story but learning history at the same time.  I have stopped heading over to Wikipedia while in the mist of a book (too many spoilers can ruin a good book) and do that after I finish.  I know (knew) absolutely nothing about the Crusades.  This was a very well written and informative book and it's no wonder King Richard was away for so long.  It was interesting to read about Richard's character and after awhile I was beginning to wonder if he was really like the way the author portrayed him to be.  The author's notes were wonderful and yea I guess he was as portrayed.  Joanna was a favorite and reminded me so much of her mother.

The final book in the series, The King's Ransom will continue where this one left off and we can find out how Richard takes care of the mess England is in at the hands of his little brother, John. 

Plantagenets Series by Sharon Kay Penman

I have started a quest this year, to read through the Kings of England, it will most likely take a couple years, but what an adventure it will be.

What better way to start then with King Henry I and Sharon Kay Penman (though he isn't around for long).

 A.D. 1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But before Maude could claim her throne, her cousin Stephen seized it. In their long and bitter struggle, all of England bled and burned.


Sharon Kay Penman's magnificent fifth novel summons to life a spectacular medieval tragedy whose unfolding breaks the heart even as it prepares the way for splendors to come—the glorious age of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Plantagenets that would soon illumine the world.

 It was medieval England’s immortal marriage—Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, bound by passion and ambition, certain to leave a legacy of greatness. But while lust would divide them, it was friendship—and ultimately faith—that brought bloodshed into their midst. It began with Thomas Becket, Henry’s closest confidant, and his elevation to be Archbishop of Canterbury. It ended with a perceived betrayal that made a royal murder seem inevitable. Along the way were enough scheming, seductions, and scandals to topple any kingdom but their own. . . .

 

The long-awaited and highly anticipated final volume in Penman's trilogy of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, a tumultuous conclusion to this timeless story of love, power, ambition, and betrayal. 

Where the second novel in the trilogy, "Time And Chance," dealt with the extraordinary politics of the twelfth century, climaxing with the murder of Thomas Becket and Henry's confrontation with the Church and self-imposed exile to Ireland, "Devil's Brood" centers on the implosion of a family. And because it is a royal family whose domains span the English Channel and whose alliances encompass the Christian world, that collapse will have dire consequences. This is a story of betrayal as Henry's three eldest sons and his wife enter into a rebellion against him, aligning themselves with his bitterest enemy, King Louis of France. But it is also the story of a great king whose brilliance forged an empire but whose personal blind spots led him into the most serious mistake of his life. 
 
 
I have decided to do this blog posting with all 3 books.  First off, these are huge books, almost 2200 pages total.  Usually when I read a big book I need a break, time to read some smaller books, clean my head before I dive in again.  With this series I read all 3 back to back, all ebook editions.  I was drawn to the first book by the title alone, how intriguing, what did it mean?  Of course once I read it, it was plainly obvious, that period in history, the fight for the crown that left people wondering if Christ and His Saints slept? It also left me very grateful to be born when I was.

This is also a new author to me and is now a favorite (made my day when she became my friend on facebook too).  There is a writing style that is so easy to follow, even when getting used to with who was who and what side their were on again.  These books are so full of history that I can't even phantom how much time the author spent researching and writing, rewriting and most likely rewriting again.  For me this is a period of history that I know very little about and what an adventure it was. 

The only part I was disappointed with was Ranulf, the only fictional character and I loved him.  I laughed at his early adventures with the nuns and smiled at his love story, a wonderful addition to the story..

I loved this series and will be reading the Welsh series as soon as I finish Lionheart.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“It was just like him, she thought; with him, a happy ending was always a foregone conclusion. But such was the power of his faith that when she was with him; she found herself believing in happy endings, too.”
 When Christ and His Saints Slept

“When does he ever think?" Richard straddled a chair and accepted a wind cup from Raoul. "If he were to sell his brain, he could claim it had never been used.", Chapter 7”
Devil's Brood

“Geoffrey looked startled to see both his great-uncles bearing down upon him with such haste; he hadn’t realized men their age could move so fast.”
Devil's Brood