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Lionheart Sharon Kay Penman 9780399157851 Books

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Lionheart Sharon Kay Penman 9780399157851 Books

Sharon Kay Penman has been pursuing British historical fiction with vigor for over 11 novels now, and each one gives more insight, more perspective, and more to savor than than the last. I have read them all. She has a unique gift in taking facts, details, and history and weaving them into a story with emotions, textures and tastes. She makes history alive and relevant to today's readers. She makes history touchable, teachable, and graspable.

In "Lionheart," Penman tackles the Third Crusade of the Holy Land. Launched in 1189 with the prickly partnership of King Richard (the Lionheart, himself) and King Philippe II of France, this crusade was a campaign of foibles, theatrics, and politics. Seen and heard, loudly, is the indomitable icon, Queen Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, and domineering mother of King Richard and his newly arrived fiancee, Berengaria, Princess of Navarre.

Much of the novel takes place in Italy, where Richard's sister Joanna is Queen of Siciliy. Richard lands there on his way to the Holy Land, and finds himself needing to rescue Joanna from her fallen kingdom.

Shipwrecks, battles, politics, romance, culture and religion all come into focus in the pages of this book. While thick in size, the writing is never dense or dull. You will keep reading, even if you know the story already, to find out becomes of your favorite characters.

Richard's story is not complete, however, in this novel. An upcoming release, "A King's Ransom" will complete his story. I'll be waiting for it!


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Lionheart Sharon Kay Penman 9780399157851 Books Reviews

"Dex aie!" ‒ battle cry of the English Royal House (God Aid Us!)

"... as (Richard) gazed at those distant limestone walls and towers (of Jerusalem), it struck him with utter and awful certainty that this was as close as he'd ever get to that most holy and hallowed of cities, the cradle of Christendom." ‒ from LIONHEART

"Berengaria has remained in history's shadows, a sad ghost ..." ‒ from LIONHEART

"Running a war seems to consist in making plans and then ensuring that all those destined to carry it out don't quarrel with each other instead of the enemy." - Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke, British CIGS during WWII

Richard, the second son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to reach adulthood, assumed the throne in 1189 at age 31. LIONHEART by Sharon Kay Penman, who has previously penned a superb series of historical novels about Richard's father, takes up the Lionheart's story in July 1190 as he sets out on the Third Crusade, stopping on the way in Sicily to rescue his sister, Joanna, the recently widowed Queen of Sicily, from the unsympathetic new King, and then in Cyprus to take the island away from its self-proclaimed "emperor," Isaac Comnenus. Oh, and by the way, before finally arriving in the Holy Land at Acre in June 1191 to lend a helping sword to the siege of that Muslim-held city, he marries Berengaria, the daughter of the King of Navarre. The book concludes in late 1192 as Richard sails for home after having fought Saladin, the Muslim Sultan, to a draw against great odds, the greatest of which perhaps was the perfidy of his French allies led by King Philip II.

I've not given away any spoilers; it's all in the historical record.

In the first paragraph of the book's "Author's Note," Penman writes

"Richard I was never one of my favorite kings, although my knowledge of him was admittedly superficial. I saw him as one-dimensional, drunk on blood and glory, arrogant, ruthless, a brilliant battle commander but an ungrateful son and careless king, and that is the Richard who made a brief appearance in Here Be Dragons."

But, she goes on to admit

"So I was not expecting the Richard that I found when I began to research Devil's Brood A Novel ... after years of writing about real historical figures I'd never before discovered such a disconnect between the man and the myth ..."

So, the author found herself being persuaded by Richard's contemporary record, perhaps reacting against the relatively recent revisionist history. (See, for example, the magnificent 1968 film, The Lion In Winter, that portrays him as a boorish, rebellious son and a closet homosexual.)

In any case, Penman goes on in the "Author's Note" to touch on the sources, both Christian and Muslim, that cause her to assure the reader that the Lionheart she presents within the pages is as true to the historical figure as she can possibly make him.

For me, a casual student of English history for many years past, especially of the Plantagenet kings ‒ in which line Richard was the second ‒ LIONHEART is both a revelation and a magnificent read. My own mine canary was Berengaria, an historical figure that authors would like to illuminate with all good intentions, but have failed to do so because of a lack of information; see my review of Berengaria In Search of Richard's Queen. In LIONHEART, Penman could've taken great liberties with the character, but she didn't. And this leads me to suppose that her narrative of Richard is pretty much spot on.

I enjoyed this novel immensely, and will now begin the sequel, A King's Ransom.
This is the second novel of the very prolific Sharon Penman that I have read. It stands on its own and can be read without having first been through the others in this series. These are great books for people who enjoy popular history and historical novels. But this is not a book for the faint of heart. Penman is meticulous in detail - giving us an almost day by day account of the Third Crusade. The reader learns a lot of the history as the battles all happen on the days they really occurred and the tactics and outcomes are all detailed; and the politics and negotiations are also all accurately portrayed as best can be deduced from the historical sources. With very few exceptions (detailed in her afterword) the characters are all real people doing in the book what we think they actually did at the time. The fun part is that Penman imagines larger than life personalities for all the larger than life major players in a wonderfully campy way. Imagine being a fly on the wall during Richard Lionheart's wedding night! Or listening in on the sibling rivalries of Eleanor's and Henry's children. "Mom always liked Richard best!" Not for everyone - but many will enjoy as I did.
Having read some reviews I was concerned that Lionheart would not live up to Sharon Penman's usual standard, how wrong I was! I just loved it. In fact I found it, and the following book, A King's Ransom, absolutely riveting. My knowledge of Richard was scant, gleaned from childhood stories and movies but Penman's novel has gone a long way to rectifying that short fall. Richard was a man of prodigious talent and prowess, yet deeply flawed, he polarised people managing to make as many enemies as friends. Unlike so many children born of illustrious parents, Richard blazed a glorious path, a legend even in his own time. Is it any wonder then, that he was Eleanor's favourite child! Lionheart centres around Richard's time in the Holy Land, so yes there are battles, but he was a soldier, that's what he did! The book gives a wonderful insight into the politics of the crusade and the holy land itself, but is never dry or dull! We see the relationships he shared with his wife and queen, and also his youngest sister, we see the bitter enmity that existed between Richard and the French King and the frustrations that that caused him! Penman's novel breathe life into a legend, an awesome read!
Sharon Kay Penman has been pursuing British historical fiction with vigor for over 11 novels now, and each one gives more insight, more perspective, and more to savor than than the last. I have read them all. She has a unique gift in taking facts, details, and history and weaving them into a story with emotions, textures and tastes. She makes history alive and relevant to today's readers. She makes history touchable, teachable, and graspable.

In "Lionheart," Penman tackles the Third Crusade of the Holy Land. Launched in 1189 with the prickly partnership of King Richard (the Lionheart, himself) and King Philippe II of France, this crusade was a campaign of foibles, theatrics, and politics. Seen and heard, loudly, is the indomitable icon, Queen Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, and domineering mother of King Richard and his newly arrived fiancee, Berengaria, Princess of Navarre.

Much of the novel takes place in Italy, where Richard's sister Joanna is Queen of Siciliy. Richard lands there on his way to the Holy Land, and finds himself needing to rescue Joanna from her fallen kingdom.

Shipwrecks, battles, politics, romance, culture and religion all come into focus in the pages of this book. While thick in size, the writing is never dense or dull. You will keep reading, even if you know the story already, to find out becomes of your favorite characters.

Richard's story is not complete, however, in this novel. An upcoming release, "A King's Ransom" will complete his story. I'll be waiting for it!