Wed – 01.02.23:

p. 471/471. Finished the book.

Just when I thought I had the characters pegged in this book, SKP adds in more character development and makes me and the characters themselves re-think their positions on not just other characters but also themselves.

The inevitable event the the book has been leading up to was not so much a conclusion as just a turning point in the story. And so was the traumatic turn of events in Wales. Both were grippingly described and while the Welsh storyline had me anxious for Ranulf and his family, the events in Canterbury finally made Henry realise some of his short-comings. It also showed Henry as a shrewd yet honorable king who is fully aware of his responsibilities. I liked that. Henry may have been, and still is, and idiot where Eleanor is concerned, but of all the people who have longed for the crown since the death of Henry I, SKP does not just tell us that he is the most competent, she shows it in Henry’s actions in response to the villainy at Canterbury. (Btw, I’m going with SKP’s version here that Henry has had no direct involvement…)

Yep, this was yet another very satisfying book.

And while the following gif is not actually connected to the plot, I could not help but include it because it is a pretty good metaphor for the intrigues that have caused much of the plot of the first two books in this series:

Previous updates behind the page break.

Tue – 31.01.23:

p. 392/471. Finished Chapter 29.

Apologies to my reading buddies, but I really got into the book and am now on the home stretch.

Chapter 29 ends with a nice bit of foreshadowing. “I want you to save the Archbishop from himself.” In a way this could be applied to a number of characters in this book. However, it seems that we are converging towards zero where the conflict between Harry and Thomas are concerned.

With respect to the growing rift between Harry and Eleanor…this has just really started and it seems like Harry hasn’t even realised. While it is nice to finally get to know their children – some of them at least – it seems quite clear that they too are like pawns in the marital politics of Harry and Eleanor. Or at least, they are where Eleanor is concerned at this point. I’m sure that Harry will follow suit as soon as he realises this. Poor kids. Well, …

B(urn) T(hat) W(itch), I am so going to revisit James Goldman’s The Lion in Winter – both the play and the film – once I finish this series … or maybe even right after this book. Not that I need Penman’s series as a motivation, The Lion in Winter is a fantastic play and film even without the connection to my current read.

Mon – 30.01.23:

p. 292/471. Finished Chapter 22.

If in the last update I asked WTF Thomas was doing, in this update I am going to have to apply the same question to Harry. What tomfoolery is this???

Harry really seems to have changed from the charming young man we first met to, this … dickhead. At least, he realises that he no longer has the support of his former besties, but I am not convinced that he realises that it was he who has alienated them. There are hints of this realisation when he calls for Ranulf after their falling out, but I am going to guess that Harry will attribute blame to others rather than himself.

Ranulf is still my favourite character, and I may have felt very anxious for him after his return to Wales, so the development there basically had me read until 1am last night because I needed to know what was going to happen to him and Rhiannon. Also, is their latest son, Morgan, the same Morgan that appears again later in the two Richard Lionheart books? Morgan was – next to Eleanor – my favourite character in those two books, and the one I was anxious about the most because, as the only fictional character, I could not  gather from history what fate Penman had in store for him.

As for Rosamund, … ugh. UGH!!!

I can also see now why the Welsh Princess series may be calling to me later on. All of the Welsh characters so far are pretty cool, and I have to day that I loved the way Ranulf tried to explain to Harry how they would not choose to “play fair” at war games and why … It just showed again how Harry has become this arrogant entitled dumbass.

Eleanor is still splendid, but I can feel her anger and frustration come to a boiling point soon.

Fri – 27.01.23:

p. 182/471. Finished Chapter 15.

I only meant to read another 50 pages last night but then got caught up in the drama about Henry and Thomas. WTF is Becket doing?

He’s been described as a chameleon, as someone whose perfectionism makes him want to be the best at whatever he takes on, as great diplomat, as vain but not without humour.

And yet, all I get from him is a vibe that he is an opportunistic, narrowminded, short-sighted arsehole whose ambition blinds him to his own short-comings and that of the people/institution he represents. Or thinks he represents as not even the Church agrees with him. Is he looking to become the next Pope? What is his game?

I’m not a fan of Thomas. I mean, I wonder whether this is based on the description of Becket in this book, but have generally come to trust Penman when it comes to describing a historical figure’s character. However, when he defends the claim of benefit of clergy against Henry’s position that earthly justice must be dealt to provide a foundation of stability in his kingdom, I really lost it with Thomas.

What I did love about this section in the book was how it did motivate me think about different aspect of what happened between Henry and Thomas, the settlement of disputes and dispensation of justice at the time, and how the depiction of Becket in the book seems to contradict his depiction as a saint / martyr / good egg in other sources. I mean, even the British Museum website says this about him:

“In death Becket remained a figure of opposition to unbridled power and became seen as the quintessential defender of the rights of the Church.” (Source)

Reading Penman’s version, the “figure of opposition to unbridled power” does not seem to ring true at all. Quite the opposite.

I think all of this has already elevated the book to a minimum 4* read for me, so I am curious how this story will progress.

* * *

Btw, I found this and thought it kinda fits with the time period of this book.

Thu – 26.01.23:

p. 105/471. Somewhere in Chapter 9.

Two things stand out to me. I’m not even going to mention the greed of seemingly all of the nobility to acquire more lands. I’m taking this for granted at this point. I’m liking that Penman actually wrote a credible scene where one of our close circle questions the purpose of going to war for causes that seem nothing but greed.

No, the two things that stood out to me in this next part were the increasing rift between Henry and Eleanor, and how much Henry has come to take her for granted.

The second one is connected with this and is that they all travelled an enormous amount of time, and distances that are no mean feat. Their lives are far from sitting in a castle all day and ruling. They engage with people and their nobles all over the place a lot to keep them in check but also to let them know that they are important enough be visited by the king and/or queen. While arguably a better life than most other people at the time, it must have been exhausting and fraught with dangers.

I know that Eleanor had to endure similar travel at the end of her life, and it probably contributed to her death, but jeez, the woman must have been tough as boots to endure that much carting around. (She’s being sent to almost as many places on the map as Miss Marple  ).

Wed – 25.01.23:

I managed to read the first 4 chapters last night (up to p. 46), and the sibling rivalry between Geoffrey and Henry very much reminded me of George and Ned in A Sunne in Splendour. There seem to be a lot of similarities between George and Geoffrey, both unsavory characters. If Geoff drowns in a vat of wine … or meets a similar end, I would not be surprised. 

I’m also intrigued by how Penman will describe the relationship between Henry and Becket, and how that … “develops”. At the moment, I can’t say I like Thomas much. Not sure why. (But I don’t dislike him enough to wish for bad things to happen to him. He may not be portrayed as personable so far, but he is no Geoffrey (or Eustace from the first book).)

Eleanor is just splendid. That is all. 

Oh, and what is it with the Welsh putting my favourite Ranulf at risk! Ugh…

Tue – 24.01.23:

I’ll be starting the book in earnest tonight, but I have just read the Prologue and am impressed that Penman managed to compress the plot of Book # 1 (all 928 pages of it) into 1.5 pages. 

Pages: 12