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Review
“A painstakingly drawn picture of royal medieval England from bedchamber to battleground.”
---Los Angeles Times Book Review
“The reader is left with the haunting sensation that perhaps the good a man does can live after him---especially in the hands of a dedicated historian.”
---The San Diego Union
“Those who know Richard III from Shakespeare will find that Sharon Kay Penman presents a contrasting view of the English monarch . . . He’s an altogether nice man, a romantic hero as suitable to our late twentieth-century standards . . . as he was to those of medieval England . . . There is a vengeful quality to her insistence that is appealing; it makes for a good story.”
---The New York Times Book Review
“Ms. Penman’s novel, rich in detail and research, attempts to set the record straight . . . it is an uncommonly fine novel, one that brings a far-off time to brilliant life.”
---Chattanooga Daily Times
Book Description
A glorious novel of the controversial Richard III---a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history
In this beautifully rendered modern classic, Sharon Kay Penman redeems Richard III---vilified as the bitter, twisted, scheming hunchback who murdered his nephews, the princes in the Tower---from his maligned place in history with a dazzling combination of research and storytelling.
Born into the treacherous courts of fifteenth-century England, in the midst of what history has called The War of the Roses, Richard was raised in the shadow of his charismatic brother, King Edward IV. Loyal to his friends and passionately in love with the one woman who was denied him, Richard emerges as a gifted man far more sinned against than sinning.
This magnificent retelling of his life is ?lled with all of the sights and sounds of battle, the customs and lore of the ?fteenth century, the rigors of court politics, and the passions and prejudices of royalty.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Historical Fiction,
By
This review is from: The Sunne in Splendour (Paperback)
I didnt know very much about The War of the Roses and King Richard III, except for of course, Shakespeares version. Sharon Kay Penman enlightened me with the dazzling stroke of her pen! Dont let the 931 pages fool you, this historical fiction is hard to put down and has something for everyone. Political intrigue, war, romance, passion, and conflict is all included. The only disappointment is that I reached the end! I wanted the story and the vivid characters to go on and on. Thanks to Penman for bringing this period of English history to life!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding work! Best historical based literature I've read in a long time.,
By
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This review is from: The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard III (Paperback)
Highly recommended literary work based on the life of Richard III and the period of the Wars of the Roses. You'll see a different side of this much maligned King. Acutely sensitive and highly emotional writing with detailed historical accuracy. One of the best historical based novels I've read in many years.
4.0 out of 5 stars
pretty good, but SHOULD have been better,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sunne in Splendour (Paperback)
The fourth star is for Penman's portrayal of Richard as the decent man unfairly maligned by history--the way I've come to see him. However, I must say that while this book was excellently-well researched and incredibly interesting, I've seen Ms. Penman write far better (the Wales trilogy is her best work, and three of my favorite books of all time). While I realize when you're writing an historical novel, accuracy is a crucial element, Ms. Penman nonetheless has an unfortunate tendancy to get a little too carried away by the details. She does this in "While Christ and His Saints Slept" as well (not in the Wales trilogy, thank goodness!), telling the story through the eyes of minor characters such as Veronique and Francis, rather than the major ones such as Richard and Anne. What happens is, she switches back and forth between characters, and as a result, few get the right amount of attention and developement. I mean, Richard is the hero; the story should be told through HIS eyes, not those of his followers. At the Battle of Bosworth, for heaven's sake, the reader should be clinging to Richard's shoulders as he makes that furious, valiant, fatal attack against Richmond, not hanging back and watching from the sidelines with Francis Lovell! Not that I have anything against Francis, which you may think since I've griped about him twice. It's just that this is RICHARD'S story...I wanted to get inside his head, walk around in his boots. All this switching around got too distracting. Still... Don't be daunted by the length of this book. It's really quite fast paced, and never boring. As I said, the subject matter is fascinating and Ms. Penman displays such potential for great writing, which will, unfortunately, not be realized in this work, but later, in her incredible Wales Trilogy. Still... this is a good read for anyone interested in the mystery surrounding Richard's character and for anyone who, like myself, prefers their roses white.
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