When Christ and His Saints Slept (Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, #1)

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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. Best Download [ When Christ and His Saints Slept (Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, #1) ] by [ Sharon Kay Penman ] – kino-fada.fr Penman s broad epic scope focuses on the dynastic struggle for the crown of England This takes place in the early 12th century when Henry I, who had over 20 illegitimate children, loses his one legitimate heir in the White Ship Ordeal i.e basically, a chunk of the fleet sank in the British storms Upon Henry I s death it was settled that Henry s daughter, Maude, would rule For his barons this was quite unpopular as women were not supposed to rule, which opened the doors for a cousin, Stephe Penman s broad epic scope focuses on the dynastic struggle for the crown of England This takes place in the early 12th century when Henry I, who had over 20 illegitimate children, loses his one legitimate heir in the White Ship Ordeal i.e basically, a chunk of the fleet sank in the British storms Upon Henry I s death it was settled that Henry s daughter, Maude, would rule For his barons this was quite unpopular as women were not supposed to rule, which opened the doors for a cousin, Stephen of Blois, to usurp the crown What followed was an 18 year struggle in which both sides controlled the throne The interesting aspect of this tale was that both potential rulers had serious flaws which blocked them from truly ruling Stephen was kind and gentle yet his kindness was sometimes taken as a weakness by his barons Additionally, his stubbornness at the Battle of Lincoln i.e when his vassals urged him to retreat and he refuse...It was with great anticipation that I returned to Sharon Penman s When Christ and His Saints Slept, the first book by Sharon Penman that I ever read at the tender age of 10, and which for good reasons immediately became one of my favourite books of all time and in all the years since has never been displaced from its solid and thoroughly deserved status as the cream of the crop not just of historical fiction but across genres This is the ...You will look at this book and find the 742 pages daunting, but I will relieve your mind on that score The book reads fast Penman keeps the pages moving bringing history to life and putting flesh on the bones of a vast array of characters Despite the plot involving so many historical figures I never found myself to be lost I have read quite a bit about the Plan...I liked this book, and am a fan of Penman sbut there were a few issues that I had with this one 1 Head hopping Sometimes it s really hard to tell who she s talking about, and you have to go back and re read to figure it out.2 Many scenes seem to have this basic structure 1 Some major characters, most likely nobles, are talking about something eminently important 2 SuddenlyA rider knight will rush in to tell them that someone has died been born, or a castle city is under siege ta I liked this book, and am a fan of Penman sbut there were a few issues that I had with this one 1 Head hopping Sometimes it s really hard to tell who she s talking about, and you have to go back and re read to figure it out.2 ...A man can be our enemy, Eustace, and still be a decent sort.I ve read all of Philippa Gregory s king and queen books, and this is only my second title by Sharon Kay Penman I enjoy them both but for different reasons PG shows you all the intrigues in the courts, but you re never really aware of what is happening to the man on the street These are quick, easy and very intriguing reads SKP shows the effects of the kings wars and decisions on the country as a whole I found it especially sad t A man can be our enemy, Eustace, and still be a decent sort.I ve read all of Philippa Gregory s king and queen books, and this is only my second title by Sharon Kay Penman I enjoy them both but for different reasons PG shows you all the intrigues in the courts, but you re never really aware of what is happening to the man on the street These are quick, easy and very intriguing reads SKP shows the effects of the kings wars and decisions on the country as a whole I found it especially sad that none of the common people could actually care who ruled them, yet they were...Before the Tudors and before the Plantagenets England, France, and much of Europe was comprised of territories up for conquest Although history always highlights men, there were women groveling for crowns, as well Ever hear of Empress Maude versus King Stephen Sharon Kay Penman traverses this period in her novel, When Christ and his Saints Slept.A warning must initially be signaled that Penman s novel is a heavy one The pages immediately introduce a multitude of characters and the story i Before the Tudors and before the Plantagenets England, France, and mu...A Sad and Tragic Period in England s History and truly a time when Christ and his Saints slept A fascinating, complicated tale with a huge cast of characters, many with similar names It was hard to keep track of at times, a list of who s who at the front of the book would have been helpful, as SKP did in the next book, Time and Chance The characters were well written, and I appreciated that neither Stephen who did steal the crown nor Maude were written as black and white evil vs saint a A Sad and Tragic Period in England s History and truly a time when Christ and his Saints slept A fascinating, complicated tale with a huge cast of characters, many with similar names It was hard to keep track of at times, a list of who s who at the front of the book would have been helpful, as SKP did in the next book, Time and Chance The characters were well written, and I appreciated that neither Stephen who did steal the crown nor Maude were written as black and white evil vs saint all had flaws in their characters Adding the fictional Ranulf gave a nice perspective to the tale I also appreciated the way the author brought us the viewpoints of the common folk, who didn t care who ruled, as long as there was peace The first 2 3 of the book are mostly about the civil con...This is not a great example of historical fiction The story is thin and feels like it is just there to connect the historical elements that the author had researched and wanted to tell us about It s hard to develop much interest in any of the characters Really, this isn t so mu...And so began for the wretched people of England, a time of suffering so great that they came to fearChrist and his saints sleptNow I understand what the fuss on this book is about It is a clear cut narration of historical events leading to the Anarchy and what it was like for people from all standing to live through and suffer the tribulations of this particular period, starting from the day Stephen and Empress Maude fought over England s crown Reading this is like poring over a history And so began for the wretched people of England, a time of suffering so great that they came to fearChrist and his saints sleptNow I understand what the fuss on this book is about It is a clear cut narration of historical events leading to the Anarchy and what it was like for people from all standing to live through and suffer the tribulations of this particular period, starting from the day Stephen and Empress Maude fought over England s crown Reading this is like poring over a history book sans the lackluster and languorous style we read the characters minds and envision them talking, laughing or crying The narration is detailed and cleverly written it seems like Penman has come straight from the Middle Ages and witnessed the dark years of the Anarchy firsthand The story is told from different points of ...It still boggles the mind to think that England went through twenty years of civil war because men just couldn t stand to see a powerful woman on the throne When Christ and His Saints Slept is a very long book, which would make for a very interesting miniseries This novel is the real Game of Thrones, played against a backdrop of shifting loyalties, clashing armies and the suffering of innocents One cannot help to feel some sympathy for Stephen, the man who should not have been king I wanted It still boggles the mind to think that England went through twenty years of civil war because men just couldn t stand to see a powerful woman on the throne When Christ and His Saints Slept is a very long book, which would make for a very interesting miniseries This novel is the real Game of Thrones, played against a backdrop of shifting loyalties, clashing armies and the suffering of innocents One cannot help to feel some sympathy for Stephen, the man who should not have been king I wanted to dislike him for cheating Matilda called Maude in the novel , out of her throne, but he s no villian He truly believes that he was meant to be king of England Unfortunately for him and for the era he lives in, he s just not ruthless enough.What s ironic is the mindset of most of the male characters in the book They firmly believe that women as the weaker sex, have no...

When Christ and His Saints Slept (Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, #1)
  • English
  • 26 January 2017
  • Paperback
  • 784 pages
  • 0345396685
  • Sharon Kay Penman
  • When Christ and His Saints Slept (Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, #1)