Penman writes some of the best historical fiction I have ever read. Her books concentrate on England, specifically the Middle Ages. The first one, The Sunne in Splendour, is a very sympathetic portrayal of Richard III – I was hooked from that one on.
Lionheart is, of course, about another Richard, one of the four surviving sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He is generally considered a warrior king, absent from England for much of his reign. He led the Third Crusade, hoping to free the city of Jerusalem from the Infidels, but never set foot in the Holy City himself. Richard was forced to declare a truce with Saladin and leave the Holy Land when his younger brother, John, tried to take over his kingdom and his crown.
Don’t be intimidated by the length of the book, or the 3- page cast of characters at the beginning. Penman introduces each character so smoothly and completely, you won’t even have to refer to the guide after a while. In the Afterword, Penman promises to continue Richard’s story in her next book, A King’s Ransom. I can’t wait!
When we last left Morris Morgan, he was high-tailing it out of the town of Marias Coulee to parts unknown. In Work Song, he reappears, ten years later, in the copper mining capital of the world, Butte, Montana.
“Can’t cook but doesn’t bite”.
Andras Levi, a young Jewish man from Budapest, receives a scholarship to study architecture in Paris. While a student in the City of Light, he falls in love with Klara, also a refugee from Budapest.
Major Ernest Pettigrew is retired and lives a quiet life in a small village in the English countryside. He values all things British - tea time, great literature, and, above all, proper decorum. His son, Roger, flies into town from London every once in a while – just long enough to upset the quiet life-style the Major has come to enjoy but not long enough to form a bond with his father.
