LIONHEART by Sharon Kay Penman, 2011.
Sweeping chronicle of Richard the Lionheart's crusade to re-capture Jerusalem from the Infidel in 1190-1192, better known to history as the Third Crusade or the Kings' Crusade. Although Penman's novel is a dense, sprawling saga with an enormous cast of characters that could be very daunting to many, the author, using her impeccable research and flair for realistic dialogue and creating memorable characters, pulls it all together with her usual distinctive style and storytelling skills and provides the reader with a vivid and fascinating depiction of the era and those who lived it.
   Having read the author's previous novels on the Plantagenets, I was fully prepared for reading this one and anxious to see how she dealt with Richard I and his experiences in the Holy Land. Penman's narrative deftly moves from drafty castles in France to exotic palaces in Sicily to the hot plains of Outremer, giving the reader a wonderful sense of time and place. Her descriptions are lush and vibrant (you can hear the marketplace sounds, smell and taste the foods served at the banquets), she creates memorable scenes (the capture of Cyprus and the siege of Acre stand out), she makes each character an individual (although with such an amazing amount of names, I admit I did have to keep checking her cast list), and she quite remarkably manages to weave together her various plotlines into a whole tapestry. Not being a huge military history buff, I felt that she also kept a good balance between battle scenes and non-military manipulations and maneuvers.
   Penman knows her characters: she gives them foibles and flaws and human attributes, creating real flesh and blood people for the reader to care about. I enjoyed her portrayal of Richard--he strides magnificently through the story as a fascinating and truly multifaceted individual--a combination of courageous military man, caring husband, loyal son and brother, and strong leader who genuinely felt compassion for his soldiers, who led by example, and who believed that they were on God's mission to wrest the Holy Land back for the Christians. She shows him with a great sense of humor and playfulness, and I thought her depiction of his marriage to Berengaria of Navarre was handled very well. The lesser known character of Joanna of Sicily was interesting to me, as well as Henri of Champagne; Eleanor of Aquitaine's appearance was much too brief; Philippe of France does not come off very well, nor do any of the de Lusignans, but none of them are one note characters, she gives them depth and reasons for their actions.
   I learned quite a bit about the conflict in Outremer: between the Turks and the Europeans, the French and the English, the English and the Cypriots, etc. Quite a lot of information, but Penman informs the reader in a nice flowing narrative with a decent pace; I never felt overwhelmed by the amount of detail. Perhaps my only criticism would be that while the Infidel leader Saladin seemed ever-present, he never really came to life for me as a character, possibly because Penman kept him sort of off-stage. But this is a minor quibble. Overall, this was a vastly entertaining novel for me, and I'm looking forward to the author's next installment.

Finished last night:  THE KING'S MISTRESS by Emma Campion, 2010.

I was very interested in the subject of this novel, Alice Perrers, as she has gone down in English history as one of the most villainous of women, and I was curious as to how the author would treat her story. Alice Perrers was the mistress of English king Edward III towards the end of his life, and she gained a reputation for being a greedy, manipulative harlot who tore the rings off the fingers of the dead king before he was even cold and then fled for her life. Campion manages to provide a fairly credible story for Alice, especially her life up to the time she becomes a member of Queen Philippa's retinue and is noticed by Edward III. Although the idea that Philippa encouraged and approved of Alice's relationship with the king a little hard to take, I found Alice's argument "When had I a choice to be other than I was?" to be an interesting viewpoint, and it was useful as a recurring point throughout the novel. Risen from the ranks of the merchant class, Alice grew in power and prestige, but at the same time made enemies who cruelly brought her down later. Campion portrays Alice as a strong character, determined to rule her own life, which included acquiring property and wealth and providing for her children, but she also shows how Alice was repeatedly manipulated at court by powerful people like John of Gaunt, Edward the Black Prince, Joan of Kent, and even Edward III himself, to forward their own agendas. Even when she tried to do what was right it usually turned out to be wrong for herself. Campion gives lots of period details concerning court life during the 14th century, political machinations, trade, customs, daily life among the merchant class, financial transactions, and fashions. At times the detail almost overwhelms. The secrets concerning Alice's first husband's family and the dowager Queen Isabella I found very intriguing and was glad for the bit of suspense; I also thought the relationship that Alice had with Geoffrey Chaucer a nice touch, as well as Alice being acquainted with Katherine deRoet, the young girl who would later become Katherine Swynford, the mistress and then wife of John of Gaunt. Campion writes well and has definitely done her research. Fans of Anya Seton's Katherine would probably enjoy this novel as well.

I just finished reading:

DEVIL'S BROOD by Sharon Kay Penman, 2008.
A dense, but wonderfully researched and written entry in a series of novels based on the lives of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I had read the two previous books, When Christ and His Saints Slept and Time and Chance, and this book was years in the making. It was worth the wait, IMHO. Penman has a knack with bring the era to life, with description (be it beseiging a castle, fighting a battle, or the foods at a banquet), characterization (even of minor personalities), witty dialogue that can make you chuckle, etc. The whole time I was reading scenes between Henry and Eleanor I kept being reminded of the wonderful film, LION IN WINTER, and how great Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn were in those roles. Anyway, I would highly recommend this to any who are interested in these larger than life people and the time period (late 1100's) in general. This novel ends in 1189, and Penman claims she will continue the story with Richard, John, Constance and others from this novel.