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#1
10-12-2008, 09:36 PM
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Devils Brood by Sharon Kay Penman
Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine thought they had it all - the greatest empire since Charlemagne, healthy children including the heir and several to spare - so how did it all go so wrong? The Devil's Brood takes up the story where Time and Chance left off with the murder of Thomas Becket, as Henry returns from his self imposed exile to Ireland. Henry's three eldest sons are chafing at the bit to have lands and power of their own and egged on by Louis of France they join with their mother Eleanor in rebellion against their father. In time Henry quells the rebellion and forgives his sons, but he cannot forgive his wife and queen and he imprisons her. Even though Henry forgave his sons, they are still not happy with his generosity and it eventually leads to more power struggles and back-biting amongst the brothers, particularly young Hal, who suffers the ultimate punishment for his reckless deeds.
This was a fascinating story of a brilliant, powerful king whose blind love and trust in his sons lead him to making mistakes in judgment that eventually lead to his downfall. I also loved seeing a different side of the haughty, queenly Eleanor we saw in Time and Chance, as unlike her sons she does come to recognize the wrongness (well sometimes) of her actions and the cataclysmic effects those actions had on her family. Some readers may find the first part of this book a bit slow paced as Penman does spend time setting up the back history of Henry, Eleanor and the Becket murder, but hang in there as about half way through when the boys start turning on each other the pages literally started flying. Penman's dialogue was exceptional, although I couldn't decide who got the best lines, Henry or Richard – they just smoked off the page! One of Penman’s great strengths is to take the most complex political situations and put them into a story that not only entertains the reader but educates at the same time. Five stars and it appears from the author’s notes and a recent blog interview that this will not be a trilogy, she will continue the story of Eleanor, Richard and John in one more book. Hurray! For those of you coming away from this book wanting to know about William Marshal, I highly recommend Elizabeth Chadwick’s The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion. They are hard to find in the US, but readily available in the UK and Canada. (shameless plug    )
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#5
10-14-2008, 11:50 PM
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You'll have a chance to discuss this novel with Sharon Penman herself on October 19:
http://www.historicalfictiononline.c...=8031#post8031
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#6
10-15-2008, 01:16 AM
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Great review, Misfit! I loved the book too and am sort of sad it's over!!
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Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky, My pile of books is a mile high. How I love them! How I need them! I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. --Arnold Lobel Currently reading: Devil Water by Anya Seton
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#7
10-15-2008, 05:23 AM
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I was sniveling at the end, I confess. But the hint that there will be more, well -- I'm there. I am going to back up and reread the first two books again, once I get past EC's novels that I am behind on, and a bunch of others that I need to read. I've learned the hard way that the best way to enjoy an author's books is to pace them out, so I don't get sick of them.
All I can say is that I am very very happy that SKP is going to keep writing about Eleanor.
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#9
10-26-2008, 10:41 PM
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I put together an armchair tour of some of the settings of Devil's Brood. We'll start with some French castles.
Chinon Castle: first fortified by Theobald I, Count of Blois in 954, a favorite residence of Henry II http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinon (The castle link is acting up, so scroll down until you see the castle link in the Chinon article.)  Château de Gisors: first building occurred in about 1095 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Gisors   Palace of Poitiers: seat of the Counts of Poitou and Dukes of Aquitaine, first construction began in the 9th century, destroyed by fire in 1018 and rebuilt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Poitiers  Falaise Castle: originally the seat of the Dukes of Normandy, birthplace of William the Conqueror http://www.chateau-guillaume-leconqu...r/index_uk.php  Château de Saumur: first built in the 10th cenutry, owned by the Counts of Anjou http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Saumur  Château de Loches: designed and built by Henry II http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loches_Castle  Château de Dol  Château de Taillebourg: in ruins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A...de_Taillebourg 
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~Susan~ Currently reading A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin “I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.” ~Anna Quindlen~ Unofficial Royalty ~ Information and discussion about royalty, past and present Last edited by Susan; 10-26-2008 at 10:56 PM. Reason: URL not working
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#10
10-26-2008, 10:43 PM
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Now for some French abbeys.
Fontevrault Abbey: first built 1100-1119; burial place of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I, Henry and Eleanor’s daughter Joanna, and Isabella of Angoulême, wife of John; remains were destroyed during the French Revolution; the effigies are all that is left http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontevrault http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20...Fontevraud.htm  Savigny Abbey: founded in the 12th century, in ruins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savigny_Abbey Mont Saint-Michel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_St._Michel http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/accueil_gb.htm 
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~Susan~ Currently reading A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin “I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.” ~Anna Quindlen~ Unofficial Royalty ~ Information and discussion about royalty, past and present Last edited by Susan; 10-26-2008 at 11:05 PM.
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