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Devils Brood by Sharon Kay Penman

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Misfit
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Devils Brood by Sharon Kay Penman

Post by Misfit » Sun October 12th, 2008, 9:36 pm

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 :p :) :D )

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Telynor
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Post by Telynor » Sun October 12th, 2008, 10:10 pm

I'm about three hundred pages or so into this, and loving it so far. Excellent review!

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Laura
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Post by Laura » Sun October 12th, 2008, 11:25 pm

Great review Misfit, as usual. Congratulations!!

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Mon October 13th, 2008, 12:19 am

:p :p :p

Thanks Laura and Telynor. Aren't you glad to hear there's going to be more?

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boswellbaxter
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Post by boswellbaxter » Tue October 14th, 2008, 11:50 pm

You'll have a chance to discuss this novel with Sharon Penman herself on October 19:

http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... 1#post8031
Susan Higginbotham
Coming in October: The Woodvilles


http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/

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LCW
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Post by LCW » Wed October 15th, 2008, 1:16 am

Great review, Misfit! I loved the book too and am sort of sad it's over!!
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

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Telynor
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Post by Telynor » Wed October 15th, 2008, 5:23 am

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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LCW
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Post by LCW » Wed October 15th, 2008, 3:48 pm

[quote=""Telynor""]I was sniveling at the end, I confess. [/quote]

Good! So it wasn't just me then! :)
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

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Wed October 15th, 2008, 4:05 pm

Looking forward to reviews from the both of you ;)

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LCW
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Post by LCW » Wed October 15th, 2008, 4:52 pm

Here's mine:


If ever there was an appropriate title for a book, Devil's Brood surely must be it! Penman's best work yet chronicles the disintegration of one of the most powerful couples of all time, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as their squabbling brood of boys. Let me tell you, these kids would test the patience of a saint!

As the boys are growing to manhood Henry tries to let them stretch their wings by giving them their own lands and a small taste of power while making sure that it is his hands that are really firmly on the reigns of the British Empire as well as his lands across the channel in France. He crowns his eldest son, Hal, as the "young King" to squash any doubts as the to the British succession. A move he thinks will secure the throne and keep the peace. However, Hal chafes under this arrangement as he has no real power and no real income of his own. Meanwhile, Richard is Eleanor's heir to her lands in Aquitaine yet Henry tries to retain real control there too.

Regardless of the wisdom involved, the father in Henry struggles with the King and Henry tries to ensure lands and wealth for all his sons by marrying Geoffrey, the third son, to Constance, a wealthy heiress who brings him the lands of Brittany. This leaves his three eldest son's with just enough power and money to make trouble and when they are not warring with each other, they're declaring war on their father. In the first of these rebellions the unthinkable happens and they are joined by their mother, Eleanor, in taking arms against their father.

Henry puts down the rebellion, ends up forgiving his sons and the rebellious lords who helped them but he cannot forgive Eleanor, whose betrayal hurt worst of all. Eleanor pays dearly and ends up as Henry's prisoner for the next 15 years. While in prison we see a remarkable change in Eleanor. She has plenty of time to ponder the reasons for all the strife that occurs in their family and emerges as a wiser, softer, person who now realises all she took for granted.

I loved every minute of this fascinating story. Once again, Penman takes extremely complicated intricate history and turns in into a page turning novel. She manages to bring the reader inside the heads of these Historical figures making them come alive. Her writing was flawless and these characters had some of the best lines ever. You will laugh or wince at some of the zingers that the boys of the "Devil's Brood" throw at each other. You see the bittersweet relationship between Henry and Eleanor through their disintigration and how they manage to patch up some sort of parental alliance between them for the good of their children....better late than never!!

The secondary characters were so well written that they could each carry their own novel. I would not be dissapointed to read an entire novel about Geoffrey and Constance. Constance was a favorite of mine and the reader follows her from a bitter reluctant bride to a strong capable wife who is every bit as hungry for power and has the ambition of her larger than life mother in law.

Over the time I read this book I got so attatched to these characters. So much so that I was dreading the end...until I read the authors note where Penman states that she is writing yet another book continuing the story. How lucky for us! I only hope, as I settle myself in for the wait, that it won't be quite as long between this and the next one as it was between this and the last one.

This novel ranks as one of my top five of the year and I highly recommend it! 5/5 stars
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

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