This Day in History...

Catching up on a few days over the weekend!

October 2, 1452 - The future Richard III is born at Fotheringay Castle.

October 3, 1283 - Welsh prince (brother to Llywelyn the Last) Dafydd ap Gruffydd is executed by Edward I. He is probably the first person to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

October 4, 1160 - Princess Alys of France, daughter of Louis VII, was born. She would be betrothed to Prince Richard (Richard the Lionheart) for almost twenty years and possibly was his father Henry II's mistress at one point.

October 4, 1535 - Miles Coverdale, a London printer, published his English version of the Bible.

October 4, 1582 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In several European countries this day is followed by October 15.

This Day in History...

September 16, 1387 - The future Henry V was born at Monmouth.

September 16, 1400 - Owen Glyndŵr was declared Prince of Wales by his supporters.

September 16, 1485 - The Yeoman of the Guard, the bodyguard of the English Crown (or the 'Beefeaters') - was established by Henry VII.

September 16, 1620 - The Mayflower began her journey to America from Southampton.

September 16, 1701 - James Stuart, the "Old Pretender," becomes the Jacobite claimant to the English throne.

This Day in History...

August 5, 1063 - Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd and for a time King of Wales, was killed by his own men and his head was sent to Harold Godwinson.

August 5, 1100 – Henry I, son of William of Normandy, is crowned King of England after the mysterious death of his older brother William II (William Rufus).

August 5, 1301 - Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent and youngest son of Edward I, was born at Woodstock.

August 5, 1305 - William Wallace, Scottish hero and champion of Scottish independence, was captured by the English near Stirling. He was later executed as a traitor.

August 5, 1620 - They Mayflower departs from Southampton on its voyage to America.

This Day in History...

June 19, 1282 - Eleanor de Montfort, wife of Llewelyn ap Gruffydd (Llewelyn the Last), Prince of Wales, died after giving birth to their daughter Gwenllian. Unfortunately, Llewelyn was killed not long after his daughter's birth and she was sent to an English convent where she remained until her death.

June 19, 1566 - James VI of Scotland (and 1st of England) was born to Mary, Queen of Scots.

June 19, 1979 - Robin (aka The Lady Gwyn) was born in Atlanta, Georgia. (hehehe)

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Only got one this week and it came today!


Here be Dragons, Sharon Kay Penman
I have read this entire series but don't own them. This came today from Paperbackswap.com. I do so love Sharon Kay Penman!

This Day in History...

June 4, 1039 - Gruffydd ap Llewellyn, the Welsh King of Gwynedd and Powys, defeated an English attack.

June 4, 1394 – Mary de Bohun, first wife of Henry IV, died at Peterborough Castle while giving birth to her daughter Philippa.

June 4, 1584 - Sir Walter Raleigh establishes the first English colony in America on Roanoke Island, North Carolina. This colony's fate still remains a mystery.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!


I got some good ones this week!


Harold the King, Helen Hollick

After waiting ages to get this from PBS.com, I finally broke down and purchased it from the Book Depository (yay for free shipping worldwide!). It finally arrived at my front door and I am so excited to get into this one!




The Brothers of Gwynedd, Edith Pargeter

I picked this up at Books-A-Million while enjoying a day at the mall with the family. Reading Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh trilogy made me want to read more about Llewelyn so I was anxious to get this re-issue. I am curious as to why there is a picture of an 18th century woman on the top and a picture of Richard III headed to battle on the bottom!


Eleanor the Queen, Norah Lofts

It is certainly the year of Eleanor; Henry must be rolling in his grave! I have enjoyed this author's other novels and I love reading about Eleanor so I picked this up at Books-A-Million as well.




Emma, Jane Austen

In my quest to read more Austen this year (fits nicely into one of my challenges, hehe) I got this at Books-A-Million. I believe this is the novel that the 90s movie "Clueless" is based on.

This Day in History...

April 11, 1240 - Llewelyn Fawr (the Great), Prince of Gwynedd, died at the Aberconwy Abbey and was buried there. Llewelyn's dream was a strong, united Wales. He married Joanna, daughter of the English King John.

Sharon Kay Penman's excellent novel Here Be Dragons is about Llewelyn's life. If you haven't (what's wrong with you?) you need to!

Book Review: The Reckoning

The Reckoning, Sharon Kay Penman
5 roses

This is the last novel in Penman's Welsh trilogy and I have to say, I did NOT want it to end (in part because I knew how it would end). I positively loved this series and was fascinated with the Welsh history. In this novel we get the final story of the struggle between Llewelyn ap Gruffydd (or Llewelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, Llewelyn Our Last Leader) and Edward I. Llewelyn is trying desperately to realize his dream of a strong and united Wales while Edward wants to see the entire island under his control. This is a novel that has something for almost any reader: love, romance, war, intrigue, politics, betrayals, power struggles, revenge, and even pirates.

As in her previous novels in the series (in fact, in ALL of her novels), this one is full of fantastic writing, breathtaking detail, and exceptional character development. She really makes the characters come to life; I feel like I could travel to Wales and actually run in to some of them! The plots in these stories are very complex and twisted (of course, the times she is writing about were awfully complex) but she does a fantastic job of making it easy for the reader to keep everything straight. In this novel there are three main story lines woven tightly together: Llewelyn and Ellen de Monfort's relationship, Llewelyn's constant struggle with his brother and the other Welsh lords, and his battle against England's King Edward I. Because they are so tightly connected a slight change in one story line will have a drastic affect on another. I was cheering for Llewelyn and Ellen the whole way; I thought it was touching how much he cared for her even before they were married. I hated the way Ellen's cousin, Edward I, held her as a hostage in an attempt to subdue Llewelyn, thus denying them precious time together. The fate of Ellen and their child almost had me in tears. My negative feelings about Edward I only continued and strengthened through this novel. I am certainly not implying that I think he was a bad king I just don't feel, after reading about him in this trilogy, that he was a good man. His determination to punish Ellen's one surviving brother Armary for something the other brothers did really pushed me the wrong way and his treatment of Llewelyn and Davydd's children at the end was horrible. Knowing what would happen to Wales made me hate him even more. During Llewelyn's constant struggles with his brother Davydd and the Welsh lords I just wanted to reach through time and smack some sense into them and tell them that Wales would be destroyed if they didn't unite with Llewelyn. The constant bickering and fighting between the Welsh really played right into Edward's hands. Penman's writing is amazing and I could feel the tension growing in these characters as the story progressed.

Despite knowing how history turns out and dreading reading about it, I couldn't stop turning the pages. I did manage to put it down before the climatic moment because I was sure I would cry and I was subbing in a high school language arts class at the time. Penman is such a superb storyteller and manages to combine impeccable historical research with fantastic fictional writing so easily. I think one sign of a phenomenal historical fiction author is their ability to pull their readers into their writing and make the history come alive, causing strong emotional attachment from the reader. Penman does this to perfection. I really was emotionally involved from page one. What I also enjoy are her Author's Notes at the end where she gives some "after the final curtain" information about the characters and even lets the reader know the places in the novel where she took some creative license and changed a few facts. Out of the three I would rank this one as my second favorite behind Here be Dragons and ahead of Falls the Shadow. Readers unfamiliar with this time might better recognize Edward I as the king in Braveheart. I would certainly recommend this novel to anyone and especially those interested in Welsh history. This one will certainly tug at your heartstrings.

Book Review: Falls the Shadow

Falls the Shadow, Sharon Kay Penman
4 roses


This is the second book in Penman's Welsh trilogy and covers the life of Simon de Montfort, a man who really was ahead of his time when it comes to government, thus causing him to be completely at odds with most of the nobility of his age. He helped bring about the start of Parliament in England which was not looked on favorably by Henry III (what monarch would want to give up some of his power?). Penman's exceptional writing once again shines brightly.

Simon de Montfort was born a Frenchman and managed to "talk his way" into a relative's English earldom. He then ended up marrying the English king's sister, Nell, sowing the seeds of dislike in the monarch. Simon becomes completely fed up with Henry's inability to rule his kingdom and tries to create a more democratic government, trying to institute such things as Parliament, to help the monarch. He suffers through several periods of exile in France for his efforts, though going to help his monarch in times of military need which gets him back in England each time. Eventually, dispite Simon's good intentions, Henry sees him as a traitor which leads to a rebellion. This book is full of very volatile characters with very big personalities, all very well described and their growth and change throughout very well documented. I was really amazed at how completely inept Henry was as a king and wondered how he managed to keep his throne. I could fully sympathize with Simon in his annoyance with his monarch's complete lack of backbone, though I could see where he could have gone about things differently, thus not angering Henry quite as much (basically calling your king an inbecile is not going to sit well). Simon really is a very human "hero" in this novel - he is championing a very noble cause and is a good, decent, and honorable man but he is also has quite a few flaws. I really feel it is his flaws that really made me cheer for him; he was so REAL. Henry's son, the future Edward I, made himself highly dislikable in my eyes with his constant betrayals and going back on his word. With as often as he stabbed people in the back it is hard to see how any man would trust him once he became king. I can see why he was such a powerful king (people probably feared him) but I will never look on him in the same light again. Interspersed with Simon and Henry's story is the continuing Welsh story - this time focusing on Llewelyn Fawr's grandson, Llewelyn, and his struggles against his brothers Owain and Davydd as he fights to keep alive his grandfather's wonderful dream of a strong and united Wales. He has to deal with the same issues his grandfather did - Welsh lords that are greedy and don't want to see the ancient ways changed (even if they would really help) and relatives all too eager to betray him. His is not the main story here though it is interwoven with Simon's throughout.

I enjoyed this second book though not nearly as much as the first in the trilogy (but really, how can you NOT immensely enjoy reading about Llewelyn Fawr and Joanna?). I felt a bit bogged down in the middle with all the discussion about the Provisions and such. At times it was confusing to keep up with who was allied with which side and who betrayed whom (and there was quite a bit of this going on). However things really picked up towards the end as events snowballed to the climax. I felt that the descriptions and details of the various main players in this novel really set it apart from others - they are so wonderfully described that it feels as if I knew them personally. I can not wait to read the last book in the series, The Reckoning, which truly focuses on Llewelyn and his final struggles in Wales.

Alphabet in Historical Fiction Challenge: F

Whew! Again, just barely getting mine in on time!!

Each fortnight the ladies at Historical Tapestry will post a new letter of the alphabet and you do a blog post about a work of historical fiction that has that letter:

• as the first letter in the title
• as the first letter of the author's first or last name
• the first letter of a character's first or last name
• the first letter of a place where an historical event took place

So here is my post for the fourth letter of this challenge: F

Falls the Shadow, Sharon Kay Penman

Simon de Montfort was a man ahead of his time in the thirteenth century, a disinherited Frenchman who talked his way into an English earldom and marriage with a sister of the English king, Henry III. A charismatic, obstinate leader, Simon soon lost patience with the king's incompetence and inability to keep his word, and found himself the champion of the common people.

This is his story, and the story of Henry III, as weak and changeable as Simon was brash and unbending. It is a tale of opposing wills that woudl eventually clash in a storm of violence and betrayal - an irresistible saga that brings the pages of history completely, provocatively, and magnificently alive.

This is the second book in Penman's Welsh trilogy and covers the life of Simon de Montfort, a man who really was ahead of his time, thus causing him to be completely at odds with most of the nobility of his age. He helped bring about the start of Parliament in England which was not looked on favorably by Henry (what monarch would want to give up some of his power?). This book is full of very volatile characters with very big personalities, all very well described and their growth and change throughout very well documented. I was really amazed at how completely inept Henry was as a king and how he managed to keep his throne. I could fully sympathize with Simon in his annoyance with his monarch's complete lack of backbone, though I could see where he could have gone about things differently, thus not angering Henry quite as much. Simon really is a very human "hero" in this novel - he is championing a very noble cause and is a good, decent, and honorable man but he is also has quite a few flaws. I really feel it is his flaws that really made me cheer for him; he was so REAL. Henry's son, the future Edward I, made himself highly dislikable in my eyes with his constant betrayals and going back on his word. I can see now why he was such a powerful king. Interspersed with Simon and Henry's story is the continuing Welsh story - this time focusing on Llewelyn Fawr's grandson, Llewelyn, and his struggles against his brothers Owain and Davydd as he fights to keep alive his grandfather's wonderful dream of a strong and united Wales. I enjoyed this second book though not nearly as much as the first in the trilogy (but really, how can you NOT prefer reading about Llewelyn Fawr and Joanna?). I felt a bit bogged down in the middle with all the discussion about the Provisions and such, but things really picked up towards the end. I can not wait to read the last book in the series, The Reckoning, which truly focuses on Llewelyn and his final struggles in Wales.

*I will post a more detailed review next week.

Book Review: Here be Dragons

Here Be Dragons, Sharon Kay Penman
5 roses

This first novel in Penman's Welsh trilogy is yet another example of why this author is so wonderful and one of my favorites. You could make the argument that this is the story of three different people: Llewelyn of Wales, King John of England, and Joanna, John's illegitimate daughter and Llewelyn's wife. Their stories are woven together beautifully and this was a book I had trouble putting down! I think the love story between Llewelyn and Joanna woven together with the wonderful story of Wales is what had me enthralled.

The scope of the story is rather large, over twenty years pass between the covers and many events are covered: Llewelyn's early years, John's coming to the English throne, his constant struggle with Wales, the constant trouble with his barons, and Llewelyn's struggles in Wales. Thanks to marvelous writing and character development, the reader will really connect with the three main characters in this novel. Penman gives us a glimpse of what helped form Llewelyn into the strong man he became. It would be really hard NOT to fall in love with Llewelyn - he is such a fair and understanding, kind and honorable person, not to mention extremely intelligent. His determination to try to unite Wales was wonderful and really showed how brillant the man was. I was completely caught up in his story and I thoroughly enjoyed getting a glimpse into medieval Wales. There is quite a bit of description of how the Welsh felt about battles and war and how they fought them. As for King John, we really see two very different sides to this man - the very caring and loving father (I really loved the whole scene when Joanna is finally brought to him, it was so sweet) and the very ruthless and disliked king. While it was a bit hard to wrap my mind around a John that was extremely caring and loving towards his children, Joanna in particular, it was wonderful to read. Seeing how John was around his children really made a contrast with how ruthless he was in his later years as king. I believe this really helps the reader understand Joanna's torn feelings when it comes to her father. Joanna was given to Llewelyn as her father's way of trying to exert some control over the Welsh leader and in the beginning she is understandably very scared to be thrown into a world that is so alien to her. Through the course of the novel we see her mature from a young girl to a mature young woman who knows she must accept the consequences of her actions. There really are some priceless moments as she grows, most notably the scene when she orders Llewelyn's bed to be burned. She does come to deeply love Llewelyn which really causes her to be torn between him and her father. She has a very hard time accepting the things John has done and her feelings of guilt over his actions lead her to commit her act of betrayal. Llewelyn's eventual forgiveness of that act just make him even that much more wonderful in my mind.

Besides the three main characters, there are many other very colorful and well developed figures throughout the story (some of the most annoying being Llewelyn's horrible son Gruffydd and William de Braose). They all add to the whole picture of medieval Wales and England that the author is creating. Penman's meticulous details of life in Wales had me spell bound - the images she can create are magnificent and it is wonderful to be able to picture such a distant time and place in my mind. I would highly recommend this novel. I believe it will appeal to a wide variety of readers and I do not think you will be disappointed!

*As I mentioned, this is the first book in a trilogy. The next installment is Falls the Shadow, which focuses on Simon de Monfort and his relationship with Henry III (John's son). The last novel, The Reckoning is about Llewelyn's grandson, Llewelyn, and his struggles against the English king.

The Alphabet in Historical Fiction Challenge: D

Whew! Just barely getting mine in on time!!

Each fortnight the ladies at Historical Tapestry will post a new letter of the alphabet and you do a blog post about a work of historical fiction that has that letter:

• as the first letter in the title
• as the first letter of the author's first or last name
• the first letter of a character's first or last name
• the first letter of a place where an historical event took place

So here is my post for the fourth letter of this challenge: D

Here Be Dragons, Sharon Kay Penman

From the back cover:

Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce by marrying the English king's beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna, who slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband. But as John's attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales - and Llewelyn - Joanna must decide where her love and loyalties truly lie.

The turbulent clashes of two disparate worlds and the destinies of the individuals caught between them spring to life in this magnificent novel of power and passion, loyalty and lies.

I absolutely, positively loved this book. Sharon Kay Penman is really a top notch storyteller. I could not put this one down! Llewelyn and Joanna's story is simply amazing and so full of life and love. You can't help but fall in love with Llewelyn - he is so courageous and honorable and passionate. I want to travel to Wales just in the hopes of seeing him appear somewhere! Joanna is such a complex and changing character throughout - from a young, scared girl married into a strange land to a woman desperately in love with her husband but torn with loyalty to her father to a mature woman who knows she has to live with the consequences of her actions. There are many other intriguing and well developed characters running around, including Joanna's father, King John, and Llewelyn's arrogant son, Gruffydd. As usual, Penman's descriptions, this time of Wales and its people and their traditions and customs, really help to bring to life a time very distant from our own and one that most are not familiar with. I think a true sign of a good author is when you can close your eyes and really see what they are talking about; you feel like you can almost reach out and touch it. That is achieved magnificently in this novel. I can not wait to read the next two books in the trilogy, Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning.

*I will be posting a more detailed review in a few days.