Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Monday, November 3, 2014

Devils Brood


 

This week I’m into historical fiction. My current reading is a book titled Devil’s Brood by Sharon Kay Penman. It is the third in the authors Eleanor of Aquitaine series. It is the story of King Henry II and his family. This family is tearing itself apart as his three sons reach adulthood. Henry sees Eleanor first as his wife and Queen. Then as the Duchess of Aquitaine. She sees herself as the Duchess first and then as his Queen and wife. Their sons Hal, Richard, Geoffrey and John each have their own ambitions and desires. For those not familiar with this great King, Queen and their dysfunctional family. Henry built the mighty Angevin Empire and locked his beautiful and dynamic Queen in a castle for decades when she joined or led her sons in a rebellion against their father.  I highlighted Geoffreys love of jousting in my previous post.  Richard, of course is the famous "Lionheart" and John the evil King of the Robin Hood stories and signer of the Magna Carta. It is a family tragedy  writ large around marriage, child-parent relationships, sibling rivalries, ambition, betrayal and just plain greed. The historical facts and descriptions of the 12th century ring true to me. Even more compelling is the authors psychological fine tuning of the main characters motivations. The dialogue is often riveting.

Years ago I had enjoyed watching Katherine Hepburn win her third Oscar as Eleanor in the film The Lion In Winter. This book exceeded my expectations in bringing that story once again to life. I loved Devils Brood and must say the first two in the series were just as good….

15 comments:

  1. A fun read, you go through the books fast.

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  2. I have not read any of these books. You sure read some interesting stuff!

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  3. Seems all the ages have had family issues. Makes mine seem a little more normal! LOL!

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  4. So I've copied this title and will try to find the book.

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  5. Seems like I read a Penman novel once and didn't enjoy it. Maybe I'll try again. :-)

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  6. Ranking the book in the same category with the movie is high praise indeed. I will have to put the series on my Amazon wish list.

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  7. The royals really knew how to put intrigue and ambition into daily life. Will check this out.

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  8. Thanks for the book recommendation. I do enjoy a good historical fiction read!

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  9. Great review and I'm glad you enjoyed the book/series... I remember the Katherine Hepburn movie, The Lion in Winter... Great movie!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  10. Another one to check out at Amazon. Thank you.

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  11. Eleanor is one of my favourite characters, will have to read this, thanks. Historical fiction, if well researched, is such an awesome way to learn!

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  12. This sounds like the same time period as Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett, which I really enjoyed. I'll look for this one.

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  13. Historic fiction is my favorite, on TV and in books. This one sounds interesting.

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  14. This sounds very good. Thank you for sharing.
    I will also have to check out the movie.

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  15. You have similar reading taste to my husband's. I shall take note of this title for a gift - thanks!

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