About this title: This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history--that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Perfect Bound Paper
Publisher: Fawcett
Date Published: 1969
Description: Fair to Good. Mass Market Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Moderate to heavy wear, age yellowing, water stains. Binding tight, pages clean. read more
Description: Very Good. 155652532X Mass Market Paperback, 1969, Fawcett Crest, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light discoloration due to aging and other light wear. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, Boston
Date Published: 1954
Description: Good. No dust jacket. Hardcover, 1954 printing. Has been used. Not marked up. Binding tight. Some stains and yellowing. See customer image #7881. read more
"My Grandmother recommended this book to me. She is an avid family history investigator and particularly loves the fact that we are directly related to Katherine Sywnford and John of Gaunt (the main characters of the book) and the many royal lines which come through them. She encouraged me to read this book which narrates their story and associations well (with a little added emblishment i'm sure).
The first few chapters gave some red flags that it may be a "heaving bosoms" sort of book and I was about to give it up. I'm so glad I didn't because it turned into a fabulous story that well defines the royal characters of the time as people with their flaws and strengths. It gave a great perspective on the social classes of the time (and its flaws), the power struggle between the royal class, the threatening civil war, the threat of the plague, the continual war against neighboring countries, the stress of arranged marriages for the good of the state, family relationships and duties, and the state of the country in the 1300's.
The book traces the life of Katherine, a child orfaned by the plague, who is thrust into the royal life, when, out of duty, she marries a much older knight who shortly dies. From their it traces her love story with John of Gaunt, acting first man of England, who is pressured into marrying the Queen of Castille for alliance purposes. He fathers four children with Katherine during his marriage, during which Katherine struggles with her love of John versus her love for her religion. She eventually feels the adulturous decisions she has made with him are wrong and goes on a journey to find the meaning of religion in her life. Many years pass and the eventual decisions lead her to happiness.
Although John and Katherine's romance is the underlying theme in the book it is merely a vehicle through which the pressures of the royal life and the country are expressed. The characters and the events in the book where so interesting I had to know if they truly happened. So after some research I determined that the book really is a great depiction of the events and characters. It is fabulous, I highly recommend it!"
"This was the choice of someone else in my book group. I am a history nerd and will often gravitate toward historical fiction, but this was a hard one to finish. First of all, I couldn't care less about royalty; I far prefer to read about lesser-known and/or "everyday" people of whatever the period happens to be. Second, just becasue you've done some fantastic research doesn't mean you have to put every little detail into the book, at the cost of weighing down the narrative. (Diana Gabaldon, one of my favorites, can be guilty of this at times, but I guess I tend to excuse it because I happen to be interested in what she is describing). Finally, I do realize that Katherine was a product of her times, but she wasn't someone I ended up rooting for. Things seemed to happen around her more than because of her a little too often for me."
"Katherine is the story of Katherine Roet Swynford and John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. Anya Seton is an excellent author, though her books seem to have a slow start. It's sometimes hard to get through the building portion of the story, but I feel like it pays off in the end, when you have complete characters to relate to. Katherine, the Duke, even the minor characters like Hawise and Phillipa - I feel like I know them and their stories seem to stick with me a lot longer. I really loved watching Katherine grow up. She matured so much from the beginning of the novel to the end. Her realization of that was really gratifying, too. The end of this book sort of fell apart for me for two reasons. First, because Seton seemed to deviate from the known history. And second, because the book suddenly became very religious. That's typical Seton, but still irritated me. I really wanted her to wrap it up a lot more quickly than she did, and with less talk about her newfound religious fervor. Overall, the book was a solid 4."
"I have come so late to this book which was originally published in 1954. The fact that it is still in print is testament to its relevance and the skill of its author. This is what historical fiction should be: meticulous historical research; a careful illumination of time and place; and, in Seton's words, 'anxious endeavor to use nothing but historical fact when these facts are known.' That the time is 14th century England makes the endeavor all the more impressive. I will long remember the romance of Katherine Swynford, the unlikely ancestor of much of the British Royal Family, and John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. This book was a commitment for me. It is 500 pages and not the lightest reading, but I was so richly rewarded. It is a marvelous story set in a time of Black Death, knights in shining armour, Chaucer, distant wars, peasant uprising, the mystic Julian of Norwich, and all the intrigue of the court. The book is beautifully written with extraordinary detail and description, but also wonderfully instructive. Seton is much-respected for her historical writing - Katherine is now considered a classic - and I will surely add more of her books to my 'to read' shelf."
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