Devil's Brood
by Sharon Kay Penman
List Price:
Our Price: $5.82
You Save: $23.13 (80%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.73 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Sharon Kay PenmanEdition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2008-10-07
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 752
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Book Reviews of Devil's Brood
Book Review: "This may have been the first war in which there were no winners, only losers."
Summary: 5 Stars
Penman revisits the turbulent years of Eleanor of Aquitaine's marriage to Henry Fitz Empress in the 12th century, a legendary union flawed only by Henry's inability to share the power he gains through partnership with Eleanor, whether with his queen or the sons who will succeed him. The Devil's Brood is aptly named, focusing on the eighteenth year of the reign of Henry II, his great passion for Eleanor a victim of the attrition of time and the conflicting ambitions of king and queen. Henry's four sons are reaching manhood, anxious to claim their destiny, but it is not in this virile king's nature to give over what has been so painstakingly gained. With Aquitaine the thorn between husband and wife, Henry struggles to survive the murder of Thomas Becket, Eleanor stung by her husband's duplicity and infidelities, her sons a powerful weapon against the man she believed would share the power of a kingdom with the woman who conspired to make it all possible. Through the growing conflict between father and sons, Penman draws the reader into the intrigues, ambitions, and reconciliations between the Angevin Henry, his prized queen and the sons who beg to taste the fruits of their inheritance.
The author continually provides context for her characters, whether politically or in family relationships, so that no matter how complex the story or the similarity of names and titles, the plot remains relevant. Regardless of the length of the novel- and Penman writes her stories at length- the reader remains conversant with identities, idiosyncrasies and motivations, from Henry II to Eleanor and their sons. Even minor players, friends, relatives, clergy and enemies are carefully slotted into the narrative, creating a spellbinding tale of whole cloth. Nor is there a lack of emotional impact between characters and their place in history, for The Devil's Brood is no mere recitation of events, but an interpretation of personality, motives and the often intemperate passions that drive an ambitious marriage, the bitterness of a queen and the betrayal of sons who resolve to take what their father will not give.
Much as Alison Weir has created the most believable portrayal of Eleanor of Aquitaine in historical fiction- in my view- Penman draws Henry more fully into the historical dynamic, along with the growing tension between autocratic Rome and the English kings who will balk at the demands of the Church. Larger-than-life characters dominate this landscape, familiar Penman territory. Once embraced, it is difficult to relinquish a time of kings, queens, power and the passion to build an empire, only to destroy its heart with the betrayals and disappointments endemic to a grand historical evolution. Both emotionally satisfying and historically accurate, Penman's novels infuse England, Ireland and Wales with authenticity and the inevitability of political change, the frail hopes of love trampled by the armies of progress. Luan Gaines/2011.
Historical Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Historical Books
Pirate Latitudes: A Novelby Michael Crichton
Harper; Published: 2009-11-24; Roughcut; Book
Best price: $2.44
Price in other shops:
The Master Butchers Singing Club: A Novelby Louise Erdrich
Harper Perennial; Published: 2004-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.83
Price in other shops:
The Last Witchfinder: A Novelby James Morrow
William Morrow; Published: 2006-03-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
Zorroby Isabel Allende
HarperAudio; Published: 2005-05-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.09
Price in other shops:
The Hot Kid: A Novelby Elmore Leonard
William Morrow; Published: 2005-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.89
Price in other shops:
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Chronicles Series #1)Mass Market Paperback; Book
Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, Book 3)by Conn Iggulden
Harper Collins Canada; Published: 2008; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $44.70
Marchby Geraldine Brooks
Penguin Books; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
Emperor (Emperor 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2003-06-07; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.80
Girl With a Pearl Earringby Tracy Chevalier
Harper Collins Audio; Published: 2002-06-17; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $86.82
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Dragon's Lair (Ballantine Reader's Circle)by Sharon Kay Penman
Ballantine Books; Published: 2004-11-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.65
Price in other shops:
When Christ and His Saints Sleptby Sharon Kay Penman
Henry Holt & Co; Published: 1995-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $33.45
The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard IIIby Sharon Kay Penman
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-01-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
The Reckoningby Sharon Kay Penman
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2009-04-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.68
Price in other shops:
Here Be Dragonsby Sharon Kay Penman
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-05-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.70
Price in other shops:
Time and Chanceby Sharon Kay Penman
Putnam Adult; Published: 2002-02-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.70
Price in other shops:
Falls the Shadow: A Novelby Sharon Kay Penman
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-08-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.89
Price in other shops:
Time and Chance: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)by Sharon Kay Penman
Ballantine Books; Published: 2003-02-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.90
Price in other shops:
Lionheartby Sharon Kay Penman
A Marian Wood Book/Putnam; Published: 2011-10-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.75
Price in other shops:
When Christ and His Saints Slept: A Novelby Sharon Kay Penman
Ballantine Books; Published: 1996-02-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops: