Read Online A Kings Ransom (Plantagenets #5; Richard The Lionheart #2) Generated By Sharon Kay Penman Text

Your Pride Will Be Your Undoing, Lionheart

sitelinkA King's Ransom is the sweeping, adventurous sequel to Lionheart , a masterfully spun novel of the last seven years of Richard I's life:, focusing on the period of his capture, imprisonment, and ransoming by Heinrich Hohenstaufen, the Holy Roman Emperor.
It is a homeric epic that retells the life of this legendary hero in "IMAX" detail, The author takes great care to keep historical veracity while weaving well thoughtout strategies and motives, clearing a few myths and misconceptions along the way of transporting us on a grand medieval journey.


Sharon Kay Penman is wellknown for her detailed, insightful characterizations, and in sitelinkA King's Ransom, that skill is shown at its peak, Historical figures became flesh and blood, living, breathingdimensional people: I felt the searing pain of burnt flesh, the fear and mania of being in solitary imprisonment I smelled the musty, moldy dankness of the chilled dungeon the putrefying odor of the suppurating wound felt the heartbreak of a neglected wife tasted the sweetness of love's second chance.


Her characters' personalities are wellconceived and fitting I saw Richard I as a restless and impulsive adventurer, quick to flare up with that "notorious Angevin temper," more suited to aggressive military life than to contemplating law, governing a kingdom or to committed marital life.


It couldn't be all swords and crossbows in Ms, Penman's novels, so it was a pleasure to see the women of court take active duty: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Joanna, Berengaria, Their roles and perspectives brought deeply heartfelt, emotional dimensions to that dangerous, often tragic medieval life,

History is never so entertaining as in a fictionalized version, and Ms, Penman pulled it off in imaginative scenes sieges, battles, betrayals, political drama the dangerousth century game of Monopoly, The amazing sea adventure, Richard's capture and especially his incarceration will stay in my mind for a long time,

I particularly got a thrill by old King Henry's cameo appearance as Richard lay feverish in his dungeon: "There is something else you need to remember whenever this new reality of yours becomes more than you think you can bear.
You cannot gain revenge from the grave, Trust me on this I know, "

Ms. Penman brings spirit and passion to the life of the Coeur de Lion, whose legend will carry on in sitelinkA King's Ransom the last of the Angevin Trilogy, much like what Homer did for Odysseus.
. . and you know how successful that was,



From wikipedia, org:
Richard ISeptemberApril, He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion, or mainly Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.
I just got this book autographed by Penman!! Meeting her was so amazing! A disappointing listen, The narrator lost me and did too many voices in a monotone fashion,

OVERALL GRADE: C minus, Although Richard the Lionheart evokes descriptions of courage, valiance, fierceness, and pure strength even the most commanding individual can hit rock bottom, In Richards case, this was the worst of the worst: capture and captivity, Sharon Kay Penman continues the Plantagenet series and the followup to “Lionheart” with, “A Kings Ransom”,

“A Kings Ransom” is an epic piece: immediately diving into the thick of a fastpaced and heavybeat story picking up where “Lionheart” left off with Richard leaving Acre.
In this manner, “A Kings Ransom” may cause some confusion to those who havent read the prequel and is therefore not a standalone novel, For everyone else, Penman creates a masterful, illusionary, raw, and vivid story that brings Richard alive and makes the reader feel as though he/she stepped out of a time machine and landed by Richards side.
Penmans writing is smooth and has an easy flow in “A Kings Ransom” making the novel truly stand out,

In usual Penman style, “A Kings Ransom” is heavy on the historyfront presenting an abundance of information saturated with facts but crafting this into a narrative form with fictional literary language to keep reader attention.
“A Kings Ransom” is the crème de la crème and precisely how historical fiction novels should be,

Penman does have a habit of occasionally overexplaining events and histories through character dialogue while also interspersing the text with repetition but this is noticeably less than in the other Plantagenet novels thus not depreciating the value of “A Kings Ransom” too exponentially.


Beginning at chapter, Penman alternates the narrative voices in “A Kings Ransom” from Richard to his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, his wife Berengaria, his sister Joanna, brother John, etc.
This gives fresh perspectives to the story while also moving the plot and keeping it from tiring out, Yes, there are a lot of characters and key figures mentioned which are often difficult to keep track of Penman provides a character list but this solidifies the history and gives credibility to the

information within “A Kings Ransom”.


The emotional value of the novel is quite high and noticeably results in a pageturner, “A Kings Ransom” is highly visual and again: best described as epic making for illuminating reading,

Slightly past the halfway mark, “A Kings Ransom” does slows considerably in comparison to the buildup of the preceding chapters, However, perhaps this is a stylistic tool and maneuver on Penmans part as she infuses the pages with action at the opportune times in order to keep the story moving and the reader from straying and therefore “A Kings Ransom” continues to enthrall.


The portrayal of Richards death is emotional and impactful, The term epic keeps being applied and has to be for a third time as this part of “A Kings Ransom” is truly an emotive explosion and will leave the reader with many thoughts to ponder.


After the death of Richard, Penmans writing dwindles in strength as “A Kings Ransom” seems to wean while focusing on the plight and aftermath of other characters making the story feel stretched out.
On the other hand, these pages shine on Eleanor of Aquitaine putting her character and person on a pedestal manifesting her legacy, This wraps up the Plantagenet saga well beginning with Eleanor and ending with Eleanor, The conclusion of “A Kings Ransom” is solid and again: wellrounded with an epitaph of Eleanor, Penman close up the story on a strong note leaving the reader sated,

Penman follows this finality with an Afterword elaborating on the historical repercussions of each figure involved and she also includes an Authors Note focusing on explaining any historical liberties in the novel, the research process, and a list of some sources for further reading.
These supplemental pages in “A Kings Ransom” are meaty, informative, and entertaining to the reader and are not to be skipped,

“A Kings Ransom” is a masterful piece of historical fiction and everything that this genre of novels should be: historically accurate, rich, and emotionally moving, “A Kings Ransom” is Penmans strongest in the Plantagenet series and is definitely recommended for Penman readers and those having previously read “Lionheart”, This is the first Sharon Kay Penman book I have read and I am simply astounded by it, I have never read an author who packs so much history into a novel and it is so readable and easy to understand, There is a large cast of characters as Kings often move in large groups of people and yet I was able to keep them straight, I did not have to refer to a cast of characters chart if it had onemy copy did not or make notes to keep track of the players.
That, in itself, was an amazing feat,

Still it was the story itself that was the star, I now know more about Richard the Lionhearted than I ever conceivably thought I would, He was portrayed as a man with faults and warts and it made him come alive for me, He was an impatient man who liked war more than anything else, He found love and ruling his Kingdom as obstacles to overcome so he could pursue his passion of making war, The story starts with him leaving the Holy Land with Jerusalem unconquered and on his way back to England, Along the way he is captured and ultimately made the prisoner of the Emperor of Germany, Apparently troubles between England and Germany started way before WWI,

Imprisonment was a torture, Accustomed to having his word obeyed instantly, he is now subject to his jailers, At one point he was even shackled, an even unheard of for a King and a Knight on a Holy Crusade, Eventually through ransom and interventions, he is released and sets off to make more war, This time he is fighting the King of France to regain his lands he lost through his imprisonment, He makes a lightening visit to England but is soon back to France to continue fighting, Richard doesn't really waste time trying to rule England, He views it more as an ATM,

The women are very interesting, Richard is surrounded by strong women including his mother, Eleanor, and his sister, Joanna, I have to confess that I saw Katherine Hepburn's face every time I read about Eleanor, I guess I've seen "Lion in the Winter" too many times but it was really comforting, The women, though strong willed, were just chess pieces in the matrimony field so it was great to see some happy marriages, I really enjoyed Joanna and the Count of Toulouse's relationship, It was quite a delight,

I found this a fascinating book, It's longpages but it is one that I don't think could have been edited for length, There was no filler or padding just great historical information, I plan to read more of her books, I highly recommend this one but I have one caveat, If you have a Kindle buy it on that, My arms just got tired holding that heavy book, I love ALL of SKP's books!!!

The continued history of Richard the Lionheart, Wonderfully well written. I love this part of history, and cried as each of them passed, I anxiously await SKP's next book! From the New York Timesbestselling author of Lionheart comes the dramatic sequel, telling of the last dangerous years of Richard, Coeur de Lions life.

 
This longanticipated sequel to the national bestseller Lionheart is a vivid and heartwrenching story of the last eventfilled years in the life of Richard, Coeur de Lion.
Taken captive by the Holy Roman Emperor while en route homein violation of the papal decree protecting all crusadershe was to spend fifteen months chained in a dungeon while Eleanor of Aquitaine moved heaven and earth to raise the exorbitant ransom.
But a further humiliation awaited him: he was forced to kneel and swear fealty to his bitter enemy,

For the five years remaining to him, betrayals, intrigues, wars, and illness were ever present, So were his infidelities, perhaps a pattern set by his fathers faithlessness to Eleanor, But the courage, compassion, and intelligence of this warrior king became the stuff of legend, and A Kings Ransom brings the man and his world fully and powerfully alive.
I'm a fan of Sharon Kay Penman's ability to take historical events and breathe life into all the political strategy and machinations that made them happen, She writes in great detail and doesn't make changes for the sake of plot or romanticism, I was in Powell's Books a month or two ago and saw this book advertised as "If you like A Song of Ice and Fire, you might like A King's Ransom.
" You get the picture.

I really like this sort of thing, but am giving thisrather thanbecause it just didn't sing for me as much as the Welsh trilogy and the Plantagenet one did.
Maybe it's because those characters were more obscure, maybe it's because I have never really "liked" Richard ridiculous, I know, or an multitude of reasons, but I just wasn't as hooked.
My favorite part of A King's Ransom was the Joanna storyline, which may bolster my idea that I'm more interested in the obscure characters, .