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Plantagenet Saga #10
Passage to Pontefract
The Black Prince, hero of England, had died before his father Edward the Third, who had become a senile old man dependent on his rapacious mistress Alice Perrers; the heir to the throne was a young boy, Richard of Bordeaux, surrounded by ambitious uncles who believed it would be better for the country if they could take the crown.
The eldest of the uncles was John of Gaunt, who when he married Blanche of Lancaster became the Duke of Lancaster and next to the King the richest and most powerful man in the country. Lancaster became deeply enamored of his children's governess, Catherine Swynford, but even this emotion could not stop his craving for the crown.
When Wat Tyler's daughter was insulted by a tax collector, Wat led the Peasants' Revolt. Richard showed himself capable of reckless bravery when he faced the rebels at Mile End and Smithfield and saved the country from revolution. Then it seemed that he would be a worthy ruler. He enjoyed a happy marriage with Anne of Bohemia but his extravagance and tendency to surround himself with his favorites brought him into conflict with his people. His uncles, John of Gaunt and Thomas of Woodstock, were caught up in the intrigue, and there came the day when the Five Lords Appellant faced Richard and threatened to depose him.
Here is a vivid picture of Richard's court, of his extravagance and folly, of his devotion to his favorite, Robert de Vere, of his love for two queens, clever Anne and the little Isabella, and of his headlong journey toward disaster. He could never forget an injury and was determined to take his revenge on the five lords who had humiliated him. He succeeded with four of them but the fifth—Henry of Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt—was clever, subtle, and determined to triumph where his father had failed. Richard was no match for him and it was Bolingbroke who drove him along the last stretch of his passage to Pontefract.
The eldest of the uncles was John of Gaunt, who when he married Blanche of Lancaster became the Duke of Lancaster and next to the King the richest and most powerful man in the country. Lancaster became deeply enamored of his children's governess, Catherine Swynford, but even this emotion could not stop his craving for the crown.
When Wat Tyler's daughter was insulted by a tax collector, Wat led the Peasants' Revolt. Richard showed himself capable of reckless bravery when he faced the rebels at Mile End and Smithfield and saved the country from revolution. Then it seemed that he would be a worthy ruler. He enjoyed a happy marriage with Anne of Bohemia but his extravagance and tendency to surround himself with his favorites brought him into conflict with his people. His uncles, John of Gaunt and Thomas of Woodstock, were caught up in the intrigue, and there came the day when the Five Lords Appellant faced Richard and threatened to depose him.
Here is a vivid picture of Richard's court, of his extravagance and folly, of his devotion to his favorite, Robert de Vere, of his love for two queens, clever Anne and the little Isabella, and of his headlong journey toward disaster. He could never forget an injury and was determined to take his revenge on the five lords who had humiliated him. He succeeded with four of them but the fifth—Henry of Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt—was clever, subtle, and determined to triumph where his father had failed. Richard was no match for him and it was Bolingbroke who drove him along the last stretch of his passage to Pontefract.
366 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1981
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871 people want to read
About the author
Jean Plaidy
219 books1,572 followersEleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 15, 2022
This is such a classic of historical fiction as are all of Plaidy's novels.I much enjoyed it but the only thing I wasn't in line with was the way John of Gaunt was portrayed.I never have thought he meant to take control of England until it was revealed how corrupt Richard had become and by that time he was too old and the next most likely candidate of course was his son.So I felt Plaidy's take was a bit off as she made him desperate for the throne of England all through out or so it seemed to me.Other wise, I'm fan of her writing and her story telling abilities.Will be reading more in this series soon.
September 11, 2019
Beginning in 1359 with the marriage of John of Gaunt to Blanche of Lancaster and spanning over forty years to end with the death of Richard II in 1400, Jean Plaidy’s Passage of Pontefract tells the story of Richard II, a child who comes to the throne at ten years of age with great promise, only to lose it at twenty-two years later and end up dying as a prisoner.
Jean Plaidy was a prolific author of historical novels and, in my experience, mainly crafts novels that are, on the whole, pretty basic retellings of historical events. A paint-by-the-numbers, built-from-checklist style of story, which means while you don’t really miss out on anything, you don’t really care about the story the novel is telling you.
Passage to Pontefract conforms to those expectations and, to give full credit to Plaidy, I am frustrated a little because there are parts of the book that are good, or at least good in theory. The characterisation of Anne of Bohemia, for instance – a queen that’s often ignored and glossed over – is here an intelligent, loving, good-natured woman who is genuinely adored by her husband. I liked that, while Plaidy only ever vaguely hinted at Richard and Robert de Vere being lovers, she didn’t make it a character flaw (at least for Richard; de Vere is more villainous but how much of that is because of his sexuality is left vague), and had them, Anne and ‘Launcecrona’ (i.e. Agnes Launcekrona, one of Anne’s ladies in waiting, who was the woman de Vere had his marriage to a royally-blooded woman annulled to marry) characterised as a foursome – if not as lovers, but as friends who know and accept the importance of their bonds.
Plaidy’s depiction of Constance of Castile, John of Gaunt’s second wife, is actually my favourite that I’ve come across in fiction – she’s driven by the desire to claim her inheritance, the crown of Castile, and, aware of her own irregular birth, is accepting of Katherine Swynford as Gaunt’s mistress and almost prefers it that way. Gaunt is not stripped of his ambition and assholery to be a romantic hero but straddles both roles. There are moments of genuine sadness, such as a three-year-old Henry Bolingbroke wanting to show something to his mother, forgetting she just died and upsetting his older sisters, or the child Richard II not understanding when his older brother dies and later asking his tutor if he’s going to go to heaven soon. Plaidy also made me feel a wee bit sorry for Thomas of Woodstock when he died. I also really loved the depiction of Joan of Kent and the Black Prince’s relationship in the few glimpses we got of it (she bosses him around!) and the narrative is somewhat sympathetic to Richard II’s circumstances and doesn’t write him off as an unmanly tyrant from Day 1.
These ideas are so good and they would be much better in a novel where the author allowed these personalities to come out more, to display themselves better. But Plaidy’s writing is simplistic, often a regurgitation of information dumps or a summary of events, and even, at times, borderline childish. The narrative is rushed in places, especially near the end, and relies too much on summation and exposition to move the plot along. It’s also oddly split – talking with a friend who also read the book, we came to the conclusion that Plaidy was more interested in writing about Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt than Richard II, but perhaps put off by the fame of Anya Seton’s Katherine, and perhaps it would have been better if Plaidy had written two separate novels – a romance about Gaunt and Katherine, and an entry into her Plantagenet series solely about Richard II.
There’s also an incredible disjointedness throughout this novel. Threads are suggested, but dropped – the chapter dealing with the Peasants Revolt or Great Uprising made much of Richard going back on his promise to the rebels, as if to say “this is where all the problem in his reign begins” – which was not the case – but even then Plaidy forgets that after two chapters. Richard begins the story as an earnest, intelligent, quiet and bookish child but then he’s suddenly “easily swayed” and possessing a “delicate mind” and I suppose these are believable, developable characteristics but there’s no build-up, he just suddenly has them because the narrative says so.
On a similar token, Plaidy recounts the story of a monk telling Richard that John of Gaunt is plotting to kill him, Richard immediately orders Gaunt’s death before being counselled to allow Gaunt to answer the charges, at which point he goes mad and throws his hat and shoes out the window. Now, that’s based on a mistranslated chronicle which actually reports that the monk, realising his claims would be investigated and found to have been made up, shammed insanity by throwing his own shoes and hat out the window. And I’m not that mad Plaidy replicated the story since, you know, an author can only deal with what is “known” and easily accessible to them when writing historical fiction. But the way she handles it was completely hilarious because it’s a paragraph where we’re basically told “Richard suddenly inherited the family mental illness and threw some clothing out the window, Plantagenets be like that sometimes” and what? If you’re saying there’s a streak of insanity in the family, work it into the story! Depict it occurring in his parents, uncles, cousins and/or grandparents, all of whom populate the novel! Depict him displaying symptoms, before and after! But, no, it’s just “Richard suddenly inherited the family mental illness” and then, one assumes, lost it after a minute and never inherited it again.
There are things I disliked about the novel. Blanche of Lancaster, Gaunt’s first wife and mother of Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal, and Henry IV, is pretty much characterised as a wilting flower, a dishrag whose only personality is being a nice girl and crying when she gives birth to a daughter because her husband is REALLY DESPERATE for a son and she just wants to please him. And while I genuinely felt sad when Blanche and Edward of Angoulême died (see above), there wasn’t anyone else I felt sad for, even characters who were much more well-established or ones that I came in caring about anyway, such as Anne of Bohemia, John of Gaunt, Joan of Kent, and Richard himself. I think that it was just a case of Plaidy’s writing is so bland and by rote that it’s difficult to care about it.
And that, in the end, is what mars this novel for me. It offends me less than Plaidy’s follow-up, The Star of Lancaster, but it’s just bland and lifeless and it’s hard to care about it that much.
Jean Plaidy was a prolific author of historical novels and, in my experience, mainly crafts novels that are, on the whole, pretty basic retellings of historical events. A paint-by-the-numbers, built-from-checklist style of story, which means while you don’t really miss out on anything, you don’t really care about the story the novel is telling you.
Passage to Pontefract conforms to those expectations and, to give full credit to Plaidy, I am frustrated a little because there are parts of the book that are good, or at least good in theory. The characterisation of Anne of Bohemia, for instance – a queen that’s often ignored and glossed over – is here an intelligent, loving, good-natured woman who is genuinely adored by her husband. I liked that, while Plaidy only ever vaguely hinted at Richard and Robert de Vere being lovers, she didn’t make it a character flaw (at least for Richard; de Vere is more villainous but how much of that is because of his sexuality is left vague), and had them, Anne and ‘Launcecrona’ (i.e. Agnes Launcekrona, one of Anne’s ladies in waiting, who was the woman de Vere had his marriage to a royally-blooded woman annulled to marry) characterised as a foursome – if not as lovers, but as friends who know and accept the importance of their bonds.
Plaidy’s depiction of Constance of Castile, John of Gaunt’s second wife, is actually my favourite that I’ve come across in fiction – she’s driven by the desire to claim her inheritance, the crown of Castile, and, aware of her own irregular birth, is accepting of Katherine Swynford as Gaunt’s mistress and almost prefers it that way. Gaunt is not stripped of his ambition and assholery to be a romantic hero but straddles both roles. There are moments of genuine sadness, such as a three-year-old Henry Bolingbroke wanting to show something to his mother, forgetting she just died and upsetting his older sisters, or the child Richard II not understanding when his older brother dies and later asking his tutor if he’s going to go to heaven soon. Plaidy also made me feel a wee bit sorry for Thomas of Woodstock when he died. I also really loved the depiction of Joan of Kent and the Black Prince’s relationship in the few glimpses we got of it (she bosses him around!) and the narrative is somewhat sympathetic to Richard II’s circumstances and doesn’t write him off as an unmanly tyrant from Day 1.
These ideas are so good and they would be much better in a novel where the author allowed these personalities to come out more, to display themselves better. But Plaidy’s writing is simplistic, often a regurgitation of information dumps or a summary of events, and even, at times, borderline childish. The narrative is rushed in places, especially near the end, and relies too much on summation and exposition to move the plot along. It’s also oddly split – talking with a friend who also read the book, we came to the conclusion that Plaidy was more interested in writing about Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt than Richard II, but perhaps put off by the fame of Anya Seton’s Katherine, and perhaps it would have been better if Plaidy had written two separate novels – a romance about Gaunt and Katherine, and an entry into her Plantagenet series solely about Richard II.
There’s also an incredible disjointedness throughout this novel. Threads are suggested, but dropped – the chapter dealing with the Peasants Revolt or Great Uprising made much of Richard going back on his promise to the rebels, as if to say “this is where all the problem in his reign begins” – which was not the case – but even then Plaidy forgets that after two chapters. Richard begins the story as an earnest, intelligent, quiet and bookish child but then he’s suddenly “easily swayed” and possessing a “delicate mind” and I suppose these are believable, developable characteristics but there’s no build-up, he just suddenly has them because the narrative says so.
On a similar token, Plaidy recounts the story of a monk telling Richard that John of Gaunt is plotting to kill him, Richard immediately orders Gaunt’s death before being counselled to allow Gaunt to answer the charges, at which point he goes mad and throws his hat and shoes out the window. Now, that’s based on a mistranslated chronicle which actually reports that the monk, realising his claims would be investigated and found to have been made up, shammed insanity by throwing his own shoes and hat out the window. And I’m not that mad Plaidy replicated the story since, you know, an author can only deal with what is “known” and easily accessible to them when writing historical fiction. But the way she handles it was completely hilarious because it’s a paragraph where we’re basically told “Richard suddenly inherited the family mental illness and threw some clothing out the window, Plantagenets be like that sometimes” and what? If you’re saying there’s a streak of insanity in the family, work it into the story! Depict it occurring in his parents, uncles, cousins and/or grandparents, all of whom populate the novel! Depict him displaying symptoms, before and after! But, no, it’s just “Richard suddenly inherited the family mental illness” and then, one assumes, lost it after a minute and never inherited it again.
There are things I disliked about the novel. Blanche of Lancaster, Gaunt’s first wife and mother of Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal, and Henry IV, is pretty much characterised as a wilting flower, a dishrag whose only personality is being a nice girl and crying when she gives birth to a daughter because her husband is REALLY DESPERATE for a son and she just wants to please him. And while I genuinely felt sad when Blanche and Edward of Angoulême died (see above), there wasn’t anyone else I felt sad for, even characters who were much more well-established or ones that I came in caring about anyway, such as Anne of Bohemia, John of Gaunt, Joan of Kent, and Richard himself. I think that it was just a case of Plaidy’s writing is so bland and by rote that it’s difficult to care about it.
And that, in the end, is what mars this novel for me. It offends me less than Plaidy’s follow-up, The Star of Lancaster, but it’s just bland and lifeless and it’s hard to care about it that much.
October 25, 2009
Reading this book has spurred me on to reread Susan Howatch's "Wheel of Fortune".
June 8, 2019
It's a wonderful tale told beautifully, the only way Jean Plaidy can do it. She had an admirable way of bringing historical figures of long ago back to life with amazing detail. Once again, Plaidy delivers greatness.
September 23, 2013
Nobody writes British historical fiction better than Jean Plaidy. And this novel is Plaidy at her best. Focuses on the lives of the powerful and scheming nobleman John of Gaunt, and his passionate love, Katherine Swynford, Edward the Black Prince and his wife Joan of Kent and his son Richard II. Begins with Edward III and the complete hold the common born Alice Perrers has over him, and how she, despised by his family and the entire nobility, steals the jewels and rings from his fingers at his death.
We read of Edward the Black Prince and his prowess as a general in France and his love for Joan of Kent, the fair maid of Kent. What I like about Plaidy's treatment of women in her novels, is that unlike,e many authors of historical fiction (including some today) she does not sell us the ridiculous and prejudiced ideas of women as either virginal saints or wanton harlots. Her women characters often have pasts, are usually sexual beings, may even engage in promiscuity, but for all that are multi-dimensional characters who she treats with understanding and perception, hence Kathrine Swynford and Joan of Kent, thought they both have 'pasts' are determined and loyal in standing by their men and in caring about their children,
After he inherits the throne he young Richard is surrounded by ambitious uncles who are determined that England would be better off if they had the throne. Inspired by the ideas of John Wycliff, the great religious reformer , the peasant, unable to bare extreme grinding poverty and oppression and crushing taxes, rebel against the established feudal order and demand better conditions and more equality. We see the slender , attractive young king Richard commanding the allegiance of the peasants after their leader Wat Tyler is killed by the Mayor of London. Richard however shows he is not of impeccable character by mounting Tyler's head on a spike. Though Richard promises the peasants he will be their leader he certainly did nothing to alleviate their conditions or bring about any greater social equity.
Richard proves him both ineffectual and a petty tyrant, and revenges himself on four of the five appellant lords, who for a time curtail his power.Jean Plaidy go's further than merely hints at his homosexuality, though there are no explicit sex scenes here.
After the death of his loyal queen Anne of Bohemia , Richard marries the seven year old child bride Isabelle of Valois, though too young to consummate their marriage in any way, the absolute devotion and fatherly love he shows for her is quite moving.
Lots of intrigue and enmity between the different power players, and the eventual paving of the way for the seizure of power by John of Gaunts son, Henry Bolingbroke-to be Henry IV.
We read of Edward the Black Prince and his prowess as a general in France and his love for Joan of Kent, the fair maid of Kent. What I like about Plaidy's treatment of women in her novels, is that unlike,e many authors of historical fiction (including some today) she does not sell us the ridiculous and prejudiced ideas of women as either virginal saints or wanton harlots. Her women characters often have pasts, are usually sexual beings, may even engage in promiscuity, but for all that are multi-dimensional characters who she treats with understanding and perception, hence Kathrine Swynford and Joan of Kent, thought they both have 'pasts' are determined and loyal in standing by their men and in caring about their children,
After he inherits the throne he young Richard is surrounded by ambitious uncles who are determined that England would be better off if they had the throne. Inspired by the ideas of John Wycliff, the great religious reformer , the peasant, unable to bare extreme grinding poverty and oppression and crushing taxes, rebel against the established feudal order and demand better conditions and more equality. We see the slender , attractive young king Richard commanding the allegiance of the peasants after their leader Wat Tyler is killed by the Mayor of London. Richard however shows he is not of impeccable character by mounting Tyler's head on a spike. Though Richard promises the peasants he will be their leader he certainly did nothing to alleviate their conditions or bring about any greater social equity.
Richard proves him both ineffectual and a petty tyrant, and revenges himself on four of the five appellant lords, who for a time curtail his power.Jean Plaidy go's further than merely hints at his homosexuality, though there are no explicit sex scenes here.
After the death of his loyal queen Anne of Bohemia , Richard marries the seven year old child bride Isabelle of Valois, though too young to consummate their marriage in any way, the absolute devotion and fatherly love he shows for her is quite moving.
Lots of intrigue and enmity between the different power players, and the eventual paving of the way for the seizure of power by John of Gaunts son, Henry Bolingbroke-to be Henry IV.
May 16, 2021
The only reason I gave this book a three instead of a four is because it was a little repetitive. Instead the author could have given a little bit more background in its place about the common people, government processes and voting rights.
I read this book as a background read for Shakespeare's Richard II and it served its purpose. Easy to read and puts some imaginative, but memorable "flesh" on the people that I usually see limited to names and facts.
In Plaidy's book we see a young King Richard primarily mishandling royal governance by breaking his promises to both his uncles (fellow rulers, if you will) and the people of England (Peasants' Revolt 1381).
Broken promises lead to resentment and this means that King Richard's life becomes a rather sad and circular story. The Five Lords Appellant over rule the king to get rid of his beloved, but inept, advisers (including Robert de Vere and Sir Simon Burley, tutor).
Later on, King Richard enacts revenge on those very same Lords Appellants, only to be, in turn revenged upon himself, by the last remaining Lord Appellant - the future King Henry IV.
King Richard does not look after his own interests with foresight. With so few military skills and no heir you can see troubling brewing for King Richard from afar. Families with strong a military background and healthy sons definitely seem to have the advantage.
You wish these men could have found a better way to manage their lives without constantly killing each other. You feel glad that arbitrary actions against innocent people are not allowed anymore.
Women's lives were often overtaken with childbearing responsibilities. Illness and death were a constant thread (the plague).
But it is a little hard to feel sorry for King Richard and his advisors who, having little regard for the ordinary citizen, would have been better off staying out of the hard scrabble life of John of Gaunt and the like, who wished for absolute power at any cost.
I read this book as a background read for Shakespeare's Richard II and it served its purpose. Easy to read and puts some imaginative, but memorable "flesh" on the people that I usually see limited to names and facts.
In Plaidy's book we see a young King Richard primarily mishandling royal governance by breaking his promises to both his uncles (fellow rulers, if you will) and the people of England (Peasants' Revolt 1381).
Broken promises lead to resentment and this means that King Richard's life becomes a rather sad and circular story. The Five Lords Appellant over rule the king to get rid of his beloved, but inept, advisers (including Robert de Vere and Sir Simon Burley, tutor).
Later on, King Richard enacts revenge on those very same Lords Appellants, only to be, in turn revenged upon himself, by the last remaining Lord Appellant - the future King Henry IV.
King Richard does not look after his own interests with foresight. With so few military skills and no heir you can see troubling brewing for King Richard from afar. Families with strong a military background and healthy sons definitely seem to have the advantage.
You wish these men could have found a better way to manage their lives without constantly killing each other. You feel glad that arbitrary actions against innocent people are not allowed anymore.
Women's lives were often overtaken with childbearing responsibilities. Illness and death were a constant thread (the plague).
But it is a little hard to feel sorry for King Richard and his advisors who, having little regard for the ordinary citizen, would have been better off staying out of the hard scrabble life of John of Gaunt and the like, who wished for absolute power at any cost.
February 2, 2019
I was so excited when I learned that Jean Plaidy had written a book that focused on Richard II. I’ve been a big fan of her books, written under the pen name Victoria Holt, for a long time and, having newly become enraptured with Medieval English history, I thought this would be a great way to get a general sense of that history.
Overall. I enjoyed the book. The only real negative, and I don’t remember this from any of her other books, is that there is an almost ridiculous amount of repetition of facts, sometimes appearing on the same page and once, that I recall, in the same paragraph. The narrative reads as if someone is just explaining what’s happening, with patches, here and there, of dialogue, like those tv documentaries that include re-enactment scenes. It was an interesting read, mainly because I am so eager for information about R2 and I love that the book includes a bibliography. While I can’t say I loved it, I am glad I read it.
Overall. I enjoyed the book. The only real negative, and I don’t remember this from any of her other books, is that there is an almost ridiculous amount of repetition of facts, sometimes appearing on the same page and once, that I recall, in the same paragraph. The narrative reads as if someone is just explaining what’s happening, with patches, here and there, of dialogue, like those tv documentaries that include re-enactment scenes. It was an interesting read, mainly because I am so eager for information about R2 and I love that the book includes a bibliography. While I can’t say I loved it, I am glad I read it.
January 15, 2018
As with the previous books in the Plantagenet series, the author tries to cover the lives of nearly everyone involved during the period covered. Because of her need to pack everything in, events are rushed over, which leads to lots of "telling" and a lack of "showing".
That said, this is a marked improvement on the previous novel in the series. Characterisation is better, and – despite a lot of reported speech – there is some quality dialogue exchanges, which helps bring the characters to life.
Edward III’s sons, Richard II, the future Henry IV, and various others are all interesting historic personages. The author does a pretty good job at breathing life into them.
What spoils things, however, is Jean Plaidy’s trait of repeating info to an annoying extent, including references to events in previous books in the Plantagenet series.
The main repetitive theme in this book is John of Gaunt’s frustration at not being Edward III’s firstborn. This is really forced down the reader’s throat. Just when you think the theme’s been dropped, it starts up again with John’s brother Thomas of Woodstock, who’s even further from the crown.
On the whole, I found this to be on of the better books of the Plantagenet saga, though like all the others, it has the potential of being much better.
That said, this is a marked improvement on the previous novel in the series. Characterisation is better, and – despite a lot of reported speech – there is some quality dialogue exchanges, which helps bring the characters to life.
Edward III’s sons, Richard II, the future Henry IV, and various others are all interesting historic personages. The author does a pretty good job at breathing life into them.
What spoils things, however, is Jean Plaidy’s trait of repeating info to an annoying extent, including references to events in previous books in the Plantagenet series.
The main repetitive theme in this book is John of Gaunt’s frustration at not being Edward III’s firstborn. This is really forced down the reader’s throat. Just when you think the theme’s been dropped, it starts up again with John’s brother Thomas of Woodstock, who’s even further from the crown.
On the whole, I found this to be on of the better books of the Plantagenet saga, though like all the others, it has the potential of being much better.
January 15, 2019
This was an okay read but only just. It's good on the historical detail so you get an idea of who did what and when. When the Duke of Whatsit colludes with the Earl of Allthat it all seems to represent what happened at the time. That was why I read it, however, since reading this I've read some other historical fiction and this sisn't a patch on other historical fiction. Part of the issue with this book is that there is no flavour. You don't get a sense of place, the characters could be speaking in a whitre room or at the very least a minimalist set. It could do with a bit more deatil about the locations, the nature of life in the period, all that jazz. This is probabkly why it took so long to read, it just didn't call me back.
June 16, 2018
I positively loved this book - may be my favorite so far in the saga/series and I am sad as I am almost done with it. This is the story of Richard II who succeeded his father Edward III to the throne. His reign started out somewhat strong but only because of his youth and the people loved him for it, however, he was an extravagant King and was more into his wardrobe, his favorite, and his Queen then ruling. It was no surprise he struggled so. As always Jean Plaidy keeps you engaged and brings the characters to life. Truly my favorite author of historical fiction of this time period!
May 25, 2019
Though she is my favorite author the character himself is hard to love making the book hard to get through. Richard the second never really grew out of the child king he started as. Never learned from the past even though he followed down the same path as his ancestors. A path that led to there's and his undoing. The book is well written and fast paced. An ok read. Took me forever to get through though simply because I couldn't feel for the main character.
November 19, 2023
Really great historical novel about English royalty from the 1300s. It primarily covers the end of the reign of Edward III, his son the Black Prince, and Richard II.
The author makes history come alive while staying very accurate. I highly recommend her novels on the kings of England.
The author makes history come alive while staying very accurate. I highly recommend her novels on the kings of England.
December 17, 2016
An excellent book about the rule of Edward 3 at the time of his death and the rule of Richard 2 his grandson and Henry 4 who usurped him. Love reading her books
May 9, 2017
Very similar to the previous two books: poor writing, but interesting story that I want to learn more about.
January 12, 2020
I've read as much as this as I can stand. The writing is dull, the historical detail sloppy, the characters clichéd.
September 14, 2022
I always learn a lot from Jean Plaidy's books, although it takes me a while to read one.
September 20, 2016
Another solid entry in Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet series. Plaidy puts the tragedy of Richard II squarely in it's historical context - the ongoing friction with France which determined both his marriages, his father's mature, competent and potentially ambitious brothers and the women in their lives. A good read which carries the reader along at a satisfying pace.
August 7, 2020
Este título de la saga es de los mejores que he leído, es completamente dinámico y los personajes son muy interesantes. En tan solo 4 días me devoré este libro de alrededor 340 páginas.
El inicio retoma desde un tiempo antes de donde terminó el anterior, narrando ahora más desde el punto de Eduardo IV, quien intenta hacer reaccionar a su padre sobre cómo sus hermanos están influyendo en su política y quiere respaldar el derecho de Ricardo al trono.
Sinopsis y reseña completa en:
https://elmundodeeleanor.wordpress.co...
El inicio retoma desde un tiempo antes de donde terminó el anterior, narrando ahora más desde el punto de Eduardo IV, quien intenta hacer reaccionar a su padre sobre cómo sus hermanos están influyendo en su política y quiere respaldar el derecho de Ricardo al trono.
Sinopsis y reseña completa en:
https://elmundodeeleanor.wordpress.co...
January 9, 2016
Jean Plaidy's novels are less like historical fiction and more like fictionalized history. They are great if you feel more like reading a novel rather than a history book, but still want to learn about English history. However, they can be a bit dry at times, so pass on these if you need something with a tad more bodice-ripping. This novel is not one of Plaidy's best, but it is still a great overview of England in the second half of the fourteenth century.
July 23, 2007
Richard II (son of Edward the Black Prince, grandson of Edward III) married Anne of Bohemia and then Isabella of Valois. Richard II was deposed and imprisoned by his cousin Henry IV (son of John of Gaunt, grandson of Edward III).
September 7, 2018
Poor Richard II. He really had a chance at being beloved, but instead went pretty much the same way as his uncle. Reading about the love between him and his queen was very touching. Not one of my favourite Kings, but an enjoyable read
Want to read
September 11, 201010th in series
January 3, 2010
Great read on a wayward king who came to an ignominious end.
May 12, 2011
Jean Plaidy is slipping a bit. The books get less interesting, maybe it's the historical figures I don't know, but her other books were more interesting.
July 8, 2024
Little characterisation. Large gaps. Uninteresting.
May 1, 2015
jean plaidy has a very blunt, brusque style that detracts from the story
June 22, 2020
Story of Richard II and his cousin Henry of Bolingbroke who would go on to depose him and become Henry IV son of John of Gaunt Head of the House of Lancaster.
September 17, 2015
I loved this book great historical fiction about king Richard II and his reign, poor king.
Read
January 19, 2016Years ago I remember reading a lot of the Jean Plaidy novels about English royalty. Despite the Romance covers, they were quite good historical dramas.
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