Laura Andersen
I love talking about my favorites! Epic historicals . . .
1. THE LYMOND CHRONICLES by Dorothy Dunnett. Six books featuring Francis Crawford of Lymond, a Scots adventurer in the mid-16th century. Not everyone loves Dunnett's books--they are crammed with epigrams and Latin quotes and bits of philosophy and science--but Francis Crawford and those within his life are well worth the effort. War, treason, assassination, personal vendettas, kidnapped children, mad Russian tsars, deadly political games . . . and a love story that takes its times, and then crushes the reader with passion and sacrifice.
2. Anything by Sharon Kay Penman. My favorite single book of hers is HERE BE DRAGONS, about Llewellyn the Great, Prince of Wales in the late 12th/early 13th century and his marriage to Joanna, illegitimate daughter of King John of England.
3. And another Welsh book--or four books. THE BROTHERS OF GWYNEDD QUARTET by Edith Pargeter. About Llewellyn the Great's grandson of the same name and how this last Prince Llewellyn fought against his own family as well as English power to preserve Welsh independence. (Spoiler alert: it did not end well.)
4. And for something very different . . . an epic stand-alone novel of WWII--CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein. An English woman has been captured by the Germans in France. Her best friend, a pilot, is stranded in enemy territory. Can either one of them survive?
1. THE LYMOND CHRONICLES by Dorothy Dunnett. Six books featuring Francis Crawford of Lymond, a Scots adventurer in the mid-16th century. Not everyone loves Dunnett's books--they are crammed with epigrams and Latin quotes and bits of philosophy and science--but Francis Crawford and those within his life are well worth the effort. War, treason, assassination, personal vendettas, kidnapped children, mad Russian tsars, deadly political games . . . and a love story that takes its times, and then crushes the reader with passion and sacrifice.
2. Anything by Sharon Kay Penman. My favorite single book of hers is HERE BE DRAGONS, about Llewellyn the Great, Prince of Wales in the late 12th/early 13th century and his marriage to Joanna, illegitimate daughter of King John of England.
3. And another Welsh book--or four books. THE BROTHERS OF GWYNEDD QUARTET by Edith Pargeter. About Llewellyn the Great's grandson of the same name and how this last Prince Llewellyn fought against his own family as well as English power to preserve Welsh independence. (Spoiler alert: it did not end well.)
4. And for something very different . . . an epic stand-alone novel of WWII--CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein. An English woman has been captured by the Germans in France. Her best friend, a pilot, is stranded in enemy territory. Can either one of them survive?
More Answered Questions
Janet Woo
asked
Laura Andersen:
Jean Plaidy is one of my favorite authors, and you both seem to travel the same historical turf. Have you ever read her books, and what do you like/dislike about them? I've read one of your books (which I loved) but am currently on the hunt for more, which is what took me to Goodreads today! Thanks for answering...
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