Falls the Shadow [Hardcover]

Sharon Kay Penman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1988

This novel about the struggle for power in England in the Middle Ages centres on the life of Simon de Montfort, a French nobleman who came to England to lay claim to an earldom, married the King's sister, and eventually mounted a civil war against Henry III.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It is a mystery why Simon de Montfort's name is not as instantly recognizable as those of Charlemagne and Richard the Lionhearted. The histories of France and England were significantly shaped by the causes he espoused and the battles he fought. Penman, a writer whose fidelity to historical detail is matched by her gift for narrative, makes Simon, Earl of Leicester, one of her central characters in this sweeping, dramatic saga set in the 13th century. The novel initially suffers from a dual focus, however, since Penman is equally concerned with the descendants of Llewelyn Farr of The Sunne in Splendour, who united the Welsh lords in an uneasy peace. The lives of highborn English, Welsh and French families intersect and painfully collide through complex ties of royal kinship: Montfort's wife, Nell is sister to King Henry III, one of England's most incompetent monarchs. Hot-tempered, high principled and "the most celebrated soldier in Christendom," Montfort enters into bitter conflict with his brother-in-law, becoming leader of the barons who oppose Henry's irresponsible leadership. Henry is forced to accept the Oxford Provisions that limit his power and affirm the rights of English citizens, but after two decades of intrigue, internecine conflict, shifting alliances and full-fledged civil war, Henry's son Edward Plantagenet prevails in the bloody battle of Evesham. Penman brilliantly evokes the medieval world with its deeply ingrained religious convictions that made men believe themselves directly favored or abandoned by God, a mental construct hard to reconcile with "the seductive allure of a chivalric brotherhood based on the sword." As usual, she illuminates the events of individual lives as well as the political and cultural forces that characterized this tumultuous era, in a thoroughly engrossing book. 75,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

For her third historical novel, Penman focuses on the mid-13th-century reign of England's Henry III and stories of those who opposed that inept king. A main detractor is French-born Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who leads the fight for parliamentary restrictions on the monarch, and later becomes Henry's brother-in-law through marriage to Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke. She emerges as a major figure, as does a distant relative by marriage, Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, who fights for supremacy in Wales. A promised genealogy should sort out the family relationships as well as the Welsh names. Penman's authentic historical treatment and characterizations capture the imagination and leave the characters well poised for an intended sequel. Recommended. Ellen Kaye Stoppel, Drake Univ. Law Lib., Des Moines
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 580 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt; 1st edition (April 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805003002
• ISBN-13: 978-0805003000
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an American of Irish-English-Welsh heritage, and I currently live in New Jersey, although many of my readers imagine I am happily dwelling upon a Welsh mountaintop--but no such luck. I was once a tax lawyer, which I looked upon as penance for my sins. Like most writers, I was born with a love of the written word, although I never expected to be able to support myself as a writer; when you read about starving artists in their garrets, most of them have starving writers as roommates. But I was very lucky and I have been blessed to make my living as a writer for the past twenty-seven years or so. All of my novels--eleven at last count--are set in the Middle Ages, and focus upon England's most colorful dynasty, the Plantagenets. It is almost as if they lived their dramatic and often wildly improbable lives with future historical novelists in mind, and I am very grateful to them--especially to the Angevins,Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and their equally famous children, known to their contemporaries as the Devil's Brood.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably The Best Of The Welsh Trilogy, July 21, 2002

By 

Richard R. Carlton (Ada, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Falls the Shadow (Paperback)

This is the 2nd book in the Wales trilogy (the others are Here Be Dragons and The Reckoning). Penman emerged long ago as one of the best historical novelists and continues to solidify her reputation with each new release. Her special genius lies in the bright and shining historical detail that she can weave into both plot and dialog (she's a very good student of history and at times is absolutely brilliant in conveying to us the workings of medieval minds).

One of the great things about Penman (and this book showcases it well) is her plots are always complex (because the history of these times was quite convoluted). She does an excellent job of keeping it all straight for us as she leads us through the maze of characters. If you read the history of these times you quickly come to see what a great job she does in her design of the story.

I have no problem with Penman's romantic feelings about her heros. From Eleanor in the 1st trilogy to Joanna in Here Be Dragons to her raising the standard of Simon de Montfort as a visionary (but historically too early) icon of democracy, she does use them as a vehicle to carry forward a dynamic presentation of history....all in the best traditions of the historical novel.

Penman's true genius is the broad historical scope that is painted on top of the shimmering details of brief moments. It truely does feel as if you are living the story yourself, and it is this bringing us readers in as witnesses that stands as Penman's contribution to the art of the historical novel.

If you prefer to read in chronological order:
1101-1154 When Christ And His Saints Slept (Vol 1 of Trilogy)
1156-1171 Time And Space (Vol 2 of Trilogy)
12th Cent Devil's Brood (Vol 3 of Trilogy)- not yet released
1192-1193 The Queen's Man
1193 Cruel As The Grave
1183-1232 Here Be Dragons (Vol 1 of Welsh Trilogy)
1231-1267 Falls The Shadow (Vol 2 of Welsh Trilogy)
1271-1283 The Reckoning (Vol 3 of Welsh Trilogy)
1459-1492 The Sunne In Splendour

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, as always, March 18, 2000

By 

New World Smurf "new_world_smurf" (Richmond, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Falls the Shadow (Paperback)

Again, Sharon Kay Penman proves she owns the historical novel. The great thing about this trilogy ("Shadow" is the second, preceded by "Here Be Dragons" and followed by "The Reckoning") is that each book can be read alone without having to refer to the others. I particularly enjoy her handling of sensitive issues, such as the rampant anti-Semitism that existed during that time--the scene between Simon de Montfort and a rabbi who begs mercy after the Jewish ghetto in London is destroyed on the basis of rumor that gold is hidden there is an absolute triumph. A lesser writer would have had de Montfort and the rabbi become best friends, but Penman sets up a conflict in the mind of de Montfort that allows him to appreciate the rabbi's intelligence while damning him for not being a Christian and trying to convert the rabbi on the spot. Readers who like their historical novels fluffy think Penman's work is too violent, but she is simply the best at what she does.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True to history..., June 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Falls the Shadow (Paperback)

This book has long been a favourite of mine. What makes it exceptional is Penman's ability to read actual primary historical sources (sources dating to the period about which she writes) and to construct believable characters which jibe with recorded history. Her characterizations of both Henry III and Simon de Montfort ring true from this standpoint. Although the story is more sympathetic towards Montfort, she does not shy from presenting his faults in a realistic manner. She then builds a believable story around historical fact, one replete with accurate details from the period she portrays. I'm a doctoral student in Medieval History specializing in the thirteenth century, and from basic facts to costume and food, Penman paints a vivid--and accurate--picture which brings historic figures to life. I've recommended this book to students who wanted a take on the period besides textbooks.