Customer Reviews

Falls the Shadow: A Novel

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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

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.

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.

Sharon Kay Penman proves once again that real life can be just as exciting as fantasy. Using a wide cast of characters Penman masterfully recreates some of England's most important history. We're introduced to such characters as Henry III, Edward I (yes this is the scary guy from Braveheart), Llewelyn Fawr and most especially Simon de Montfort the English champion of the common man.

Since this novel already boasts many excellent reviews attesting to both its quality and its content I'll point out a few weak points. First of all the novel's Welsh characters, who Penman painstakingly introduces in the first part of the book, get thrown on the backburner for much of the story. This was done because as Penman continued to craft Falls the Shadow she realized she had far too much material to fit into one novel and thus moved much of the Welsh content to the following book (I believe The Reckoning is this books title). She left just enough of the Welsh plot in the novel that I was extremely disappointed there wasn't more. Secondly while Simon de Montfort was clearly a great man I suspect Penman may have seen him through the rose tinted goggles of a historian enamored by the tales surrounding an extremely charismatic leader. He's touted as a Christ figure complete with his one moment of righteous anger in the temple (in this case at King Henry rather than the money lenders) and a savior like heroic death complete with divine lightening storm as he dies for his just cause.

I had a hard time putting this novel down and find myself possessing a much stronger knowledge of English history durring the mid-13th century as a result of reading it. If your at all interested in English history or you have enjoyed any of Penman's previous works I'd advise picking up a copy of Falls the Shadow.

Again, SKP writes a wonderful book, demonstrates a tremendous talent for bringing long dead places and people to life. I have to admit to the smallest of disappointments, however (note, still, that I'm giving the book 4 stars, which is VERY GOOD). Being new to the actual history, I read a little about Simon de Montfort before tackling this, saw him referred to as one of the most powerful personalities of his time. Perhaps I expected too much, or something different, but I had a difficult time balancing the Simon de Montfort in Falls the Shadow with the Simon I read of in the history books. I also had more of a sense that I was being *told* that Henry was incompetent, instead of shown -- as if I (the reader) was being rushed through this book to get to the next, which I've just started reading. In stark contrast, I didn't need to be told that Llewelyn (in Here Be Dragons) was great -- I knew by reading that he was.

But that's as critical as I can be of the book. Oddly enough, when reading Nell's "conversation" with the dead Simon, it was almost exactly two years ago to the minute that I had lost a dear partner, and once again I give SKP the highest marks for getting directly in touch with the emotion of loss. As well, the conversation between Nell and Edward, when Nell presented Edward with her list, was perfection. She adeptly scripted Edward, who loved Nell with all his heart, but bore no love for Simon. His guilt, if it can be called that, was well done.

I also enjoyed her treatment of anti-semitism. Not being anti-semitic, the deep passion of its roots anti-semitism have long escaped me. As SKP said in her afterword, she made no apologies for it, presented it as it was, and did a terrific job. I saw through the eyes of a 13th century Christian why Jews were so reviled. It was sobering, for I couldn't help but wonder how different the world would be if such bigotry had never existed. It was a better history lesson than I've ever received.

I think Penman is absolutely a masterful authoress. Here Be Dragons is one of my favorite books of all time, with some of the best characters I've come across in any of my readings...John Plantagenet, Llewelyn Fawr, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard Fitzroy and of course sweet and poignant Joanna...they are all wonderful and I grab at any chance to read more about them in Penman's incarnations.

I clasped Falls the Shadow to my chest with joy after I finished the first book and read greedily. I have to admit that the death of a certain someone in the first hundred or so pages reduced me to tears in the middle of a crowded airport...how embarrassing! But the book itself is fabulous. My only complaint is that since the series goes generationally, some of my favorite characters fade away to be replaced by ones that aren't, at first, as cool, but generally they grow on me...

It traces the characters that we left off with in Here Be Dragons, Llewelyn and Joanna and their two fractious sons, Davydd, their legitimate son and Llewelyn's heir, the one with the best brain, and Gruffydd, Llewelyn's first born and best loved and the increasing rivalry between the latter two. Davydd ap Llewelyn is another one of Penman's characters that one simply can't forget. He's so mysterious, yet so real at the same time and every time the narrative shifts to him, I read hungrily, hoarding every insight into him. Anytime I come across a mention of him in a history book or something, I become obscenely interested. I think she has a peculiar gift in that way, to make a character like poor, illegitimate Joanna and her son, minor characters in the annals of history, into real and convincing humans full of mystery and valor. It makes for a great read.

Another thread that Penman picks up in this second book is the legitimate Plantagenet line, with Nell, King John's youngest, and her encounter with the smouldering young Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. The romance between them is absolutely searing. But the ineffective English king, Nell's brother Henry, becomes a source of tension between them, just as John was for Joanna and Llewelyn in the first book, and the two men end up at odds. Simon's high principles lead him to champion the poor and downtrodden and his boisterous sons join their father's noble campaign. Unfortunately, for them, at least, Henry also has a loyal son, the future king Edward (Creepy dude in The Reckoning, let me tell you). Edward has all the genius and ambition that his father lacks, much to Simon's woe.

The novel culminates with the spectacular Battle of Evesham (It's interesting that Penman, deft as she is with the love scenes, also has a real flair for the battlefield!). Even knowing what the outcome had to be, I still found myself hoping and I consider that the mark of a truly masterfully written narrative. I really like this book, but the only thing that puts me off a little bit is that her female characters seem to be 13th century Feminists and the occasional pop-psych term that crops up every now and then. All that aside, any fans of medieval history will delight in her always-accurate details about the character's daily lives as well as her high pitched battles, vivid medieval locales, her tense court gatherings and glowing character interactions. This is a must-read and I would have given it five stars had I not loved Here Be Dragons even more.

If tragedy is the genre that depicts people triumphant in defeat, then this trilogy is, indeed, a tragedy. If I say that Wales is the true protagonist of the triology, I may leave the wrong impression, for there is nothing impersonal about Penman's triology. You will admire, love, and mourn Joanna and Llewelyn, Simon and Nell, Elen and Rob de Quincy, Ellen and Llewelyn II, and yes, Elizabeth and Davydd. But, over and over, you will grieve for Wales and the Welsh people, and yet Wales and its people still endure-to our joy and admiration. I have never been so moved by historical fiction. Please read this triology. Begin with Here Be Dragons and I guarantee you will read Falls the Shadow and the Reckoning. And when you have finished them, read The Sunne in Splendour (the best historical ever written) and When Christ and His Saints Slept. Then go back and begin the triology again--you won't be sorry.

Sharon Kay Penman is a remarkably gifted writer. Her impeccable historical research, attention to detail and superb storytelling ability make her novels consistently excellent. "Falls The Shadow" is one of her best efforts. It is the third book in her Plantagenet series, which began with "The Sunne In Splendour," followed by "Here Be Dragons," and ending with "The Reckoning." Each of these wonderful historical novels stands on its own, however, and while it is an extraordinary experience to read each book in order, one does not have to do so to appreciate the history, the characters or the period.

Simon de Montfort was a nobleman from France, whose family, (originally English-Norman), had been disinherited by King John. A young man in his mid-twenties, he returned to England in 1232 seeking restitution of his family lands from King Henry III, John's son. He wound up marrying Henry's sister, Eleanor Plantagenet and risking the King's and Church's wrath by doing so. De Montfort, who became Earl of Leicester, was a warrior, great leader and politician. He despised Henry III for his incompetence and the favoritism he displayed for the foreigners in his court. Henry was bankrupting England and estranging the peerage. Far ahead of his time, Simon de Montfort also espoused the idea that the common man deserved a voice in government. England was on the verge of civil war as factions split between Henry and his son and heir Edward. The collision of blood ties, politics and war, shifting allegiances, along with the pageantry and drama of life in the Middle Ages, make this novel hard to put down.

Intertwined with the story of Simon de Montfort is that of Welsh Prince Llewelyn Farr, who united the Welsh nobility against the English. Wales was also in a state of civil unrest at the time, as Llewelyn had just died and his sons were fighting for leadership and power, thereby losing everything their father had gained to the English. What makes the Welsh part of the story even more interesting, is that not only is Welsh history linked to that of England's, but the royal families, Kings John and Henry, and Prince Llewelyn's are linked by blood. Ms. Penman joins the histories and characters of these two countries to give the reader, not just a superb tale but a look at the bigger historical picture also.

I highly recommend this book, and the all the others in the series, as this is some of the best historical fiction I have ever read.

JANA

The title of Sharon Kay Penman's novel is taken from T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men", an apt borrowing, as Penman's novel presents us with the hollowest of them all--Henry III--and Simon de Montfort as the man who opposes his empty-headedness to his own death. Not that Eliot had Henry III in mind. But Simon de Montfort's life was not a vain sacrifice. Nor was he the stereotypical hero in shining armor.

Simon de Montfort was arrogant, domineering, cunning, and pragmatic; he was pious, occasionally self-righteous, and impatient with those who couldn't keep up with him. That said, Penman breathes magnificent life into him, making him a man who follows his heart wherever it leads--and it leads him headlong into danger. From seducing King Henry's sister Nell, who married him in spite of having vowed her life to chastity, to calling Henry an idiot who deserved to be incarcerated for the rest of his life, Simon gives in to emotion and impulse. And yet he is a passionate husband to Nell, a loving father to his children, a loyal friend, and an implacable enemy to Henry III, a man who only became King through the accident of birth.

The book is long; the language is well-woven but rich rather than heavy. If you can bear the ending ("the murder of Evesham, for battle it was none"), you will not be able to part with the book at all.

I am a thorough admirer of Sharon Kay Penman's work. She is a truly gifted writer able to bring long dead people and times to life via her meticulous research and gift for storytelling. I was somewhat disappointed in Falls the Shadow though. Granted, Simon de Montfort was an important historical figure and the events of his life are interesting so this should have been a great story. Why then did this book turn out a little, well...boring. I found it did not reach the same heights of engrossing storytelling as Here Be Dragons, the first book in the series, which I LOVED. I also have to gripe about calling these 3 books a "Welsh Trilogy" as hardly any of the action in this second book takes place in Wales. Falls the Shadow is certainly a well researched and written book and I remain an admirer of this author. I look forward to more of her work but this one just didn't do it for me.