Customer Reviews

Shield of Three Lions

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read the first few pages of this book and was tempted to put it down. The main character was annoying, the dialog seemed stupid and very strange and it was all just depressing me. But I stayed with it, and I'm glad I did.

This is the story of Alix. Her father is a baron along the Scottish border, but when he and her mother are killed in a vicious attack by Scots, her life turns upside down. Her father, in a deathbed conversation, begs Alix to somehow get the land returned to her. He suggests she appeal to the King, Henry. He also suggests that she dress as a boy on the roads, to avoid being raped. She does this, and pretends to be an eight year old boy, instead of the twelve year old girl she is, and heads out for London.

Once on the road Alix quickly hooks up with Enoch, a young Scot heading to the university in Paris. She becomes his traveling companion, and he helps her when it becomes clear she's being pursued by men intent on killing her. Of course, Enoch has no idea Alix is a girl.

Once in London the two learn that the king is dead, and his son, Richard the lion heart, is king in his place. But the new King Richard is intent on going on crusade to the holy land, and Alix must speak to him get her land back. Soon she and Enoch are in Paris, and once having made a bond of brotherhood, they head off to the Crusades.

Alix quickly becomes a favorite page of the kings, and she pays no head to the gossip about him and young men and instead believes that he can see she's a girl, and maybe loves her...

This story is endearing, exciting and historical accurate. On reflection, the seemingly annoying vocabulary of the characters is just right for the time period, as is Alix's most unladylike behavior. I could see the ending coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed it. It's too well written not to love.

There is a second (and now a newly published third) follow up novel(Yes, I've read them.) Read them if you want to know the authors version of Alix's future. I think personally, that not only are those books not as good(by far), but they don't really reflect what would have happened. When you send a story out into the world by publishing a book, the story belonges to everyone-not just the author. So I will always imagine a far different future for Alix, and stop the story with the end of Sheild of Three lions. It's a fantastic book-as a stand alone novel.

This is the story of Alix, whose happy sheltered world crumbles when at age 10 her parents murdered by a vicious English knight and her family estate is ransacked. Alix obeys the dying instructions from her father to disguise herself as a boy, hide the family treasure, travel to London, and plead for justice to King Henry. Along the way Alix, now Alex, meets Enoch, a rough and tumble Scottsman who is on his way to study at the University. Enoch learns (well, sort of) Alex's identity and demands that in exchange for his company and protection he should get half the estate. Of course Alex balks but has little alternatives and they make agreement and seal it with a Scottish ceremony making them blood "brothers". Eventually they begin to truly care for each other and a love/hate relationship develops.

Alex learns that King Henry is dead and now she must appeal her case to to the new King, Richard the Lionheart. Trying to track down Richard proves to be a problem and Alex, still travelling with Enoch, falls in with a band of travelling performers who promise to secure an audience with the king if he (really "she" but they don't know that) plays Cupid in their plays. With no other options, Alex agree's and eventually meets the King. He takes an instant liking to Alex, hears her case (although she leaves out the fact that she is in fact a she), but decides Alex is to young to run his estate alone. King Richard takes Alex into his household as a page planning to become personal mentor to him until he reaches maturity. Alex accompanies Richard on crusade where their relationship deepens and through one gigantic misunderstanding begin a quasi-romance of sorts.

But, Alex is still a child, she doesn't recognize the scheming going on behind her back and eventually has to fight, scheme, and lie herself to take back what is hers. She must even scheme against Enoch, the man who protected her and acted as a brother to her for years. She fights tooth and nail to satisfy her Father's dying request and win back the family estate.

This was a fun exciting novel to read. There were lots of interesting historical details about women's issues in the middle ages, the crusades, law, medicine, etc. in medieval times. There are some laugh out loud hilarious moments in the book and I loved the author's writing style. The relationship between Richard and Alex is both touching and sort of revolting at the same time. It's a little more complicated with Enoch as there is obviously love between them but there are also secrets and hidden agenda's.

It's very different from anything else I've read as it's written from a child's viewpoint. The author did a great job of getting into the head of a medieval girl who is thrust out into the world trying to manage everything life throws at her all the while pretending to be a boy. You feel for her as she struggles through the obvious conflicts this brings, esp. as she enters puberty and her "liver" starts to heat up, lol. Alix (and Alex) are spunky and imperfect enough to make them believable and enjoyable. Enoch is a great character with a great Scottish accent. He is devious and forbidding yet at the same time cares deeply for his little "brother" Alex.

This is a great novel with lots of twists and turns in the plot, lots of adventure, hero's, villians, and everything you need for a great medieval romp. The ending is predictable and a bit rushed, hence the four star rating as opposed to a five, but it's still really good and I'd recommend it strongly.

I was delighted with this altogether surprising and original historical romance.

First of all, if you want to explore the well-known homosexuality of Richard I, it is difficult in the context of the times to imagine a genuine, sexual story given the vastly different times he lived in. Kaufman has boldly imagined a love story between the King and a young page, fitting with the ancient custom of mentoring young boys. Except that the page is a girl, our heroine, caught in the middle of another story altogether, of swashbuckling and courtly intrigue as she attempts to regain the lands stolen from her family in the north of England, and it all leads to the Third Crusade and the siege of Acre.

The entire story appeared to be impeccably researched and vividly imagined by Kaufman who, again, is confident enough to explore equally the power struggles and political rivalries of English and French involvment in the Holy Land, as well as the sexual machinations of Richard The Lion's boudoir. A long book, it is constantly engaging and fast-paced, very much a traditional historical adventure with a clear-eyed heroine who is both of her time and terribly modern.

This book is the prequel to Banners of Gold, also written by Pamela Kaufman. It may be a little hard to track down, but it usually turns up in second hand bookstores etc, (Amazon may even find you a copy)! It is one of THE BEST books I have read in the historical fiction genre. (For those who are interested, it is on par with "In A Dark Wood Wandering" by Hella S Haasse. Also worth tracking down). I'm not going to give too much away of the story, suffice to say it is set in the time of Richard 1 - the main character (Alix, who is enchanting & believable), after becoming an orphan, must travel to the Holy Land with the Crusade of Richard 1, & the story follows what happens. I loved this book & I'm sure anyone who is interested in medieval historical fiction won't be disappointed. I can highly recommend this book.

This book has it all - historical accuracy, intricate plot with delightful plot twists, marvelous character development, coming of age angst, and humor in large doses. The 13 year old female heroine's tale of life with her adopted wild Scottish brother is the story of a lifetime - with an unexpected ending that will delight and astonish you! I have never laughed out loud so many times reading one book in my 58 years of avid reading. I cannot think of anything that would have improved it's readability.

I'll admit that historical romance is not usually my genre - I tend to stick to fantasy and science fiction - but this book took me by surprise. Most of what others have said on this page is true. The characters are well developed and believable, the romance is fairly touching, and the book seems to be well-researched, although I'm not an expert on the Middle Ages. However, Kaufman's uneven writing is a huge distraction. She'll write in straightforward, modern English for a few pages, then suddenly plunge into a mess of archaic phrasing and terminology. I don't know why Kaufman thinks it's necessary to use words like "caparisoned" and "vulperets", perhaps she thought that doing so would give the novel an air of authenticity. Unluckily, I don't have time to study Middle English, and the result is that there are many scenes in "Shield of Three Lions" where I simply couldn't understand what was being described. So in summary, it's not a bad read, but consider yourself warned about the language.

Well, I think this story is well rounded. It gives us different peeks at all sorts of medieval goings on: Crusades, Universities, Intrigue, Law, Castles, that dumb romance stuff all the feminists are into with Medieval women and Eleanor, etc.
We don't get to deep into much, but I enjoyed it. The story also is woven around a girl whose family is brutally murdered and has to flee, disguised as a boy.
She meets up with an "evil" Scotsman on her own quest and they have all sorts adventures together trying to get her land back.
The story instantly grabs you in the beginning.
Yes, the author does try to use period language. I didn't know half of what she said; nor could I remember my latin to translate. But it didn't really bother me to much.
Also, she threw in a Robin Hood and Maid Marian scene. I thought that that was a bit cheesy, but it was well written for her intent.
The author has great insight into Richards person. I loved it.
There are a few surprises. I was disappointed with the ending---it seemed it stopped abruptly---but that could be because I didn't want it to end! I cannot wait to read the next one!

I'm another historical fiction fan who thoroughly enjoyed this book. The way Kaufman deals with the well-known homosexuality of Richard the Lion Heart is both original and hilarious. The scene of the (girl) page Alix, stuffed into a pasty crust while waiting to play Cupid in a ridiculously over the top medieval pageant,stomach ready to betray her from all the goodies she's stolen, is unforgettable, particularly the ending of this laugh-out-loud part of the story, and no, I'm not going to give it away. You'll have to read it yourself. Kaufman will never reach the stature of Dorothy Dunnett in the historical fiction field, but she's done plenty of research,brings the Crusades and various historical personages well and excitingly to life with plenty of humor to leaven some of the more somber aspects,and done marvels with her fictional characters and their unusual love story.

I read this book when I was fourteen and loved it. I just now reread it at 29 and still love it (I understand the sexual inuendo much better). Pamela Kaufman has created a fabulous story using history as her backdrop. Alix was what I aspired to be, adventurous, irreverent, determined, and goodhearted. The sequel, "Banners of Gold" is just as wonderful. Now, I'm patiently waiting for the third book (it's been 15 years). READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT!!!!

I first read "Shield of Three Lions" years ago and it remains one of the most memorable books I've read in a long career as a voracious reader. The story follows the exploits of a Alix, a girl disguised as a boy, as she follows Richard the Lion Heart on his crusades. Exciting, hilarious, filled with adventure, and often ribald, "Shield" is one book I can heartily--and highly--recommend.