Customer Reviews

The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard III

5 star:		(176)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although Penman may be paying court to the Richard III Society, the controversy is strengthened (I still think he killed the kids). OK, so I'm not very open minded on Richard.....but Penman had me convinced throughout the read that I was wrong. This speaks well for her reputation as one of the best historical novelists. This is where she started. 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).

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

This is the best of the historic fiction genre. I cannot recall the last time I enjoyed a 900+ page novel so much. The Sunne in Splendour is an historic novel about the War of the Roses and its players; its about Warwick, Edward, Richard, Henry the last, Lancastrian king, Marguerite dAnjou, the Woodvilles, the Nevilles, and the Tudors. Having read Allison Weirs history, The War of the Roses, and having seen Shakespeares Richard III, I thought I knew a bit about both the story and the players. But I never quite saw them the story in this light.

One reviewer described this book as daring. I agree. Unlike Shakespeare, and the histories written by Tudor sycophants, Penman (through historic fiction) portrays Richard sympathetically, and heroically. She represents his claim to the throne as legitimate and creates a plausible alternative to disappearance of the princes in the tower, one in which Richard is quite innocent.

This is a story full of power struggles, warfare, greed, and avarice. It is a story full of malice, politics betrayal, murder, and yes love.

Is should be hard to care about people who lived in the 15th century, but it is not. Sharon Kay Penman brings all of the characters and their many faces to life. She tells the story to the 30+ years of warfare. We all know that history is written by the victorious. Five centuries after the events, Penman brilliantly gives Richard III a voice.

I highly recommend this book.

Is it fair to review a book that changed your life? No, literally. At fourteen I stayed up until four in the morning, devouring this story of medieval power and politics, and have been a medieval historian ever since.

Penman has done a fantastic job of turning dry historical fact into fascinating and believable historical fiction. People's motives are not simple and easily understandable in real life, and the sometimes-conflicting drives and needs and desires of the cast of thousands in this book live up to that fact.

While undeniable sympathetic to King Richard the Third, it is not a cloying, simplistic, Good King Richard whitewash. Instead, it portrays the much-maligned king as an adoring younger brother left adrift when his idol dies and proves to have been less than perfect.

Supporting characters are equally complex, from the self-destructive King Edward to the self-absorbed Kingmaker, Warwick, from the unlikely queen Elizabeth Woodville to the helpless pawn, Elizabeth of York, from the insane King Henry VI to the ambitious King Henry VII. Possibly the only black villain in the piece is the Duke of Buckingham; everyone else is painted in shades of grey that make them honest people, rather than props.

If you can't stand historical novels because they are boring, read this. ...It's better than the tabloids!

As with all of Ms. Penman's books, this one kept me spellbound. I've read it at least a half dozen times, and it is always as good as it was the first time. Finally, someone has written a book that portrays Richard III in a positive light instead of as a murdering, hunchbacked villain. Her theories are researched and not pulled from thin air, making her ideas about Richard's life believable. Even more amazing is the author's dedication to telling her story. The original, completed manuscript was stolen from her car, yet she was determined to tell Richard's tale, and she rewrote the entire, HUGE novel. That feat is nothing short of amazing, and serves to inspire me whenever I whine about rewriting something as short as a three page scene. An excellent novel by an outstanding author. I highly recommend this book to anyone. I've given it to several people who don't even like the time period, but it is so well written and enjoyable, that they loved it anyway. Read this book--you won't be sorry!

Just got through my second reading of this nearly perfect novel about four days ago, and I still can't get my mind off of it, just like last time (where I was driven to stay up until nearly 5am on a worknight to finish it....seems to be a very similar experience with many of the reviewers!)

It is one of the very few books (and I've read a lot!) where I was so completely engrossed in the character's lives that I did tons of research afterwards. It is also the only book that has ever made me weep. I keep going back to the last two pages of that fateful chapter in which Richard was killed and it wrenches my heart every time - that mere words on a page could affect me this much simply astounds me and thrills me at the same time.

I knew absolutely nothing about Richard before I read it, and it was Sharon's notes in the back of the book describing her research and her personal thoughts that convinced me of Richard's innocence...not that anyone will ever truly know, but her writing makes the whole situation so incredibly plausible I just can't see it any other way. Whereas I don't imagine that Richard was a veritable saint, I do see him as having been fully human and therefore capable of mistakes, as well as inherently good-natured and honorable, loyal and fiercely loving to those who stood with him, and completely and horribly maligned by those in history who stood to benefit from his fall from grace.

It also inspired in me a ravenous interest in medieval history, and I hope to make the trip across the pond one day to do nothing but visit every single location I can that still exists from the book, including those from Sharon's other books. I want to do nothing but wander among the ruins, take piles of pictures, think and reflect, and just imagine the characters from the book wandering alongside with me.

This is Sharon's best book, probably in the top three of all books I have ever read, and I will never, ever willingly get rid of my copy. I am seriously consdering starting it over again right away, but I am not sure I can afford the emotional energy it will take for another reading just yet.

Although I'm an avid reader, I'm fairly new to the historical fiction genre. Having recently read two good historical fiction books, and seeing all the rave reviews for this book, I decided to check it out from the library; I am definitely glad I did! This is not only the best historical fiction novel I've read, but it's also one the best books I've ever read!

Penman completely flips the "standard" character of Richard III that many of us are familiar with; instead of presenting him as an evil, manipulative hunchback, we are introduced to a character that's honorable, kind and romantic. Penman adroitly manuevers Richard and a large cast of characters through one of the most confusing periods in history (in my opinion)--the War of the Roses.

Richard III is probably most notoriously known for being the (probable) murderer of his two young nephews. However, Penman presents us with an alternative solution that is quite compelling. Will we ever know really whether Richard III murdered his nephews? Probably not. But does Penman (who has made the reader fall in love with Richard throughout the novel) make you fervently wish that Ricard is innocent? You bet.

If you're a fan of historical fiction (and even if you're not), please give this book a shot. You won't regret it!

In the past I have been extremely critical of fiction when reading ficticious British history and usually take everything I read with a grain of salt. I was skeptical when I picked up this book, and it is without a doubt one of the best books I have a EVER read.
I stayed up until 5 in the morning one night reading this book because I just couldn't stop reading! The War of the Roses, in the particular the strong women of this time (I'm writing my own series on these queens) has been a passion for years now. And yet I was almost crying when bad things happened to these charectars, partly because I knew what was going to happen, and partly because this book is so amazingly well written.
Penman is so phycologicaly in tune with Richard, Anne, Elizabeth, Edward, that you do fall in love with them.
I strongly reccomend this book. When I finished it I opened back up to page one and began again!
Penman has a die hard fan in me :)

This was Penman's first novels and still one of my favorites. A little trivia: she actually hand wrote a good deal of this novel, lost it and then started all over again. That's commitment!

SUNNE traces the life of Richard III, breaking it into three sections of this 800+ page novel: PART ONE sheds light on that confusing Historical time known as the Wars of the Roses. For those who never truly understood it, you will. The War was basically one of cousins who were all descended from an ancestor king. Add a weak king to the pot and we have a civil war. Anyway, during that period, we get to see a very young Richard and the many relatives he lost to the early Wars of the Roses. Major players such as Richard's older brother, Ned (i.e. future Edward IV), are revealed as are the monk-like, insane King Harry (Henry VI), as well as his wife, Margerite Anjou . . and let us not forget Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, who at one point during his life, held two different English kings captive. During this section, Ned eventually prevails for the Yorks and becomes King Edward IV. Immediately, he has a clash of wills with his cousin, Richard Neville, and this sets up the scenario for . . .

PART TWO: where Richard IV takes the throne and immediately unsettles everyone by marrying into the Woodville family, taking Elizabeth as his queen. Unfortunately for everyone, the Queen has a poor personality compared to her ravishing beauty, which creates a number of conflicts. Richard, who is heaped with honors, is not comfortable in court nor are the Neville Family, as well as many other allies. Edward IV keeps them all from killing each other and also puts up with more Lancastrian attempts to seize the throne, as well as an eventual civil war with his Neville cousins, and his very antagonist brother, George, Duke of Clarence. George also makes life hell for Richard's love interest, Ann Neville, but, in the end, Ann and Richard are married. Continuing friction grows on all sides as Ann sees that Richard is overlooking the flaws of his brother, Edward IV.

PART THREE: follows us as Edward IV's reign spirals downward. His ailing health and his methods to contain a very sensitive secret force him to not only slay mad King Harry but his brother, George, as well. Of course, other reasons are used but that's another story. In the end though, Edward IV's lifestyle catches up with him, leaving his kingdom in an upheaval. Richard III is appointed as the protectorate of the realm until Edward's son comes of age, but, in truth, the Queen and her people do not trust him. Civil war is averted when Richard captures the heir to the throne but even then, things are going badly. Richard loses his one blood son and his allies begin to turn on him. Worse, someone else murders the children in the tower (i.e. this is one of Penman's interesting points where she claims Richard III is not the villain portrayed by Shakespeare) and blames Richard. In the end, Richard loses his wife, feels he is cursed and takes a number of risky measures when a distant Lancastrian pretender to the throne (i.e. future Tudor dynasty) challenges him on the battlefield. Through betrayal and circumstances, Richard III is slain and the Plantaganet line dies out with him.

After re-reading many of Penman's novels I have to say that this is still my favorite. Unusual that a first book is written well enough to be comparable or better than later books but there you have it. Penman's writing strengths are in her vivid descriptions, her real and varied characters, her build up of conflict and conclusions and, of course, let us not forget that her love stories are pretty good, too.

Overall, this is sterling silver quality, so read it right away.

Have you ever begrudgingly recieved a book from an excited friend only to become an excited zealot yourself after reading the first few chapters?
This is one of those books.
The best way to describe this book is daring. Before reading this, I brushed up on The War of the Roses. I'm glad I did and I suggest anyone before reading the book to do the same. By the end of the first chapter there is no doubt the author knows her stuff and takes you along for an amazing ride. Penman has the uncanny knack for psychologically dissecting each character and bringing them to life in thier own unique way. Working with historical fact, her conclusions come so effortlessly it borders on common sense. Most people will say that this is a book about Richard III. As far as the morally righteous protaganist, I agree. However, in this reviewers humble opinion it is more about a generation of a certain family with Richard III as a part of it. Family and relationships are major themes in this book. His brothers are as equally interesting and contribute just as much to the story. No character is short-changed. Especially Edward IV, whose standard is "The Sunne in Splendour." Those looking for strong, atypical women can't do much better here either.

Sharon Kay Penman has given life to the War of the Roses with a passion few authors can rival. This one ranks in my "Top 10 of all time". As I'm sure it will be with you and the friend-turned-latest-zealot that I gave my well worn copy to this morning.

Penman's novel The Sunne in Splendour is one of the finest fictional treatments of Richard III in existence (perhaps only Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time is in the same league). Unlike Weir, who had absolutely no basis for forming the conclusions she drew and whose manipulation of her sources is maddening, Penman's portrait and conclusions are eminently logical and psychologically reasonable. No one knows what happened to those "princes in the tower," but Penman's explanation is more than satisfying--it just sounds right. She is not the first to vincdicate Richard, but she is among the best. For a historian's handling of the same material, you might want to try Paul Murray Kendall's "Richard the Third" (see especially Appendix I where Kendall presents all of the evidence both for and against Richard--nothing in Penman contradicts any of the evidence; one cannot say the same for Weir!).