Passage to Pontefract

The Passage To Pontefract is the tenth book in Jean Plaidy's wonderful Plantagenet saga about King Richard II, his ambitious uncles (in particular the great John of Gaunt) and his sad demise. Richard was born the second son of the Black Prince-Edward IV-and Joan of Kent. It would seem that the book loving frail boy would never be king, being that his father was next in line after Edward III died and after his father came his older brother, Edward V. But fate took an unexpected turn and Edward V was dead when he was just a lad, leaving Richard next in line after the Black Prince. The Black Prince died suddenly shortly after Edward V, never claiming the crown as Edward III was still alive. But upon Edward III's death, Richard was crowned King at just nine years old, much to the anguish of the ambitious John of Gaunt-fourth son of Edward III who desperately yearned for the crown. Richard was guided and very much misguided throughout his reign. He married the not so beautiful Anne of Bohemia, but he loved her truly. He also had a special love for his dear friend Robert de Vere. John of Gaunt- after losing his beautiful wife Blanche of Lancaster and soon after falling madly in love with his children's governess the undeniably beautiful Catherine Swynford- married Costanza, who had been denied the crown of Castile (which was rightfully hers by birth). Costanza vowed to marry any man who would fight to bring the crown back to her. John of Gaunt, seeing a way to bring himself a crown took upon himself this impossible duty, but only denied himself true happiness with his mistress. This book has two parts: Part One is primarily about John of Gaunt and his unstoppable ambitions, his loves, his children and his relationship to the new King, Richard II. Part Two is about Richard II and his weakness in ruling and providing a much needed heir. It's a wonderful tale told beautifully, the only way Jean Plaidy can do it. I am never disappointed when I read her novels and I long to read more and more. She had a admirable way of bringing historical figures of long ago back to life with amazing detail. Once again, Plaidy delivers greatness.

FROM BACK COVER: HE WAS YOUNG, HANDSOM, AND REGAL. THE PERFECT KING - UNTIL... For a while the people loved their beautiful young king, Richard II. But then his extravagances and his indifference to the people's needs aroused their wrath. John of Gaunt, his uncle, watched all this with great interest. Nothing could slake his thirst for the throne, not even his beautiful wife, Catherine. Here is a vivid picture of Richard's court, of his spendthrift ways, his folly, his devotion to his favorite, Robert de Vere, and his love for his two queens. And most of all of his headlong journey toward disaster. ========================================================================== ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eleanor Alice Burford (b. September 01, 1906 in Kensington, London, England - d. January 18, 1993 at sea, somewhere between Greece and Port Said, Egypt), Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities. ========================================================================== This is part of: The Plantagenet Saga 1. The Plantagenet Prelude (1976) 2. The Revolt of the Eaglets (1977) 3. The Heart of the Lion (1977) 4. The Prince of Darkness (1978) 5. The Battle of the Queens (1978) 6. The Queen from Provence (1979) 7. Hammer of the Scots (also published as Edward Longshanks) (1979) 8. The Follies of the King (1980) 9. The Vow on the Heron (1980) 10. Passage to Pontefract (1981) 11. The Star of Lancaster (1981) 12. Epitaph for Three Women (1981) 13. Red Rose of Anjou (1982) 14. Sun in Splendour (1982)

What a sad book - the story of Richard II is so compelling and sad and it is told wonderfully by Jean Plaidy. The depth of feeling she gives her characters and the history of the times is so vivid, you just don't want to put the book down and when you are finished you can't wait to go on to the next story. Got to start the series from the first so you can see how the monarchy evolves. Great read!!

I enjoyed this book... although it was not the greatest of Jean Plaidy's books. I just didn't get attached to Richard II or Henry IV... although I did like Catherine Swyford, but that was because I had read Anya Seton's novel... It was not as good as The Vow on the heron, but it's still fun to read.