Star of Lancaster

Long before the Tudors and the Phillipa Gregory novels Jean Plaidy was writing about the the English Monarchs, Catherine D Medici, and others. I first read Victoria and Lord M, and I was hooked. Her historical fiction allows us to view events from a personal standpoint and understand not only the how and why, but the price decision makers paid for the right to rule.

This one follows on the heels of Passage to Pontefract and picks up in the middle of the last book. But instead of being a rehash of the last one in what would be boring detail if you read it the story is told from the point of view of Henry of Lancaster, the man who would eventually become King Henry IV of England. Born Henry of Bolingbrook he wasn't really meant to be king of England. He was far enough away from the throne that had he been less ambitious he would never have attempted to reach. But he wasn't less ambitious. With John of Gaunt for a father he wasn't given that option. Plaidy tells his side of the story and of his romance with his first wife Mary de Bohun, a very rich heiress. You do feel the love between the two, even though she knows that the more children she bears him the weaker she gets. You do feel her loss as he continues to leave her for adventure and as she grows weaker and tries to hide it. Plaidy is a master at bringing people's fears, hopes and emotions from the pages to your heart. Eventually, after a lot of political maneuvering and the "death" of Richard II, Henry is king, but it's not what he expected. Plaidy makes sure you feel his anxiety as he tries to hold on to the crown that he has gained and realizes that it's not nearly as easy as it looked. You can almost feel that he almost wishes he'd have let Richard keep the crown. The second half of the book is about the reign of King Henry V, the victor of Agincourt. He is bold and Plaidy makes sure you fall in love with him like the English did. You are happy to join him on his exploits from the bear pit to the English taverns to the battles he loved to be in. You feel his fear when he finds out his son was born in the one castle he feared the most. You are saddened when he dies. Again this is good story. I felt the second half the book was better than the first half, but I have more of an interest in the life of Henry V than I do Henry IV.

Once again, Jean Plaidy captures a magnificent world of cruelty and strife in such a way that the reader quickly surrenders. Here she does it with The Star of Lancaster, the story of Henry IV and his conquering son, Harry of Monmouth, AKA Henry V. The story begins with Henry IV's story. With the help of his ambitious father John of Gaunt, Henry meets and falls in love with Mary de Bohun. They marry when she is just eleven and she soon bears him a still-born child. From then on, she struggles with every child she bears-six in all-and dies early in her life. Harry, the eldest son of Henry and Mary, is a head strong child, never knowing any fear, which develops into a pattern throughout his life. Meanwhile, Henry IV, after his exile in France, deposes Richard II of his crown and placed it upon his own head-with the vote of the people. The rest of his life he bears the burden of Richard's 'mysterious' death on his shoulders, believing that it is the reason why he is plagued with a disfiguring disease, of which he dies from. Upon his death, Harry of Monmouth becomes the new King of England-Henry V. Henry V spends the rest of his life fighting for his right to the French crown-his through his great grandfather, Edward III. He marries the French King's youngest daughter Katherine of Valois, and with this marriage has been named Regent of France in the event of the present King's death. He has accomplished his goals...almost. Katherine bears him a son, Henry VI. But Henry V is suspicious, believing in a prophesy which predicts a disastrous rule through his son. But there is nothing Henry can do to stop it as he soon dies, leaving England in the charge of his nine month old son. The Star of Lancaster is a beautifully written novel that continues the magnificent rule of the Plantagenets and leaves the reader looking forward to the next.

I cannot add anything to the wonderful review that the young person did earlier. That "Kid" hit the whole essence of the book on the head. The beginning of the book showed the really sad end to the Plantagenet era and the rocky beginning to the Lancaster saga. The story is wonderfully written by Jean Pladiy. I advise reading her books in order to get the whole essence of the history of the British crown.

This starts with Henry of Lancaster's (who became Henry IV) marriage to Mary de Bohun. She bears him six children, the eldest being Harry of Monmouth. Henry deposes Richard and becomes king, but the Shakespeare line "uneasy lies the head upon which sits a crown" is only too apt. His terror of becoming a leper is very poignant. Then he dies, and Harry takes the throne. His confession to the priest is tense, but fortunately the book lightens up. He believes in his claim to the crown of France, conquers the country, and marries Katherine of Valois, whom he has fallen in love with. The book ends with the coronation of his baby son, Henry VI. They curl his fingers round the sceptre, but they cannot place the crown on his head. Is this an omen of the disastrous times to come?