The Sunne in Splendour

This book is so good. It has everything one could want in a novel. Warfare, intrigue, romance, grief, anger, and mystery. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This book is listed as being about Richard III but it is so much more. It covers the War of the Roses from Henry VI to Edward IV to Richard III and of course Richard throughout. It is a long book which was NOT a chore to get through and held my interest throughout.

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.

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 d’Anjou, the Woodvilles, the Nevilles, and the Tudors. Having read Allison Weir’s history, The War of the Roses, and having seen Shakespeare’s 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.

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 historicalnovel.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 released1192-1193 The Queen's Man1193 Cruel As The Grave1183-1232 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

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!