A wonderful historical saga of the tenth century. Rumon, descendaant of Charlemagne and King Arthur journeys from his native Provence to England, which is being torn apart by rifts between Christian and pagan, and violent invasions and raids by Vikings and Danes. Her first novel would be published in 1941 and it would be titled ‘My Theodosia,’ and it would establish her as a writer with something to say. This would lead to more books, although she would focus on any long-running series, largely opting for stand-alone self-contained titles. These would all fall under the historical fiction banner, although she herself preferred them being called ‘biographical fiction.’ a b Moser, Margaret (29 September 2006). "Love in the Time of 'Green Darkness' ". Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 8 July 2013. Kinchen, David M. (5 January 2010). "FirstLook Review: The Lady In The Tower By Alison Weir". Basilandspice.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013 . Retrieved 8 July 2013. (subscription required)

Anya Seton - Wikipedia Anya Seton - Wikipedia

She hoped for another child towards the last half of the book. I wish it had happened for her. That would have made her incredibly happy. Cease, daughter!" said the priest at last in a trembling voice. "I cannot grant absolution, no priest could...”Well ha ha ha on us. This story of lusty Katherine the Flemish wench, sister-in-law of Chaucer and lover of a Royal Duke, wife of a stunningly boring man who just ups and dies (most handily) one day, and mother of something like six or seven kids (now doesn't that make your baby-maker sore just thinkin' about it?) was about as close to one-handed reading for girls as things got in 1954. Seton was one of my entrees into historical fiction in the mid sixties. Avalon represents the view on paganism and mysticism that presented when she did her research, and she is true to the material, as it would then have been seen. Another captivating -- albeit very very dark --historical novel by the talented Anya Seton. This is not what I was expecting at all: there is no romance, just intrigue and violence, and a lot of traveling to extremely unexpected places. Despite all of that, I was up until 2 am after "just a chapter before I go to sleep" and couldn't wait to get home from work the two next days to finish it! Here is a link to my review:

Katherine (Rediscovered Classics): Seton, Anya, Gregory Katherine (Rediscovered Classics): Seton, Anya, Gregory

I say the narrative treats women this way, but this is also true of the way the narrative treats men who aren’t Gaunt. Many are just there to remind us that Katherine is an object of beauty and lust. The others are all pretty terrible. Her first husband is an abusive, possessive rapist while Edward III is a feeble old man, utterly mindless and easy prey for his evil mistress and Richard II, as mentioned above, is given a thoroughly unmanly treatment that reeks of homophobia (his sexuality is never stated, but is implied - this is a clear case of a queer-coded villain). And while Gaunt’s son, Henry, is given positive attributes but the text pointedly insists that he’ll never live up to his father. I love this time period. I realized that it is the same of that from "A Knight's Tale," and reading about Chaucer and other historical figures made this book all the better. It has also made me seriously regret not taking Euro History. Levitov, Francine (1 November 2008). "Weir, Alison. Katherine Swynford". Kliatt. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013 . Retrieved 8 July 2013. (subscription required)

Katherine says, "The poll tax is hard on folk, no doubt, but wars must be paid for, Hawsie. Why must they show so much hatred?" One of the biggest things going for the book is John of Gaunt, Katherine's love interest. For those of you who have read Twilight, he is a rival of Edward's, at least in my mind. The best part is that John was a real person! This book takes you through Katherine's adventurous life. She starts off as a naive 15 year old from a convent and by the end of the book, her posterity is well on its way of becoming the future royalty of England. One of the few examples of historical fiction that made the BBC’s poll, Katherine was published in 1954 and tells the story of 14th-century love affair in England between the eponymous Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and third surviving son of Edward III. Katherine is first pressured into marriage to the boorish and brutish knight, Hugh Swynford. She gains the friendship and gives her loyalty to Blanche, John of Gaunt's first wife. After the deaths of Blanche and Hugh, so begins the passionate liaison between the flame haired beauty Katherine, and the charismatic Duke of Lancaster and player in the power of England's politics of the time. John is haunted by malevolent slander of being a changeling while he determines to revenge himself on those behind this false charge. Katherine of course was dogged by the charge of the time often levelled against beautiful and passionate women, of harlotry. I shall not always be gentle, Katrine,” he said looking up into her face. “But by the soul of my mother, I shall love you until I die.”

Review: Katherine - Anya Seton - The Literary Edit Review: Katherine - Anya Seton - The Literary Edit

She meets a young man named Rumon around the same time that her mother dies, who then takes her, at her mothers dying wishes, away from Cornwall and to the court of King Edgar I. Recommended especially for anyone who loved Kristin Lavransdatter because the story, the gritty details, the relationships, the emotional ride, the excellent storytelling parallel each other. The era before the Norman conquest of England is as much terra incognita to most moderns as Viking exploration and settlement in North America, both of which Seton provides excellent (sometimes fictional) eye witness accounts. So, my main gripes about this book. There is a lot of melodrama, including a completely ridiculous sequence in which Katherine gives birth for the first time, utterly alone in her manor except for her mad mother-in-law who then tries to steal the baby only to be foiled by the dashing John of Gaunt, who turns up for some vague reason and saves the day. I really did enjoy learning of this lady of history, her joys, her disappointments -- her life story. As mistress to the Duke of Lancaster in England in the late 1300's, Katherine went through terrible persecution, as she bore four illegitimate children to him. However, there is a silver lining and happy ending to the story which is very satisfying, especially since it is a true story.

First published in 1954, Katherine is a historical fiction classic, the retelling the affair between John of Gaunt – the Duke of Lancaster, son of Edward III, uncle of Richard II, father of Henry IV, grandfather of Henry V – and his children’s governess, Katherine Swynford. From this union sprung the Beauforts and, ultimately, the Tudor dynasty. This relationship is given a romantic gloss in Anya Seton’s retelling.