![]() ![]() Many stories about the White Ship–including that compelling one about building cathedrals, by, by….Follett! Pillars of the Earth! Follett included some business about the ship disaster as a pivotal plot point. It describes the calamitous battles between Stephen and Maude (AKA Matilda) for the crown of England (this is Brother Cadfael’s time, and how much more entertaining–not to mention, SHORTER–those books were than these) in the middle of the 12th century–starting with the White Ship disaster, in which the heir to the the throne, William, was drowned. ![]() ![]() Still, GREAT stories! And the history is truly fascinating. Which is to say, it’s workmanlike and gets the job done, but there is no point where you sit back and marvel at the luminous prose or are moved by the deep understanding of humanity. ![]() Quote from an Amazon review: “Though the prose tends to lumber along like a medieval oxcart, historical fiction readers who love the period probably won’t mind”. It is challenging, to say the least, trying to keep the vast list of characters in mind–who is whose bastard son/whose mistress is the queen’s favorite lady-in-waiting sort of thing. Her mission is simply to write history as a story, inventing dialogue and details, but keeping the factual plots unchanged. Sharon Penman is the author of the 2 HUGE massive books I read over last year. ![]()
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