Lionheart: A Novel

When I first decided to read a novel about the life of King Richard, the Lion-heart, I wasn't exactly sure where to begin. Was he Richard I, II, or III? Neither did I know in which time period he lived, Medieval or Renaissance? Somehow, I knew that he tied in with a really existing person or the fictional character of Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest, Nottingham, England fame, from what I'd remembered about the stories I'd read and television programs I'd watched as a youngster. Coincidentally, the King Richard, known and loved by the common folk had been missing-in-action, in the heat of battle, on a Crusade to the Holy Land, or being held as a prisoner in a castle in some foreign country during that era--which may have influenced Robin Hood and company to react negatively and behave in an unruly manner. Robin Hood, the infamous and jovial archer of legend, in cahoots with his group of hunters and gatherers were forced to survive by fleeing deep within the forest, hunting wild animals, and picking nuts and berries in order to obtain food, so that they and other poor village people of modest means wouldn't starve to death. Meanwhile, back at the castle, the Sheriff of Nottingham intended to pursue them relentlessly for poaching, and illegally hunting the King's deer. This particular King in question would probably have been King John, King Richard's youngest brother, taking it upon himself to fill in for the missing and, later, presumed dead King Richard; although, as I understand the situation, the true King Richard had left perfectly qualified, benevolent leaders in charge while he was away on his travels; namely, his mother, Eleanor; the "Arch Bishop of York;" and a certain "Bishop of Ely," whom King Richard had duly appointed as Chancellor before he departed and was his most trusted advisor at that time. To continue with the story, then, in the larger scheme of all things futile or feudal, as the case may be, Robin and his "band of merry men" had become outlaws and desperadoes, hiding in the forest, as "wanted men," and "fugitives from justice," all because their good, benevolent, kind, and understanding King Richard was not there to protect them from tyranny, cruelty, and other abuses of power. Nevertheless, they truly wanted to lead better lives and improve their overall living conditions. So, they began to participate in area social events, such as local fairs, festivals, and tournaments. Hence, after studying the dreadful plight of Robin Hood, I proceeded to read the riveting historical novel, "Lionheart," by Sharon Kay Penman, published in 2011, for further information. I was not at all disappointed to learn a great many facts bearing on the legend of the very impressive, chivalrous, and righteous King Richard I. The detailed book was very well-written indeed! By the end, I learned that the author had also written a sequel to the book. The title of the sequel is, "A King's Ransom." It definitely looks like worthwhile reading to me, for those of us who want to gain an even more thorough, if not complete understanding of the life, times, and legend of King Richard I. Taking a wild guess at the net result and ultimate outcome of this particular book, I'd have to speculate and wager that the dubious kings of other nations and miscellaneous empires take every opportunity to stab dear Richard in the back, figuratively speaking, in order to get even with him, for his popularity, magnanimity, and great achievements, out of pure spite, malice, and jealousy. Moreover, their designated appointees would attempt to ruin a wily upstart such as Robin Hood and his life and livelihood in the process, since he and King Richard are quintessentially "two peas in a pod;" archetype characters, "cut from the same cloth." Or, chain-mail, as the case may be. To summarize, then, after perusing a few good books on the subject, and carefully scrutinizing the looming issues at work, we learn more about kings and hoodlums than we ever did before. Simultaneously, we begin to wonder about pirates.

Sharon Kay Penman is the much-lauded veteran author of historical fiction and medieval mysteries that have taken us from battlements atop Welsh castles to the decadent Courts of Love in France. Her latest endeavor, Lionheart, centers on warrior king Richard I of England, which catapults us into the Holy Land where fierce battle, malady, and the relentless climate claim lives in equal measure. For those of you who know nothing about Richard I, or Lionheart as he is more aptly named, then you are in for a scrumptious treat.Richard is the third son of the formidable duo Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England, with the sharp mind and physical prowess that give credence to his legendary heroics during the Third Crusade. Throughout the centuries, beginning during Richard's own life, historians have much maligned the crusading king's personality, relationships, and military decisions during the Crusades. He has been portrayed as a crude, neglectful husband to his Navarrese wife, Berengaria, of abandoning the holy quest to re-capture Jerusalem, and even of a politically damaging homosexual relationship with King Philippe II of France.In Lionheart, Penman gallantly attempts to separate the real man from the myth, where so often the truth skillfully hides somewhere in between. She succeeds in this by seamlessly weaving a series of complicated events and relationships that peer directly into this troubled king's soul. Moreover, she grounds her efforts in solid historical fact, which is far more breathtaking than any fabrication could be.In the year 1189, Lionheart begins with Richard's large-scale preparations to leave with Philippe II in a shared endeavor to re-capture Jerusalem. However, the lofty machinations of men lead them first to Sicily, and then to the bloodstained beaches of Cyprus before arriving at the tiring siege at Acre, in the Holy Land. However, as Richard travels over vast desert and through suffocating forest to reach Jerusalem, the reader does not find a one-dimensional tale of sword thrusts and battle cries. Richard faces strife within his army, threats to his throne from his ally, Philippe, domestic foibles with his reserved but strong wife, an unexpected respect for the enemy leader, Salah-din, and daily brushes with death that simultaneously bolsters his reputation while threatening the success of the crusade.Not to worry, this tome is not entirely Richard-dominated. Beautifully developed characters such as his fiery sister Joanna, and his wife Berengaria lend femininity to a turbulent environment and exhibit the kind of strength any knight would admire. Richard's bosom companions, Henri, Count of Champagne, and Morgan, his fictional Welsh cousin, demonstrate the kind of love and loyalty this complicated man inspired.What makes this book unique and successful among dozens, maybe hundreds of other books and movies written about the Angevin dynasty and its crusading warrior king? It's not only Lionheart himself, but the soulful subtlety of the human condition that Penman has always been able to effortlessly convey. Breathing life into long-dead people and places is no easy feat, and in Lionheart it is managed so brilliantly that the reader fruitlessly sends a silent prayer upward every time Richard gallops into battle. One cannot help but feel that not only are you glimpsing into Richard's heart and soul, but that you are peering into Penman's too.

This is the fourth Penman novel I've read, and it is easily the least interesting. I don't really think that is her fault - it is just that the subject matter is rather dull. Richard the Lionheart travels to Palestine, falls out with the French, kills Muslims, falls out with the French some more, gets ill, gets better, kills Muslims, falls out with the French etc....etc.....A really dull story and there isn't much Penman can do with it. She tries to give Richard some character but he is an unappealing man. I actually wonder why she doesn't also deal with what was going on in England at the same time. That was a more varied story.The previous novels in the series dealt with far more interesting Plantagenets.

Thoroughly enjoyed this.Good points - the author does do very good research so that we all 'know' that it is neither fully fiction nor fully factual but totally based upon known historical fact. She also manages to impart the gist of the major rivalries of the time, whether that is Angevin against France, or brother against brother, Crusader against Saracen against Outremer (inhabitants of the crusader states). Both dialogue and interactions in general are believable regardless of whether you think they are reliable against reality.Points for improvement, perhaps - for such a renowned battle commander there is remarkably little actual battle content, just a few somewhat sketchy paragraphs, but perhaps that is down to little detail being known, or a perspective/expectation issue on my behalf.Bad points? - the book was about Richard, but a significant proportion of time was actually spent away from the main character, which while fleshing out the world and associated characters actually ended up putting the main character in the shade too much and too often for me (at times).Overall - a good addition to the Plantagenet stories and actually a lot better at highlighting Richard against the perhaps more usual walk on roles in Robin Hood films!

A well written believable and historically accurate story that kept me fascinated throughout, a few scenes dragged slightly but I think were needed to get the story across. It is really interesting to have a window into life in that era especially the way religion drove emotion and behaviour, how people travelled, the details of the crusade, etc - it probably deserves 4.5 stars, just not quite as good as The Sunne in Splendour (against which I judge all her books!) so can’t have 5.

Great stuff!Okay, it took me 4-5 months to read this but that's what happens when you have a job, a family and you try to write your own stuff too!I hadn't read any Penman before despite members of my wider family loving her stuff. I loved this book. I did find her style rather robotic at times. There's little that's flowery or prosaic about her style, it's no nonsense and to the point. I think that helps in a way to confirm the (likely) historical accuracy of what she writes about. She cuts away from the narrative to insert some quotes from contemporary accounts of the happenings which adds authenticity and enjoyment.I read this because I understand Penman to write as accurately as possible. This comes across for the reasons that I give above. I might be wrong, it might be horrendously inaccurate (I haven't checked) but I doubt it. I came away with what I feel is a much better understanding of the time, the struggle in the crusades, the people that fought it and the nature of The Lionheart. If half of what Penman writes about his heroics is true, he was a remarkable man in terms of martial prowess and sheer guts. I could almost believe that he was protected by god ...! How he didn't die a hundred times over is indeed a miracle.A great read. Can't wait to see what happens next. Again, I have little if any knowledge of this period of history and I am looking forward to remedying that with Penman's help and dramatisation.Highly recommended.

Past readers of Penman will know that she writes detailed, meticulous history with a fine eye for the politics of the period. Anyone, then, seeking a blood-and-guts, boys-own adventure tale of the third crusade should look away immediately. Indeed, Richard and his crusaders don't even reach Outremer until midway through the book, and while there are battles, notably the incredible defence of Jaffa, they are not Penman's strong point.Instead this is a comprehensive re-telling of the manipulations, negotiations, scheming and terrible rivalries of primarily the crusaders' side, most tellingly the conflict between Richard and Philippe of France, and the more fuzzy tensions between the Christian rulers of Outremer and their western co-religionists. At the heart of the book is Richard I: audacious, brutal when necessary, but also a gifted and charismatic leader of men.I have to admit that Penman's Angevin series has been my least favourite of her books to date but this one is almost as good as her novel of Richard III ( The Sunne in Splendour ). There are some awkward quirks of narrative where big scenes are given as off-stage `messenger speeches' rather than happening in the present moment, but Penman pays so much intelligent and detailed attention to the historical sources that I can forgive this.So this is very different from the more usual bodice-ripper form of historical fiction à la Philippa Gregory: it's dense, it's unforgivingly detailed, it makes demands on its readers - and is all the more satisfying precisely for those reasons. The Sunne in Splendour