Penman nearly up to Sunne in Splendour quality. ( )

This one was great I can't wait to read the next one in the series. ( )

The book was ponderous and slow moving ( )

Penman's account of Henry II's tempestuous relationship with Thomas Becket is as compelling as earlier novels about Welsh history in this era. All of the characters are well drawn and Penman is careful with her research. Digressions from known history are acknowledged in the book's afterward. This one is strongly recommended for those interested in the period as well as for those who merely enjoy a good novel. ( )

Reading a Penman novel is for me like watching a movie played out in your mind. It all feels so very real. I had read the previous book in the trilogy, While Christ and His Saints Slept, about 4 years ago, and I was a little concerned about how I was going to pick up the action, but it was like meeting old friends. In this book, we see the struggles between Henry II and Thomas Becket, the start of the division between Henry and Eleanor, and strife in Wales that predates SKP's Welsh trilogy marvelously. After reading this, I know that The Devil's Brood is going to be a action packed read, and I won't be waiting too long to dive into that! ( )

The second novel in her trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Time and Chance covers the period of the middle years of Henry’s reign, up to and including the notorious murder of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury. That, along with the deteriorating marriage to Eleanor are the twin foci of the book; given the tumultuous events of Henry’s reign, who, as well as being the ruler of England, controlled more land in France the King of France (although Henry was nominally a vassal of the French king), there is plenty of drama to fill the pages of this superbly told and equally well-written book.

Penman’s first in the series, When Christ and His Saints Slept, covered the period of the English Civil War between Maude, Henry’s mother, and Stephen, who seized the English after Henry I death, even though Henry had exacted an oath from his barons to honor his choice of Maude as heir. In that book, Penman does an outstanding job of presenting both sides of that bitter, 19 year war that devastated England.

She does an equally brilliant job in presenting both sides of the increasingly acrimonious and finally lethal conflict between Henry and Beckett over the respective boundaries of power of Church and State. The long view of history is on Henry’s side. BUT, in the context of the 12th century, as Penman so deftly shows, not only was that not clear but there was also a powerful argument on Beckett’s side. Two different men--less stubborn, less proud--might have been able to settle the differences; there were certainly countless attempts to do so, especially efforts by the then-pope. But Penman makes clear that both men were at fault for their inability to yield. The controversy which ended in the murder of Becket was one of the most dramatic events of the Middle Ages; it was recorded in detail. Equally so with Beckett’s murder; there were five eyewitnesses, who wrote detailed accounts. So Penman has plenty of rich material to work with, and she does an outstanding job.

Just as fascinating is her rendition of the marriage between Henry and Eleanor, the probable causes for their increasing estrangement, which no doubt will culminate in her third and final book on Henry and Eleanor. But Penman does a masterful job in her presentation of the couple, again showing both sides of the troubles between them. It’s nearly impossible, however, not to side with Eleanor, arguably the most powerful and fascinating woman of the Middle Ages.

Stashed in between the two central dramas are wars with the Welsh and various rebellious barons of Henry’s domains, and the tension between Henry and Louis VII, the St.Louis of French history, with whom Henry had to walk a fine line as he struggled both to keep his lands on the continent and expand his power whenever the opportunity arose.

In Penman’s hands, all the characters come alive. Henry, Eleanor, and especially Beckett reveal themselves both in words and actions to be complex characters. Penman is particularly good at dialogue. Most of her main cast are historical figures; carried over from her first book is the fictional character of Ranulf, supposedly one of Henry I’s many illegitimate children (as Penman puts it, Henry had at least 20, so why not use one of them), and therefore uncle to Henry II. Ranulf serves beautifully, as he did in the first book, as an window on the Welsh at this time, important actors during Henry’s reign.

I particularly liked the structure of the book, which she used in When Christ and his Saints Slept. Segmented into slices of time set in particular locales, the structure is very effective, allowing for abrupt changes in time and place without disrupting the narrative in the slightest. There is also a nice sketch of England and France, showing the locations of major cities, towns, and castles, especially those that play an important part in the story. The book opens in July, 1156 at Chinon Castle in France and ends in Wales in 1171, with much unresolved, waiting the final chapter in The Devil’s Brood.

There is no finer historical fiction that I know of. Highly recommended. ( )

Penman is one of my favorite authors - one of the best historical writers of fiction out there. I was completely caught up in the world of Henry and Eleanor. I seem to have a penchant for medieval storylines and this is one of the best - and true to boot! Let me read about trenchers and chain mail and castles and the rainy season in Wales and I'm happy! I savored the book and took it slowly which is the way to read her books. They are chock full of detail and politics you can't speed read your way through it, you really have to soak it up and understand it all.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2008/10/t... ( )

Penman did an amazing job of detailing the early to middle years of Henry II's reign. She covers his relationship with Eleanor, their children's births and his oldest son's coronation as well as his feud with Thomas Becket. The book is sweeping in scope but I was a bit disappointed in two areas - Penman has Eleanor deal with Henry's affair with Rosamund Clifford by withdrawing and learning to "love him less". She never confronts him on this. It seemed a bit out of character for Eleanor (at least to me). And we never understand Thomas Becket's betrayal from his point of view. I would have liked to read Penman's take on why Becket became so adamant about the Church's rights, why he "betrayed" Henry. But even with these flaws I thought it was a great work of historical fiction. ( )

The second novel in Sharon Kay Penman's Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy was released in 2003 under the title Time and Chance. Picking up where When Christ and His Saints Slept left off, it continues to follow the fascinating story of the Plantagenet's quest to rule England, Normandy and ultimately far beyond.

In Time and Chance, it is Maude's eldest son, Henry, who picks up the fight for the crown and goes on to become King Henry II. But England and Normandy are just a small piece of the empire Henry would come to rule. Enter Eleanor of Aquitaine, the infamous beauty who would become the one woman in history to hold both the title of Queen of France and Queen of England in her lifetime.

Penman's characterization of Eleanor is riveting. Shrewdly intelligent and ambitious, it is Eleanor who orchestrates her divorce from the overly-pious King Louis VII and throws her lot in with Henry instead. As a result, Henry and Eleanor ruled an empire that stretched all the way to the Mediterranean -- not an easy piece of real estate to manage in the 12th century -- and much of Time and Chance is concerned with the various upheavals and rebellions Henry had to quell.

Despite their hectic schedule, Henry and Eleanor still find time to produce eight children (lovingly referred to by later chroniclers as "the Devil's brood") and Henry, like most other royal men, found himself a mistress by the name of Rosamund.

One of the more interesting aspects of Time and Chance is the exploration of Henry's complicated relationship with Thomas Becket, his friend, chancellor and later Archbishop of Canterbury. As the legend goes, Henry and Thomas had a falling out and Henry, out of frustration, asked the infamous question: "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?!" Or at least, words to this effect. (Penman wisely chooses a variation of this phrase in Time and Chance.) Regardless of the exact phraseology -- history is a bit fuzzy on this point -- the result was catastrophic. Thomas Becket was murdered in his own church, paving the way for his martyrdom and haunting Henry for the rest of his life.

If there are any problems, it is with the sheer volume of historic events Penmen packs into this novel. Events of such a grand scale led to a fracture in the flow of the narrative. After building tension with Henry and Beckett, the conflict then goes unmentioned for several chapters. Likewise with Henry's stormy relationship with Eleanor. The result is a somewhat disjointed feeling to the story, although Penman must be forgiven for this considering the large time frame she is covering.

Despite this small flaw, there is no reason not to pick up this second book of the trilogy. Time and Chance focuses on the political scene of the 12th century and provides the necessary broader picture that paves the way for the newly-released Devil's Brood, which explores, on a more personal level, the disintegration of Henry and Eleanor's marriage and the hornet's nest of children they produced. ( )

Very diappointing follow up to While Christ and his Saints Slept. Instead of spending timwith Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine, she takes the reader on a travelog through Wales following a fiictional character and his trials and tribulations, giving Henry's conflict with Thomas Becket short shift. Eleanor appears flat and lifeless. She is more alive and interesting in the Justin de Quincy mysteries.. I am not sure if I will pick up Devil's Broos when it comes out. ( )

http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/200... ( )

06/16/02
As has become unfortunately usual, this is the first Sharon Kay Penman that I have ever purchased, upon publication, in hardback.
I say unfortunately usual because, SKP has unerringly followed the pattern of others of my favorite authors. Though Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Thomas à Becket are three of the most well-documented, fractious and intriguing medieval personalities, in this work they are not particularly interesting or exciting.
In her 3 earliest works, SKP captivated me, instructed me and made me eager to read more of her. Had I read this one first, I would have thought, "ok" and never pursued her other works.
This is a thoroughly workmanlike work -- but it has no fire.
And this brings me back to my first statement -- because - every time I become truly enamored of an author, and finally consider them good enough to buy a hardback unread, they invariably present me with a work in no way up to the standard they have set.

This novel covers the first years of Henry II's reign, with emphasis on the developing feud with Thomas Beckett, the archbishop of Canterbury and ending with Beckett's murder in 1170. Quote from which the title comes: "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all." Ecclesiastes ( )

Recreates the tumultuous marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, presenting a tale filled with love, ambition, betrayal, and murder. Sharon Kay Penman has a way of telling a story that captures the reader immediately and doesn't let go until the very last page. She is a historiam and her novels are very well-researched. Even though you know the story and how it will end, you can't help identifying with the characters and hoping for a different outcome. If you never enjoyed history in high school, but want to learn more about the royalty of England, Penman is the author to read. Book 2 of the Eleanor of Aquitane series. ( )

Another enjoyable book from SKP, but I didn't find this quite as interesting as her others, and a bit slower than When Christ and His Saints Slept. It's probably just me, but I didn't find the whole Thomas Becket saga all that fascinating, albeit it is an important part of English history.

I did like the fact that the author continued with the Welsh side of the story, as so many authors of English history paint the Welsh as pagen barbarians.

I am anxiously awaiting the publishing of the last in this series, The Devil's Brood, which I suspect will be the most fascinating, as it covers the period when the animosity between Henry and Eleanor heats up and the power plays for her sons. I read on the author's website that she's had health issues that have slowed down completion of the book, hopefully out in 2008. ( )

1156-1171. Only a few years but sufficient to cover the deterioration of Henry’s relationship with Thomas Beckett, with his queen, Eleanor and carrying the theme on, with his fictional uncle Ranulf. Unfortunately I kept waiting for Beckett to be murdered – a little learning is a dangerous thing. Penman writes somewhere between novel and a history book. I felt like I’d had a history lesson where all the characters were real people rather than two-dimensional figures from a by-gone age but a history lesson all the same. ( )

Great Read. ( )

Recreates the stormy marriage of Eleanor of Aquitane and Henry II, presenting a tale filled with love, ambition, betrayal and murder. Even better than "When Christ and his Saints Slept". Rich in detail and history. Loved the treatment of the actual historical figures as well as the addition of fictional characters for interest. ( )