This is the story of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine who had a profound influence on the formation of England as we know it and like it or not, forced the beginnings of democracy hinting at changing powers of the monarchy i England forever.

The story of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Thomas Beckett, through Beckett's death. This was book 2/3 in the Plantagenet series and surprisingly good for a middle book. I especially enjoyed the author's note where she explained what liberties she took (very few) and what was verbatim history. For example, there were five eye-witness accounts to the murder of Beckett, and as they were clerics, they all wrote it down. What a fantastic piece of history. Looking forward to the last book. 544 pages ( )

This book I didn’t like as much as the first one. I really got bog down by the details in this one. I’m not say that details were not important I just think it could have been present in a better way. It almost felt reading a text book instead of the story. I image this is a hard balance the historical fiction writers to balance. For too little detail and the reader is unsure of why thing are happing the way they are and too much detail and you are reading the text book. It also hard to explain the political nuances between the Catholic Church at the time and Kings and Queens. You can see what the consequence will be down the road for future claims the kingships in Europe.I think this is a hard story to tell, but over all I think Sharon Kay Penman has done a wonderful job and I will read the third book. ( )

I am not good at summarizing books but I loved all the Sharon Kay Penman books that began with Eleanor and Henry. ( )

At her best (Sunne in Splendour, Here Be Dragons) Penman is numbered among my favorite authors. Those favorites greatly moved me and are memorable years afterwards. There's only one book of hers I've read I ever found tedious--and that's her recent novel "Lionheart" about Richard the I of England.

This particular book is the second in a trilogy about Henry Fitz-Empress, King of England who with his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine ruled an empire that rivaled Charlemagne's. The first book, "When Christ and His Saints Slept" didn't quite reach the heights of Penman's best for me, but was still fascinating in its contrasting portraits of Henry's mother, Matilda and her cousin Stephen who vied for rule of England. This book is perhaps a notch below that one, but still very entertaining with no dull spots. The pair contrasted and centered upon n this book is the relationship between Henry and Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, If given what I knew about history Matilda was the surprise of the first book, Beckett is the surprise of the second. Beckett is usually presented as, well, a saint--or at least a hero fighting the oppression of the state. The matter isn' so simple as Penman presents it and more often than not it was Beckett I found utterly exasperating--my sympathies by and large were with Henry. The book is also interesting in its picture of the deteriorating marriage between Henry and Eleanor which no doubt is destined for a messy crackup in the next book and last book of the trilogy--"The Devil's Brood"--which I'm already reading and enjoying. If you enjoy works based on medieval history Penman is definitely worth your checking out. ( )