2024 MARCH READING LIST
During the month of March, I had little time to read. Between birthdays, minimum school days, visitors and travel I hardly had a moment of solitude. I have yet to find a series that I can listen to which only adds to the inevitable deficiency in my reading time.
I did manage however to get through another historical fiction book and I kept several already-started books going even if I did not complete them. Here is the book I was able to finish in March:
DEVILS BROOD BY SHARON KEY PENMAN
In 1172, Henry II not only has to deal with his three eldest sons’ conspiratorial actions in league with his great enemy, King Louis of France but his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s actions and her involvement with the plot to overthrow her husband strike the hardest. The royal family is in disarray as everyone chooses sides and the great marriage of Henry and Eleanor is beyond restoration.
Like his ancestor before him, Henry relishes the Angevin legacy of being spawned by the devil, but when his family betrays him time and time again, perhaps he no longer finds pride in being the leader of the Devil’s Brood.
I enjoyed reading about the conspiracies by Eleanor and her sons in Devil's Brood as they all tried to find their footing in the land that Henry was so determined to keep pinned under his control. Penman did well not to make Henry a pitiful creature but showed his own flaws in keeping his sons under his thumb, all four felt smothered and tied down and unable to show their merit.
Henry held a coronation for his eldest but then gave him no work or responsibility concerning the kingdom. He marries another son to a wealthy young woman who would bring much land to the marriage, but then keeps the land for himself. He gives land, title and responsibility to another son, but quickly pulls those lands out from under him. Penman does well in portraying the problems of Henry the King and Henry the Father. As a king, he was strong but as a father he was weak.
The portrayal of Eleanor, first conspirator then prisoner, is balanced against Henry’s strong-arming and later his bleak desperation. Likewise, Penman shows the nuance of each of the couple’s children and how they bear their limitations and conceive of their conspiratorial exploits. No character comes across as the hero and none are fully perceived as the villain. Everyone in this story is portrayed from multiple angles therefore humanizing them, making this book a great showcase of historical fiction writing.
This middle book of a five-part series balanced the final years of King Henry’s reign and gave me insight as to what England might have looked like under the leadership of Henry’s four sons. There was a transition to the next generation and it was enthralling to read about the different sinister ways the young princes attempted to gain the crown for themselves.
Quote of the Month
Photo cover: ‘River View During Sunset’ by Natalia García Prieto