Ratings3
Average rating3.3
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The great Crusader king Richard the Lionheart comes alive in all his complex splendor in this masterpiece of medieval tapestry.”—Margaret George A.D. 1189. After the death of his father, Henry II, and the early demise of two of his brothers, Richard is crowned King of England and immediately sets off for the Holy Land. This is the Third Crusade, marked by internecine warfare among the Christians and extraordinary campaigns against the Saracens. Richard’s surviving brother, the younger John, is left behind—and conspires with the French king to steal his brother’s throne. Only their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, now freed from decades of captivity, remains to protect Richard’s interests and secure his destiny. In this engrossing saga, Sharon Kay Penman delivers a novel of passion, intrigue, battle, and deceit. Lionheart is a sweeping tale of a heroic figure—feared by his enemies and beloved by those he commanded—who became a legend in his own lifetime. “[Sharon Kay] Penman displays her usual grasp of sweeping historical events as well as an uncanny ability to get inside the hearts and minds of her real-life characters. Her reputation for character-driven, solidly detailed historicals is richly deserved.”—Booklist “The beautifully described settings and the characters’ interactions are simply outstanding.”—The Historical Novels Review “Penman takes historical writing to a whole new level.”—The Sacramento Bee “[A] gritty, unsentimental, and richly detailed epic.”—Publishers Weekly Don’t miss the exclusive conversation between Sharon Kay Penman and Margaret George at the back of the book.
Series
5 primary booksPlantagenets is a 5-book series with 5 primary works first released in 1994 with contributions by Sharon Kay Penman.
Series
2 primary booksRichard the Lionheart is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2011 with contributions by Ben Kane and Sharon Kay Penman.
Reviews with the most likes.
Another solid historical novel from Penman; it's a very pleasant way to learn history but found some of it (mostly love scenes) too inventive for my taste. Bonus points for the thoroughness of the author's note though; she's wonderfully transparent about what's completely made up.
Wow..just finished this book and I am almost at a loss for words. I just happened to stumble on this book by accident. I saw it at Barnes & Noble and it seemed like a book that I would like! Man..I LOVED it.
Recently I have discovered a huge nerdiness for medieval European history. Part of this is a fascination since childhood, but most of it is from read the Game of Thrones books. Those books quickly became the best books I had ever read. I loved all the political intrigue; kings and lords fighting and pressing claims for the crown and what not. Well..I started to learn that most of that stuff happened in history.
Immediately when I began Lionheart I knew this was going to be one of my favorites of all time. It had it all: sieges, epic battles, TONS of political intrigue, and surprisingly a lot of Christian overtones (clearly, because it is about the third crusade haha..). What I loved the most about this book is the accuracy. Penman used contemporary accounts to make her story all the more compelling. It's amazing how she breathed life into these historical figures and made them into lovable and, oftentimes, absolutely vile characters.
One of the best books I've ever read and I CAN'T WAIT to start reading When Christ and His Saints Slept by the same author.