Katherine: The classic historical romance

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Her 1962 novel Devil Water concerns James, the luckless Earl of Derwentwater and his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1715. Everything he did was for the betterment of his line, his family, and his king, but I never doubted that he loved Katherine. Read more | How did Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III, become one of medieval England’s best-loved queens?

Anya Seton - Wikipedia Anya Seton - Wikipedia

The enduring affection of her family connections stands testament to her warmth, charm and good diplomatic skills. Anya Seton found her niche in the writing world by focusing on real women who had actually lived, but who were (with the exception of Katherine Swynford) minor players never on the center stage of their society, and who had been forgotten over time by all but perhaps a few elite scholars.John is, of course, distracted by the affairs of state and his role as the powerful younger son of the King. As soon as I started reading Katherine, I felt transported from the 21st century straight back to the 14th; to a medieval world filled with political intrigue, danger, violence, superstition and romance.

Katherine (Seton novel) - Wikipedia

Her daughter Joan Beaufort married the powerful Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland, and by 1450, thanks to the marriage alliances of their many children, Katherine’s descendants were related to almost every noble family in England. Working essentially as a Gothic romance title, it’s seeped in atmosphere and ambiance, and it’s easy to see why it was so successful. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged.

All but the very best romance fiction tends to deploy a limited number of character types: the heroine: vulnerable, pure, loving, the female villain: manipulative, sexual, heartless, the male villain: aggressive, uncontrolled, cruel, and the hero: loving, but often mistaken. Minor characters often just walk on-stage and walk right off again without making an impact or serving merely as a deus ex machina to move things along. This is one of the great historical fiction romances of all time, and a wonderfully accurate portrayal of the Middle Ages. I understand a certain amount of setting up – Seton wants to tell a little bit about Katherine’s origins, and how she was married and had children before she became John’s mistress and had children with him – but 50 or 100 pages surely ought to be the limit.

Katherine (Rediscovered Classics): Seton, Anya, Gregory Katherine (Rediscovered Classics): Seton, Anya, Gregory

Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 (although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916) - November 8, 1990) was the pen name of the American author of historical romances, Ann Seton. Anya Seton (1904-1990) was the author of many best-selling historical novels, including The Winthrop Woman, Avalon, Dragonwyck, Green Darkness, Devil Water, and Foxfire. I persisted with this book for as long as I did because it is so overwhelming rated highly and described as a “classic” of historical fiction. And yet this time period is still compelling with its tournaments, courtly intrigue, and social structure so different from our own. Becoming fascinated by the classic mansion of Dragonwyck, she slowly begins to fall under its spell, as the country around experiences great social upheaval.

Meanwhile, wife number two is Foaming At The Mouth Obsessed With Conquering Her Birthright and uninterested in John, other than in his capacity to achieve said Conquering and sire an heir for her. The main plot of this novel is supposed to be the relationship between John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, right? The cardboard characters come ready-made, they are not forged by their particular experiences, by their history or by their society; nothing interrupts them working their way through their story to the happy ending. Covers events such as the Black Death, and the rebellion of the time led by Wat Tyler, during the reign of the boy king Richard II. To read more about the site or if you want a graphic to link to us, see the about page for more details.