| Katherine | 
 enlarge | List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 249 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1374
Category: Book
Author: Anya Seton
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Studio: Chicago Review Press
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
Label: Chicago Review Press
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 155652532X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9781556525322
ASIN: 155652532X
Publication Date: May 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history?that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets?Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II?who ruled despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king?s son, falls passionately in love with the already married Katherine. Their well-documented affair and love persist through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. This epic novel of conflict, cruelty, and untamable love has become a classic since its first publication in 1954.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 244 more reviews...
Favorite Book August 28, 2008
This is one of my favorite books of all time. This was the book that got be hooked on historical fiction, and although the cover (imo) does the book an injustice (making the novel look old and boring), this is a wonderful read. Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt are flesh-and-blood characters, leaping off the page to bring you along in a 14th century adventure.
If you have any interest in the 1300s, Chaucer, English history, or even just romance stories, I think you'll like this.
Unsurpassed August 19, 2008
This was the first "romance" novel I ever read. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time. Since then I have read countless historical novels but this one is still my favorite. I just finished re-reading it and I was as enthralled now as I was years ago. If you enjoy good historical fiction (Philipa Gregory, Diana Gabaldon, Sharon Kay Penman), you will enjoy this book.
 Makes me want to drink ale August 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Katherine makes me want to drink ale. There is breakfast ale. There is ale as remedy for a wan complexion. Ale for lunch, dinner...good ale, poor ale, everyone drinks it! I bought Katherine on recommendation from so many reviewers here who loved it. And I agree that it is a fantastic book, transporting me back to the medieval times of Katherine Swynford, John of Gaunt and Geoffrey Chaucer. I have now become a student of medieval British history, thanks to Anya Seton's books, which contain adventure, love affairs, wars, magic, religion. I am addicted, and Katherine did not disappoint; I love Ms. Seton's writing style and attention to detail. I loved Katherine and the depiction of "a woman's lot" in these troubled times. I hurt for her when she was a teenaged bride, forced to marry a rough brute whom she could never love. Yet, unlike another reviewer who found Hugh Swynford's character unsympathetic, I did come to have compassion for him. Yes he was loathsome, yes he was selfish and abusive. Yet Ms. Seton somehow dredged a grudging sympathy for him out of me. She wouldn't allow him to be a total villain. I also understood Katherine's need for penance for her affair with the duke; I found stunning parallels to my own life experiences in this. Overall this was an entertaining, beautifully told tale of triumph over tragedy.
Katherine the Great August 7, 2008
I first read this book about 25 years ago. Recently a friend discussed how she just loved the story, and that's what stirred me to find the book again. The choice of Dante Rosetti's painting, Veronica Veronese, for the cover image of the latest edition is wonderful.
Anya Seton was gifted at her crafting of words. Often I find myself rereading sentences that seem unusual and beautiful. It's an enjoyable way to travel back in time. Reading a history book can be interesting, but an historical novel puts a face and character to the names that usually get only a brief mention.
Amazing Book August 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am an avid avid reader, especially about English Historical Fiction. I just finished this book,,,and of all the amazing authors I have read, including Phillipa Gregory and Margaret George, Anya Seton has taken first place in quality historical fiction. Here attention to detail and her development of 3 dimensional characters is unsurpased and I was torn between rushing through the book..and yet reading it slowly to savor it like an amazing piece of cake. This was the first book of hers I've read and I intend to read all of them!!!
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