Exclusive interview with author Sharon Kay Penman and a review of her novel about Richard the First
Rating: Three Stars
by Gabrielle Pantera
“Richard himself was the greatest surprise,” says Lionheart author Sharon Kay Penman.
“My Devil’s Brood research had already shown me that he was not as one-dimensional as I’d once thought. The Richard who emerged from the pages of the crusader and Saracen chronicles was not the man I was expecting to find. He had a sardonic sense of humor, could be playful, irreverent, and unpredictable, and showed a commendable concern for the welfare of his soldiers.”
The year is 1189. King Henry is dead. Long live the king…King Richard, that is. With the experience of ruling his mother’s lands of Aquitaine, Richard is ready to rule and to fight to protect what’s his. He didn’t expect to be king of England, not with two older brothers before him. After being crowned King of England, Richard sets off for the Holy lands.
Eleanor is finally freed after being locked up by Henry for decades. Richard’s younger brother John feels it’s his right to be king as he was their father’s favorite. Joanna, Richard’s favorite sister, and his wife Berengaria of Navarre, accompany Richard and are a big part of the story.
Penman’s grasp of historical events is strong, and she used copious details on the war and battles. She also brings Joanna and Berengaria vividly to life while delving into their relationship.
“I’d known Richard was often insanely reckless when it came to his own safety,” says Penman. “Today we’d wonder if he had a latent death wish. So I was very surprised to learn that he was such a cautious battle commander, as careful with the lives of his men as he was careless with his own. I was also surprised to discover that he never demonized his Saracen foes, that he formed friendships with Saladin’s brother and some of his emirs. I was astonished to learn that he even knighted several of them in the midst of a holy war. The real Richard turned out to be more complex than the Richard of legend, and therefore, more interesting.”
For her research, Penman says she always makes use of biographies and histories, patent and close rolls (royal letters, either sent open or closed), charters, and whatever she can find.
“My favorite research source has always been the medieval chronicles, and with Lionheart, I had a treasure-trove to draw upon…chronicles written by men who’d accompanied Richard on crusade and by men who were members of Saladin’s inner circle. I actually had eye-witness accounts of battles written by men who’d fought in them, and because I had access to both crusader and Saracen chronicles, I was able to get a balanced view of the warfare between Saladin and Richard.”
“I was able to find translations of letters by Richard and Saladin in biographies of both men. Information about Richard’s charters were contained in The Itinerary of King Richard I, by Lionel Landon, which allowed me to track Richard’s whereabouts on any given date. I found this to be an invaluable source while researching Lionheart.”
Penman has written eight historical novels. The Sunne in Splendour, a revisionist history of the Wars of the Roses, a trilogy set in 13th century England and Wales, Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning, and a quartet about the Angevins (the House f Anjou), When Christ and his Saints Slept, Time and Chance, Devil’s Brood, and Lionheart. She has also written four medieval mysteries set in late 12th century England: The Queen’s Man, Cruel as the Grave, Dragon’s Lair, and Prince of Darkness.
Penman us currently writing the Lionheart sequel, A King’s Ransom. After that, she’s planning a novel about the Kingdom of Jerusalem, The Land Beyond the Sea, which will feature some of the characters who appear in Lionheart.
Penman was born in Greenwich Village but now lives in New Jersey, after research spells in both York and North Wales.
Lionheart: A Novel author Sharon Kay Penman . Trade Paperback, 624 pages, Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 1, 2013). Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-0345517562 $16.00
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