Date Finished: 04/02/2011
My Rating: 4/5
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is the love story of Katherine de Roet and John of Gaunt. Based on records from the 14th Century, Seton has constructed the tale of a great romance between these two that spanned many years, eventually leading to their marriage. At the front of the book is a family tree showing how the royal lines of England (and in the case of John, of Spain) descended from them.
Seton has taken the information known about the time and extrapolated a feasible story of how their relationship developed and the type of people that they were. Obviously there has been some artistic licence used in the details, and there is some dispute about the existence of Katherine's eldest daughter from her first marriage, 'Blanchette', however the end result is an easy-to-read, beautifully descriptive account of history. From the excitement of Katherine as she left the convent where she had been placed for her education prior to joining her elder sister in the Queen's court, to her marriage to the rather gruff Sir Swynford, to the developing relationship with John, this book engages the reader throughout.
So, who should read this book? I know that I would have loved this book as a teenager, but anyone really with an interest in history and a love of romance.
Next Book: The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
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