Katherine: The Classic Love Story of Medieval England [B2084]

2004 PB 500-page reprint of the 1954 classic historical romance - with some cover wear and clean, oft-read text pages. "Exhilarating, exuberant, and rich," Katherine is a sweeping historical romance and epic novel of a 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 (Austin Chronicle).

Set in the vibrant fourteenth 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 rule despotically over a court rotten with royal 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 affair, a classic of forbidden love, persists through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. Anya Seton's vivid rendering of the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Lancaster makes Katherine an unmistakable classic of medieval romance.

From the many recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I will be recommending this to everyone and reading every Anya Seton book I can now. Gorgeous writing and a perfect ending. A million stars!!!"; "An old-fashioned historical fiction novel--faithful to the history, full of characters, dialogue and lush scenery, also long-not a light read and sometimes ponderous it is still wonderful. Also informative on Peasants Revolt of 1381!"; "This book had been on my reading list for a while, and I'm so glad I finally read it because it lived up to my expectations. The author has done a masterful job of research in describing this great historical romance, crafting a believable and moving story by weaving it into a vast historical framework. She has created deeply human characters, with their strengths and weaknesses, making them feel more real and incarnated. I highly recommend this book to history lovers and for the magnificent portrait the author paints of the era through this unforgettable love story."