" The reader is left with the haunting sensation that perhaps the good a man does can live after him--especially in the hands of a dedicated h...
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reviews
Jan 29, 2011
Mansoor
rated it: 
When my friend described The Sunne in Splendour as "a historical fiction about two English kings," I thought, "Sounds like a real page turner." But, it is a real page turner. I've never found English history so fascinating.
This was my first experience with the genre of historical fiction. Naively, I always assumed the writers chose between history and fiction. But, this book was written by a well-known English historian, and the fiction only supplements the hi More...
This was my first experience with the genre of historical fiction. Naively, I always assumed the writers chose between history and fiction. But, this book was written by a well-known English historian, and the fiction only supplements the hi More...
Feb 06, 2012
Anna
rated it:
Having recently read Philippa Gregory's The White Queen, I've become fascinated by Richard III. We all know what he's accused of, but until TWQ, I've never given much thought to his defence. I Wiki-ed him and many of the leading characters of his time, and realised that history, mainly based on Tudor propaganda, could have very badly betrayed him.
Having spent so long hearing all the accusations against him, I wanted to read a book in his defence.
The Sunne In Splendour covers More...
Having spent so long hearing all the accusations against him, I wanted to read a book in his defence.
The Sunne In Splendour covers More...
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(4 people liked it)
Jan 16, 2009
Ikonopeiston
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8 comments
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(7 people liked it)
Oct 28, 2008
Barb
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This is the first book by Sharon Kay Penman that I've read and I have to say that I'm very impressed. Penman does an amazing job of laying before the reader the tangled web of deceit that surrounded the reigns of Edward IV and Richard III in way that makes it easy to understand.
This is the story of The War of the Roses and the life of Richard III. We follow Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester, 'Dickon', as his family calls him, through the deaths of his father and brother, the r More...
This is the story of The War of the Roses and the life of Richard III. We follow Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester, 'Dickon', as his family calls him, through the deaths of his father and brother, the r More...
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(3 people liked it)
Feb 07, 2008
Ana T.
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Sharon Kay Penman's biography of Richard III is one of my favorite books of all time. I have hesitated in writing this review for quite a while because I'm not sure I can do it justice.
Born into an England ripped apart by the bloody War of the Roses, Richard was in awe of his older brother Edward. He stayed loyal to his brother and loyal to Anne Neville, the daughter of the enemy. It was this loyalty that was his strength, and finally his undoing.
There are many things to More...
Born into an England ripped apart by the bloody War of the Roses, Richard was in awe of his older brother Edward. He stayed loyal to his brother and loyal to Anne Neville, the daughter of the enemy. It was this loyalty that was his strength, and finally his undoing.
There are many things to More...
Sep 10, 2007
Lynn
rated it: 
I found this one weighed down, instead of propelled, by its historical content. Although I might have been expecting too much because of all the good things I heard about this book. It is set during the uber-confusing time period of the Wars of the Roses, but I still found it to have too many characters and not enough emotion.
I don't think Richard III was the dastardly villain Shakespeare made him out to be, but he probably wasn't the nice, (almost sappy) guy Penman tries to show e More...
I don't think Richard III was the dastardly villain Shakespeare made him out to be, but he probably wasn't the nice, (almost sappy) guy Penman tries to show e More...
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(3 people liked it)
Dec 22, 2008
Barbara
rated it:
If you enjoy period pieces, this book is Fantastic. Set in the era (and centering on) Richard III of England-this book is a feast in the details. Not for the faint hearted, though, at almost 900 pages, its a brute!
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Aug 20, 2008
Misfit
rated it:
This was a wonderful story. Although I was prepared to keep an open mind as to my previous opinions on Richard III (from reading Alison Weir's Princes in the Tower), I was sure I would still come out believing that Richard did the kids. Now I am not so convinced, I am prepared to believe he was a good man. This book also covers much about Edward the IV, Richard's brother. All in all a very good history lesson.
The book was well written, the story line kept me interested through all 9 More...
The book was well written, the story line kept me interested through all 9 More...
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(5 people liked it)
Nov 30, 2008
KJ
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I read this book because it came highly, highly recommended by a friend, so maybe I was going into it with my expectations set too high. This is not to say I didn't enjoy it -- I did, very much. I hadn't realized that there was controversy over the common conception of Richard III, and I'm always interested in getting a different take on historical figures, especially when the new perspective is well-backed by the historical record. History is written by the winners, and Richard III was most def
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 11, 2012
Mary
rated it:
It took me about 150 pages to really take the bait and then this book was all I could talk about for weeks. I could not finish it for days because the ending was too grim. Penman's development of plot, character and historical detail in a labrynthal epic about The War of the Roses is nothing short of brilliant. how did this book escape me for so long? More than the first half deals with Edward IV to the point where I began to wonder if she would err get around to Richard III. Penman does this so
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Jan 03, 2012
Candace
rated it:
Huge and immensely readable, "The Sunne in Splendour" is the second Sharon Kay Penman book I've enjoyed (I was very disappointed that the second book on Richard I is not yet published--ouch!)
"Sunne" is a terrific book to read on a Nook or Kindle because you can easily take Google tangents to explore more on various characters, battles, places, costumes, whatever. Penman covers these areas neatly, but your interest will be piqued and it's fun to have all that info More...
"Sunne" is a terrific book to read on a Nook or Kindle because you can easily take Google tangents to explore more on various characters, battles, places, costumes, whatever. Penman covers these areas neatly, but your interest will be piqued and it's fun to have all that info More...
Nov 17, 2011
Shannon
rated it:
This was Penman's first novels and still one of my favorites. A little trivia: she actually hand wrote a good deal of this novel, lost it and then started all over again. That's commitment!
SUNNE traces the life of Richard III, breaking it into three sections of this 800+ page novel: PART ONE sheds light on that confusing Historical time known as the Wars of the Roses. For those who never truly understood it, you will. The War was basically one of cousins who were all descended from an ance More...
SUNNE traces the life of Richard III, breaking it into three sections of this 800+ page novel: PART ONE sheds light on that confusing Historical time known as the Wars of the Roses. For those who never truly understood it, you will. The War was basically one of cousins who were all descended from an ance More...
Aug 29, 2011
Murray
rated it:
This is a long, informative, entertaining and very well researched book. Richard III has suffered from the fact the Tudors wrote the history that followed and Shakespeare penned his excellent play in Elizabeth Tudor's shadow.
At the end you have a really good idea why history turned out the way it did and also confirmation that Richard was very unlikely to have murdered the princes in the tower (his much loved brother's sons). The portrait of George, Duke of Clarence is particularly good More...
At the end you have a really good idea why history turned out the way it did and also confirmation that Richard was very unlikely to have murdered the princes in the tower (his much loved brother's sons). The portrait of George, Duke of Clarence is particularly good More...
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Aug 04, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
Sharon Kay Penman is simply remarkable. I think her ability to take historical figures and mold them into real, believable characters while staying true to what little information we have about them could be matched by very few (if any) authors. She definitely persuaded me to believe that Richard III has been maligned by history, and she makes an especially compelling case for Richard's innocence in the deaths of the two young princes in the Tower. It amazes me to think, with everything that hap
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Feb 24, 2011
Harmonybites
rated it:
This is a biographical novel of Richard III of England. First thing you should know is this isn't the Richard of Shakespeare. It's not even the Richard most historians accept, although it's a portrait I was softened up for long before I first read this by the historical novels of Rosemary Hawley Jarman (particularly her The King's Grey Mare about Edward IV's queen, Elizabeth Woodville), the famous novel of mystery great Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time, which has her fictional sleuth investig
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 02, 2011
Suzanne
rated it:
It’s no secret that Sharon Kay Penman is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction. She is well-researched and Penman makes history come alive in a way that the textbooks could never do. I have read this book before and like my earlier reading, I loved it.
This is the story of England’s King Richard III. The battle that begins the book sets the stage for this family’s (the Yorkists) takeover of the crown from the House of Lancaster. Ultimately, Richard’s father and brother, More...
This is the story of England’s King Richard III. The battle that begins the book sets the stage for this family’s (the Yorkists) takeover of the crown from the House of Lancaster. Ultimately, Richard’s father and brother, More...
Dec 28, 2010
Linda
rated it:
I loved this book completely, though it was long, the War of the Roses history was very complicated. Sharon's characters are not simple, they all have aspects that make you like and dislike them at the same time, in short, they are fully human with all the flaws of our modern royal families. Reflects on one of the most tragic royal mysteries, the disappearances of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville's two young sons, likely at the hands of Richard III or one of his cronies. Elizabeth plays the
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Jul 16, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
This is Sharon Penman's first novel, and over the course of 900 pages she deals with the life and times of Richard of Gloucester, the man who was to become Richard III of England. History has not dealt kindly with Richard - Tudor propaganda has dealt him a cruel blow by making him out to be a deformed and evil man who was able to put his nephews to death and contemplate bedding his niece while his beloved wife lay close to death.
In this story, we follow the fortunes of the Yorkists fro More...
In this story, we follow the fortunes of the Yorkists fro More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 16, 2010
Steven
rated it:
Historical fiction can be done well--or badly. This novel is in the former category. Sharon Kay Penman's book traces the story of Edward IV and Richard III and those surrounding them. Treachery is a continuing undercurrent in this work (and in the actual history of the times; this is not a literary device).
As with most historical novels of this era, it's hard to keep track of the cast of characters. It would have been helpful to have had genealogical tables to help in reading the boo More...
As with most historical novels of this era, it's hard to keep track of the cast of characters. It would have been helpful to have had genealogical tables to help in reading the boo More...
Jan 09, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Full Disclosure: I don't usually like historical fiction, or fictionalized history. I often feel it veers too closely to one of two extremes. Either the author totally gives up on verisimilitude and it all gets luridly sexual and/or bloody, or the author is a historian trying out fiction as a vehicle for his/her personal obsession. In the first case, why not just read a romance novel? In the second case, I usually end up feeling tricked into a history lesson (I'm looking at you, Devil in the Whi
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Aug 21, 2009
Mary
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 12, 2011
Emma
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I'd read one of Penman's books before, and was impressed, but this one really blew me away.
For starters, I like historical fiction but don't usually read the sort that stars real historical figures. The characters in such books often lack personality and the plots are frequently dull. Happily, The Sunne in Splendour bears no resemblance to such books.
This is the story of the War of the Roses, spanning 33 years, from 1459 to 1492. It's also the story of Richard III, one More...
For starters, I like historical fiction but don't usually read the sort that stars real historical figures. The characters in such books often lack personality and the plots are frequently dull. Happily, The Sunne in Splendour bears no resemblance to such books.
This is the story of the War of the Roses, spanning 33 years, from 1459 to 1492. It's also the story of Richard III, one More...
Apr 08, 2009
Gisela
rated it:
From the very first pages into this book, I found myself liking the young Richard, and I wondered, "How in the heck can this be the same boy who will grow up to murder his own nephews?" A fiercely loyal and earnest lad, he is the youngest of his family, small, dark and intense and very different from his three tall and fair brothers. He is Richard Plantagenet, who, as King Richard III, will go down in history as the epitome of evil, a murderous usurper.
Murderer he wasn't, More...
Murderer he wasn't, More...
2 comments
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Jan 05, 2012
Terri
rated it:
Most know of Richard III as the 'hunchback' evil King as depicted by William Shakespeare, but Ms. Penman opens the door on who Richard might have really been.
Beautifully written, well researched, and with characters that spring to life from the pages of history, The Sunne in Splendour is an excellent read. Tracing Richard, or Dickon's life from early childhood through to his death and the start of the Tudor Kings, this novel is a compelling read. The author's knowledge of the time per More...
Beautifully written, well researched, and with characters that spring to life from the pages of history, The Sunne in Splendour is an excellent read. Tracing Richard, or Dickon's life from early childhood through to his death and the start of the Tudor Kings, this novel is a compelling read. The author's knowledge of the time per More...
Mar 04, 2009
Lori
rated it:
This was one of the best books I've ever read. I finished it last night with absolute regret, and immediately went to the library as soon as it opened this morning to pick up another one of Penman's superbly researched books.
What made this book exceptionally good was the character development. Penman went to extraordinary lengths to not take away from the actual history -- as she said the afterword, if history said it was a Wednesday, she made sure she kept it a Wednesday. She did More...
What made this book exceptionally good was the character development. Penman went to extraordinary lengths to not take away from the actual history -- as she said the afterword, if history said it was a Wednesday, she made sure she kept it a Wednesday. She did More...
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Jul 28, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Wow..wow...wow. What a utterly wonderful story and so beautifully written. Captures you from page one and you adore every word till the end. You fall in love with the time and with each character especially Richard III. There is nothing bad I can say about Penman's story telling each scene is painted in your mind by her words without being overly descriptive and outlandish.
I never thought this book would keep me captive for over 930 pages but once I started never did I think of not finishing More...
I never thought this book would keep me captive for over 930 pages but once I started never did I think of not finishing More...
Sep 29, 2011
Oshun
rated it:
One of the best, if not the best, historical novel I have read to date. I started it because it was about the War of the Roses, something which we do not study in an detail in the US in school. Was also reading the George R.R. Martin books which he claims to have modeled upon or been influenced by that period of history. Penman completely hooked me on his characters--the ones I loved and ones I loved to hate. She gave GRRM a run for his money and won. She made a world and a period of history liv
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Jan 19, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
If I could give this book 6 or more stars, I would.
Penman does a fantastic job in this incredibly well-researched novel of presenting a different, and entirely plausible, view of Richard III.
Using letters and other data from his time, Richard III is brought to life as a man of fierce loyalties, emotion, and honor. Much of what has been written of Richard III, from Shakespeare to the present day, comes from a "history" which was rewritten, starting with his succe More...
Penman does a fantastic job in this incredibly well-researched novel of presenting a different, and entirely plausible, view of Richard III.
Using letters and other data from his time, Richard III is brought to life as a man of fierce loyalties, emotion, and honor. Much of what has been written of Richard III, from Shakespeare to the present day, comes from a "history" which was rewritten, starting with his succe More...
Oct 19, 2011
Catherine
rated it:
Penman's novel is a look at the life of Richard III, so vilified by Shakespeare (in order to ingratiate himself with his Tudor queen). It opens with Richard at eight years old and follows him through the last battles of the Wars of the Roses, his own kingship, and the aftermath of Bosworth Field.
The Richard that Penman gives us is probably much closer to the real Richard than the deformed villain of Shakespeare's play, though none can say for certain. Penman states in her afterword t More...
The Richard that Penman gives us is probably much closer to the real Richard than the deformed villain of Shakespeare's play, though none can say for certain. Penman states in her afterword t More...
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Jan 18, 2009
Joanna
rated it:
This book was... amazing. It took me almost two months to finish it (along with Ender's Game, so I was bouncing back and forth), but I gladly carted that big, heavy book with me every day on my commute. I was very, very sad to finish it, but I'm glad that Penman has written plenty of other similar books to enjoy.
There's a reason all of her historical fiction is ranked higher than a 4.0 here. This book was so deliberately accurate. As a history major, and having unofficially minored i More...
There's a reason all of her historical fiction is ranked higher than a 4.0 here. This book was so deliberately accurate. As a history major, and having unofficially minored i More...
