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Katherine

by Anya Seton, Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author) (Foreword)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 12,631 ratings · 1,041 reviews

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 Plantagenet...more

Paperback, 500 pages

Published May 1st 2004 by Chicago Review Press (first published 1953)

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Community Reviews

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Sep 23, 2007 Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favorites, british-history, historical-fiction

This book is both a spiritual coming of age tale and a hauntingly-beautiful love story. Anya Seton wrote some other good books, but make no mistake — this is her masterpiece.

Katherine is based on the true story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt from 14th Century England. John, a younger son of King Edward III, was one of the richest and most powerful men of his day. His marriages were strategic alliances — but the great love of his life was Katherine, the humble, orphan daughter of one h...more

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Aug 13, 2007 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, this book didn't quite live up to its 5 star (!) rating on Amazon. It was good, but maybe I've been reading too much historical fiction because it just felt a little flat to me. It's the story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, a famous couple from 14th century England. Their well-documented affair spans many decades to the point when they finally marry, despite British convention, late in their lives.

Katherine was written in 1954, and the language has an old-timey feel to i...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 01, 2008 Melody rated it 2 of 5 stars

Solid, engaging historical fiction about the mistress of John of Gaunt who was the ancestress of the Tudors. Rich with period detail. The part that makes me knock the rating down is the horrible passage wherein Katherine becomes a guilt-ridden Christian who repudiates her own happiness. It was such a jarring disconnect and so typical of everything I loathe about Christianity that it spoiled the book for me. It's hard to imagine a moral and spiritual about-face of this magnitude and swiftness. No...more

21 likes · like · see review

Aug 10, 2009 Shelbi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shelbi by: Steph, Amy

Shelves: favorite-books-of-all-time, books-worth-re-reading

In keeping with my Barnes and Noble binge, I also bought this wonderful book. But I am so mad that it doesn't have a family tree in the front!! I may have to photocopy it from someone.

This book is amazing. I had my doubts when I first picked up my borrowed worn out copy, but hearing Steph and Amy rave about it finally piqued my interest.

It is a book of adventure, romance and suspense. If you do happen to pick it up, it starts off a little slow, but I strongly urge you to keep with it. This is...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jul 13, 2009 Dottie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: any who like history and love stories

Recommended to Dottie by: Mary Lee Ruoti

Shelves: historical, old-best-sellers, mystery, worth-rereading, hisotrical-biography, classic

Anya Seton was a best selling author in the 50s and 60s. I read it in 1970 because a friend told me it was her favorite book, and it became 2nd on my list (after Jane Eyre) for many years. Anya wrote historical romances based on factual history, and her extensive research for her novels is usually noted in any of her bios. This book is based on the lives of Katherine and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. John is son of Edward III. Katherine comes to court as to join her sister as a servant to th...more

12 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Katherine Coble rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: well-worn-repeat-reads, preachy, fiction-with-a-not-so-hidden-agenda

I've read this several times now; it's the book I was named after and I enjoy revisiting it from time to time. Each time I read it I find something new, and am appreciative of a different angle than on previous re-reads. This (2012) read I found that I was less interested in the romance and more focused on the later years and the theme of Foi Vanquera.

I am not generally a fan of historical romances, and this one has its obvious inaccuracies and pitfalls. But overall I do think it is a masterwor...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2009 J'Nette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-recently

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My Grandmother recommended this book to me. She is an avid family history investigator and particularly loves the fact that we are directly related to Katherine Sywnford and John of Gaunt (the main characters of the book) and the many royal lines which come through them. She encouraged me to read this book which narrates their story and associations well (with a little added emblishment i'm sure).

The first few chapters gave some red flags that it may be a "heaving bosoms" sort of book and I was...more My Grandmother recommended this book to me. She is an avid family history investigator and particularly loves the fact that we are directly related to Katherine Sywnford and John of Gaunt (the main characters of the book) and the many royal lines which come through them. She encouraged me to read this book which narrates their story and associations well (with a little added emblishment i'm sure).

The first few chapters gave some red flags that it may be a "heaving bosoms" sort of book and I was about to give it up. I'm so glad I didn't because it turned into a fabulous story that well defines the royal characters of the time as people with their flaws and strengths. It gave a great perspective on the social classes of the time (and its flaws), the power struggle between the royal class, the threatening civil war, the threat of the plague, the continual war against neighboring countries, the stress of arranged marriages for the good of the state, family relationships and duties, and the state of the country in the 1300's.

The book traces the life of Katherine, a child orfaned by the plague, who is thrust into the royal life, when, out of duty, she marries a much older knight who shortly dies. From their it traces her love story with John of Gaunt, acting first man of England, who is pressured into marrying the Queen of Castille for alliance purposes. He fathers four children with Katherine during his marriage, during which Katherine struggles with her love of John versus her love for her religion. She eventually feels the adulturous decisions she has made with him are wrong and goes on a journey to find the meaning of religion in her life. Many years pass and the eventual decisions lead her to happiness.

Although John and Katherine's romance is the underlying theme in the book it is merely a vehicle through which the pressures of the royal life and the country are expressed. The characters and the events in the book where so interesting I had to know if they truly happened. So after some research I determined that the book really is a great depiction of the events and characters. It is fabulous, I highly recommend it!(less)

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Mar 09, 2009 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Stephanie by: Leslie O

If you suspend a string in water saturated with salt or sugar, a beautiful crystal will gradually grow on it. That’s what I thought of as I read Katherine. The string is the love story that runs throughout the novel. The crystal is the meticulous detail that Anya Seaton has used to embellish that love story.

Katherine is a beautiful young commoner. John of Gaunt is the King’s son. Their love is thwarted at nearly every turn: by marriages, by duty, by social norms and the dictates of their own con...more

13 likes · like · see review

Dec 16, 2007 CLM rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicalfiction, medieval, romance, uk

Perhaps my favorite book in the whole world! Anyone who loves historical fiction, but has not read it, should immediately buy the 50th anniversary edition.

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Feb 01, 2011 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I did it! And it only took me a week and a half! The hubby was even getting sick of seeing me reading the same book for so long. And because it was long, it gets a long review. This book was a daunting task and were it not for a sworn pledge from a fellow trusted reader, I'd have tossed the book aside by Chapter 3 and 'promised' myself I'd read it later when there wasn't anything else to do. But I pressed onward, even while hating the first quarter of the book and being miserable along with Kath...more I did it! And it only took me a week and a half! The hubby was even getting sick of seeing me reading the same book for so long. And because it was long, it gets a long review. This book was a daunting task and were it not for a sworn pledge from a fellow trusted reader, I'd have tossed the book aside by Chapter 3 and 'promised' myself I'd read it later when there wasn't anything else to do. But I pressed onward, even while hating the first quarter of the book and being miserable along with Katherine (of course I realize now this may have been Anya's intention). I cursed the injustice of life in the 1300's and moaned and whined my way through...all the while muttering complaints about my own poor lot in reading life at the moment.

While things picked up quickly thereafter and I fell in love along with Katherine I was still cursing the injustice. In fact the general undertone of feeling I had through out this book was a melancholic pity for her. Even while I was rooting for her and basking in the love that she shared with John, I was also tsking the ease with which she entered into a sinful life. I had to ask myself over and over, "If I lived back then and shared her circumstances, would I have done any better?" I shook my head when she wore what he wanted her to wear and stained her lips because he liked it that way and lived where he told her to. But that's what it was back then, you did what the royal people told you too and you did what the man you loved wanted you to. And really, don't I do the same thing? I wear that one green shirt 'cause I know it's the Mr.'s favorite and I brush on a fresh coat of lip gloss and pop in a piece of gum before he gets home from work. Not because I feel he'll love me any less if don't but because I want to do little things for someone I love.

As much as I bought into the love and romance and all that mushy splendor I still couldn't completely embrace them as a couple because of the infidelity bit. So, I was thrilled by her 'pilgrimage' and found such huge relief in the spiritual journey she took then. It was interesting to hear about the religious peculiarities of people back then (although I hear this hasn't completely changed for some). This part of the book was absolutely necessary to keep one from squirming with a happy ending brought on by sin. While I felt the romance and love story blossom with beauty, there was always those couple rotten petals that kept the love from being beautifully perfect for me. While I cringed at it at times, I put my trust in author Anya Seton to not leave me feeling tainted at the end and to make sure that everything turns out alright. The pilgrimage and everything that followed was the perfect redemption. She's a trustworthy authoress and you'll be perfectly safe in her hands.

Here's the bottom-line. This book is based on a true story and written in the 1950's when little evidence was available about the people in it. Saying that it was well researched and well executed is like saying "Oh my, I feel a draft," while a hurricane rips the roof off your house and brings a tree crashing into your living room. I'm telling you this book was meticulously well written and researched. If I had something bad to say about it I'd keep my little mouth shut because obviously, you wouldn't say VanGough was too heavy on the brushstrokes or that Shakespeare was too wordy. Neither would you claim the Mona Lisa was slightly understated or that Michelangelo was on overachiever. So it's a good thing I don't have anything bad to say about Anya Seton.

The appearance of Geoffrey Chaucer and faint hinting to the tale of Robin Hood was a delight. This book is certainly the best historical-fiction love story I've ever read! Okay fine it's the only one I've read but I'm pretty sure I've set myself up for disappointment from here on out with Historical-Fiction love stories. The bar has been set in the sky from the get-go. Truly this book is worthy of the title 'Epic Love Story' in a way most stories are claimed to be but fall short. It's not a read for the 'casual reader' and only certain types will find beauty in the details and perfection in the flaws of these characters.
Three cheers for Ms. Seton!

Signed,
Danielle'-Humbled Reader (less)

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2009 Chrissie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: great-britain, hf, france, spain

Finished: The last 100 pages or so I was thinking - stop with the crap about the customs of medieval times and just let me know what is going to happen to the main characters! I cared about them very much. I ened up totally loving Katherine. She was real. She made tons of "wrong steps" in her life, but dam it all we all have to live don't we! Who says we have to be perfect? Who says we SHOULDN'T fall in love and be carried away by our emotions. Also I REALLY learned about life in the middle ages...more

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Apr 14, 2008 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

I adored this book when I first read it at 12, and I've reread it numerous times and still adore it.

The writing is quite good--clear and compelling, never a chore to slog through. The characters are well-imagined and vividly drawn. And the telling takes what information is available about Katherine's life (not much) and spins it out into a lush and moving narrative that also incorporates political and social events that certainly are more well-documented than Katherine's life.

Seton's research i...more

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Jan 29, 2010 Diana Sandberg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Definitely a good read. This is one of those books Everybody has read that I hadn’t quite got around to until now. Written in the 50s, it inhabits a grey area between historical fiction and romance, but stays pretty well grounded in its period and I did enjoy it. I found some of Seton’s speculation about motivation a bit suspect; I didn’t think the consumed-with-jealousy version of Katherine in the middle part connected very well with the rest of her character as presented, and the Duke was a sh...more

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Jun 29, 2007 Katie Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Tween girls with an anglophile streak and an interest in historical fiction

My mother gave me her original copy of this book when I was 12 or so and I sunk into it with effortless glee. I've reread it (the same copy) countless times and find new reasons to love it each time.

Some characters you know: Geoffry Chaucer, John of Gaunt, the Black Plague (and it is a major character), but others you don't. Great descriptions of life -- probably not as historically correct as some, but close enough to paint a vivid picture. The story is engrossing and Katherine is immensely re...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Brittany B. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, audiobook, my-first-of-author, biographical, epic, historical-fiction, historical-england, historical-fiction-w-romance, good-but-not-dik

This was a very interesting experience. I will put together a fitting review, as few of my friends have read this classic historical fiction novel.

The major disappointment for me was the anticlimactic ending that I suffered for. As a novel of fiction, I wish the author had fudged a little more and given the reunion more flare, love and passion,; for the final third if this book us very difficult and sad. The ending is "happy" but I feel these characters deserved more given their sad story.

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Jan 19, 2009 Roxann rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have come so late to this book which was originally published in 1954. The fact that it is still in print is testament to its relevance and the skill of its author. This is what historical fiction should be: meticulous historical research; a careful illumination of time and place; and, in Seton's words, 'anxious endeavor to use nothing but historical fact when these facts are known.' That the time is 14th century England makes the endeavor all the more impressive. I will long remember the roma...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Julie Spencer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-reads

This is where it all began for me... With Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. My love of historical fiction and my love for the real lives and people they were based on evolved from here. This book has such rich detail for this time period and the events that unfolded.
It I could meet one person from history, it would be Katherine Swynford. Orphan, wife of a knight, mistress to a Duke, eventual wife of the Duke of Lancaster (and son of the King), mother to the Beaufort children with John of Gau...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the very first historical fiction novel I ever read. I borrowed it from the library at school when I was 12, and...er...forgot...to return it. This was the book that got me started on the study of medieval history, and primed me for membership in the SCA four years later. Beautifully written and well researched, the descriptions of court life, as well as the customs and clothing of the time are fascinating. Additionally, it gives the reader a basic understanding of the relationships betw...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Tocotin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-literature, historical-fiction, my-own-books, romance, used-books

It wasn't bad for a romance (nothing wrong with romances, it's just that books about love, or war, don't agree with me), maybe because the author did a lot of research, and it shows (not necessarily a good thing, but impressive all the same). And it's a real story of John of Gaunt and his third wife and longtime mistress Katherine Swynford, who became the ancestors of lots of English royalty.

That being said, I enjoyed the book rather despite of the love story. I don't know, love and lovers - fac...more It wasn't bad for a romance (nothing wrong with romances, it's just that books about love, or war, don't agree with me), maybe because the author did a lot of research, and it shows (not necessarily a good thing, but impressive all the same). And it's a real story of John of Gaunt and his third wife and longtime mistress Katherine Swynford, who became the ancestors of lots of English royalty.

That being said, I enjoyed the book rather despite of the love story. I don't know, love and lovers - factual or imaginary - are difficult to write about. Love is real only for the people involved, I'm afraid... unless they do something together and love helps them with it. Like maintaining a household, or robbing banks. So I didn't really care for John and Katherine, the more that they were, um, socially privileged... maybe Katherine not so much, but still, however shabby Kettlethorpe might have been, still it was a manor and she its lady, and her husband loved her and she could have done lots to improve the conditions, both for herself and the children, and for the serfs.

Yes, well... at first, I got an impression that the author was very much on the side of the lords, against the uprising. The scenes with the fate of the Savoy palace (no spoilers) were surely moving though, and Cob o'Fenton was my fav character because of that. But...! Aristocracy! Power! Wealth! Rose water, golden tapestries! This is what's easy to sympathize with! Hence the whole genre of books about Tudors, Marie Antoinette and whoever else dwelled in palaces for their own peril and our amusement.

But this book's real interest was, for me, in the portrayal of the times, especially the role of religion AND of mythology. I loved that the characters invoked "Saint Venus" and did penances and everything. I loved all the details. I'm not big on Middle Ages, can't swear as to the accuracy, but it did feel as if I'd entered a different world every time I picked up the book. This is always nice. Even if the characters of the lovers and their motivations seemed a bit too modern (not always, to be fair, but at the beginning of their relationship for sure) - I guess that's what happens when the author wants their main pair to be easy to relate to for the readers.

I didn't know that Chaucer was the brother-in-law to Katherine Swynford. Good to know. Plus, I learned some new words. Solar! Reeve! Wassail cup! Yay!(less)

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Jun 12, 2012 Richard rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rating: 2.75* of five

The Book Report: Since this is a resurrected review, I'm putting the Amazon book description here:
“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—Edw...more Rating: 2.75* of five

The Book Report: Since this is a resurrected review, I'm putting the Amazon book description here:
“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.”

My Review: Whoo baby! And we thought our generation invented sex, lust, and lechery! Our mamas read this paean to the ripped bodice and flung codpiece with, I feel morally certain, cool detachment and a keen analytical eye for its prosody. Because our mamas didn't *ever* think about s-e-x or l-u-s-t, now did they, because that would be ewww.

Well ha ha ha on us. This story of lusty Katherine the Flemish wench, sister-in-law of Chaucer and lover of a Royal Duke, wife of a stunningly boring man who just ups and dies (most handily) one day, and mother of something like six or seven kids (now doesn't that make your baby-maker sore just thinkin' about it?) was about as close to one-handed reading for girls as things got in 1954.

Not being a girl, I had a few problems with it. Crotch-fog did not obscure my vision of the novel as told tale. And there are some things that don't work about it. First is the Romance, the zeal of the organs for their mates, between Duke and minor court lady. It's not a romance, it's his dukeliness wantin' him a piece and Katherine, no dope, trottin' right along with the program. He's ROYAL! What kind of stupid wench says no to a ROYAL in that day and time?! He turns out to be my-t-fine in the sack, bonus!, but he is busy as hell plotting and scheming and what-all, plus he's got a political marriage to contend with, and he and Katherine raise his kids by his first wife, her kids, and their kids in a kind of modern blended family. It is this central fact that makes Katherine important: She did not marry the Duke until they were old, but her four surviving kids by him are...listen carefully, this is true and it's amazing...the direct ancestors of ALL SUCCEEDING ENGLISH ROYALS TO THIS GOOD DAY.

Here's one of the problems: Which story is Seton telling, the one-handed one or the historically astoundingly important one? It's never all that clear. And it's not unclear because the book is too short, because this damned thing is almost 600pp! (Ow.) It's not clear because Seton isn't clear in her mind what she's doing here. She's got two good plots and switches back and forth between them, which makes the book feel patched together.

Another issue obscured by the anticipation felt by lubricious readers of an earlier time is the book's clunky prose. This is La Seton describing Katherine, in her youthful innocence, meeting her future baby-daddy's first wife: "The duchess was today dazzling as the southern May, having dressed to please her husband's taste, in full magnificence of jewels and ermine. Her silver-gilt hair was twined with pearls and she wore her gold and diamond coronet. She smelled of jasmine and Katherine adored her."

That is the narrator, laddies and gentlewomen. The Narrator speaks in this breathlessly leaden, numbingly enthusiastic way from giddy-up to whoa. I won't go into what she has the lovers say to each other.

So don't go into this expecting new and exciting prose experiments, and don't go expecting a clearly defined plot. Do, however, go expecting the story to suck you right in and sweep you along, and do go expecting to keep your pillow-sharer awake from the fanning of turning pages. Repress your snorts of outrage at some of Seton's more moistly written passages, overlook some of her wrong-headed guesses at what filled the spaces in Katherine's historical record, and this could be a decent read.

For me, the seams itched and the sleeves were too short and the zipper caught me in a painful and distracting way. I say it's spinach salad, and I say to Limbo with it. (Not quite spinach and hell like the old cartoon. Guess you hadda be there. Sounded funnier in my head.)(less)

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Dec 14, 2011 Sarah Fay rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Katherine" is a well-done historical novel depicting the story of the woman who the Duke of Lancaster loved, but did not marry until the last years of their lives. It provides an education on politics, living conditions, social norms, and the important figures of mid 1300's, England. The most famous character of the novel (and most likely the reason Katherine's story is known) is Geoffrey Chaucer, who plays a supporting role as her brother in law. Katherine is raised in a convent, and only her...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Shauna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I didn't like this book as much as I enjoyed "Pillars of the Earth."
Favorite quotes:
"She thought of the fearful poser of a lie, of all evil- and she thought of her own children, and how she had believed herself capable of guiding their lives rightfully, of easily slaving their hurts, and that by providing for their mind and body nurture she had fended off all harm Now she was uncertain and dismayed…. But what can I do? Katherine thought despairingly."

"What then was certain? What was there that w...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

My ex-girlfriend loved this book so much she named her first daughter Katherine. It is an interesting tale mixing fact with fiction about John of Gaunt and his mistress, Katherine, who would become his wife and be the ancestor of many important English Royals. This is well-researched quality historical fiction not to be confused with romantic fiction,which tends to use a limited number of character types: the heroine: vulnerable, pure, loving, the female villain: manipulative, sexual, heartless,...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Cynthia Haggard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Though this book was written many years ago, age has not dimmed its freshness nor blemished the rigorous scholarship that Anya Seton employed to write this book. It is the story of an orphaned fifteen-year-old girl who has spent the last four years in an impoverished convent on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, and has now been summoned to court by the Queen with a view to finding a suitable husband.
So begins the story of Katrine de Roet – Lady Katherine Swynford – sister-in-law to Geoffrey Chaucer,...more Though this book was written many years ago, age has not dimmed its freshness nor blemished the rigorous scholarship that Anya Seton employed to write this book. It is the story of an orphaned fifteen-year-old girl who has spent the last four years in an impoverished convent on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, and has now been summoned to court by the Queen with a view to finding a suitable husband.
So begins the story of Katrine de Roet – Lady Katherine Swynford – sister-in-law to Geoffrey Chaucer, wife to John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, and great-grandmother to King Richard III. Like all great novels, this one gives us the feeling that we are with Katherine as she experiences life in England between the year 1366 when the story opens, to 1396 when she marries John of Gaunt.
Ms. Seton gives us a vivid feel of late fourteenth century England though a brilliant use of detail. The first memorable incident occurs when the Queen’s messenger tries to make Katherine smile, so that he can see if she has good teeth. This may seem trivial, but it is through such an accrual of detail that believable historical novels are built. Then there is the first time Katherine dines at court. As a poor young woman with no dowry, she is placed near the door to the hall with all the humble folk. She is clad in an ill-fitting gown she has had to borrow from someone else. The feast is magnificent and unlike anything she has yet seen, but she cannot eat, for when she raises her head to look at the high table, there are the Plantagenets: the King, his sons and daughters, garbed in the finest cloths, bedecked with jewels and wearing gold coronets on their heads. “Yes they are real,” says an amused Geoffrey Chaucer as he watches Katherine gape. And then he tells her all about them, a deft way for an author to give the reader a vivid introduction to the English court in 1366.
The best recommendation I can give for this book is that every time I open it up to refresh my memory to write this review, I can’t put it down.(less)

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Mar 15, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of Medieval Historical Fiction

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Shelves: historical-fiction, ultimate-reading-list, romance, fiction, novels

I'd long seen this novel, published in 1954, mentioned as one of the great classic works of historical romance in the same breath as books such as Gone With the Wind, Forever Amber and The Far Pavilions and it's based on a true 14th century romance.

It took me a while to get into the book for several reasons. First, the book is written in omniscient, and it bounces between points of views incessantly. I've read writers who can do this expertly and so smoothly you hardly notice--such as Jane Aust...more I'd long seen this novel, published in 1954, mentioned as one of the great classic works of historical romance in the same breath as books such as Gone With the Wind, Forever Amber and The Far Pavilions and it's based on a true 14th century romance.

It took me a while to get into the book for several reasons. First, the book is written in omniscient, and it bounces between points of views incessantly. I've read writers who can do this expertly and so smoothly you hardly notice--such as Jane Austen, Michael Chabon and Alice Hoffman (and Margaret Mitchell for that matter.) I don't feel Seton is one of them. Points of view were sometimes changed even within paragraphs, which can be confusing, and I didn't settle inside Katherine's head early on enough to get immediately invested. And it seemed at first a rather empty head for the sister-in-law of Chaucer, a commoner who gained the passionate love of a great prince, John of Gaunt, who was a son of Edward III. However, when the novel begins, Katherine is a naive fifteen-year-old coming to court straight from the convent where she was raised. But I also found the way John of Gaunt was portrayed in the beginning rather off-putting as well. He at first feels this instinctive dislike for Katherine because she resembles his wet-nurse, a take hit on again and again in the book I found tiresome. The prose at times seemed stilted.

What kept me reading though was the picture of the medieval world which was vivid, well-detailed and seemed well-researched. I reveled in being taken to a a tourney and inside a medieval manor with its trestle tables, a leaking thatched roof with rushes on the floor. Eventually--I can even pinpoint where, the scene right after Katherine first gives birth--the love story took fire for me. From plague to peasant revolt, and portraits of figures such as Alice Perrers, Julian of Norwich, John Wycliffe, Wat Tyler and Geoffrey Chaucer, the novel offered up a fascinating historical tapestry. I did wind up totally absorbed in the story and sorry when it was over.(less)

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Sep 06, 2010 Rosanne Lortz rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One of the pros (and cons) of being an author is that you must explore other books in the same field as yours so that you can learn how your work relates to the literary world. Frequently, my forays into historical fiction remind me why I want to write historical fiction — to give readers an accurate picture of medieval people instead of giving them modern thinkers with modern sensibilities in medieval dress. (Is it sound historical research to assume that every medieval man who produced no know...more One of the pros (and cons) of being an author is that you must explore other books in the same field as yours so that you can learn how your work relates to the literary world. Frequently, my forays into historical fiction remind me why I want to write historical fiction — to give readers an accurate picture of medieval people instead of giving them modern thinkers with modern sensibilities in medieval dress. (Is it sound historical research to assume that every medieval man who produced no known bastards or legitimate progeny must have of necessity been a homosexual?) Occasionally, however, my research uncovers a real gem, reminding me why historical fiction is the queen of all the genres. Such a gem is Katherine, by Anya Seton.

Katherine, named after its title character Katherine Swynford, first intrigued me because of its fourteenth century setting. Beginning almost exactly where my book I Serve leaves off, it tells the story of the woman destined to be the ancestress of the Tudor family. Convent bred and of lowly parentage, a young and beautiful Katherine visits her sister at the court of Edward III. She immediately catches the eyes of the English nobles, especially those of the coarse and ugly Hugh Swynford. Overcome by his lust, Hugh Swynford attempts to rape her, but John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster and third son of King Edward, intervenes and saves her. Hugh is forced to offer Katherine honorable marriage as the only way to possess her.

Secluded on Hugh’s estate of Kettlethorpe, Katherine leads a miserable and lonely life away from her sister (and her sister’s husband Geoffrey Chaucer). She bears Hugh two children, naming the eldest Blanche after the lovely Duchess of Lancaster, the wife of the protector whom she has come to admire so much. Her husband Hugh spends much time abroad, helping the Duke of Lancaster wage war in France and Spain. When the Black Plague flares up in England striking the house of Lancaster, Katherine visits the Duchess and obtains a priest for her in her last hours. She follows the funeral procession to London and greets John of Gaunt on his return from the continent. After his grief at his wife’s death fades a little, the Duke’s supressed attraction for Katherine comes to the surface. But despite his importuning, Katherine’s religious qualms will not allow her to become the Duke’s mistress.

A few years pass as Katherine tries to reconcile herself to life with the boorish Hugh Swynford. Eventually, he is taken ill. One of the Duke’s retainers (knowing that his master’s passion for Katherine) procures a poison which Katherine unknowingly administers to her husband. Free at last of her husband, Katherine yields to the Duke’s entreaties and they find blissful love together in an illicit union.

In order to screen his real relationship with Katherine, John of Gaunt appoints her governess to his children. Despite the whispers and denunciations of the court and the Church, Katherine’s earlier religious qualms have completely dissolved. She has now come to believe that there is nothing more than this life and this love that she feels. She bears the Duke four children, known as the Beaufort bastards, and thinks of little more than adorning herself to please her paramour. Her biggest concern is jealousy for John’s second wife, the Queen of Castile through whom he intends to gain the throne of Spain.

The political situation in England becomes increasingly unstable as Edward III totters into senility. Unpopular with the lower classes, the Duke of Lancaster is vilified as the cause of all the problems. When the throne devolves to young Richard II, the peasants rise up. Anya Seton’s depiction of Peasant Revolt of 1381 is masterful. As Katherine and her eldest daughter Blanche are trapped in Savoy Palace, surrounded by a mob of angry villeins, the truth about Hugh’s death finally comes to light.

Miraculously, Katherine escapes death as the Savoy Palace burns to the ground, but she emerges from its ashes a changed woman. Aghast at her sins, she resolves to break off all connection with the Duke of Lancaster. The Duke is enraged when he receives this news and announces that he has cast her off entirely. Barefoot and weary, Katherine visits the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, hoping to receive a miracle and atone for her sin in some way. When the miracle does not come, she despairs to the point of seeking death, but a village priest finds and takes her to the home of Julian of Norwich. The first of the female mystics, Julian of Norwich had many visions of God and revelations of his love for her. She nurses Katherine back to health, healing her spirit as well as her body and teaching her that God understands our frailty and offers forgiveness.

Katherine gains the courage and resolve to return to the Swynford estate of Kettlethorpe, amid the taunts and sneers of the surrounding world, and raise her children alone. As the years pass, her kind and patient spirit gains the goodwill of her serfs. Eventually, word comes of the death of the Duke’s second wife, and Katherine hopes against all hope that a message from the Duke will follow….

Although reading Katherine started out as research, it ended as a pure delight. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in a story of love and redemption.(less)

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Jan 23, 2010 Steven Peterson rated it 5 of 5 stars

The original copyright on this book is dated 1954. Thus, this is a relatively old work as things go these days. Nonetheless, it still reads well and does not have a dated, stale sense to it. A major challenge facing the author, Anya Seton, is that rather little is known of Katherine Swynford. As she says (Page x): "Of her, little is known, except when her life touched the Duke and there are few details of that." She notes that although this is fiction, she has tried to ground it in authentic his...more The original copyright on this book is dated 1954. Thus, this is a relatively old work as things go these days. Nonetheless, it still reads well and does not have a dated, stale sense to it. A major challenge facing the author, Anya Seton, is that rather little is known of Katherine Swynford. As she says (Page x): "Of her, little is known, except when her life touched the Duke and there are few details of that." She notes that although this is fiction, she has tried to ground it in authentic history of the time. Does it work? If you understand that there is little known about Katherine, this book--as well as Alison Weir’s “Katherine Swynford”--is remarkable for creating a real live human being out of a few scraps of information.

That said, what a story in this book, as detailed by Seton. Released from a nunnery to the Court of the King of England, young Katherine de Roet becomes a member of that august circle. A knight, Hugh Swynford, described in this book as a rough character, ends up marrying her--although she did not want this to be the case. In those days, though, marriage was often a business and she got a pretty good deal. Their home, the Swynford "estate" at Kettlethorpe, was run down--hardly like the Court from which she had come. The story outlines her rather brief life with Swynford, birth of two of her children, and her effort to run the estate. And then, John of Gaunt, third son of the King, entered her life. After Swynford's death in battle (with poison added in, a plot device that I did not find convincing), Katherine and John became lovers and she bore him four children during John's rather empty marriage to his second wife--Constance of Castile. She was notorious as John's mistress. There follows the tale of rebellion, the loss of Katherine's daughter by her husband, her flight from John out of a sense of having violated morality.

Returning to Kettlethorpe, she once more ran the estate; her children by John moved in with her.

Then, an almost unbelievably happy ending (and this appears to comport with the historical record).

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Fifty years old, with a lot of life left in this volume. A truly good read!
(less)

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Jan 21, 2010 Sammy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-the-best

I was pretty blown away by this book and I completely understand why so many of our current historical romance/fiction writers look to her as a model of how this genre should be written. She definitely set a high standard though.

Seton manages to capture over thirty years of historical events, romances, friendships, intrigue, drama, life itself in 500 pages and does so without making it neither long winded nor rushed. It managed to flow from moment to moment effortlessly. One moment you're seeing...more I was pretty blown away by this book and I completely understand why so many of our current historical romance/fiction writers look to her as a model of how this genre should be written. She definitely set a high standard though.

Seton manages to capture over thirty years of historical events, romances, friendships, intrigue, drama, life itself in 500 pages and does so without making it neither long winded nor rushed. It managed to flow from moment to moment effortlessly. One moment you're seeing Katherine nursing her baby the next the same baby is sitting upon a horse and riding off with a young future king. The bits of history that are intricately weaved throughout the book remain just as vibrant and alive as the characters living it. Often times historical novels, when they get to the historical part, can become dry and boring, causing the reader to lose interest in the rest of the story. Perhaps this is done by Seton's own desire to stay as historically accurate.

The character of Katherine herself is the strongest part of this book, which is good seeing as the book is about her and a weak main character can just destroy a book. Katherine is very real, not just in the fact that she actually existed and much that was written in the book about her actually happened, but in the way Seton has written her. She's not some lovely beauty flitting about like a ditz (Gwenyvere?), she is a strong woman torn between rights and wrongs, love and loyalty. The best part of Katherine? She grows. I barely recognized the young Katherine on page one from the sweet, older and wiser Katherine on page 499. This again Seton does with flawless grace, there is no awkward "here's Katherine growing up" moments... it just happens, perfectly capturing how it happens to us. Katherine is shocked at the decisions she makes one day as she knows years before she wouldn't have made the same decision, just like we feel the same proud glow for doing something "adult."

It's not really fair to call this just a story about Katherine's love affair with the Duke of Lancaster, though does play a major part as that was the driving force for most of her life. The story is Katherine. It follows Katherine, taking brief side trips to the Duke and the events of England he is so involved in. But we don't get to know the Duke as we do Katherine, nor do we get to know and love the Duke's companions as we do the ones who are such a close part to Katherine's life.

There's a lot more I could expand upon, but I like to keep these reviews short and brief. There was so much about this book I really liked and could constantly keep thinking of more things to address that I enjoyed about it. So as a lover of historical fiction to all you other historical fiction lovers- if you haven't read this book do it. It is by far one of the most well written historical fiction books I have read. I will definitely be seeking out more of Seton's work in the hopes this one wasn't the best of her work and that they all shine just as brightly.(less)

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Dec 08, 2009 Lyndsay rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first thing I thought was "Wow. This is a heavy book." This makes it difficult to carry around with me, which in turn makes it difficult to finish. Oh no! It will take me months to finish this book in which time so many other books will go unread!

But it flew. I don't necessarily care how historically accurate it is. If I want to learn history I read a history book. Even then, no one was THERE so any details besides cold hard facts will be speculative. I'm a little wary of facts as well. They...more

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Nov 28, 2009 Kate Quinn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the great historical fiction romances of all time, and a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the Middle Ages. Katherine is a pretty fifteen-year-old girl in 13th century England, just come to the glamorous court of King Edward III of England - and no one is more glamorous than the King's third son, the handsome and charismatic Prince John of Gaunt. John saves Katherine from rape in a moment of kindness, but nothing can stop her marriage to the clumsy and sometimes brutal Sir Hugh S...more

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Classic Historica...: Part Six: Chapter 30-32 and Final Thoughts	1	6	May 23, 2013 12:05pm
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About Anya Seton

Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 (although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916) - November 8, 1990) was the pen name of the American author of historical romances, Ann Seton.

Ann Seton was born in New York, New York, and died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of English-born naturalist and pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Ernest Thompson Seton and Grace Gallatin Seton....more

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“I am sure that no man asks mercy and grace with true meaning, but if mercy and grace have first been given him.” — 5 people liked it

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