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Book Review
Jun. 5th, 2004 12:39 pmFalls the Shadow
by Sharon Kay Penman
I've read two of Penman's other books: Here Be Dragons and The Sunne in Splendor, both of which I enjoyed greatly. In fact, it was the former that gave me my fascination with Wales and is probably the reason I went there for my honeymoon, since the book was as much the story of a marriage as anything else. Falls the Shadow continues more or less where Here Be Dragons left off, at least historically. However, Falls the Shadow is less involved with Wales, following instead Simon de Montfort and his doomed effort to reform the crown (or rebel against it, depending on how you interpret history). It was a very compelling story, and Penman did her usual wonderful job with the characters and with the details of medieval life. However, I did feel a bit like this book lacked some of the more focused energy of the two others I'd read. It didn't center as squarely on two or three people the way the other books did - it seemed more spread out. It felt, in fact, a lot like the middle book of a series. I guess it is a middle book, in a way though, because Penman has written a novel called The Reckoning, which continues and concludes the story of medieval Wales.
by Sharon Kay Penman
I've read two of Penman's other books: Here Be Dragons and The Sunne in Splendor, both of which I enjoyed greatly. In fact, it was the former that gave me my fascination with Wales and is probably the reason I went there for my honeymoon, since the book was as much the story of a marriage as anything else. Falls the Shadow continues more or less where Here Be Dragons left off, at least historically. However, Falls the Shadow is less involved with Wales, following instead Simon de Montfort and his doomed effort to reform the crown (or rebel against it, depending on how you interpret history). It was a very compelling story, and Penman did her usual wonderful job with the characters and with the details of medieval life. However, I did feel a bit like this book lacked some of the more focused energy of the two others I'd read. It didn't center as squarely on two or three people the way the other books did - it seemed more spread out. It felt, in fact, a lot like the middle book of a series. I guess it is a middle book, in a way though, because Penman has written a novel called The Reckoning, which continues and concludes the story of medieval Wales.
