![]() ![]() Henry is preparing to invade Wales, and bloody wars will reoccur in the years ahead, with special resonance for Henry’s favorite uncle, Ranulf, who, half-Welsh and married to a Welsh woman, must wrestle with his divided allegiances. Henry, though 11 years younger, is still besotted with Eleanor, who has borne a daughter, two sons-Hal and the recently deceased William-and will go on to bear Richard, Geoffrey, and John, as well as another daughter. Penman deftly follows the twists of war and policy as well as the private betrayals and triumphs of family life, taking up the story in 1156. Once appointed, Thomas-“a chameleon, changing his colors to reflect his surroundings”-became an implacable defender of the Church, risking his life and fortune to fight for what he believed. At the heart of the story is the relationship between Henry and Thomas, his trusted Chancellor, whom, though not yet a priest, he appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. This time out, Penman vividly details how Henry sought fame and kingdoms for his family, but in Thomas Becket found an adversary for whose murder he would forever be blamed. ![]() The second in a trilogy (after When Christ and His Saints Slept, 1995) about a well-matched royal pair: ambitious Henry II and his feisty Queen Eleanor. ![]()
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