Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A-Z Wednesday: "K"

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach. To join in, just visit her blog for the guidelines and leave your link in a comment.

This week's letter is "K." So I went to my shelves, and this is what I pulled out.



Katherine
Written by Anya Seton
First published 1954


Description from the publisher:
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.
The book's page at Amazon.com.

The Wikipedia article about the book.

The original cover from 1954:


And the cover of a more recent edition:


This is another book I haven't read yet, although I've skimmed through sections of it. Katherine (de Roet) Swynford is supposed to be an ancestress of mine, so I've always been interested in her, and the children she had with John of Gaunt. Those Plantagenets were so colorful, but so hard to keep track of!

11 comments:

  1. Wow, Joy, are you like number 2 million in line for the throne? How fun is it to research your family tree with branches like that.

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  2. All of those covers are fabulous! This sounds like a story to read on a rainy day.

    Here's mine:

    http://laurel-rain-outonalimb.blogspot.com/2010/04/z-wednesday_20.html

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  3. Hi!
    Sounds so much like a book I would love. I'll have to check this out. Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    Just Books
    http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2010/04/z-wednesday_21.html

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  4. Really pretty cover on that first one.

    http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2010/04/to-z-starts-with-k.html

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  5. Sounds like quite a story. I like the bottom cover best.

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  6. Would love to read this one, sounds good.

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  7. I've seen that recent cover somewhere! Great choice.

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  8. I love the cover of the recent edition. This sounds like an incredible story. Here is my "K" book.

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  9. I love books based on things that happened in History!

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  10. I've always wanted to trace my family tree.

    Thanks for playing!

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