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Epicurus.com - Devil's Brood
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List Price: $28.95
Our Price: $18.12
Your Save: $ 10.83 ( 37% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399155260
ISBN: 0399155260
Label: Putnam Adult
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 752
Publication Date: 2008-10-07
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Reading Level: Young Adult
Studio: Putnam Adult
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Editorial Reviews:
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The long-awaited and highly anticipated final volume in Penman’s trilogy of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine—a tumultuous conclusion to this timeless story of love, power, ambition, and betrayal.
Where the second novel in the trilogy, Time And Chance, dealt with the extraordinary politics of the twelfth century, climaxing with the murder of Thomas Becket and Henry’s confrontation with the Church and self-imposed exile to Ireland, Devil’s Brood centers on the implosion of a family. And because it is a royal family whose domains span the English Channel and whose alliances encompass the Christian world, that collapse will have dire consequences. This is a story of betrayal as Henry’s three eldest sons and his wife enter into a rebellion against him, aligning themselves with his bitterest enemy, King Louis of France. But it is also the story of a great king whose brilliance forged an empire but whose personal blind spots led him into the most serious mistake of his life.
Sharon Kay Penman has created a novel of tremendous power, as two strong-willed, passionate people clash, a family divides, and a marriage ends in all but name. Curiously, it is a novel without villains—only flawed human beings caught up in misperceptions and bad judgment calls. Most devastating to Henry was not his sons’ rebellion but his wife’s betrayal in joining them. How could it happen that two people whose love for each other was all consuming end up as bitter adversaries? That is the heart of Penman’s tale in Devil’s Brood.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Sharon Kay Penman does it again!
Comment: This is yet another view of life with Henry V and Elanor of Aquitaine. I can't seem to get enough! What I like about this author is that she gives the reader a lot of detail but keeps the story flowing at the same time. The characters and life as it was during this period of history really come alive and I find it fascinating. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves English historical fiction.
M.Hoban
Customer Rating:
Summary: rip off
Comment: much cheaper at barnes and noble .i guess amazon is going to start ripping us off.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superb
Comment: Penman does it again! The Devil's Brood does not disappoint. It was fabulous - exquisite attention to historical detail, excellent character development. The 700+ pages felt like 200, and I was sad when it ended, as with all her books. Already waiting for the next one!
Customer Rating:
Summary: `It is enough that we answer for our own sins without being held to account for the sins of others..'
Comment: The third novel of Ms Penman's trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, this book picks up the story some months after the murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1171. The novel deals with the consequences of a family at war within itself and the impacts both on the individuals involved and on the political landscape of Europe and beyond. Henry Fitz Empress ruled England as Henry II for over 34 years between 1154 and 1189. He was also the Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, Maine and Touraine. Eleanor, his Queen, was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. Eleanor and Henry had eight children including five sons, four of whom survived to adulthood. This is the story of the causes and effects of the collapse of the marriage of Henry and Eleanor and the suspicions and rebellions of their sons.
Working within the framework of known history, Ms Penman has brought the period and the characters to life. The gifted, but flawed, Henry and the formidable Eleanor (whose loyalty to her husband sometimes conflicted with her loyalty to her Duchy) produced four sons who lived to adulthood and competed with each other and with the King their father with fatal consequences.
For those familiar with this period of history, historical characters will stride or glide off the pages into life. Their motivations and justifications will have explanations which will be plausible if not always understandable to modern readers. For those unfamiliar with the history: I recommend that you read the trilogy in order to obtain a more complete understanding of the characters and events. The novel can be read on a standalone basis, but if you do so, allow yourself the treat of reading of Ms Penman's other novels. I doubt that you will be disappointed.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Sweeping Saga!
Comment: This is the third book in Sharon Kay Penman's Angevin trilogy, and we've had to wait quite awhile since Time and Chance. This is a novel of family betrayal. This book starts in 1172 and ends in 1189 with the death of King Henry II. I have been a long-time lover of Ms. Penman's wonderfuly real historical novels, and I waited a long time for this one. I highly recommend that if you haven't, you begin with the first novel in the trilogy (When Christ and His Saints Slept), and then read Time and Chance and then this one. You will not find a more comprehensive review of the notorious Angevin family than between the covers of Ms. Penman's books. She is an extraordinary writer and she uses real people and real historical happenings in her books. Devil's Brood tells the story of a truly disfunctional family, and none of the betrayals, lies and mistakes are glossed over. You will get a true picture of a king that history remembers as great, but who had human foibles like everyone else. Henry's decisions were not always the right ones, and he made lots of mistakes with his family, but these mistakes were mostly due to the fact that he did not see clearly when it came to his own family, including his wife, the beautiful Eleanor of Aquitane. Disastrous decisions were made with all the best intentions, and he is continually beset on all sides by members of his quarrelsome and stubborn family. I really should write a lot more to try to do justice to this wonderful novel, but it is a book that needs to be read to be appreciated. It's a very long book, but one that kept me spellbound until the end.
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