Time and Chance (Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy 2)

Another good and readable chunk of English and Welsh history, covering the period from 1156 to 1171, when Henry II was King of England.

I'd read "When Christ and His Saints Slept" several years before reading this, so I was familiar with the background and some of the characters.

My main criticisms of this are the use of fictional characters like Ranulf, although I can see why SKP found this necessary; and that sometimes it feels like she puts words in people's mouths that they would never really have said.

Having said that, I found this a good and readable account of an interesting period of English history, with Henry II, the future kings Richard I and John as children, and the Thomas Becket affair and assassination.

At her best (Sunne in Splendour, Here Be Dragons) Penman is numbered among my favorite authors. Those favorites greatly moved me and are memorable years afterwards. There's only one book of hers I've read I ever found tedious--and that's her recent novel "Lionheart" about Richard the I of England.

This particular book is the second in a trilogy about Henry Fitz-Empress, King of England who with his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine ruled an empire that rivaled Charlemagne's. The first book, "When Christ and His Saints Slept" didn't quite reach the heights of Penman's best for me, but was still fascinating in its contrasting portraits of Henry's mother, Matilda and her cousin Stephen who vied for rule of England. This book is perhaps a notch show more below that one, but still very entertaining with no dull spots. The pair contrasted and centered upon n this book is the relationship between Henry and Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, If given what I knew about history Matilda was the surprise of the first book, Beckett is the surprise of the second. Beckett is usually presented as, well, a saint--or at least a hero fighting the oppression of the state. The matter isn' so simple as Penman presents it and more often than not it was Beckett I found utterly exasperating--my sympathies by and large were with Henry. The book is also interesting in its picture of the deteriorating marriage between Henry and Eleanor which no doubt is destined for a messy crackup in the next book and last book of the trilogy--"The Devil's Brood"--which I'm already reading and enjoying. If you enjoy works based on medieval history Penman is definitely worth your checking out. show less

This novel, the sequel to When Christ and His Saints Slept, continues the story of Henry II after his accession to the throne of England. Henry and his new wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, seemingly have a charmed life, with all the power and riches they could desire. But their great ambitions come with great costs: Henry is constantly on the battlefield defending his holdings in France and skirmishing for power in Wales, while Eleanor is forced to the sidelines and must undergo the rigors of repeated childbirth. The book tells the story of their tempestuous marriage but also examines another important relationship in Henry’s life — his friendship with his chancellor (and later Archbishop of Canterbury), Thomas Becket.

I read When Christ show more and His Saints Slept a few years ago, but this book contains enough reminders of past events that I was able to follow along without a problem. Overall I enjoyed this novelization of the birth of the Plantagenet dynasty; it’s what I would term an intelligent romp. Penman does her research, but she also manages to write page-turners that are filled with action, scandal, and intrigue. The parts that focused on Henry’s deteriorating relationship with Thomas Becket were both interesting and frustrating to me. Even though I knew how their argument would end, I found myself hoping against hope that they’d be able to communicate with each other and work things out! As for Henry and Eleanor, I think their story in this book will pale in comparison to the events of the sequel, when their children are all grown up. I'm looking forward to Devil’s Brood! show less

The story of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Thomas Beckett, through Beckett's death. This was book 2/3 in the Plantagenet series and surprisingly good for a middle book. I especially enjoyed the author's note where she explained what liberties she took (very few) and what was verbatim history. For example, there were five eye-witness accounts to the murder of Beckett, and as they were clerics, they all wrote it down. What a fantastic piece of history. Looking forward to the last book. 544 pages

The second novel in her trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Time and Chance covers the period of the middle years of Henry’s reign, up to and including the notorious murder of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury. That, along with the deteriorating marriage to Eleanor are the twin foci of the book; given the tumultuous events of Henry’s reign, who, as well as being the ruler of England, controlled more land in France the King of France (although Henry was nominally a vassal of the French king), there is plenty of drama to fill the pages of this superbly told and equally well-written book.

Penman’s first in the series, When Christ and His Saints Slept, covered the period of the English Civil War between Maude, show more Henry’s mother, and Stephen, who seized the English after Henry I death, even though Henry had exacted an oath from his barons to honor his choice of Maude as heir. In that book, Penman does an outstanding job of presenting both sides of that bitter, 19 year war that devastated England.

She does an equally brilliant job in presenting both sides of the increasingly acrimonious and finally lethal conflict between Henry and Beckett over the respective boundaries of power of Church and State. The long view of history is on Henry’s side. BUT, in the context of the 12th century, as Penman so deftly shows, not only was that not clear but there was also a powerful argument on Beckett’s side. Two different men--less stubborn, less proud--might have been able to settle the differences; there were certainly countless attempts to do so, especially efforts by the then-pope. But Penman makes clear that both men were at fault for their inability to yield. The controversy which ended in the murder of Becket was one of the most dramatic events of the Middle Ages; it was recorded in detail. Equally so with Beckett’s murder; there were five eyewitnesses, who wrote detailed accounts. So Penman has plenty of rich material to work with, and she does an outstanding job.

Just as fascinating is her rendition of the marriage between Henry and Eleanor, the probable causes for their increasing estrangement, which no doubt will culminate in her third and final book on Henry and Eleanor. But Penman does a masterful job in her presentation of the couple, again showing both sides of the troubles between them. It’s nearly impossible, however, not to side with Eleanor, arguably the most powerful and fascinating woman of the Middle Ages.

Stashed in between the two central dramas are wars with the Welsh and various rebellious barons of Henry’s domains, and the tension between Henry and Louis VII, the St.Louis of French history, with whom Henry had to walk a fine line as he struggled both to keep his lands on the continent and expand his power whenever the opportunity arose.

In Penman’s hands, all the characters come alive. Henry, Eleanor, and especially Beckett reveal themselves both in words and actions to be complex characters. Penman is particularly good at dialogue. Most of her main cast are historical figures; carried over from her first book is the fictional character of Ranulf, supposedly one of Henry I’s many illegitimate children (as Penman puts it, Henry had at least 20, so why not use one of them), and therefore uncle to Henry II. Ranulf serves beautifully, as he did in the first book, as an window on the Welsh at this time, important actors during Henry’s reign.

I particularly liked the structure of the book, which she used in When Christ and his Saints Slept. Segmented into slices of time set in particular locales, the structure is very effective, allowing for abrupt changes in time and place without disrupting the narrative in the slightest. There is also a nice sketch of England and France, showing the locations of major cities, towns, and castles, especially those that play an important part in the story. The book opens in July, 1156 at Chinon Castle in France and ends in Wales in 1171, with much unresolved, waiting the final chapter in The Devil’s Brood.

There is no finer historical fiction that I know of. Highly recommended. show less

Reading a Penman novel is for me like watching a movie played out in your mind. It all feels so very real. I had read the previous book in the trilogy, While Christ and His Saints Slept, about 4 years ago, and I was a little concerned about how I was going to pick up the action, but it was like meeting old friends. In this book, we see the struggles between Henry II and Thomas Becket, the start of the division between Henry and Eleanor, and strife in Wales that predates SKP's Welsh trilogy marvelously. After reading this, I know that The Devil's Brood is going to be a action packed read, and I won't be waiting too long to dive into that!

In this book we return to the world of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine as they build an empire, wrangle with Thomas Becket (the Archbishop of Canterbury) and have lots and lots of children. Recent experience with When Christ and His Saints Slept, Penman's previous book in the Henry/Eleanor series, may be helpful to keep some of the names straight but is not totally necessary.

I found this one much harder going than When Christ and His Saints Slept, probably because there was so much childbirth (and activities that caused the childbirths), and it's not exactly my favourite thing to read about in great detail. The sections involving Owain Gwynedd's clashes with Henry, and of course the feud with Thomas Becket, were much more interesting, show more and the final third of the book raced by. My favourite characters (if one can call historical personages "characters") were Eleanor with her resolve and quick wit, and Hywel, the poet son of Owain, whose sparkling conversation livened up any Wales scene he appeared in. It was also amusing to see the future Richard Lionheart and John Lackland as kids.

I would recommend this if you're interested in the Henry II/Thomas Becket feud, although there is more of a focus on Henry's perspective, and if you have enjoyed Penman's other books. show less