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Apr 08, 2018 this is probably setons most famous novel. Katherine swynford, duchess of scandal history the. Katherine swynford, wife of john of gaunt duke of lancaster. For me, 2 of the most dramatic parts of seton s novel are. Three of her books are classics in their genre and continue in their popularity to the present. Originally published in 1954, it has become an urtext. Anya seton january 23, 1904 although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916 november 8, 1990 was the pen name of the american author of historical romances, ann seton. I thought i was the only person disappointed in anya seton s book on katherine, for me it didnt quite hit the mark and the comments you made about it made me realise why. Swynford is also the subject of nonfiction work, such as alison weirs 2008 biography katherine swynford.

I understand that even today her books are much in demand and tend to fly off the shelves at used book stores. Alison weirs historical follow up to anya seton s 1954 book which introduced us to the mistresswife of john of gaunt. I write what i write, historical romance set around the court of edward iii, because of anya seton s book, so there is no question it is among my all time favorites. Mar, 2006 katherine is a classic, high quality historical romance, in a class with gone with the wind, which i first read a couple of years later, and the diana gabaldon books. Anya seton was a careful researcher her father was naturalist and writer ernest thompson seton and she rarely substituted dramatic license in place of the facts. I suspect that the same factors that inspired anya seton to write about katherine swynford may also be responsible for removing katherine as a subject for further historical study. I have read both, along with jeannette lucrafts katherine swynford. A great adventure, powerfully told philippa gregory a sumptuous tale of passion and danger in the medieval court, anya seton s katherine is an alltime classic. A glorious example of romance in its most classic literary sense. It tells the story of the historically important, 14thcentury love affair in england between the eponymous katherine swynford and john of gaunt, duke of lancaster, the third surviving son of king edward iii. Katherine is the story of katherine swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of john of gaunt, and their children, who were the direct ancestors of the tudors, stuarts, and the modern british royal family. She is a very fine writer with excellent attention to detail and historical accuracy, as well the ability to make the characters come vividly alive. Katherine swynford from mistress to duchess history of. Beginning almost exactly where my book i serve leaves off, it tells the story of the woman destined to be the ancestress of the tudor family.

Blanche, duchess of lancasters death from bubonic plague at bolingbroke castle. For katherine is one of the great reads, indeed, one of the great novels, of the twentieth century. I am 78 now and reading your page was like opening a door on my past. A view of anya setons family through her novels duration. Written in 1954 it predates much of the modern popularity for historical fiction but can easily hold its own against any modern author of this genre. Weir is such a brilliant, thorough historian, i have no doubt this will bring to katherine swynford her historical due. Mar 17, 2012 actual medieval manor in which the real katherine swynford, 3rd wife of john of gaunt and ancestress to the tudor line, lived. This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed historythat of katherine swynford and john of gaunt, duke of lancaster, the ancestors of most of the british royal family. Hodder have repackaged anya setons classic under their hodder great reads imprint, and what better choice. Katherine, named after its title character katherine swynford, first intrigued me because of its fourteenth century setting. The story of john of gaunt and his scandalous duchess isbn 0224063219 and jeannette lucrafts historical biography katherine. Katherine arrives at the english court through the offices of the queen and is soon married to hugh, duke of swynford, a smallminded, brutal man who offers the dowryless girl the cachet of title.

Anya seton wrote some other good books, but make no mistake this is her masterpiece. Apr 06, 20 katherine swynford scandalous simplified history 50. Katherine comes to the court of edward iii at the age of fifteen. She had been the dukes lover for many years before their marriage. Sep 29, 2006 love in the time of green darkness dont judge anya seton s reissued biofics by their romance and bad covers by margaret moser, fri. Since then i must have read this book at least 20 times, and worked my way through all of anya seton s books, so i am pleased i can now store it on my kindle. Katherine swynford is a women from history that is often overlooked but this book puts her right at the centre and what a wonderful read it is as a result. Katherine, the story of katherine swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of john of gaunt, and their children. Austin chroniclekatherine is an epic novel of a love affair that changed historythat of katherine swynford and john of gaunt, duke of lancaster, the ancestors of most of the british royal family. Katherine is a classic, high quality historical romance, in a class with gone with the wind, which i first read a couple of years later, and the diana gabaldon books. Katherine swynford is the subject of numerous novels, including anya seton s katherine, published in 1954.

The life of katherine swynford, duchess of lancaster has just hit the bookstores. I found this pic of her recently and i just love the hat. Katherine swynford, i named my daughter after her when i read anya seton s book. In reality, blanche died at tutbury castle one month after the birth of her 3rd daughter, isabella. Anya seton s vivid rendering of the lives of the duke and duchess of lancaster makes katherine an unmistakable classic. Go on try it, it makes history interesting, as well as romantic, battles, powerful men, ruthless men, intrigue, and sorrow.

There are a few differences, but both books are definitely worth reading and should not be pitted against each other but read as stand alone books and enjoyed. Their affair persists through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. Kimberlys mention of the plans to film katherine fascinates me. Jul 21, 2012 thank you so much for this blog, i found it really useful and i have just downloaded alisons book, prompted by your comments. She is fortunate in this pairing, although katherine detests her rude husband from the moment she sets eyes on him. This assignment is both an absolute joy and something of a challenge. This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed historythat of katherine swynford and john of gaunt, duke of lancaster, the. Jun 06, 2017 in 2008 weir wrote her own biography of katherine. I read the anya seton book, and i knew it probably wasnt quite like that, so when i saw a book on katherine swinford i may have pounced on it.

Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Katherine is a 1954 historical novel by american author anya seton. I remember staying up all night i was so engrossed, and when the time came for me to go to school the next day, taking the book with me and reading it in class. Katherine is based on the true story of katherine swynford and john of gaunt from 14th century england.

Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading katherine. Thanks to kindle for letting me enjoy anya seton s book all over again. Set in the vibrant fourteenth century of chaucer and the black death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent. The katherine of the title is katherine swynford, mistress of edward iiis son john of gaunt. Katherine, published in 1954 and never since out of print, tells the story of katherine swynford, the mistress and later. This is of course a very fine and entertaining story.

Ann seton was born in new york, new york, and died in old greenwich, connecticut. It made such an impression on me that, years later, i bought and read anya seton s green darkness, published in 1972, solely on the strength of the authors name. Like thousands of people the world over i read anya setons wonderful book katherine about katherine swynford when i was a teenager. The chief exception to this is, of course, anya seton s famous novel written in the 1950s, which fully endows katherine with the romantic image of the woman who, despite not being of noble birth, was to become the ancestress of the yorkist kings and the royal lines of the tudors and stuarts. It was my first introduction to her work and, in fact, i think it was the first book i read that dealt with real historical figures rather than fictional characters in a historical setting. Back then it was their equivalent of fifty shades, but by contemporary standards its pretty buttoned up. It tells the story of the historically important, 14thcentury love affair in england between the eponymous katherine swynford and john of gaunt. John, a younger son of king edward iii, was one of the richest and most powerful men of his day. Oct 01, 20 anya seton s vivid rendering of the lives of the duke and duchess of lancaster makes katherine an unmistakable classic. Setons book brings the characters and period to life and weirs sorts out fact from fiction and delves into the. Anya seton s increasingly rare classic historical novel, still as popular today as when it first appeared. She is the main character in anya seton s katherine.