If you enjoy works based on medieval history Penman is definitely worth your checking out. 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. 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. Beckett is usually presented as, well, a saint-or at least a hero fighting the oppression of the state. 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. This book is perhaps a notch below that one, but still very entertaining with no dull spots. 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 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. Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman: 9780345396723 : Books In When Christ and His Saints Slept, acclaimed historical novelist Sharon Kay Penman portrayed all the deceit, danger, and drama of Henry II’s ascension. 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. Those favorites greatly moved me and are memorable years afterwards. At her best (Sunne in Splendour, Here Be Dragons) Penman is numbered among my favorite authors.