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A review by vibeke_hiatt
The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman
4.0
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Goodreads Giveaways.
Before finding this book, I had never heard of Sharon Kay Penman before. As a fan of medieval history, I realized that, although I know the Crusades happened, I don't know much more than that. The Land Beyond the Sea shows us the Kingdom of Jerusalem almost a century after the first European Crusades and immediately before the famous Crusade of Richard Lionheart.
I was immediately impressed by Penman's ability to give personality and dimension to characters so often flattened by history. I felt their joys as well as their frustrations. I cared about what happened to them and wanted them to be happy. Although this is a long book, it was paced well and I didn't want to put it down. The palace intrigues were more interesting than the battle scenes, but I think that's more of a personal preference.
I look forward to reading more of Penman's books in the future.
Before finding this book, I had never heard of Sharon Kay Penman before. As a fan of medieval history, I realized that, although I know the Crusades happened, I don't know much more than that. The Land Beyond the Sea shows us the Kingdom of Jerusalem almost a century after the first European Crusades and immediately before the famous Crusade of Richard Lionheart.
I was immediately impressed by Penman's ability to give personality and dimension to characters so often flattened by history. I felt their joys as well as their frustrations. I cared about what happened to them and wanted them to be happy. Although this is a long book, it was paced well and I didn't want to put it down. The palace intrigues were more interesting than the battle scenes, but I think that's more of a personal preference.
I look forward to reading more of Penman's books in the future.