Summary set in chaucers england, where knights still adhere to courtly love for their ladies fair, and squires serve their beloved masters with unparalleled faithfulness, katherine depicts the story of katherine swynford, the longtime mistress and eventual third wife of john of gaunt. 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. 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. Anya seton made impressive and commendable efforts to get her facts right but it is not a valid portrayal of the historical katherine swinford. Anya seton 1904 1990 was the author of many bestselling historical novels, including the winthrop woman, avalon, dragonwyck, green darkness, devil water, and foxfire. Shed survived a period of plague, seen the peasants revolt and the hundred years war as well as having caused a national scandal. The narrative is at once comprehensive as well as entertaining, and offers the reader an insightful. Sep 29, 2006 anya seton did, and, in 1972, green darkness became her most popular novel by far, spending six months on the new york times bestseller list.
She was placed under queen philippas guardianship at a young age along with her sister philippa, who later married the poet geoffrey chaucer. The story of john of gaunt and his scandalous duchess, is worth reading. Katherine swynford was born on november 25 50, in picardy. Kimberlys mention of the plans to film katherine fascinates me. Katherine swynford is the subject of numerous novels, including anya seton s katherine, published in 1954. The story of john of gaunt and his scandalous duchess alison weir.
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. 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. Written in 1954 it predates much of the modern popularity for historical fiction but can easily. Katherines son was the same age as the young henry iv and the the two of them were close throughout their lives. Katherine by anya seton is the story of katherine roet. Unfortunately, as can be the way with medieval women, i could find no mention of her. Anya seton s vivid rendering of the lives of the duke and duchess of lancaster makes katherine an unmistakable classic.
Thomas beaufort duke of exeter, john beaufort 1st earl of somerset, joan beaufort countess of westmorland and henry beaufort. Her birthplace and birthdate are uncertain as there are no known surviving records. This is of course a very fine and entertaining story. Ultimately, that is what i didnt like about anya setons book she emphasised the divisions between the different factions beauforts, swynfords. John, a younger son of king edward iii, was one of the richest and most powerful men of his day. Katherine swynford was, through the children she had with john of gaunt before their marriage, an ancestor of the beaufort family, key players in such british historical events as the wars of. Katherine swynford was born around 50 to a knight from hainault who first came to england with queen philippa when she married edward iii. For a woman of common birth and no dowry to speak of, this is an excellent match, and spurred on by her everpracticalminded sister, katherine is in due time forced to accept the proposal. Katherine was voted into the top 100 in the bbcs the big read in 2003, and its popularity is such that, on the sign by katherine swynfords tomb in lincoln cathedral, it says this is katherine, of anya seton s popular historical book. Katherine swynford children and descendants children.
Hodder have repackaged anya setons classic under their hodder great reads imprint, and what better choice. Casting suggestions from the katherine swynford yahoo group for the novel katherine by anya seton. The people in katharine book one in this series are not mere characters created out thin air. Katherine arrives at the english court through the offices of the queen and is soon married to hugh, duke of swynford. A glorious example of romance in its most classic literary sense.
It wasnt simply seton s deft touch with historical. Ann seton was born in new york, new york, and died in old greenwich, connecticut. Anya seton wrote some other good books, but make no mistake this is her masterpiece. Seton applied freudian psychology in determining reasons for her characters behaviour but the morality of the book is very much that of the 1950s and not of the 0s. Katherine anya seton 1 exclude characters john of gaunt 1 katherine swynford 1 exclude relationships john of gauntkatherine swynford 1 exclude additional tags alternate universe canon divergence 1 other tags to exclude more options crossovers.
She had been the dukes lover for many years before their marriage. She had been the duke s lover for many years before their marriage. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 500 pages and is available in paperback format. Jul 21, 2012 at its heart though, alison weirs book is the story of a family, a stepfamily that worked. She also wrote the winthrop woman about puritan new england and heavily influenced sharon kay penman whose here be dragons trilogy and henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine books are some of the best early england historical novels ever written. Swynford is also the subject of nonfiction work, such as alison weir s 2008 biography katherine swynford. Seton s historical novels were noted for how extensively she researched the historical facts, and some of them were. Katherine swynford was born around the 50s, although historians cannot agree on an exact date or location, it is likely that it was somewhere in england.
The story covers her life from the year 66 through 96, her forced marriage to sir hugh swynford, and her enduring love affair with john of gaunt, the powerful duke of lancaster. Katherine by anya seton meet your next favorite book. Shed survived a period of plague, seen the peasants revolt and the hundred years war as well as having caused a. The story of john of gaunt and his scandalous duchess isbn 0224063219 and jeannette lucrafts historical biography katherine. Although this book covers a different time period, it is written by the same author and has her great attention to detail, authentic historical facts and a wonderful story. I understand that even today her books are much in demand and tend to fly off the shelves at used book stores. 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 in 2003, katherine was ranked 95 in the bbcs big read survey of britains bestloved novels. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are katherine swynford, edward iii of england. Jan 01, 2000 a glorious example of romance in its most classic literary sense. 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. 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 swynford, duchess of lancaster, was the third wife of john of gaunt, duke of lancaster, a son of king edward iii. Katherine, published in 1954 and never since out of print, tells the story of katherine swynford, the mistress and later. I must have read katharine by anya seton 56 times the last being a couple of years ago. Katherines date of birth was possibly 25 november as this is the feast day of her patron. While in a very silly mood nearly a decade ago, myself and a friend bought katherine by anya seton for 75p from a market stall because we had heard it was a rude book and we were teenagers having a silly moment. Published over fifty years ago, katherine is one of setons most significant works.
Katherine swynford circa 501403 katherine swynford, ancestress of the beaufort family, was probably born in hainaut, which is now in belguim, in 49 or 50, her birthdate may have been november 25, which is the feast day of st. Pdf katherine book by anya seton free download 500 pages. Katherine is anya seton s finest book, which is high praise considering her talent. The winthrop woman by anya seton deltaqueen50 deltaqueen50. Anya setons vivid rendering of the lives of the duke and duchess of lancaster makes katherine an unmistakable classic.
She also wrote the winthrop woman about puritan new england and heavily influenced sharon kay penman whose here be dragons trilogy and henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine books are some of the best early england historical. 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. Katherine, named after its title character katherine swynford, first intrigued me because of its fourteenth century setting. 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. Anya seton did, and, in 1972, green darkness became her most popular novel by far, spending six months on the new york times bestseller list. Originally published in 1954, it has become an urtext. The couples children, born before the marriage, were later legitimised during the reign of the dukes nephew. 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. However, i was disappointed, not by the massive amount of research the author put into her subject, but by the fact that i finished the book feeling i knew little more about katherine. Its easy to speculate why seton chose katherine as the subject for a novel. Unfortunately, it bewitches the uncouth knight, hugh swynford, and he asks for her hand in marriage after accosting her. Katherine is based on the true story of katherine swynford and john of gaunt from 14th century england. Anya seton january 23, 1904 november 8, 1990, born ann seton, was an american author of historical romances, or as she preferred they be called, biographical novels.
Mar 28, 2008 casting suggestions from the katherine swynford yahoo group for the novel katherine by anya seton. Katherine married john of gaunt, 1st duke of lancaster in 96, at age 45. 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 edwardiii. Katherine 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. Nov 20, 2015 katherine swynford, duchess of lancaster, was the third wife of john of gaunt, duke of lancaster, a son of king edward iii. John of gaunt was a son of king edward iii of england. Katherine by anya seton it is rewarding when someone we know, or know indirectly in our young life, becomes a prolific writer and many years later we have the collection of stories by this author.
See more ideas about history, john of gaunt and british history. Katherine, published in 1954 and never since out of print, tells the story of katherine swynford, the mistress and later the wife of john of gaunt, the third son of edward. Mar, 2006 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. Sylvia joys first reading of anya seatons katherine roger joy the standard bearer. Katherine swynfords coat of arms after her marriage to john of gaunt katherine died on the 10th may 1403 having outlived john of gaunt by four years. For katherine is one of the great reads, indeed, one of the great novels, of the twentieth century.
Having read anya seton s book katherine and being fascinated by the life of john of gaunt, i was eager to read alison weirs book about katherine swynford. 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. She is fortunate in this pairing, although katherine detests her rude husband from the moment she sets eyes on him. Jan 22, 2020 katherine swynford was, through the children she had with john of gaunt before their marriage, an ancestor of the beaufort family, key players in such british historical events as the wars of the roses and the rise of the tudors. So is the case with my association with the setons when ernest thompson seton, father of anya lived in new mexico, was an acquaintance of my family. 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. These famous people were the friends and family of john of gaunt duke of lancaster, and katharine swynford ancestress of royal families. This assignment is both an absolute joy and something of a challenge. Love, honour and royal blood is well worth reading. Katherine is a 1954 historical novel by american author anya seton. Anya seton s increasingly rare classic historical novel, still as popular today as when it first appeared.
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. Please expect some creasing to the spine andor minor damage to the cover. On a less cheery note, thomas swynford very probably starved richard ii to death to make his stepbrother easier on the throne. Jun 06, 2017 katherine swynford was born around 50 to a knight from hainault who first came to england with queen philippa when she married edward iii. 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 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. It tells the story of the historically important, 14thcentury love affair in england between the eponymous katherine swynford and john of gaunt. Katherine swynford from mistress to duchess history of. She was an ancestor of henry vii, the first tudor king. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership.
Katherine swynford is, arguably, the most famous or infamous of english ladies to have risen so high as to become the first lady of the kingdom, without ever being queen. Katherine swynford was the governess of the children of john of gaunt, then his mistress, and finally his wife. Like thousands of people the world over i read anya setons wonderful book katherine about katherine swynford when i was a teenager. The first edition of the novel was published in 1954, and was written by anya seton. She was the daughter of englishborn naturalist and pioneer of the boy scouts of. Jun 02, 2017 katherine swynfords coat of arms after her marriage to john of gaunt katherine died on the 10th may 1403 having outlived john of gaunt by four years. Katherine swynford historical records and family trees. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Katherine swynford, duchess of scandal history the. This book is both a spiritual coming of age tale and a hauntinglybeautiful love story. Back then it was their equivalent of fifty shades, but by contemporary standards its pretty buttoned up and prim.