[ book tip by Sarah Grout ] I was really looking forward to reading the history of Katherine Swynford; like many others, Alison Weir included, Anya Seton's seminal novel cast a long shadow over my teenage-reading years. However, while Weir can be an engaging story-teller, most chapters were crowded with superfluous detail. While it was interesting to know how much money John of Gaunt spent on Katherine, this needed to only be mentioned a few times, rather than every chapter. However, with the limited information (and antagonistic historians who profiled Katherine after her death), Weir encouraged the reader to speculate with her in a lively and intriguing fashion. If nothing else, it inspires me to go back to Seton's novel - perhaps Weir's ulitimate intention to raise Katherine Swynford's profile.

[ book info ] Weir, Alison: Katherine Swynford. The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess . Vintage, 2008 (7 August 2008). ISBN: 978-0712641975 .