Reviewed by Liza Perrat
Rating: 4 stars
As soon as I started
reading Katherine, I felt transported
from the 21st century straight back to the 14th; to a medieval
world filled with political intrigue, danger, violence, superstition and
romance. It was a memorable journey and, once over, it wasn’t easy to return to
the present.
Born commoners,
Katherine and her older sister Philippa, who married Geoffrey Chaucer, were
left poor, and while Philippa obtained a position in the household of the
Queen, wife to King Edward III of England, Katherine was sent to a convent.
Katherine eventually
joined her sister at Court, where her beauty captured the attention of the
lustful knight, Sir Hugh Swynford. Katherine reluctantly married him and became
Lady Swynford, but at the same time, she met John of Gaunt, the Duke of
Lancaster, son of King Edward III and brother to the heir to the throne, The
Black Prince. John was, at the time, happily married to the beautiful Blanche, who
became Katherine’s friend.
Upon the deaths of
Blanche and Hugh Swynford, their passion was consummated, and, despite John of
Gaunt having to marry the heiress to the throne of Castile, for political
reasons, Katherine remained the true love of his life. Katherine bore him many
children and their affair caused scandal, hatred and unrest throughout the
country.
I enjoyed learning much
about this historical period, as the author, through her impeccable research,
unerringly brought to life the characters that made this era memorable.
Written over half a
century ago, this little-documented historical fact is as moving today as it surely
was when it was first written. The richly-drawn portrait of the love affair of
Katherine De Roet and John of Gaunt is a novel to be savoured, and I would
highly recommend it to lovers of historical romance
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