Knights Honor

by Roberta Gellis

Book Overview

very good book

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380006049
• ISBN13: 9780380006045
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 396 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Historical fiction which takes some liberties...

The story is set in the civil war ensuing from the succession dispute after Henry I died - leaving a daughter Matilda (or Maud) who by her sex was unacceptable to the English barons. His nephew Stephen (son of his sister) seized the throne. At the time this story is set, Matilda has ceded leadership of her cause to her son Henry (the future Henry II). Roger, Earl of Hereford is a partisan of Henry. First things first: this is a work of historical fiction, with a strong romantic component; or it is a historical romance which is really heavy on the history. If you know this period well from reading Cadfael mysteries or Penman's novels, the work goes so much easier. The author does make assumptions about the reader's knowledge of English history. Roger, Earl of Hereford existed, but his wife Elizabeth did not exist. While the author admits this, she justifies the creation of Elizabeth on the basis of artistic license. Readers who want strict historical accuracy will find this troubling. I am a little concerned myself - I prefer great barons to be portrayed accurately (with correct parentage and spouse), while I allow considerable leeway for minor knights who can be created out of the author's imagination. From this point of view, the work fails.However, the work has considerable charm in its own right. The Earl of Hereford is portrayed quite accurately for his time - not necessarily considerate of his wife (in the post-modern way that most medieval heroes are now portrayed) but considered a good husband for all that by his peers. Yes, he does rape a peasant girl, but that is par for the course. Elizabeth's concerns are somewhat modern - her fears of losing her individuality and identity seem somewhat shallow given the more pressing physical dangers in that time. I also don't understand why every medieval author must have the heroine dressing as a woman, and being able to pass off as a woman successfully. Yes, women did cross-dress, but only under situations of extreme desperation [see Ellis Peter's ONE CORPSE TOO MANY for an example].The ending is inconclusive, in both Roger's friendship with his soon-to-be king being questioned and his relationship with his wife somewhat uncertain. From both points, the book ends less than satisfactorily - whether you are reading it as a work of historical fiction, or as a historical romance. Readers of the latter genre want the Happily Ever After ending; readers of the former genre appreciate an epilogue or postscript indicating what happened to the main characters. To find the fate of Roger of Hereford, you need to go instead to the history books.I rate this book at a 3.7 which is a so-so rating. I wish I could have rated it higher, since I love this particular period (the beginning of Stephen's reign to the death of Henry II).

Thoughtful but disturbing history

The plot centers on Roger, Earl of Hereford, during the war between Stephen and the Empress Maude for the Crown of England. Central to the story is the marriage between Roger and Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Chester.Disturbingly, Roger is an historical character, but Elizabeth is not. The marriage is troubled by Elizabeth's difficulty in adapting to her role as Roger's wife and her fears that she will lose her identity within the marriage. A flight from the marriage leads to tragedy that will always trouble the love that they share.Episodic, the novel begins after the death of Roger's father and ends with the departure of Henry II for France to attempt the courtship of Eleanor of Aquitaine, leaving Roger, who has given his life to Henry's cause, to feel deserted and somewhat betrayed. He is exhausted and drained by the demands of the war and determines to live in peace (until Henry returns).Leah and Caine of Bond of Blood are major characters, as are Caine's father.The novelist either assumes prior knowledge of the events of this war, or subordinates information on this subject to the overall message of waste and despair. I urge anyone who finds the book to first read Sharon Penman's Whene Christ and His Saints Slept, which will fill in the background, including that of Roger.I recommend the book but am bothered by the inconclusive ending. The major figures of Roger and his wife are abandoned in the middle of their story. I am also bothered that the historic and important hero is given a nonhistoric wife, as if his own story was of no interest.