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Katherine

The classic historical romance

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About this listen

Katherine comes to the court of Edward III at the age of 15. The naïve convent-educated orphan of a penniless knight is dazzled by the jousts and the entertainments of court. Nevertheless, Katherine is beautiful, and she turns the head of the King's favourite son John of Gaunt. But he is married, and she is soon to be betrothed. A few years later their paths cross again and this time their passion for each other cannot be denied or suppressed. Katherine becomes the prince's mistress, and discovers an extraordinary world of power, pleasure and passion.

©1954 Anya Seton (P)2009 ISIS Publishing Ltd Fiction Historical Fiction Romance Royalty
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It was with great pleasure that I spotted "Katherine" in New Releases. I first read this book as a teenager and have re-read it many times since - I even took a copy of it with me on my honeymoon. If you like Sharon Penman and Philipa Gregory you will love this. The narrator is excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting yet another old friend courtesy of Audible.

An enduring classic

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I recently read Alison Weir's Katherine Swynford in which she refers to this novel as being, on the whole, historically accurate and, having never read it, was delighted to find it Audible.



I loved it; the characters are beautifully described and believable, even the minor ones, and Diana Bishop's reading brings them fantastically to life. It tells the story of the young Katherine from her arrival in London to the legacy of her children. The characters have such depth, none of the good man / bad man nonsense that I've found in other historical novels. They become as real as your friends and family, and the reality of poor living conditions and harsh treatment isn't skipped over in favour of romance.



It is passionate and romantic but it also tells the story of a turbulent time that drew me in so that I found it hard to switch off, and I felt I was there in a plague-stricken castle or at the burning of the Savoy.



John and Katherine's love is the spinal cord of the story but you will also find the fingerprints of heralds and pages and the voices of maids and lords and minstrels in this book.





Passionate history, but don't be put off!

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I'd never heard of Anya Seton and didn't really know what to expect of this audiobook, but all the positive reviews are well-deserved; the writing is strong, much more so than expected, much better than most the historical fiction these days, and the narrator did a lovely job. As another reviewer has said, more Anya Seton, please! I'd also add, please use this narrator again as well!

I'd highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, men and women alike - although the main character is a woman and there is a strong romantic thread to the story, the characters, settings, and politics of the time period are more the focus and are fascinating.

A new favourite...

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What did you like most about Katherine?

So good I have listened to it 5 times

Who was your favorite character and why?

John of gaunt.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Peasants revolt

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Nope. It was fab

Wonderful

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Would you consider the audio edition of Katherine to be better than the print version?

No but just as good and I listened more to the details.

Which character – as performed by Diana Bishop – was your favourite?

katherine

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both

Any additional comments?

I have read this book 5 times and now listened to it. probably this is because Ilive near Lincoln and can picture many of the places. interesting to note that even then there was a north south divide !

Favourite read

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