The Sunne in Splendour

Summary (from the publisher): A glorious novel of the controversial Richard III - a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history.

In this beautifully rendered modern classic, Sharon Kay Penman redeems Richard III - vilified as the bitter, twisted, scheming hunchback who murdered his nephews, the princes in the Tower - from his maligned place in history with a dazzling combination of research and storytelling. 

Born into the treacherous courts of fifteenth-century England, in the midst of what history has called The War of the Roses, Richard was raised in the shadow of his charismatic brother, King Edward IV. Loyal to his friends and passionately in love with the one woman who was denied him, Richard emerges as a gifted man far more sinned against than sinning. 

This magnificent retelling of his life is filled with all of the sights and sounds of battle, the customs and lore of the fifteenth century, the rigors of court politics, and the passions and prejudices of royalty.

Review: This work of historical fiction covers the life of Richard III from his time as a young boy in 1459 through his death and beyond to 1492. Frequently vilified throughout history as a evil hunchback who killed his two young nephews who were known as the princes in the Tower, Penman seeks to redeem Richard as an honorable man whose legacy has been much maligned with the passage of time. 

Richard III was the younger brother of King Edward IV of England and succeeded his brother on the throne over his two youthful nephews, who later mysteriously disappeared from the Tower of London. Richard would become the last king from the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat ushered in the reign of Tudor. Penman has done an excellent job of both bringing his story to life but also persuasively showing how public opinion and his enemies twisted his story. This novel presents Richard as an honest, loyal brother who was devoted to his wife Anne, and truly sought to do the right thing in becoming king. 

This was a long novel but its length allowed for amazing depth in both the storytelling and characterization of many of the characters surrounding Richard, including his brothers Edward and George, his wife Anne, and his niece Bess. I loved the imagined love story between Richard and his wife, albeit one with a tragic conclusion. I also appreciated the retelling of Richard's story, which was obviously based on sound historical research. However, at times it did seem as if the Richard depicted in this book was perhaps a bit too perfect; his only flaw was being too trusting and working too hard to do the right thing, even when it meant his downfall. 

This was an absorbing novel that took a fresh approach to a much told story, and in the process helped readers view a previously accepted villain as a fallen hero. The tragic story of Richard III is one filled with bitter betrayals and loss. While we can't know with certainty what Richard was like in real life, I enjoyed reading an alternative perspective on a man who might possibly deserve a second chance from history and was given that in this novel. 

Stars: 4