Katherine by Anya Seton

Title: Katherine

Author:  Anya Seton

Narrated by:  Lorna Bennett

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 29 hours and 50 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.

  Do you still have any fall color in your area?  I still have a couple of trees in my yard that are slowly turning color, while most other trees are bare at this time.

 Katherine by Anya Seton is a historical fiction classic.  It tells the story of Katherine Swynford, and her love affair with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, son of the King.  This story is set during the 14^th century and the ripples of their love would affect the royal family for centuries to come.

 My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this book as part of the Back to the Classics Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library for our October read.  I had previously read this book around twenty years ago for my classics book club in Milwaukee.

·       Anya Seton is one of my favorite authors, but it has been a while since I’ve read one of her novels.  She writes unique historical stories that capture my imagination.

·       In Katherine, Seton paints a vivid picture of life in 14^th century England.  I felt like I was there.

·       The black death was brutal.  Katherine comes across a castle where the inhabitants are infected.  Instead of running away, she goes into danger to help.  Besides the black death, there is also the peasants’ revolt later in the novel.  She lived through very tumultuous times.

·       Katherine is a virtuous woman who does not give into the Duke’s affections until the death of her husband.  They IMMEDIATELY get together at his death, which seemed rushed to me.

·       The first half of the novel is Katherine’s early life, her marriage, having her first children, and it ends with her husband’s death and her getting together with the Duke.  The novel then skips forward a few years at this point and the second half of the novel covered a longer time period.

·       I kept pondering, what choice does Katherine have in any of this?  I realized at one point that Katherine really has little say if John of Gaunt wants her as his mistress.  She realized this in the book right after I did.  She tries to leave and go back to her own land, but she is roped back into being with the Duke.

·       Religion and faith play a big role in Katherine’s life even though she is most famously known as a mistress.

·       The fact that John of Gaunt eventually married Katherine and legitimized their children really showed to me that there was true love in their relationship.

·       I listened to this very long audiobook while traveling for work last month.  I found it very engaging, and it made my drives seem very short.

Favorite Quote: “Why does the whole world smell of blood and fire?  Why?”

Overall, Katherine by Anya Seton is a masterpiece of historical fiction and paints a vivid picture of the medieval life of an extraordinary woman.