Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess | 
 enlarge | Author: Alison Weir
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
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Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 334
Media: Paperback
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0712641971
EAN: 9780712641975
ASIN: 0712641971
Publication Date: August 7, 2008
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Misleading title August 11, 2008
Booklady (Ireland)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was disappointed. Katherine Swynford is barely a ghost in this book. On the other hand we learn an enormous amount about the cast of hundreds who knew or were related or even contemporary with her. The book jumps around a great deal as well, filling in history about people I had no interest in and drifting away from what was supposed to be the main theme. That was confusing. As there were no facts to hang Katherine's character or life experience on, this was a dry and very lifeless read. It did follow John of Gaunt's life closely although he never came to real life between the pages either, which would be my most serious criticism. There's also a lot about Geoffrey Chaucer but I didn't buy the book to find out about him!
 The two Katherines February 8, 2008
Deborah (Kent, UK)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
I don't think I can be the only reader who, although very eager to read this book, felt a certain amount of trepidaton and yes, that is because one of my all-time favourite historical novels is Anya Seton's Katherine. Alison Weir has been very kind to me, I think: although her own research has clearly shown Seton's errors and conjecture and she has not swerved from presenting the facts as she has found them, at the same time she has not callously tried to destroy my rose-tinted images completely. So while I would rather believe, for instance, that John of Gaunt married Katherine entirely out of love, and that he had always been faithful to her, I can accept Weir's far more realistic point of view. Yes, many things about Katherine in this book are still speculation, due to the huge gaps in time when there is no record of her, but they are intelligent, considered speculation and offered to us as such. I enjoyed this portrait of Katherine Swynford immensely and was able to appreciate even more than before how extraordinary her life was. But I was still able to read Seton's novel with great pleasure, although I did have to suspend belief just a little more than I used to.
 Disappointing Biography February 4, 2008
J. P. Bennett (England)
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
I was so disappointed with this book. It should be retitled "John of Gaunt with a few mentions of Katherine Swynford".I can understand that, because of very little documented evidence remaining on Katherine, much of this book is actually supposition but it is very disappointing to buy a book expecting to discover so much more about a historical figure and actually get a fairly comprehensive biography of another.I feel that the biography really is about John of Gaunt rather than Katherine.
Not a book I would recommend.
Katherine Swynford January 31, 2008
Charlotte Billington (Lincolnshire)
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
I loved this book I couldn't put it down, I know a lot of the places that are talked about in the book, I was also intested in the history of the towns in book. I have also read Anya Seton's book a few years ago but loved the factual way this book was written.
This book is on my list of best books ever.
The biography I've been waiting for! January 21, 2008
L Mee (London,)
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
This is the book I've been waiting years for - ever since reading Anya Seton's 'Katherine'. I was thrilled when Jeanette Lucraft published her biography of Katherine, but was very disappointed, as it reflected a lack of evidence of the period and was very dry and scholarly. Alison Weir's book on the otherhand is a revelation and couldn't be more thorough, throwing up detailed historical evidence that I didn't think existed and written in a much more engaging style. For anyone with an interest in Katherine, John of Gaunt or the period generally, this is a fantastic read!
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