O Coração de Leão

Plantagenet Saga #3

by Jean Plaidy

Terceiro volume da série que narra as venturas e desventuras da realeza envolvida em tramas sórdidas na luta pelo poder: A Saga Plantageneta, uma das dinastias mais poderosas que governou a Inglaterra do século XII ao século XV, atravessando os momentos conturbados da Guerra dos Cem Anos e finalmente dando lugar à dinastia Tudor. O coração de leão destaca o esplendor e a crueldade na era de Ricardo, que assume a Coroa após a morte de Henrique II, jurando recuperar Jerusalém para o mundo cristão. Suas campanhas na Sicília, a conquista de Chipre e as vitórias na Terra Santa lhe conferiram fama, mas permitiram que o traiçoeiro príncipe João usurpasse o trono durante sua ausência. O caráter aventureiro de Ricardo levou ao enfraquecimento da instituição monárquica na Inglaterra, abrindo caminho para a crise que seria desencadeada no reinado seguinte. Quem gosta de história da Idade Média pode se deliciar com as peripécias da família que reinou na Inglaterra por tanto tempo, um período politicamente instável, mas de grande prosperidade cultural.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Plantagenet, British Literature, 12th Century, Medieval

420 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel picks up after the death of Henry II and the reign of Richard the Lionheart. Plaidy nudges Richard toward homosexuality without actually verbalizing any activity. He neglects his kingdom and his wife for his crusade.
RTC

[Rosemarie Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am, if anyone hadn't guessed thus far, a massive fan of Jean Plaidy. Whilst having little to no interest in the Plantagenet dynasty before now I suddenly find myself enthralled, almost entirely through her wonderful writings, and gaining new knowledge day by day of the period.

Plaidy books are for those who love history but need a light or fictitious doorway to saunter in through. For me engaging a new historical period solely on the strength of non-fiction is daunting. However if I watch series, films and read fiction about it before hand I find the information sinking in easier, the whole thing becoming pleasure instead of pain.

The Heart of the Lion is packed with facts concerning the reign of Richard I and also has a fair bit of fiction in there too. Speculation about Richard's sexuality runs rife and Plaidy's take on his relationship with Saladin (a mutual respect and nobility in both characters) is novel. Overall I was entirely impressed with this installment, perhaps more so than Revolt of the Eaglets, because the voice of Richard is so clear, just like that of Eleanor of Aquitaine was in the Plantagenet Prelude.

Overall I cannot recommend enough and look forward to the next title!!

[Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This will be the last book I read in this series. I'm officially fed up with Plaidy's writting. She is so repetitive it feels as if I read the same couple of pages over and over again. Nothing happens. The big battles are reduced to a single sentence while all the mundane little thoughts are stressed, underlined and repeated to the point where it feels like they are almost your own thoughts. No, I'm done with this.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite book by this author so far, but that might be because I find Richard I to be the most boring English king. I think a lot of people find him to be one of the more exciting monarchs, but he spent so little of his life in Britain and I wrote so many papers about the crusades when I was getting my history degree, plus all the books about crusaders that came out when The Da Vinci Code was popular, that I just can't stomach them anymore. So much mindless slaughter in the name of a God who preaches love? Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. And when it comes to fiction books, I really could live with less battle scenes. I prefer the politics, the people behind the curtain pulling the strings. I don't need to know how many days it took to lay siege to a city in the Holy Land. It doesn't interest me anymore. All of this is just my way of saying that I'm not sure how much my apathy toward this book is because of how it is written and how much is because of the subject matter. It does cover one of the shorter periods of time in these novels (some books cover entire 60+ year lives) and that might have something to do with my boredom level. Simply not enough happens in England. Fingers crossed the next book is a bit more intriguing for me.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a good job of bringing one of England's most famous kings to life. Richard I, aka Richard the Lionheart, is portrayed more realistically than in other accounts I’ve read, and especially more so than in most film adaptations I've seen.

While Richard was a great leader and warrior, he hardly cared for the country who crowned him, spending little time upon English soil. He taxed the people heavily to fund his ambition of going on a crusade to Jeruselem.

Other characters, such as Richard’s neglected wife Berengaria and his formiddable mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, are also of interest. Eleanor, of course, features in the previous two books in the Plantagenet series, for hers was a long life.

Couldn’t help but feel sorry for Berengaria. Don’t know how much of Ms Plaidy’s accounts are factual, but the queen’s life must’ve been a lonely one. Disappointing too, if she really loved her husband. She strikes me as the perfect wife, being both beautiful and devoted. She deserved a better life, but alas! Such was the fate of princesses.

Having known little of Richard’s sister Joanna, I was especially interested in the storylines that featured her. She comes across as being like her mother, thus she’s far from boring.

And of course, waiting in the wings, we have Prince John willing for his brother’s death so as to claim the English crown himself. John may be one of the most despicable personages of my country’s history but he’s also one of the most fascinating.

Some quality scenes feature throughout "The Heart of the Lion". Trouble at sea that leads to a stint in Cyprus is one of the most intriguing episodes.

Overall, the story is engaging and at times highly entertaining, but like in most Plaidy novels, there are elements of repetition that jar on the nerves. Here, for example, we have Richard described as the greatest soldier of his age, etc., a few times to many. Other themes also are repeated too often, plus the phrase “without delay” is done to death in this and the first two books of the series.

Because of the amount of annoying repetition I’ve rated this otherwise entertaining novel four stars instead of five.

[Vee Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heart of the Lion by Jean Plaidy is the continuation of her series of books on England's kings. She takes historically accurate accounts and fictionalizes them by adding supposed dialogue and character motivation. This novel recounted the life of Richard I aka Richard the Lionhearted who reigned from September 1189 to April 1199.

Richard I was the third son of King Henry II. His two older brothers died without children which meant Richard was next in line. This book takes you through his reign as well as his part in leading the Third Crusade in the middle east.

First, let me say that a soap opera would envy the amount of drama going on among the kings of England. There have been multiple times in reading this author's books on the history of England that I've been sure she made something up because it was so outlandish and yet when I researched, it happened. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a well-told story and learning about history.

I'm about to get in the weeds here about history, so you might want to stop reading now. It's going to be boring. You've been warned, lol.

Jean Plaidy's books are pretty accurate, but not always. For example, in her telling of Richard the Lionhearted's life, she paints him as gay. You could make a strong case that Edward II was gay (English king from 1284-1327), but I don't think Richard was. The reason some think he was gay seems to be based mainly on 2 things. First, when Richard was much younger and just a prince, he was very close to the king of France and they were known to share a bed. However, it was not uncommon in the Middle Ages for men to share a bed. The other reason some say he was gay is because Richard married late for the Middle Ages (in his 30s) and when he did finally marry, he rarely lived with his wife and they had no children. I don't think this means he was gay for two reasons. First, his parents (after having their children) did not live together. They had a very dysfunctional relationship. I think Richard felt it was normal to live apart from one's wife because of this. Second, Richard I was known to have at least one illegitimate son. Further, he was a womanizer and even on his deathbed, he was having women being brought to him. I don't think he was homosexual.

[Taylor's♡Shelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

If a thousand-year-old story can have spoilers then... spoilers I guess. Also this is not a review, but rather just a collection of gripes and some positive things to jog my memory later. If your time is important to you, I'd stop reading.

Just a word of warning that if you detest sappy romance novels, you'll probably DNF this novel after the first hundred pages. Not to imply that this is a romance novel, but you have to be willing to slump through countless Adonis-worthy descriptions of a particular king by a particular king. I really have no problem with this angle, but I don't feel the need to be hit over the head with it every. single. page. My issue with implications in novels is that it needs to be sparse to appeal to me. Being ambiguous about something like sexual orientation can be an interesting addition to a novel but when you're teasing your reader with it on every page then it's no longer a question. Be direct or be ambiguous. For some reason Plaidy decided to be both.

That being said, I really didn't have any issues with how the historical figures were depicted. The personalities felt fairly believable and I particularly loved the dialogue between Joanna and Berengaria. I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that Plaidy's Richard summoned Berengaria when he was dying when, in reality, he never called her there. Might as well shove another nail in my heart.

I really had an issue with pacing by the end of the book. So many chapters were spent on Cyprus, Sicily, and Acre. I only imagine that Plaidy was running close to her word max by the end because Richard's life from Guillard to his death was covered in seven pages. Also, there was literally one paragraph that described the collection of the ransom.

I feel the only reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did is my existing obsession with the source material. If it wasn't for that I may have not finished. I still haven't read Penman's rendition and I really hope for something a little different.

Also, someone give Berengaria a hug already. I'm having heart palpitations just thinking about it.

[ribbonknight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up mistakenly thinking it was the final book in Plaidy’s Normandy trilogy, but once I’d realized mistake, I had already discovered this picks up where The Lion In Winter leaves off, so couldn’t stop even though I do intend to read the interstitial books.

This book is about King Richard I, the Lion-Hearted.
Plaidy describes an epic romance between Richard and Philip II, King of France, started when they were young and Richard a prisoner of France. It is clear that the men love one another, but being the kings of their respective countries they were always star-crossed and had plenty of reasons to hate each other, too.

I appreciated the inclusion of Richard’s sister Joana as a companion to his neglected wife Berengaria. Their perspective and highlighting of the role of princesses as pawns felt honest and unforced.

Richard meets a sudden and violent death, caused by his own prior violence. This felt poetically just, and even Richard respected his assassin.

The character who shines the most in this book is Richard’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, so I am excited to eventually to return to the books preceding this one.

In the interim, I seem set up to read Shakespeare’s King John I next?

This is a high three stars for me. Jean Plaidy is a reliable author writing about content that interests me. The writing is serviceable and insights interesting -this book marks clear she thinks Richard suffered from recurrent malaria and that he was definitely not behind an assassination of which he was accused.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Heart of the Lion was published in the 1970s and presents relations amongst the Plantagenets similarly to The Lion in Winter film. In subsequent decades, Historians have questioned some of these longstanding perceptions of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their children The novel therefore seems quite dated compared to, for example, Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman. The novel is at its best during the scenes of mutual respect between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin and the chapters about the friendship between Richard's high spirited sister Joanna, Queen of Sicily and his neglected wife Berengeria of Navarre.

[Gareth Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel tells the life of Richard the Lion Heart and his lifelong love-hate relationship with Philip of France. It is a product of its time, treating relationships in a rather coy way and often glossing over barbarous actions by Richard while castigating those of his enemies. Nevertheless, by the end, a successful portrait of a flawed king emerges despite all his supposed successes on the battlefield. His one great justification, to take Jerusalem never achieved and thus, the reader is left wondering at all the costs of a Holy War - making the tale of his life as relevant today as it ever was.

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I finished this book in less than a day - it was fantastic. This book - #3 in the series - tells the story of Richard the Lion Heart and his reign as King. Truly fascinating. I profess I didn't know much about him and it was a terrific story - told only as Jean Plaidy can - and his reign as King, his relationship with his sister Joanna (Queen of Sicily), his mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquataine and his wife - Berengia. His continued love/hate relationship with Philip King of France and his Holy Crusade to save Jerusalem. You will not be able to put this book down. Now on to Book 4!

[Beth Roger aka Katiebella_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry the Second has died and his son Richard has inherited the throne. Never truly wanting to rule he goes off on a quest of Valor in the catholic name. Leaving Englad in the hands of his mother and a scheming brother.
The story of one of England favorite kings. A king who barely was even I'm England during his rule. A man who didn't really have romantic interests but married anyway. The wife left in a strange country longing for the love she dreamed about growing up.
Truly a great read.

[Helen Birkbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a bit better than the others in the series, as a few interesting characters are more prominent, but still far too much repetition and the endless innuendo about Richard's sexuality gets very boring.

[Carole-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a paperback edition by Pan Books Ltd published December 1978

[Lucinda Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I originally read this book decades ago, I wasn’t aware that Plaidy had been quite as open about King Richard’s sexuality. A good read that I really enjoyed.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her best. But I will always be a fan of Plaidy

[Juliette · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, really.

[Judith Richie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a little pedantic in the middle, and had too many details that added nothing to the story.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard the Lion Hearted and the 3rd Crusade.

[Osman Junior · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ricardo como marido foi um ótimo rei! Assim como entre o Coração de Leão e outros personagens masculinos, eu compartilho de um "amor estranho" com essa série de livros. Repetitiva e piegas? Sem dúvidas. Mas no final, surge um retrato autêntico de uma figura histórica controversa.

[Ally · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the age of thirty-two, Richard the Lionheart has finally succeeded Henry II to the English throne. And, against his father's wishes, he intends to make Berengaria, daughter of the Kind of Navarre, his Queen. But first he must fulfil his vow to his country to win back Jerusalem for the Christian world. Leaving England to begin his crusade.

The book was so bad that the above is some of the book blurb, not all of it because it is incorrect. The back blurb say that 'Richard entrusts his kingdom to his brother, John', but he left his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine with his kingdom. I have to say that this was the worst book in the Plantagenet series that I've read so far. If I wasn't in a couple of reading challenges I wouldn't have bothered to finish it. But I am so glad it is over! There was very little to hold my interest, this book lacked any intrigue that the others had, it was mainly about the crusade and the fighting and that wasn't written well enough to be interesting. I wonder if Jean Plaidy didn't care much for Richard the Lionheart and therefor had difficulty writing about him. Hopefully the next book will be better, but I will look for other books about Richard because he is such a famous historical character. I also wonder if this incredible fighting machine was gay as Jean Plaidy says he is. Although I think this book has put me off history for a while. I actually read two books below whilst reading this to break the boredom.

[Gina Schwartz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book at a Church harvest and thought it would be a fitting addition to my historical fiction collection. Ithought it was just ok. I haven't read much about Richard the Lion Hearted - except of course that he went on a crusade but from this novel made his seems quite blah.

The most exciting incident comes way toward the end of the novel and surrounds Richard's release from captivity. i dont want to spoilt the story (can you really spoil the story in historical stuff) but anyway an amazing piece of detective work is done to ensure his release. Really amazing. This guy should be in CSI. The novel is probably worth reading for this alone.

For me the novle brought up lots of thoughts about responsibility. What are a king's responsibilities? Throughout the novel people go to great pains to convince Richard that his responsibilities are to his country - to guide, keep safe and produce an heir. He however is committed to his crusade which he states is a responsibility to God and does none of the three. In the end his crusade also is less than completely successful. Maybe this is a sign.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard, son of Henry II, comes to power upon the death of his father. The newly crowned King of England and Duke of Normandy fees his mother as his first act as King. The Queen Mother Eleanor sets about to make Richard, always her favored son, the most powerful ruler in the world. Though he is honest and forthright and has the presence to be such, he is too easily distracted. He tosses off his betrothed for the Princess Berengaria of Navarre, who makes him a loving and devoted wife. Alas, she wastes her talents on him, as he never truly returns her affetion.

Most of Richard's reign is consumed with a crusade to free Jerusalem from the Saracens, which is ruled a failure. The rest is taken up with squashing the rebellion led by his brother John at home in his absence. For all that he could have been a great ruler, he never really allowed himself to rise above unconquerable general.

Plaidy is a talented spinner of tales, although her earlier works are a bit slower paced.

[James Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard I of England known throughout history as the lionheart! He is one of My favorite characters of Midi-evil History. I read and study every source that I can. Though I Like to read Jean plaidy Books I am dis-appointed in her writings on Richard I, Her history of events are pretty accurate she seems to focus on his Sexuallity. Which I find Disconcerning and irresponsible. There I is no concrete evidence that he was a homo-sexual. This did not come out until around 1948 By John Harvey based on silence as admission of sin though Victorian and Edwardian historians had rarely broached this character Flaw. In her Book "lionheart" in Her Authors note section Sharon Kay Penman points out That Richard was accused by his enemies of all sorts of Crimes Murder, Hiring Assassins, so why not accuse him of sodomy which in the middle-ages? A more accurate and and fair account of the personage of the King. Read Sharon Kay Penmans Books "Great Historical Fiction."

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Plantagenet saga gets better with each book. The complex relationship between Richard and Philip of France lies at the heart of the novel and is dealt with deftly. The dialogue between them gives a real sense of the power struggle at the centre of their dynamic.

The sub-plots concerning Richard's sister Joanna in Sicily and Cyprus and the none-too savoury Prince John waiting in the wings to take Richard's throne are woven in well to the main narrative. I knew nothing of Joanna so this was interesting historical territory to meet.

As others have pointed out there are some descriptive repetitions - Richard's prowess as a warrior is constantly referenced as is Berengaria's disappointment in her marriage - which are irritating in a minor way.

Overall, a well paced and even handed telling of this legendary King's story. I'm looking forward to reading Dan Jones The Plantagenets to compare truth with fiction!

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, another book I read on the Lionheart. Admittedly, they've both been fiction and by authors praised for their talent. But I just couldn't really enjoy this one, either - so perhaps it IS the Lionheart I just can't take to.

The cast of characters surrounding Richard are alive with vitality - particularly Eleanor of Aquitaine, his mother - including his poor, lost wife Berengaria. However, unlike characters we come to love and cheer for, or those we simply love to hate, I have no feeling at all for Richard...

[Pepca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard the Lionhearted is often romanticised in fiction. However, Plaidy portrays him in a much more realistic way, with his good and bad qualities. The latter are above all his naivety and the notorious Plantagenet temper and are to blame for some of his mistakes that ultimately lead to his downfall.

Read full review on my blog, Beyond Strange New Words.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third in the Plantagenet series and each one has been a 5* rating. I have learnt so much about this period of history, and was amazed at the exploits (and antics) of Richard the Lionheart, one of our 'greatest' kings! A great warrior, but not so great a ruler. Still, he's better than the king in the next book, the infamous JOHN. I look forward to learning more about him. Perhaps he was a good king after all. Perhaps not.

[Lector Perruno · Rating 2 out of 5]

La nota sería 2´5 estrellas.
Hay que dejar claro que la recreación del reinado de Ricardo es buena. Esta repleta de detalles, anécdotas, perfila bien la personalidad del protagonista...La autora hace bien su trabajo.
El único problema es que el reinado no me ha parecido tan emocionante como el de Enrique II. Es una cuestión de mi gusto personal, no del libro.
Leeré el siguiente, cuando tome un "respiro Plantagenet"

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this 3rd book in the series as much as the first 2 but still enjoyed it. The story of Richard I and the crusades was intriguing as well as the constant eye-on-the-crown John. I do really like the way Ms. Plaidy makes this time of what has always seemed to me a mangled, impossible to understand era much more easily understood. On to #4-and John....