What do you think?
Rate this book
Owen Glendower
Traces the exploits of the medieval Welsh hero, noting the rescue of a rebel priest and his companion by a young Oxford scholar whose fate is tied to the last prince of Wales.
777 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
58 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
About the author
John Cowper Powys
176 books173 followersPowys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar. His mother was descended from the poet William Cowper, hence his middle name. His two younger brothers, Llewelyn Powys and Theodore Francis Powys, also became well-known writers. Other brothers and sisters also became prominent in the arts.
John studied at Sherborne School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and became a teacher and lecturer; as lecturer, he worked first in England, then in continental Europe and finally in the USA, where he lived in the years 1904-1934. While in the United States, his work was championed by author Theodore Dreiser. He engaged in public debate with Bertrand Russell and the philosopher and historian Will Durant: he was called for the defence in the first obscenity trial for the James Joyce novel, Ulysses, and was mentioned with approval in the autobiography of US feminist and anarchist, Emma Goldman.
He made his name as a poet and essayist, moving on to produce a series of acclaimed novels distinguished by their uniquely detailed and intensely sensual recreation of time, place and character. They also describe heightened states of awareness resulting from mystic revelation, or from the experience of extreme pleasure or pain. The best known of these distinctive novels are A Glastonbury Romance and Wolf Solent. He also wrote some works of philosophy and literary criticism, including a pioneering tribute to Dorothy Richardson.
Having returned to the UK, he lived in England for a brief time, then moved to Corwen in Wales, where he wrote historical romances (including two set in Wales) and magical fantasies. He later moved to Blaenau Ffestiniog, where he remained until his death in 1963.
John studied at Sherborne School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and became a teacher and lecturer; as lecturer, he worked first in England, then in continental Europe and finally in the USA, where he lived in the years 1904-1934. While in the United States, his work was championed by author Theodore Dreiser. He engaged in public debate with Bertrand Russell and the philosopher and historian Will Durant: he was called for the defence in the first obscenity trial for the James Joyce novel, Ulysses, and was mentioned with approval in the autobiography of US feminist and anarchist, Emma Goldman.
He made his name as a poet and essayist, moving on to produce a series of acclaimed novels distinguished by their uniquely detailed and intensely sensual recreation of time, place and character. They also describe heightened states of awareness resulting from mystic revelation, or from the experience of extreme pleasure or pain. The best known of these distinctive novels are A Glastonbury Romance and Wolf Solent. He also wrote some works of philosophy and literary criticism, including a pioneering tribute to Dorothy Richardson.
Having returned to the UK, he lived in England for a brief time, then moved to Corwen in Wales, where he wrote historical romances (including two set in Wales) and magical fantasies. He later moved to Blaenau Ffestiniog, where he remained until his death in 1963.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 26, 2025
4.5 stars
An immense historical novel (over 900 pages). My first encounter with Powys since the 1980s. John Cowper Powys was one of eleven siblings, all of whom were talented and creative. I have long been an admirer of his brother Theodore’s work. Powys identified as an anarchist, anti-fascist, anti-Stalinist. He mainly spent his working life teaching and taught in the US for over thirty years. He moved in creative circles and appeared for the defence when Joyce’s Ulysses was the subject of an obscenity trial. He moved to Corwen in Wales and this was where he wrote this novel, the first of two set in Wales. This one is about Glyndwr’s rebellion against Henry IV in the early fifteenth century.
The novel runs from about 1400 to 1416. The characterisation here is complex and pretty good; the reader gets a strong sense of even the minor characters. We follow the story mostly through the main character Rhisiart ab Owen, a cousin of Glyndwr (as Powys refers to Owen in the novel), goes to Wales from Oxford where he becomes clerk to Owen. There is a fairly loose relationship to the known historical facts, this is very much not a history. We do not know when Glyndwr died, probably between 1415 and 1417. Powys fills in the gaps.
This isn’t a historical chronicle, but over half the characters have some basis in historical fact. Powys through his characters creates multiple realities, even as far as a radical in the Peasants Revolt tradition, as well as clerics and military types. The female characters are also strong. We see events through the views of a whole chain of people. But the character of Owen stands at the centre of it all. He has charisma and force of personality, but there are other traits: a certain sentimentality and kind-heartedness, indecisiveness at times, paternalistic, manipulative and cruel at times. Powys has created an interesting and multi-faceted character and we follow him through early successes and to the stresses when things don’t go so well.
Powys is clearly sympathetic to Glyndwr, in terms of supporting liberation struggle. However his anarchist side does show as Powys clearly is very wary of nationalism and princely power: the hero myth is certainly deconstructed:
“As long as you destroy you will succeed. But try to build up again what you’ve torn, what you’ve burnt, what you’ve ravaged – and then will be the end!”
This was written during the rise of fascism and the struggle against it. I could also suggest it was read against a backdrop of a similar rise of fascism.
An immense historical novel (over 900 pages). My first encounter with Powys since the 1980s. John Cowper Powys was one of eleven siblings, all of whom were talented and creative. I have long been an admirer of his brother Theodore’s work. Powys identified as an anarchist, anti-fascist, anti-Stalinist. He mainly spent his working life teaching and taught in the US for over thirty years. He moved in creative circles and appeared for the defence when Joyce’s Ulysses was the subject of an obscenity trial. He moved to Corwen in Wales and this was where he wrote this novel, the first of two set in Wales. This one is about Glyndwr’s rebellion against Henry IV in the early fifteenth century.
The novel runs from about 1400 to 1416. The characterisation here is complex and pretty good; the reader gets a strong sense of even the minor characters. We follow the story mostly through the main character Rhisiart ab Owen, a cousin of Glyndwr (as Powys refers to Owen in the novel), goes to Wales from Oxford where he becomes clerk to Owen. There is a fairly loose relationship to the known historical facts, this is very much not a history. We do not know when Glyndwr died, probably between 1415 and 1417. Powys fills in the gaps.
This isn’t a historical chronicle, but over half the characters have some basis in historical fact. Powys through his characters creates multiple realities, even as far as a radical in the Peasants Revolt tradition, as well as clerics and military types. The female characters are also strong. We see events through the views of a whole chain of people. But the character of Owen stands at the centre of it all. He has charisma and force of personality, but there are other traits: a certain sentimentality and kind-heartedness, indecisiveness at times, paternalistic, manipulative and cruel at times. Powys has created an interesting and multi-faceted character and we follow him through early successes and to the stresses when things don’t go so well.
Powys is clearly sympathetic to Glyndwr, in terms of supporting liberation struggle. However his anarchist side does show as Powys clearly is very wary of nationalism and princely power: the hero myth is certainly deconstructed:
“As long as you destroy you will succeed. But try to build up again what you’ve torn, what you’ve burnt, what you’ve ravaged – and then will be the end!”
This was written during the rise of fascism and the struggle against it. I could also suggest it was read against a backdrop of a similar rise of fascism.
December 30, 2016
Poor old JCP - see the problem here is that, if you like to read "historical romance", you are unlikely to be interested in all the interiority, the theorising and the usual JCP shenanigans, but, if you are in to all that, you are probably unlikely to care about all these princes and battles and Walter Scott-esq fun and games...
As I have a fondness for both, and a close connection to the Welsh landscape and history that provides the source for this novel, I enjoyed myself immensely.
The second half dragged a little, at times, but it remained engaging.
Good review from Margaret Drabble here, if you are interested: https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
As I have a fondness for both, and a close connection to the Welsh landscape and history that provides the source for this novel, I enjoyed myself immensely.
The second half dragged a little, at times, but it remained engaging.
Good review from Margaret Drabble here, if you are interested: https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
January 13, 2022
There are books that are long books, then there are books that are incredibly long - not necessarily because of the number of pages - Owen Glendower (OG), clocking in at 768 pages, is actually at least 3 times the length compared to similar novels of its "page length", given the incredibly intense level of reading required, and the constant looking up of references, especially the first chapter.
And yet - what an incredible book. Most of the time, reading this work is a thrill, as John Cowper Powys' (JCP) writing is so rich and beautiful, his psychological insight unsurpassed, his ability to evoke scenes of beauty - the huge number of characters richly drawn, the setting so fascinating from a historical perspective, for this is the great Welsh revolt of 1400 to 1415 led by Owen Glendower (who also appears in Henry IV Act I). The battle scenes, the love scenes, the meetings of the great Welsh prince and his entourage, are all beautifully done, and frankly this work made everything else I've been reading pale in comparison.
I've been reading all of JCP's oeuvre in order - some of the works for the third or fourth time - but OG I'd never tackled before - it just seemed like such a huge undertaking - and that it definitely is - you'll learn all about Welsh history, culture, geography, but even more the distinct nature of Welsh culture. It's so massive it's difficult to take it all in. This is not a book as much as a "reading project". Take this book to the beach you'd be lucky to get past the first five pages.
I was only able to read a chapter a day, sometimes only half a chapter, and the first chapter was read several times. And yet I never viewed it as a slog - it was the highlight of every morning over the past 4 weeks to wake up, grab my coffee, and go through my precious chapter. Like much of JCP's work, a second reading makes it much better, so frequently I would read a chapter again or passage again, amazed at the writing. You need to suspend time when reading this book, it's not a book to say "I will read this in a month," it's a book you begin and say "I intend to finish" and don't even think about the time.
For JCP fans, this work hearkens back to A Glastonbury Romance (AGR), thankfully, in terms of the general approach and attitude, perhaps without as much psychological complexity or mythological interest, but the writing quality is very similar and I would say just slightly weaker, to a barely noticeable degree. The romance between Reinhart and Catharine - handled pretty much better than anything I've ever seen in JCP's writing - is actually better handled than anything in AGR, but there are not as many complex relationships going on in OG.
I went into the a book a bit wary because of Professor G. Wilson Knight's comments about the magic (it's Knight's favorite of the JCP books as a result) - which while present is kind of lame and doesn't dominate or in any way detract from the book. Prince Owen's magic is kind of a side-bar, and actually adds to the color of the book, and is "historically accurate" in concept. More interesting, and generally dominating the experience of reading the book, are the various character sketches, all brilliantly drawn. The only complaint might be that there are too many, and each character has more than one name by which he or she is referred (sometimes as many as three) which makes it difficult to follow and requires either a terrific memory or constant reference to the guide.
I found that the W.J. Keith guide (available on the Powys Society website) was completely necessary to read the book, unless you are very well versed in the history beforehand, although JCP introduces many new characters with their own slew of names. While this sounds like a "hassle", in no way should that particular aspect deter anyone from reading the book. There's a certain reward to referring to a guide like this particularly as the entries provide a lot of color on the history and mythology. In a way JCP's refusal to be helpful in the book with the naming gives it a certain integrity and consistency, and also makes way the book reads more interesting.
Unfortunately there's a high likelihood of spoilers if I go into details on any particular scenes, but a very early scene with Reinhart showing exceptional bravery (I won't say more) creates a psychological "atmosphere" for which characters respond in a very realistic way (the follow-up with the kissing of the sword)- this is the particular skill of JCP's insight into human nature which runs deeper than any other writer I've come across except Dostoyevsky (to whom he has much often compared). There's a special beauty that goes along with this accuracy that is quite transcendent and deeper than almost any other writer I can think of.
It's an incredible shame and an embarrassment that this work couldn't even find a publisher in the UK for a long time and eventually JCP had to accept 80 pounds for the UK version. I'm also kind of surprised that this book hasn't become a favorite book of the Welsh as it treats their greatest hero, and does it in such a beautiful, inspiring way.
Perhaps - and this is the real (and only) problem with the book, and the reason for the 4 stars instead of the 5 stars. And maybe this explains the lack of attention and appreciation described above - there are two highly troubling scenes in the book - the first of which almost kept me from continuing on, and the second much further on was so irrelevant and pointless it almost ruined the book for me.
JCP's biggest problem in his earlier work AGR is the very beginning when he talks about the First Cause - it's a bunch of nonsense that's very difficult to get past. However, after page 20 or so it goes into the background and rarely appears again. However after he wrote AGR he developed new obsessions, one is a very peculiar obsession with young boys and the other - more honorably - with vivisection (the torturing of animals for science - like Dr. Fauci with the puppies).
These obsessions begin in his works after AGR, and become most prominent in the work Morwyn, where they dominate the book to an extent to make it almost unreadable.
JCP sadly is unable to avoid these two topics in OG. The first time occurs in the scene with the page boy Elphin about 120 pages in - not just the idea but that it was shared by pretty much everyone in the scene (did everyone like to fondle little boys back then?). It was completely discordant with the rest of the book, although other types of "peculiar" sexuality also exist, they are at least between consenting adults. The vivisection scene though was utterly and completely pointless - not only because it seemed so unlikely, but because it is inconceivable what "science" might have been explored at the time - it was moving an early 20th century issue back to the 14th century.
It's perplexing why the editors allowed these scenes to stay in, when the book would be such a masterpiece without them. I know that JCP felt this strange need to include the child sexual thing in his work, but the vivisection section is just ridiculous. Both scenes detract enormously from the novel, and are completely gratuitous in terms of adding to the story - they could be safely eliminated without changing anything else in the book.
Fortunately, the rest of the work was so great - even other scenes that might be viewed as "disturbing" they all fit within the themes of the book.
So - if one can somehow turn a blind eye to the two scenes mentioned (understandable if you can't), OG is highly recommended to all who enjoy great literature, Welsh history, and long, difficult books. The rewards of the book are considerable, 740 of those 768 pages are exquisite, rich, insightful writing of an unusual beauty.
And yet - what an incredible book. Most of the time, reading this work is a thrill, as John Cowper Powys' (JCP) writing is so rich and beautiful, his psychological insight unsurpassed, his ability to evoke scenes of beauty - the huge number of characters richly drawn, the setting so fascinating from a historical perspective, for this is the great Welsh revolt of 1400 to 1415 led by Owen Glendower (who also appears in Henry IV Act I). The battle scenes, the love scenes, the meetings of the great Welsh prince and his entourage, are all beautifully done, and frankly this work made everything else I've been reading pale in comparison.
I've been reading all of JCP's oeuvre in order - some of the works for the third or fourth time - but OG I'd never tackled before - it just seemed like such a huge undertaking - and that it definitely is - you'll learn all about Welsh history, culture, geography, but even more the distinct nature of Welsh culture. It's so massive it's difficult to take it all in. This is not a book as much as a "reading project". Take this book to the beach you'd be lucky to get past the first five pages.
I was only able to read a chapter a day, sometimes only half a chapter, and the first chapter was read several times. And yet I never viewed it as a slog - it was the highlight of every morning over the past 4 weeks to wake up, grab my coffee, and go through my precious chapter. Like much of JCP's work, a second reading makes it much better, so frequently I would read a chapter again or passage again, amazed at the writing. You need to suspend time when reading this book, it's not a book to say "I will read this in a month," it's a book you begin and say "I intend to finish" and don't even think about the time.
For JCP fans, this work hearkens back to A Glastonbury Romance (AGR), thankfully, in terms of the general approach and attitude, perhaps without as much psychological complexity or mythological interest, but the writing quality is very similar and I would say just slightly weaker, to a barely noticeable degree. The romance between Reinhart and Catharine - handled pretty much better than anything I've ever seen in JCP's writing - is actually better handled than anything in AGR, but there are not as many complex relationships going on in OG.
I went into the a book a bit wary because of Professor G. Wilson Knight's comments about the magic (it's Knight's favorite of the JCP books as a result) - which while present is kind of lame and doesn't dominate or in any way detract from the book. Prince Owen's magic is kind of a side-bar, and actually adds to the color of the book, and is "historically accurate" in concept. More interesting, and generally dominating the experience of reading the book, are the various character sketches, all brilliantly drawn. The only complaint might be that there are too many, and each character has more than one name by which he or she is referred (sometimes as many as three) which makes it difficult to follow and requires either a terrific memory or constant reference to the guide.
I found that the W.J. Keith guide (available on the Powys Society website) was completely necessary to read the book, unless you are very well versed in the history beforehand, although JCP introduces many new characters with their own slew of names. While this sounds like a "hassle", in no way should that particular aspect deter anyone from reading the book. There's a certain reward to referring to a guide like this particularly as the entries provide a lot of color on the history and mythology. In a way JCP's refusal to be helpful in the book with the naming gives it a certain integrity and consistency, and also makes way the book reads more interesting.
Unfortunately there's a high likelihood of spoilers if I go into details on any particular scenes, but a very early scene with Reinhart showing exceptional bravery (I won't say more) creates a psychological "atmosphere" for which characters respond in a very realistic way (the follow-up with the kissing of the sword)- this is the particular skill of JCP's insight into human nature which runs deeper than any other writer I've come across except Dostoyevsky (to whom he has much often compared). There's a special beauty that goes along with this accuracy that is quite transcendent and deeper than almost any other writer I can think of.
It's an incredible shame and an embarrassment that this work couldn't even find a publisher in the UK for a long time and eventually JCP had to accept 80 pounds for the UK version. I'm also kind of surprised that this book hasn't become a favorite book of the Welsh as it treats their greatest hero, and does it in such a beautiful, inspiring way.
Perhaps - and this is the real (and only) problem with the book, and the reason for the 4 stars instead of the 5 stars. And maybe this explains the lack of attention and appreciation described above - there are two highly troubling scenes in the book - the first of which almost kept me from continuing on, and the second much further on was so irrelevant and pointless it almost ruined the book for me.
JCP's biggest problem in his earlier work AGR is the very beginning when he talks about the First Cause - it's a bunch of nonsense that's very difficult to get past. However, after page 20 or so it goes into the background and rarely appears again. However after he wrote AGR he developed new obsessions, one is a very peculiar obsession with young boys and the other - more honorably - with vivisection (the torturing of animals for science - like Dr. Fauci with the puppies).
These obsessions begin in his works after AGR, and become most prominent in the work Morwyn, where they dominate the book to an extent to make it almost unreadable.
JCP sadly is unable to avoid these two topics in OG. The first time occurs in the scene with the page boy Elphin about 120 pages in - not just the idea but that it was shared by pretty much everyone in the scene (did everyone like to fondle little boys back then?). It was completely discordant with the rest of the book, although other types of "peculiar" sexuality also exist, they are at least between consenting adults. The vivisection scene though was utterly and completely pointless - not only because it seemed so unlikely, but because it is inconceivable what "science" might have been explored at the time - it was moving an early 20th century issue back to the 14th century.
It's perplexing why the editors allowed these scenes to stay in, when the book would be such a masterpiece without them. I know that JCP felt this strange need to include the child sexual thing in his work, but the vivisection section is just ridiculous. Both scenes detract enormously from the novel, and are completely gratuitous in terms of adding to the story - they could be safely eliminated without changing anything else in the book.
Fortunately, the rest of the work was so great - even other scenes that might be viewed as "disturbing" they all fit within the themes of the book.
So - if one can somehow turn a blind eye to the two scenes mentioned (understandable if you can't), OG is highly recommended to all who enjoy great literature, Welsh history, and long, difficult books. The rewards of the book are considerable, 740 of those 768 pages are exquisite, rich, insightful writing of an unusual beauty.
October 21, 2019
August 2012: As of right now, this is the best novel I have ever had the honor and joy of reading.
October 2019: The only new novels I've read since that can at all compare in terms of (and I mean these as a combined package) scope, ambition, imagination, sensitivity, and excellence, are the author's own Porius, Ursula Le Guin's Malafrena and Annals of the Western Shore, William Golding's To the Ends of the Earth, and Thomas Mann's Joseph and His Brothers. Only of the Mann could I say definitively that the book meant even more to me than Owen did. I'm feeling about due for a reread, which goes for Porius too. Certain scenes and developments in both remain blazed and scoured into my memory, but these are long books. I've (blessedly! since so much can now be re-experienced) forgotten so much.
October 2019: The only new novels I've read since that can at all compare in terms of (and I mean these as a combined package) scope, ambition, imagination, sensitivity, and excellence, are the author's own Porius, Ursula Le Guin's Malafrena and Annals of the Western Shore, William Golding's To the Ends of the Earth, and Thomas Mann's Joseph and His Brothers. Only of the Mann could I say definitively that the book meant even more to me than Owen did. I'm feeling about due for a reread, which goes for Porius too. Certain scenes and developments in both remain blazed and scoured into my memory, but these are long books. I've (blessedly! since so much can now be re-experienced) forgotten so much.
April 1, 2020
Epic historical novel set in the 14th century about the last leader of an independent Wales, the prince / warrior-wizard Owen Glendower.
The real protagonist of the novel though is Rhisiart, a relation from Hereford of Norman stock. He idolises the Welshman and joins his freedom fighters, becoming Owen's secretary, suffering and surviving various imprisonments and privations along the way.
The real hero for me though was Powys himself, whose intense, fevered prose captivated me across the entire thousand pages it took the tale to unwind. There is a huge cast of memorable characters, many of whom are prone to moments of heightened experience.
In the first hundred pages or so I wondered how this delirius style could sustain itself over such a long haul, but there was plenty of action and intrigue mixed in to keep the story moving forward amongst all the epiphanies.
One of the richest, wildest most memorable historical novels I have yet read.
The real protagonist of the novel though is Rhisiart, a relation from Hereford of Norman stock. He idolises the Welshman and joins his freedom fighters, becoming Owen's secretary, suffering and surviving various imprisonments and privations along the way.
The real hero for me though was Powys himself, whose intense, fevered prose captivated me across the entire thousand pages it took the tale to unwind. There is a huge cast of memorable characters, many of whom are prone to moments of heightened experience.
In the first hundred pages or so I wondered how this delirius style could sustain itself over such a long haul, but there was plenty of action and intrigue mixed in to keep the story moving forward amongst all the epiphanies.
One of the richest, wildest most memorable historical novels I have yet read.
November 19, 2016
Imagine the narrative and historical scope of Tolstoy, combined with the eccentric intimacy of psychological perspective offered by Proust, and you have some sense of the singularity of Powys' genius: this book is a challenge, make no mistake, but its richly evoked past will enfold you, until your own neighborhood seems less real than fifteenth century Wales.
November 19, 2019
This largely unmentioned classic will take you back to a medieval setting in Wales. It has intense characters, strange magics, struggles for kingdoms, and portrayals over decades. (Also, much better written than the "Game of Thrones" books.). However, be warned. It takes some concentration to read. The delineation of characters as we enter their minds in great detail takes pages to build. I found that I had to plan large reading time slices. Each chapter develops in such a way that breaking them into sections lessened the experience the novel provides. There are always some unexpected surprises.which reminds me - read Dr. Krissdotir's "Introduction" only as an afterword. I have never seen such a short essay provide so many spoilers for such a long book. I am glad I stopped in the middle of it and finished it after completing the novel. It is a book to take your time with - letting yourself be immersed in the rich, imaginative details. But the rewards are many and well worth the time. Here is a brief description of the feel of a day: "There come moments when one accumulative aspect of nature - in this case the drifting of rain-soaked leaves in desolate mist - permeates and possesses the human soul." The title character, Owen Glendower, is a tortured, part sorcerer rebel king with many descriptions, but here is an insightful encapsulated one: "He took life too seriously to take success seriously." Owen is central to all, but the real protagonist of the novel is a man who become his clerk, Rhisiart, who we first meet through an insightful description of his horse. who Rhisiart loves.
September 4, 2023
JCP does it again!
September 24, 2011
Truly one of the most boring books I have ever had the misfortune to read. I finished it out of spite. It took more than a year to finish this book, it was that dull. How do you make an exciting time in history really boring? Why, write about it in the most purple, opaque, labored prose possible, and throw in a whole buncha misogyny, with bonus creepy rape-tastic sex scenes (in veiled 1940's language, but it's still clear what's happening). This is supposed to be a classic historical novel, so I expected much more from it. Woefully disappointed, it goes back to Half Price Books at my earliest opportunity.
February 9, 2008
A bit longish, and the court romance sections slow down the narrative, but great if you love Wales and can stomach Powys' flights of fancy.
February 9, 2014
I was reading this when I was pregnant with my son, and he narrowly escaped being named Rhysiart, which might not have gone down so great in 1980s Hackney!!
June 21, 2017
I have been an avid reader for over 50 years. This is I think only the second or third novel I have ever abandoned. I'm counting it as 'read' since I got more than halfway through. It was boring, confusing, rambling, I could stand all that, but the gratuitous and salacious sex and violence got to me in the end.
It made me feel physically sick. Oh, and there's a disturbing undercurrent of paedophilia in there, too.
It made me feel physically sick. Oh, and there's a disturbing undercurrent of paedophilia in there, too.
April 1, 2022
Que de circonvolutions ! Je suis désolée, j'ai dû abandonner, je m'attendais à quelque chose de bien plus vif ! Par contre, je recommande pour ceux qui aiment la littérature à sous-entendu grivois : que d'images de frottements et autres pénétrations !!
December 1, 2016
By far the best historical novel I've read. Totally compulsive and more action-packed than other JCP novels. A large cast of brilliantly evoked characters with Owen Glendower himself being the perfect historical person for JCP to write about as he has so many affinities with him. As usual the quality of writing is second to none - JCP is the most underrated writer - surely in need of reassessment.
July 28, 2014
Grossly over-rated - one of the most pretentious, tedious exercises in authorial self-indulgence I have suffered my way through. I pushed through to the end hoping against hope that it would eventually live up to the literary hype - alas, it never happened. This may be a perfect example of a novel that is praised to the sky by legions of critics who have never tried to read it.
Want to read
March 1, 2010Because .
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews