The King's Persons

by Joanne Greenberg

Rare Book

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

284 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

About the author

Joanne Greenberg, also known as Hannah Green, is a writer whose style lends itself to the mature reader yet simultaneously presents themes suitable for all ages. Greenberg addresses the persistent doubts that plague all of us by relating stories of others in need. Though the scenarios in which her characters find themselves may be unfamiliar to the average reader, the emotions they feel while enmeshed in the plotlines are universal in appeal and scope. Her works include magazine publications, short stories, novels, and a movie adaptation of her book, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.

Reviews

[Mordy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently returned to The King's Persons, decades after having read it as a young adult on my mother's recommendation, and find it as excellently written, informative and moving as I did then.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an easy book to read, given the subject matter, but Greenberg does a wonderful job describing the lives of ordinary people in the years and months leading up to a tragic event. The story is told through the viewpoint of a cast of characters, most of them based on historical figures. It took me a while to sort out who everyone was, but once I did, I was engrossed in this story, even though I knew it would not end well.

[Jadi Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this beautifully written novel for a better understanding of the uneasy balance of Church, Jews, the Crown and commoners in twelfth century England. Greenberg's book is based on an actual event (which I won't describe so as not to include spoilers in this review). It is heartbreakingly well written, and gives the reader an idea of how history and religion shape events. ---Jadi

[Buff · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful writing of a neverending story.

[Thom Dunn]

NOT A REVIEW: My cursor can't reach the X because it is subsumed under an advertisement. Hence this non-review as a way of getting out of this screen. 9-7-2010.