Fictional biography of Henry V of England from boyhood in Wales until the time of his dying--through the three reigns: Richard II, Henry IV [his father] and his own. I guess Shakespeare's portrayal [and the Kenneth Branagh movie] have ruined other concepts for me. I was disappointed; the novel started out promisingly enough, but most of the middle section, the annoying maudlin romance with Welsh shepherdess, Merryn, and its conclusion was artificial and contrived. The last part of the novel did improve somewhat after he was declared king upon his father's death. It covered his war in France--Agincourt was well done--and his unhappy marriage to Katherine and political maneuverings. Merryn hovered like a specter over the whole novel and pretty much spoiled it for me. It was too hard to believe this Henry was real; he was too perfect--and--a pacifist. Did the author use him as a mouthpiece for her own feelings? He was also oblivious to social class, which sounded wrong in that era. I couldn't connect with anyone in the novel. I felt as though only the barest outline of Henry's story were based on history: that much more than half was strictly fiction. I wish the author had included an Author's note; perhaps she shied away from one, not wanting to admit most of the story was made up. The novel was a pedestrian effort. ( )

Following the life of Henry V from his early yout as the eldest son of Henry of Lancaster to his father's rise as Henry IV to his crowning as Henry V. The battle of Agincourt is center of the plot. There are ficticious subplots to flesh out the subject. I enjoyed it but was left wanting more. ( )

This is an interesting historical novel about England's Henry V and the battle of Agincourt. The author appears to have Christian pacifist leanings and infuses some of this sentiment into Henry's thinking. I wasn't sure how historically accurate this was. There certainly were pacifist ideas inherent in medieval Christianity, but whether they influenced Henry V or not, I wouldn't know. Still it made for very interesting reading. ( )