Katherine by Anya Seton - Any comparable books?

I was completely enchanted by the story of Katherine and John of Gaunt. I'm wondering if anybody could recommend historical books with similar quality of writing and charismatic characters. Thank you!

You really should check out Sharon Kay Penman. She has a trilogy set in Wales during the regins of King John through King Edward (Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, the Reckoning ) and they are fantastic! the Sunne in Splendour is about Richard III and she also has a trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine (When Christ and His Saints Slept, Time and Chance, Devil's Brood ).

Thanks! I've heard about this author, and almost picked up a copy for Sunne in Splendour the other day. I must check it out.

I agree with the recommendation of Sharon Kay Penman. I am currently loving The Sunne in Splendour.

Also check out:
The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
Any one of Anya Seton's other novels, especially Green Darkness and Dragonwyck
The House on the Strand, by Daphne DuMaurier

also here here to Elizabeth Chadwick also she does tend to be the slightly 'lighter' historical fiction. I mean, storytelling is the importance as opposed to getting the pure facts across. Still very very good though :)

I've ordered the Green Darkness and Avalon, they should get here in a couple of weeks!

I would also recommend the Heaven Tree trilogy comprising The Green Branch, The Scarlet Seed and The Heaven Tree and also the Brothers of Gywnedd quartet comprising Sunrise in the West, The Dragon at Noonday, The Hounds of Sunset and Afterglow and Nightfall by Edith Pargeter. She creates excellent characters with a lot of depth.

I love Sharon Kay Penman's stories, too. I am currently re-reading the Welsh trilogy and am about to finish The Reckoning.

I have to agree with above -- I am currently in the middle of Falls the Shadow and I am enthralled once again. Another suggestion is Phillipa Gregory - although she is definately not as good -- I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl at least. Also Alison Weir has been writing English historical fiction lately (as opposed to her previous history genre) -- I have one on my TBR shelf called Innocent Traitor about the brief reign of Lady Jane Grey (who I believe had a bit role in Katherine).

Lady Jane in Katherine? The two women lived about 150 years apart...

Alison Weir has a new bio of Katherine coming out in the US in Jan--Mistress of the Monarchy, though Weir tends not to look at historical figures objectively and more through her own, feminist bias.

#10 Yeah, I guess maybe I'm wrong then -- I think what I'm thinking of is Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII -- Lady Jane was talked about in that book.

I have yet to read Katherine but I do intend to do so...

However, if you enjoy medieval time period literature, I'm sure you would enjoy Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follett!

I'm typically a more "modern" historical fiction guy, but the characters in these books I fell in love with.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm just finishing a biography of Katherine Swynford by Alice Weir (I had it rush-delivered from Amazon, hehe). It's very impressively researched, but I couldn't help being disappointed at some historical facts vs. what was conveyed in the novel. I could go on, but I don't want to spoil anything!

I wouldn't trust Alison Weir's research, if she said water was wet. She lets her bias, whatever it is, obscure the truth (she doesn't tell you that one of her historical witnesses was only 3 years old at the time of the incident).

Seton did a lot of research, but her book is much older. There has probably been more discovered since she wrote, also what she used may have re-interpreted in the modern day.

I agree with Penman, her stuff is good, and meaty. Another of Seton's that I enjoyed is The Winthrop Woman, it is about the pilgrims in Massachusetts, not England though.

Hello everyone.I'm a new member and still exploring the site.I logged on here and the first thing I saw was
Katherine,one of my favorite books that I've read many times.What's fascinatiing is to realize that this woman was the ancestor of all kings and queens of
England.I've always wanted to know more about her and I will check out the new biography as soon as I can,
which means as soon as I find the best price at Amazon,
lol!

I thought "The Winthrop Woman" was a good book. "Katherine" is an all time favorite of mine too! I think the Sharon Kay Penman novels are wonderful. I loved "Here Be Dragons".

The other title that's particularly interesting from Anya Seton, particularly for US readers, is The Winthrop Woman which I think may be out of print at the moment but will obviously still be available in libraries. Also there is now a biography of Katherine by Alison Weir, Katherine Swynford, isbn 9780224063210, Jonathan Cape, 2007.

I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth and World Without End but would not liken them to Katherine, which has far more psychological depth and authenticity. Follett did a good job of researching the political and technological aspects of the medieval world - his descriptions of the building techniques used for cathedrals and bridges are concrete, interesting and illuminating, and I particularly enjoyed his portrayal in WWE of the tensions between feudal lords and serfs after the Black Death thinned the population and made agricultural labor more valuable that it had been before. But the attitudes of some of the characters sometimes anticipated the modern world beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. Also, some readers object to the graphically portrayed rape scenes in both of Follett's medieval novels, which do not occur in Katherine.