Within the Hollow Crown

Although I usually love the historical novels of the late Margaret Campbell Barnes, this one wasn't a favorite.

It's a coming of age story about England's King Richard II who comes to the throne as a boy and struggles against his powerful and jealous uncles to assume the power of the throne.

In this story, Richard is a sympathetic character (not the way he is usually portrayed) longing to do right but misunderstood by his powerful relatives and many in his kingdom. Not sure if I buy this version totally but it was a different perspective on the events leading up to his ultimate murder.

The story of Richard's great love for his first wife, Anne of Bohemia, is very touching as is his affection for his second child bride. In fact the most show more interesting parts of the book are Richard's relationships with the women in his life. Aside from his two wives, there's his mother, Joan, and his nurse who plays a key role in his psychological well-being. show less

Although I usually love the historical novels of the late Margaret Campbell Barnes, this one wasn't a favorite.

It's a coming of age story about England's King Richard II who comes to the throne as a boy and struggles against his powerful and jealous uncles to assume the power of the throne.

In this story, Richard is a sympathetic character (not the way he is usually portrayed) longing to do right but misunderstood by his powerful relatives and many in his kingdom. Not sure if I buy this version totally but it was a different perspective on the events leading up to his ultimate murder.

The story of Richard's great love for his first wife, Anne of Bohemia, is very touching as is his affection for his second child bride. In fact the most show more interesting parts of the book are Richard's relationships with the women in his life. Aside from his two wives, there's his mother, Joan, and his nurse who plays a key role in his psychological well-being. show less

I am really starting to enjoy historical fiction so much more these days, so many great authors are re-writing old stories and they are all just great. I love Henry the VIII he has always been my favorite infamous monarch, but I might have a soft spot of Richard II now as well. The beginning of the book is slow, you must push through it a but, but once you do, it is worth it. I enjoyed the drama of this story, it's like a soap opera in book form, amazing twists and plots, murder, love, and intrigue. It is great. I will definitely look out for more work by this author.

Within the Hollow Crown is the story of Richard II, beginning at age 15 when he managed to put down the Peasants’ Rebellion in 1381. The son of Edward the Black Prince and Joan of Kent, Richard became King at age 10, after the death of his grandfather, Edward III. Richard II has a bit of a Bad Reputation, due to the way he handled certain events during his reign, but Margaret Campbell Barnes attempts to restore his reputation in this novel. Although she achieved her goal in this way, I still found that there was a lot lacking about this book.

This is the first novel I’ve read about Richard II (in fact, it’s the only novel about him that I’ve heard of). Richard’s story is extremely interesting, and the comparisons between he and show more his great-grandfather Edward the II are inevitable. The time period in which Edward lived is extraordinary too; the Peasants’ Revolt was merely the capstone on a century beset by chaos. It’s remarkable, therefore, how an author can manage to make a story like this uninteresting—frequently I found my attention wandering while reading this book.

I think one of my major problems with this book is that it feels dated; the research Barnes probably based her book on is outdated. Now historians tend to think that Richard suffered from personality disorders, especially towards the end of his life; Barnes’s characters is a muddled mess most of the time, which made it difficult for me as a reader to understand or even sympathize with his actions.

Her descriptions of the rioting in London in 1382 are well done, as is her description of the way that Richard died (though there's no certain proof either way), but I feel as though the various parts of the novel are disjointed. The writing style itself is confusing; Barnes uses a lot of big words (like “adumbrating”), but none of her prose truly makes much sense much of the time. Her dialogue also feels stilted. I did like the whole idea behind the novel, and I find Barnes’s attempt to portray Richard sympathetically admirable; but I just didn’t like a lot of this book. show less

A well-researched book about the reign of England's Richard II that, unfortunately, was never really able to take hold of my imagination. While Campbell-Barnes has painted a rather sympathetic portrait of the much maligned monarch, I must confess that this novel has done little to change my impressions of Richard II. He certainly comes across as a man not really cut out to be a king.

I enjoyed this book. I have to admit to not knowing much about Richard II before I started but now I want to know more. Richard was just 11 when his father died and then 15 when his grandfather died leaving him King at a very young age. He only had glimpses of what it was like to be a child. He was the last of the manly, warring Plantagenet line and he was remarkably a peace maker despite the best efforts of his uncles.

He married young and his marriage was a happy one - rare in royal circle. But ultimately all too short.

Since he was so young when he came to power he was slow to use the power he had. He guardian uncles was always trying to sway him one way or the other until he finally let his Plantagenet temper loose. Richard did quell show more the peasant rebellion and bring peace to England - for a while but the War of the Roses was soon to follow and any student of England's history knows that peace was a very illusive thing during a good portion of its history.

The book is a re-issue of one written in 1948 so the rhythm is slightly different from books written today. It is not hard to get used to. There are some sections a bit long on exposition but if you are a history buff like I am they will not bother you. Overall it is a very enjoyable book about a very tragic King. show less

A well-researched fictional account of the life of Richard II with lots of historical detail - unfortunately I couldn't get into parts of the story and never came to like Richard, so I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did other works by this author.