Lionheart

By: Sharon Kay Penman

Narrated by: Emily Gray

From New York Times best-selling novelist Sharon Kay Penman comes the stunning story of a great medieval warrior-king, the accomplished and controversial son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Richard the Lionheart. A powerful tale of intrigue, war, and diplomacy, Lionheart plays out against the roiling conflicts of love and loyalty, passion and treachery, all set against the rich textures of the Holy Land.

©2011 Sharon Kay Penman (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

A new favorite author

I wish Audible would include more books from Sharon Penman, I couldn't wait for the follow up, A Kings Ransome.

Lionheart

If you could sum up Lionheart in three words, what would they be?

Factual, wonderfully written

Who was your favorite character and why?

Richard, he was forceful yet could be very gentle and was not afraid of either part of his personality.

Which scene was your favorite?

When he was with Barengella, he was so gentle.

Who was the most memorable character of Lionheart and why?

Richard was, because of his many faceted sides, and how he could be so ruthless yet so very gentle with his wife. Fascinating how he lived through battles that he should not have survived. He was brilliant yet sometimes careless. He could be very fair with his men and so cunning with his enemies.

Any additional comments?

So well written I was very sad to see it end and can hardly wait for the next book.

Generally enjoy historical fiction with detail.

However, although I am sure the general history of the period was scrupulously correct, too much detail, was too much license and extendedand weighed down the story. The narrator was excellent.
The writer is to be commended for her research.

Great story

The narrator is an excellent reader but not so good with voices. For example, Berengaria sounds like she’s 5 years old. Expressions are also lacking.

We Need More Offerings From Sharon Kay Penman!

What made the experience of listening to Lionheart the most enjoyable?

I love the style and thoroughness of this author. Her books are lengthy, and truthfully I just don't have the time to sit down long enough to read them although I really enjoyed her book about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Time and Chance. It took me forever to finish because life kept interrupting whenever I sat down to pick it up. With the audio version of Lionheart, however, it was wonderful to put on my earphones, turn on the iPod, and lose myself in the saga of Richard I while going about my tasks. I'd really like to do this with the rest of her books. Hopefully they will become available in audiobook format soon.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed listening to the language, descriptions, and historic detail in this book. The characters were portrayed as complex and flawed which brought to life these distant and often murky historical people.

Which scene was your favorite?

I just enjoyed the total tapestry created by the author and really couldn't choose a favorite section. It all fit together which is one of the things that made the book so excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The narrator's performance enhanced the book for me. Listening to this book in one sitting was not possible because it was over 24 hours in length. However, I did have trouble turning of my iPod when I needed to.

Any additional comments?

I learned a great deal from listening to Lionheart and really hope audible can provide the sequel when it becomes available as well as at least some of Penman's other novels.

Loved story, history and narrator

Loved it, kept my attention, history compelling and true to facts! Will read her again!

Excellent story

This tale is told very well. Sometimes it actually feels like you're really there, watching the character's breath float about them like will-o-the-wisps. Such a great series.

Finally Sharon Penman on Audio!

Lionheart the review
I have read Lionheart twice and have just had the extreme pleasure of listening to it. Yes finally a Penman novel on audio. The Narrator Emily Grey does a fine job and one of the things I like most about listening to an audio book is for the pronunciation of languages I am unfamiliar with.
Ms. Penmen’s works are dense and take concentration, the world often fades away as I read or in this case listen to her work, and when I am interrupted it takes time for me to come back to myself.
Lionheart is the 4th book in the Angevin saga which will end up spanning 5 books. The 5th book is also a bridge to her earlier work: Here be Dragons and the accompanying books collectively known as the Welsh trilogy. But all of Ms. Penman’s books can stand alone. I am a devotee of Penman’s work and have read and reread all of her books. She never ceases to amaze me with her skill; her writing is as close to perfection as one could ask. She is a novelist true but she offers characters so fully etched that at times you have to remember to tell yourself that besides the thorough research, the rest is supposition. She gets the psychology of the characters right, and their reactions to situations are so real that it is uncanny. She knows the history, customs, morals, the religion and the political climate of the time period, I feel very comfortable with her conclusions.

Narrator is Distracting

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, the narrator was distracting because she put bad accents on the different characters. Would have been better if she read it straight.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

No, just the narrator.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Emily Gray?

Never.

Do you think Lionheart needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It has one.

Well written historical fiction

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written and easy to follow. I'm looking forward to the sequel. I have to admit that I did find the constant fighting a little tedious, but what is an author of historical fiction to do???? No complaints at all about the book though.