They had four sons and a daughter, who play large roles in The Reckoning.įalls the Shadow spends some time in Wales, as well, on the rivalry of several generations of princes: the sons of Llewellyn Fawr: Davydd and Gruffydd and Gruffydd sons’s: Owain, Llewellyn, Davydd, and Rhodri.

Simon, with Nell behind (or even often beside) him, would challenge the weak King Henry to stand by his word, to allow Englishmen a say in their own lives. Simon was a minor lord, and a Frenchman to boot their union scandalized both the Church and the English power-brokers, who would have married Nell into a political alliance rather than for love. Nell, Henry’s sister and daughter of King John, was widowed at 15 and took an oath of chastity but her friendship with Simon would challenge that oath, and eventually break it so they could marry. This book centers on the fate of Simon de Montfort in 13th century England, under King Henry III’s ill-fated rule, and the parallel story of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales. Often in life, I think, we learn stories out of chronological order so be it. Falls the Shadow comes just before that book in Penman’s Welsh trilogy, so I recognized the youthful characters in this novel that I loved so much in that one kind of a strange way to go about reading a series (or a history), but it was enjoyable this way, too. I fell in love with the Wales pictured in that historical novel, and I loved the romance and tone of epic historical tragedy. I began reading Penman with The Reckoning, back in 2001 or thereabouts I believe – that was on a trip overseas with my father. It felt so good to curl up inside Falls the Shadow. I call Sharon Kay Penman one of my favorite authors, and yet it has been far too long since I read any of her work.

Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman