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A Triple Knot
The critically acclaimed author of The King's Mistress brings another fascinating woman from history to life in an enthralling story of political intrigue, personal tragedy, and illicit love.
Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.
But Joan, haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution at the hands of her treacherous royal kin, fears the king’s selection and is not resigned to her fate. She secretly pledges herself to one of the king’s own knights, one who has become a trusted friend and protector. Now she must defend her vow as the king—furious at Joan’s defiance—prepares to marry her off to another man.
In A Triple Knot, Emma Campion brings Joan, the “Fair Maid of Kent” to glorious life, deftly weaving details of King Edward III’s extravagant court into a rich and emotionally resonant tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal.
Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.
But Joan, haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution at the hands of her treacherous royal kin, fears the king’s selection and is not resigned to her fate. She secretly pledges herself to one of the king’s own knights, one who has become a trusted friend and protector. Now she must defend her vow as the king—furious at Joan’s defiance—prepares to marry her off to another man.
In A Triple Knot, Emma Campion brings Joan, the “Fair Maid of Kent” to glorious life, deftly weaving details of King Edward III’s extravagant court into a rich and emotionally resonant tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal.
480 pages, Paperback
First published July 29, 2014
53 people are currently reading
2772 people want to read
About the author
Emma Campion
2 books78 followersEmma Campion is a pseudonym of the popular historical crime writer Candace Robb. The King's Mistress & A Triple Knot grew out of the deep research for her Owen Archer series. The first is a biographical novel about Alice Perrers, the second about Joan of Kent, two fascinating women in the court of King Edward III. Candace/Emma has read and researched medieval history for many years, having studied for a Ph.D in Medieval and Anglo-Saxon Literature. She lives in Seattle and medieval York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
April 27, 2017
I love historical fiction about the English monarchy and court. This time period, the 1300's, is one that I wasn't very familiar with, which was fine with me. I'm always up for learning something new while being entertained. Warning, there are some minor spoilers ahead if you aren't familiar with English history.
This story centers around Joan of Kent. Joan's father was executed by her grandmother's lover when she was very young. She also didn't trust her own family to provide for her or believe that they had her best interests at heart. After reading about the actions of some of her clan, I can't really blame her for that.
The historical figures described in this tale, such as Edward III and his son, The Black Prince, were larger than life with tempers to match. I loved the descriptions of the clothing, the feasts, the dancing, building maintenance and other minutiae of daily life.
I didn't love other aspects of this story. I felt like this book was too long and the second half was incredibly rushed. I think the author should have created a trilogy.
She could have ended book one at the decision of the Pope about Joan's marriage status (I won't spoil that one for you). Then, a second book could have followed about the birth of her first four children and family life. A third book could have chronicled her next marriage and what followed.
In this book, five years passed in approximately a page and a half, sometimes less. There could have been so much more to the story and I would have loved to have read it.
Fans of Philippa Gregory's brand of historical fiction will probably eat this up with a spoon. Prepare yourself for some rushed passages though.
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check!
This story centers around Joan of Kent. Joan's father was executed by her grandmother's lover when she was very young. She also didn't trust her own family to provide for her or believe that they had her best interests at heart. After reading about the actions of some of her clan, I can't really blame her for that.
The historical figures described in this tale, such as Edward III and his son, The Black Prince, were larger than life with tempers to match. I loved the descriptions of the clothing, the feasts, the dancing, building maintenance and other minutiae of daily life.
I didn't love other aspects of this story. I felt like this book was too long and the second half was incredibly rushed. I think the author should have created a trilogy.
She could have ended book one at the decision of the Pope about Joan's marriage status (I won't spoil that one for you). Then, a second book could have followed about the birth of her first four children and family life. A third book could have chronicled her next marriage and what followed.
In this book, five years passed in approximately a page and a half, sometimes less. There could have been so much more to the story and I would have loved to have read it.
Fans of Philippa Gregory's brand of historical fiction will probably eat this up with a spoon. Prepare yourself for some rushed passages though.
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check!
July 31, 2014
I have to say that I read pretty much anything about Edward III or the Black Prince and I really want to read more about them but I only barely could finish this.
Even if Ned, The Black Prince or Queen Philippa wasn’t portrayed like I’ve thought them to be, I could have liked this. Even The Black Prince throwing tantrums at every possible moment wasn’t enough but I just couldn’t like Joan. What a naïve, little idiot. Over half of the book she spent pining for Holland and the other half she was scared of Ned. She moved very quickly from being scared of Ned to lusting after Holland was dead. Just saying…
Joan and Holland were honestly surprised about how much their marriage was being objected. Like Holland said at some point “I didn’t know the King cared that much” or something like that. Umm, you marry the king’s cousin without permission and you think he won’t mind? Idiots.
The book would have been much more interesting told from Queen Philippa’s POV and to see why she did the things she did. Joan just wasn’t interesting enough to carry the book.
Even if Ned, The Black Prince or Queen Philippa wasn’t portrayed like I’ve thought them to be, I could have liked this. Even The Black Prince throwing tantrums at every possible moment wasn’t enough but I just couldn’t like Joan. What a naïve, little idiot. Over half of the book she spent pining for Holland and the other half she was scared of Ned. She moved very quickly from being scared of Ned to lusting after Holland was dead. Just saying…
Joan and Holland were honestly surprised about how much their marriage was being objected. Like Holland said at some point “I didn’t know the King cared that much” or something like that. Umm, you marry the king’s cousin without permission and you think he won’t mind? Idiots.
The book would have been much more interesting told from Queen Philippa’s POV and to see why she did the things she did. Joan just wasn’t interesting enough to carry the book.
May 15, 2014
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
Note: Since penning this commentary, Broadway Books has revised and corrected the jacket description. The current blurb omits those statements that spoil the story and correctly identifies Joan as Edward III's cousin rather than his niece. My review was written in reference to an ARC which carried the description below. Proceed with caution, there be spoilers ahead.
Original Cover Description: Joan of Kent, the renowned beauty and niece of King Edward III, seems blessed with a life of royal privilege until her father is executed for treason and she becomes a ward of the king, living amongst those who deem her the daughter of a traitor. Joan begins to understand the brutal constraints and dangers inherent in being of royal blood. There is one at court who loves her, but his love proves the greatest threat of all. As an impetuous teenager, she escapes into a clandestine marriage in a bid for freedom, then must hide it for nearly a decade, as her guardians marry her off to another man. After her first husband's death, Joan—now a mother of four—enters into another scandalous relationship, this time with the heir to the British throne, Prince Edward, hero of Crécy and Poitiers, who has loved her all along. But his devotion comes at a terrible price. Haunted by nightmares of her father's execution and the ruthlessness of her royal kin, Joan must reconcile her passion for the crown prince with the potentially tragic costs of a royal life.
I give author Emma Campion credit for recognizing the potential in Joan's story, but that said, I can't say A Triple Knot impressed me as much as I'd hoped it might.
Generally speaking, this is where I'd offer readers a cautionary warning regarding spoilers, but I find doing so in this case irrelevant as the marketing department has spelled out the entire plot in the jacket description. There are a few minor details left out, but honestly, if you've read the blurb you know every major plot twist between page one and four hundred eighty so if you've made it this far you can rest easy knowing nothing I say will ruin your experience.
In looking at the cast, I can't say Joan held particular appeal for me, but she is well-rounded and I enjoyed watching her mature as the story progressed. I greatly admired Campion's treatment of Thomas Holland, as well as the darker drama Edward brought to the narrative, especially as mention of the Black Prince always reminds me of James Purefoy's rather sympathetic and light-hearted interpretation. Unfortunately, I felt all three leads upstaged by members of the supporting cast.
Reading the book over Mother's Day weekend, I suppose it's rather apropos that I found Margaret Wake, Maud la Zouche, and Philippa of Hainault the most interesting of Campion's characters. Their motivations, machinations and movements were fascinating and more than once prompted me to consider the intricacies of maternal devotion and influence in a period where women enjoyed relatively little authority or power.
I felt William de Montacute the weak link in the narrative. His character is fairly one dimensional which was disappointing as I felt Joan's second husband should have enjoyed more prominence. He may be a scum-sucking bottom feeder, but I genuinely feel his role demanded more import than Campion extended here.
Finally, the narrative's irregular pacing and linear presentation didn't sit well with me. Some incidents, like Joan's hanging the silk or her crossing to Ghent are beautifully detailed, but others, such as the pestilence, the births of her children and the siege camp after the Battle of Crécy felt weak and underdeveloped.
Bottom line, I enjoyed the history, but can't help feeling cheated by Campion's portrayal. At the end of the day, I feel there is more to Joan than the complexity of her multiple marriages and was disappointed that the author chose not to explore those avenues of her life and/or character.
Note: Since penning this commentary, Broadway Books has revised and corrected the jacket description. The current blurb omits those statements that spoil the story and correctly identifies Joan as Edward III's cousin rather than his niece. My review was written in reference to an ARC which carried the description below. Proceed with caution, there be spoilers ahead.
Original Cover Description: Joan of Kent, the renowned beauty and niece of King Edward III, seems blessed with a life of royal privilege until her father is executed for treason and she becomes a ward of the king, living amongst those who deem her the daughter of a traitor. Joan begins to understand the brutal constraints and dangers inherent in being of royal blood. There is one at court who loves her, but his love proves the greatest threat of all. As an impetuous teenager, she escapes into a clandestine marriage in a bid for freedom, then must hide it for nearly a decade, as her guardians marry her off to another man. After her first husband's death, Joan—now a mother of four—enters into another scandalous relationship, this time with the heir to the British throne, Prince Edward, hero of Crécy and Poitiers, who has loved her all along. But his devotion comes at a terrible price. Haunted by nightmares of her father's execution and the ruthlessness of her royal kin, Joan must reconcile her passion for the crown prince with the potentially tragic costs of a royal life.
I give author Emma Campion credit for recognizing the potential in Joan's story, but that said, I can't say A Triple Knot impressed me as much as I'd hoped it might.
Generally speaking, this is where I'd offer readers a cautionary warning regarding spoilers, but I find doing so in this case irrelevant as the marketing department has spelled out the entire plot in the jacket description. There are a few minor details left out, but honestly, if you've read the blurb you know every major plot twist between page one and four hundred eighty so if you've made it this far you can rest easy knowing nothing I say will ruin your experience.
In looking at the cast, I can't say Joan held particular appeal for me, but she is well-rounded and I enjoyed watching her mature as the story progressed. I greatly admired Campion's treatment of Thomas Holland, as well as the darker drama Edward brought to the narrative, especially as mention of the Black Prince always reminds me of James Purefoy's rather sympathetic and light-hearted interpretation. Unfortunately, I felt all three leads upstaged by members of the supporting cast.
Reading the book over Mother's Day weekend, I suppose it's rather apropos that I found Margaret Wake, Maud la Zouche, and Philippa of Hainault the most interesting of Campion's characters. Their motivations, machinations and movements were fascinating and more than once prompted me to consider the intricacies of maternal devotion and influence in a period where women enjoyed relatively little authority or power.
I felt William de Montacute the weak link in the narrative. His character is fairly one dimensional which was disappointing as I felt Joan's second husband should have enjoyed more prominence. He may be a scum-sucking bottom feeder, but I genuinely feel his role demanded more import than Campion extended here.
Finally, the narrative's irregular pacing and linear presentation didn't sit well with me. Some incidents, like Joan's hanging the silk or her crossing to Ghent are beautifully detailed, but others, such as the pestilence, the births of her children and the siege camp after the Battle of Crécy felt weak and underdeveloped.
Bottom line, I enjoyed the history, but can't help feeling cheated by Campion's portrayal. At the end of the day, I feel there is more to Joan than the complexity of her multiple marriages and was disappointed that the author chose not to explore those avenues of her life and/or character.
March 31, 2019
The Fair Maid of Kent
«Palazzo di Woodstock. Novembre 1338. Il padre di Giovanna, Edmondo, conte di Kent, fu
decapitato prima che lei compisse quattro anni … »
Gand, Paesi Bassi, 1340. La giovanissima Plantageneta Giovanna di Kent (1328 – 1385), cugina del Re Edoardo III, sposa clandestinamente il cavaliere Thomas Holland. Re Edoardo avrebbe scelto poi diversamente …
La vita di Giovanna sarà costellata da lutti, intrighi, vessazioni, ma l’amore tenace e la maternità le offriranno oasi di pace e di serenità.
Sullo sfondo le devastazioni della Guerra dei Cent’anni.
La statunitense Candace Robb è una studiosa di storia e letteratura medievale. Con il ciclo di Owen Archer aveva già dato prova del suo valore. Ma che si tratti del guercio arciere gallese o - sarà un caso? - dell’altro guercio, il futuro I Conte di Kent, le sue ricostruzioni storiche sono sempre molto accurate e la narrazione avvincente.
«Palazzo di Woodstock. Novembre 1338. Il padre di Giovanna, Edmondo, conte di Kent, fu
decapitato prima che lei compisse quattro anni … »
Gand, Paesi Bassi, 1340. La giovanissima Plantageneta Giovanna di Kent (1328 – 1385), cugina del Re Edoardo III, sposa clandestinamente il cavaliere Thomas Holland. Re Edoardo avrebbe scelto poi diversamente …
La vita di Giovanna sarà costellata da lutti, intrighi, vessazioni, ma l’amore tenace e la maternità le offriranno oasi di pace e di serenità.
Sullo sfondo le devastazioni della Guerra dei Cent’anni.
La statunitense Candace Robb è una studiosa di storia e letteratura medievale. Con il ciclo di Owen Archer aveva già dato prova del suo valore. Ma che si tratti del guercio arciere gallese o - sarà un caso? - dell’altro guercio, il futuro I Conte di Kent, le sue ricostruzioni storiche sono sempre molto accurate e la narrazione avvincente.
September 27, 2019
wonderful recount of Joan of Kent's life. I didn't know much about her going into this so I liked it quite a bit.
June 10, 2014
I have been slightly more generous in my rating of this book than my comrades in literature, so now I will have to attempt to explain why. First, I received an ebook copy from Netgalley, so I cannot comment on the jacket description. I will admit that the cover art did not appeal to me, but that is often the case. Now for the story.
We know few details of Joan of Kent, as is the case with most medieval women, but Campion does a remarkable job of creating her world for us. The reader is introduced to Joan as a confused twelve year old girl who is torn in opposing directions by her mother, her king, and her own desire. As a cousin to the royal family, Joan is a pawn to be used as Edward III sees fit. Her mother Margaret does what she can to manipulate Joan's future, but it is Joan herself who is bold enough to follow her own path. The author takes the fact that we know that Joan chose to be buried next to her most common husband, Thomas Holland, and creates Joan's life around this tidbit of knowledge.
We are reminded a few too many times that Joan is beautiful, impetuous, or desirable because "You are a Plantagenet." Even those to whom this story is new would have picked up on it after a couple of mentions. Plantagenets are temperamental, important, and gorgeous. Enough already. I would say that Joan's beauty was over emphasized, but since she truly did have men of all stations fighting over her from the time she hit puberty, I suppose it was not.
The title A Triple Knot does not even begin to cover the medieval soap opera that surrounds Joan. Though she is continuously caught between her duty and her heart, everyone else seems to be in a similar situation. Campion skillfully develops the relationships that are intertwined between spouses, lovers, and relatives. Edward, the Black Prince, is developed into a man who can make one love him, while still having doubts about the cruelty he seems to be capable of.
Others have pointed out that the plague was not covered in great enough detail, and I suppose that is true. However, to me, this book read something like Joan's personal diary. The discussion of the pestilence being limited to the effect it had on Joan personally seemed fitting. I was much more turned off by the whispers of curses and magical healing. Any complaints were minor, as I was captivated by the story and cheering for Joan as she encountered one setback after another. I only wish that the story had carried on just a little bit longer. I agreed with this comment in the author's note: "In the end, I simply could not find a happily-ever-after for Joan. But I have gained a great deal of respect for her."
We know few details of Joan of Kent, as is the case with most medieval women, but Campion does a remarkable job of creating her world for us. The reader is introduced to Joan as a confused twelve year old girl who is torn in opposing directions by her mother, her king, and her own desire. As a cousin to the royal family, Joan is a pawn to be used as Edward III sees fit. Her mother Margaret does what she can to manipulate Joan's future, but it is Joan herself who is bold enough to follow her own path. The author takes the fact that we know that Joan chose to be buried next to her most common husband, Thomas Holland, and creates Joan's life around this tidbit of knowledge.
We are reminded a few too many times that Joan is beautiful, impetuous, or desirable because "You are a Plantagenet." Even those to whom this story is new would have picked up on it after a couple of mentions. Plantagenets are temperamental, important, and gorgeous. Enough already. I would say that Joan's beauty was over emphasized, but since she truly did have men of all stations fighting over her from the time she hit puberty, I suppose it was not.
The title A Triple Knot does not even begin to cover the medieval soap opera that surrounds Joan. Though she is continuously caught between her duty and her heart, everyone else seems to be in a similar situation. Campion skillfully develops the relationships that are intertwined between spouses, lovers, and relatives. Edward, the Black Prince, is developed into a man who can make one love him, while still having doubts about the cruelty he seems to be capable of.
Others have pointed out that the plague was not covered in great enough detail, and I suppose that is true. However, to me, this book read something like Joan's personal diary. The discussion of the pestilence being limited to the effect it had on Joan personally seemed fitting. I was much more turned off by the whispers of curses and magical healing. Any complaints were minor, as I was captivated by the story and cheering for Joan as she encountered one setback after another. I only wish that the story had carried on just a little bit longer. I agreed with this comment in the author's note: "In the end, I simply could not find a happily-ever-after for Joan. But I have gained a great deal of respect for her."
May 20, 2014
In A Triple Knot Campion has brought to the forefront a relatively minor character from history, spurning the well-known people to instead give us the story of Joan, known later as the Fair Maid of Kent.
Joan is a poor royal cousin tainted by her father's execution as a traitor, struggling to find her footing in a household where her father's death is forever held over her head and her beauty may be her only escape. Her cousin Ned (known to us as Edward, the Black Prince) is more than fond of her, though Joan does not return his affections and begins to doubt even the trust she has in him.
This book covers Joan's life from childhood to the time of her last marriage. Through her eyes we see the threat of pestilence (the Black Death) and the devastation it caused, especially to poorer people who were unable to flee to the outskirts of the isle, and the Queen's oblivious rescue of a few men with rank while hundreds of women, children and the elderly are left to starve. There's no modern judgement there, just a contemporary observation, something which not all historical authors are able to do.
Her impetuous marriage, and her husband's justification for consummating it, seems a little thin, but we do know the marriage happened at that point and was considered binding; I rightfully shared her mother's shock though.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Joan is a poor royal cousin tainted by her father's execution as a traitor, struggling to find her footing in a household where her father's death is forever held over her head and her beauty may be her only escape. Her cousin Ned (known to us as Edward, the Black Prince) is more than fond of her, though Joan does not return his affections and begins to doubt even the trust she has in him.
This book covers Joan's life from childhood to the time of her last marriage. Through her eyes we see the threat of pestilence (the Black Death) and the devastation it caused, especially to poorer people who were unable to flee to the outskirts of the isle, and the Queen's oblivious rescue of a few men with rank while hundreds of women, children and the elderly are left to starve. There's no modern judgement there, just a contemporary observation, something which not all historical authors are able to do.
Her impetuous marriage, and her husband's justification for consummating it, seems a little thin, but we do know the marriage happened at that point and was considered binding; I rightfully shared her mother's shock though.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2014
Actual 3.5
My Review:
I was invited to join Blogging for Books, where I get to choose a book in exchange for an honest review. I decided to choose a book that I would not normally choose, therefore I selected an adult Historical Fiction book. Historical fiction is a genre that I really enjoy and unfortunately do not read as often as I would like. But the synopsis of this story really intrigued me. I had not read much about this time period and even though I had heard of Joan of Kent, I had never really known her story.
I was immediately drawn into the time period and to the overall story. If you are a fan of the love, politics, and betrayal behind royal courts then this is a story for you. I was immediately drawn into Joan's story and Joan as our leading lady. First off let me just start off stating that Joan is such a brave woman. She loses her father as a child, still fights to redeem his memory. She is cast from residence to the next by the whims of her cousin the King and his wife and then is used as a chess piece to try to bring more power to her cousin. She must fight off a marriage to an notorious man and fight for love all at the age of 12! But regardless of the obstacles thrown in her way she stays true to herself and does not go down fighting. And she stays true to her self and will not let any man, Kind or Prince use her to their advantage. She is a force to reckon with and it is no wonder that her story is still told and discussed hundreds of years later.
I really enjoyed this story and loved reading the authors note in the end of how and why she decided to write this story. If you a fan of historical fiction then this is a book to consider!
My Review:
I was invited to join Blogging for Books, where I get to choose a book in exchange for an honest review. I decided to choose a book that I would not normally choose, therefore I selected an adult Historical Fiction book. Historical fiction is a genre that I really enjoy and unfortunately do not read as often as I would like. But the synopsis of this story really intrigued me. I had not read much about this time period and even though I had heard of Joan of Kent, I had never really known her story.
I was immediately drawn into the time period and to the overall story. If you are a fan of the love, politics, and betrayal behind royal courts then this is a story for you. I was immediately drawn into Joan's story and Joan as our leading lady. First off let me just start off stating that Joan is such a brave woman. She loses her father as a child, still fights to redeem his memory. She is cast from residence to the next by the whims of her cousin the King and his wife and then is used as a chess piece to try to bring more power to her cousin. She must fight off a marriage to an notorious man and fight for love all at the age of 12! But regardless of the obstacles thrown in her way she stays true to herself and does not go down fighting. And she stays true to her self and will not let any man, Kind or Prince use her to their advantage. She is a force to reckon with and it is no wonder that her story is still told and discussed hundreds of years later.
I really enjoyed this story and loved reading the authors note in the end of how and why she decided to write this story. If you a fan of historical fiction then this is a book to consider!
February 27, 2015
This was my first novel by Emma Campion and to be honest, I'm not sure if I'll pick up another in the future. I was prepared to like this novel from the moment I saw its subject and I anxiously awaited its release date. There have not been very many novels written about Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent, and most only have her as a secondary character instead of the lead. An interesting woman of an interesting time, I thought it would take quite a bit to make me dislike this book, and sadly that is ultimately how it ended.
Quite a bit is known of Joan's life, even so that's not a great deal, so that leaves ample space for an author to create a strong fictional portrayal. In this book, Ms. Campion's author's note brings up a question that I myself have wondered: why was Joan of Kent buried next to Thomas Holland instead of Edward, the Black Prince? This question is the platform on which the author builds her story. Which one of her husbands was her "prince"?
The novel begins in 1338 where Joan, her mother the Countess Margaret, and her brother John are wards of King Edward III, his wife Phillipa of Hainault, and the Dowager Queen Isabella. Joan's mother Margaret was married to Edmund, Earl of Kent, younger brother of the now deposed and murdered Edward II. During the bloody civil war that pitted Edward II against his wife Queen Isabella, Joan's father stayed loyal to his brother to the end but sadly he was on the wrong side when the fighting ended. Isabella's lover, Sir Roger Mortimer, had the earl of Kent beheaded and Joan's poor family was left to begrudgingly take hospitality offered by the royal family of which they were, by both marriage and blood, a part of. The new king Edward III and Queen Phillipa were not too happy about the arrangement either for it soon becomes clear that their son Edward, the Prince of Wales is far too interested in his pretty little cousin. Joan's Plantagenet blood will make her a nice bargaining tool on the marriage market, and the king, very much in need of funds for his war with France, grasps at the opportunity to marry her off to the highest bidder. But the lively Joan has other plans.
Enter the dashing Thomas Holland, the person whom Joan decides can solve her problems and take her off the gaming table. From a family that can understand the hardships Joan's clan has been through, having lost his father to Mortimer and his cronies as well, the 26 year old Holland soon falls for the twelve year old Joan. There is nothing unusual about this arrangement, if anything, among the nobility it is commonplace to wed a young girl to a older man. But it isn't just a legal pledging of their troth, there is sexual consummation that stems not just from love and lust but from fear. Joan believes if her virginity is taken, she wouldn't seem such a prize. The naivete is overwhelming during these scenes. When Holland must leave her to resume his place in the kings army, she is sent back home to her mother, away from the court and its greedy members. Once at home, Joan is convinced she was tricked and her marriage might not be legal. Her family jump in immediately to wed her to William Montagu (also spelled in the historical records as Montacute), the future Earl of Salisbury, a man whom Joan despises and for the sake of storytelling, Ms. Campion makes out to be homosexual, or at least bisexual, although there is nothing in the historical record to indicate this. This is the beginning of a ten year struggle for Joan and Thomas to prove their marriage was legal, all the while Joan must live in bigamy with a man she hates and who loves Prince Edward more than her. After a decade of separation, the lovers are finally joined after a papal ruling declares their marriage valid and her marriage to William Montagu null and void. But all this time fighting has taken its toll on Holland, and with him being twice Joan's age, they only have eleven years as man and wife, but managed to have four children together and historical sources seem to suggest that their marriage was a happy one. The book certainly does. However, only one year after Holland's death, Joan finally marries Prince Edward. It's like she just gives up, shrugs her shoulders and says "whatever, let's do this."
All in all, the story is not a bad one. It was its execution and style I didn't like. Much of it felt disjointed, the chapters short and there's not much difference in their content through much of the book. Most chapters after the introduction of Thomas Holland seemed almost to have a formula. There was no "grey area". Everyone was good or bad, or in the case of the couple of characters who did seem to sort of fall into that in between area (Dame Katarina, Lady Lucienne) had some sort of personal gain which made even their good actions seem selfish. I absolutely did not like the portrayal of Prince Edward as a spoiled, mean, somewhat sadistic little buggar who stalks Joan and makes anyone whom she loves feel sorry for doing so! And I suppose I wasn't wowed by the author's skill either, which is harsh I know, but I felt there was an awful lot of telling instead of showing. I wanted to feel, smell, taste, see, touch the 14th century not just hear about it. The Black Death was raging during the time when Holland went to Avignon to petition the pope, and it was like "Oh yeah, there's a pretty bad illness going around. We're not sure what it is but, yeah it's pretty bad...so you know, be careful or something." An illness that wiped out a third of Europe's population (and that's a conservative estimate) gets little more than a few acknowledgements!
Okay, now this is a personal dislike, but that book cover! Ugh! Of all the beautiful gowns and jewels there could have been, or a pretty girl representing Joan, or the beauty of the Kentish countryside...but instead we get a woman's laces and a man's hands fumbling at them. Sheesh! This was done on the part of the publishers, no doubt. The author usually has only a little bit of say in the matter of the cover photo, which must be frustrating. I don't know if Ms. Campion intends to follow this book up with a sequel, but it felt terribly wrong to end the book at her marriage to Prince Edward. The events that followed changed English history. Her son by Edward became Richard II who was usurped by his cousin and left to starve to death, thus making him the last true Plantagenet king. His death and Henry Bolingbroke's usurpation of the throne marked the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.
There were moments I enjoyed in this book, which is why it gets two stars instead of one. I liked how the author explained the importance of a clandestine marriage; that vows made to another should never be taken lightly (and how in this time in history, vows made to each other in the eyes of God were unbreakable, even if one partner was a 12-year-old girl of the nobility, the other a man over half her age, and way below her in social standing). I liked how hard Holland fought to make Joan his wife in truth. I truly adored the character of Efa. She was the saving grace many times over when I thought Joan was getting a bit whiny. Before reading this I had just finished Elizabeth Chadwick's latest book THE SUMMER QUEEN and I knew it would be hard to follow. If this book had been given the amount of attention and feeling that Joan's life radiates to this day, I think it could have been a real winner. This book has already garnered lots of praise, and many more will like it, I have no doubt. I just like a little more meat in my historical fiction. But I do give kudos to the author for making people aware of Joan of Kent and her life. Maybe it'll spur them on to do a little research of their own and draw their own conclusions of that question Ms. Campion built her story upon. Thanks to authors of historical fiction, these people, those we know of and those who were witnesses to history, will never truly die and I thank them for that. Happy reading!
Quite a bit is known of Joan's life, even so that's not a great deal, so that leaves ample space for an author to create a strong fictional portrayal. In this book, Ms. Campion's author's note brings up a question that I myself have wondered: why was Joan of Kent buried next to Thomas Holland instead of Edward, the Black Prince? This question is the platform on which the author builds her story. Which one of her husbands was her "prince"?
The novel begins in 1338 where Joan, her mother the Countess Margaret, and her brother John are wards of King Edward III, his wife Phillipa of Hainault, and the Dowager Queen Isabella. Joan's mother Margaret was married to Edmund, Earl of Kent, younger brother of the now deposed and murdered Edward II. During the bloody civil war that pitted Edward II against his wife Queen Isabella, Joan's father stayed loyal to his brother to the end but sadly he was on the wrong side when the fighting ended. Isabella's lover, Sir Roger Mortimer, had the earl of Kent beheaded and Joan's poor family was left to begrudgingly take hospitality offered by the royal family of which they were, by both marriage and blood, a part of. The new king Edward III and Queen Phillipa were not too happy about the arrangement either for it soon becomes clear that their son Edward, the Prince of Wales is far too interested in his pretty little cousin. Joan's Plantagenet blood will make her a nice bargaining tool on the marriage market, and the king, very much in need of funds for his war with France, grasps at the opportunity to marry her off to the highest bidder. But the lively Joan has other plans.
Enter the dashing Thomas Holland, the person whom Joan decides can solve her problems and take her off the gaming table. From a family that can understand the hardships Joan's clan has been through, having lost his father to Mortimer and his cronies as well, the 26 year old Holland soon falls for the twelve year old Joan. There is nothing unusual about this arrangement, if anything, among the nobility it is commonplace to wed a young girl to a older man. But it isn't just a legal pledging of their troth, there is sexual consummation that stems not just from love and lust but from fear. Joan believes if her virginity is taken, she wouldn't seem such a prize. The naivete is overwhelming during these scenes. When Holland must leave her to resume his place in the kings army, she is sent back home to her mother, away from the court and its greedy members. Once at home, Joan is convinced she was tricked and her marriage might not be legal. Her family jump in immediately to wed her to William Montagu (also spelled in the historical records as Montacute), the future Earl of Salisbury, a man whom Joan despises and for the sake of storytelling, Ms. Campion makes out to be homosexual, or at least bisexual, although there is nothing in the historical record to indicate this. This is the beginning of a ten year struggle for Joan and Thomas to prove their marriage was legal, all the while Joan must live in bigamy with a man she hates and who loves Prince Edward more than her. After a decade of separation, the lovers are finally joined after a papal ruling declares their marriage valid and her marriage to William Montagu null and void. But all this time fighting has taken its toll on Holland, and with him being twice Joan's age, they only have eleven years as man and wife, but managed to have four children together and historical sources seem to suggest that their marriage was a happy one. The book certainly does. However, only one year after Holland's death, Joan finally marries Prince Edward. It's like she just gives up, shrugs her shoulders and says "whatever, let's do this."
All in all, the story is not a bad one. It was its execution and style I didn't like. Much of it felt disjointed, the chapters short and there's not much difference in their content through much of the book. Most chapters after the introduction of Thomas Holland seemed almost to have a formula. There was no "grey area". Everyone was good or bad, or in the case of the couple of characters who did seem to sort of fall into that in between area (Dame Katarina, Lady Lucienne) had some sort of personal gain which made even their good actions seem selfish. I absolutely did not like the portrayal of Prince Edward as a spoiled, mean, somewhat sadistic little buggar who stalks Joan and makes anyone whom she loves feel sorry for doing so! And I suppose I wasn't wowed by the author's skill either, which is harsh I know, but I felt there was an awful lot of telling instead of showing. I wanted to feel, smell, taste, see, touch the 14th century not just hear about it. The Black Death was raging during the time when Holland went to Avignon to petition the pope, and it was like "Oh yeah, there's a pretty bad illness going around. We're not sure what it is but, yeah it's pretty bad...so you know, be careful or something." An illness that wiped out a third of Europe's population (and that's a conservative estimate) gets little more than a few acknowledgements!
Okay, now this is a personal dislike, but that book cover! Ugh! Of all the beautiful gowns and jewels there could have been, or a pretty girl representing Joan, or the beauty of the Kentish countryside...but instead we get a woman's laces and a man's hands fumbling at them. Sheesh! This was done on the part of the publishers, no doubt. The author usually has only a little bit of say in the matter of the cover photo, which must be frustrating. I don't know if Ms. Campion intends to follow this book up with a sequel, but it felt terribly wrong to end the book at her marriage to Prince Edward. The events that followed changed English history. Her son by Edward became Richard II who was usurped by his cousin and left to starve to death, thus making him the last true Plantagenet king. His death and Henry Bolingbroke's usurpation of the throne marked the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.
There were moments I enjoyed in this book, which is why it gets two stars instead of one. I liked how the author explained the importance of a clandestine marriage; that vows made to another should never be taken lightly (and how in this time in history, vows made to each other in the eyes of God were unbreakable, even if one partner was a 12-year-old girl of the nobility, the other a man over half her age, and way below her in social standing). I liked how hard Holland fought to make Joan his wife in truth. I truly adored the character of Efa. She was the saving grace many times over when I thought Joan was getting a bit whiny. Before reading this I had just finished Elizabeth Chadwick's latest book THE SUMMER QUEEN and I knew it would be hard to follow. If this book had been given the amount of attention and feeling that Joan's life radiates to this day, I think it could have been a real winner. This book has already garnered lots of praise, and many more will like it, I have no doubt. I just like a little more meat in my historical fiction. But I do give kudos to the author for making people aware of Joan of Kent and her life. Maybe it'll spur them on to do a little research of their own and draw their own conclusions of that question Ms. Campion built her story upon. Thanks to authors of historical fiction, these people, those we know of and those who were witnesses to history, will never truly die and I thank them for that. Happy reading!
November 22, 2015
Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.
Joan of Kent has always fascinated me. Her tangled love life, her strength, her weakness. Needless to say I was more than excited to dig into A Triple Knot. Imagine: Joan enters a clandestine marriage, a man below her station. Forced into a second marriage, a nobleman. Manages to reunite with first husband, when second marriage is annulled. All the while loved by her cousin, swearing in his youth to make her his queen since he is destined to inherent the throne. Yes, this much drama and more!
Campion writes with impeccable detail. She introduces the reader to Joan from girlhood, providing vital back history, continuing with Joan as a grown adult woman. You certainly understand the entire story along with events during this time period as well as the machinations of King Edward's court.
Campion's narrative is consuming. I raced through the book riveted with each chapter. Joan's story is full of intrigue, love, lies, betrayal, sinister plots, lust and obsession. A story full of drama and complexities the era demands.
I enjoyed the mix of characters, the difficulties regarding love, the control of the court over its minions, including family members. No one was exempt from their rulers control, all were under his thumb. The narrative was well researched and extensive, Campion's knowledge of this particular subject matter is evident. The setting made the story complete as we are immersed through the countryside, various battles, sea voyages and obstacles faced.
Historical fiction fans, followers of King Edward III and Joan of Kent, readers desiring to dive into plenty of drama will want to add A Triple Knot to your reading list. Impressive work from a deftly competent author.
Joan of Kent has always fascinated me. Her tangled love life, her strength, her weakness. Needless to say I was more than excited to dig into A Triple Knot. Imagine: Joan enters a clandestine marriage, a man below her station. Forced into a second marriage, a nobleman. Manages to reunite with first husband, when second marriage is annulled. All the while loved by her cousin, swearing in his youth to make her his queen since he is destined to inherent the throne. Yes, this much drama and more!
Campion writes with impeccable detail. She introduces the reader to Joan from girlhood, providing vital back history, continuing with Joan as a grown adult woman. You certainly understand the entire story along with events during this time period as well as the machinations of King Edward's court.
Campion's narrative is consuming. I raced through the book riveted with each chapter. Joan's story is full of intrigue, love, lies, betrayal, sinister plots, lust and obsession. A story full of drama and complexities the era demands.
I enjoyed the mix of characters, the difficulties regarding love, the control of the court over its minions, including family members. No one was exempt from their rulers control, all were under his thumb. The narrative was well researched and extensive, Campion's knowledge of this particular subject matter is evident. The setting made the story complete as we are immersed through the countryside, various battles, sea voyages and obstacles faced.
Historical fiction fans, followers of King Edward III and Joan of Kent, readers desiring to dive into plenty of drama will want to add A Triple Knot to your reading list. Impressive work from a deftly competent author.
August 15, 2014
This book is certainly worth reading, but it takes a while to get off the ground. Campion burdens herself with multiple POV's, while sometimes neglecting Joan's. What Philippa and Margaret and Lucienne have to say DOES NOT ACTUALLY MATTER. It's 100% exposition, and all of it could be avoided, making this a five star book. And Efa doesn't rate a POV??? Really? REALLY?
Necessary points of view: Joan and Efa. End of list.
That said, the history is good. It's good history! I appreciate that beyond reason. That's two stars right there. And a decent characterization of The Black Prince? Mwah. Not even A Knight's Tale could pull that off, and that movie was goddam glorious.
I love the way that Campion chose to end the book. Love it. That's why it's three stars instead of two, and why I will still recommend it to history buffs.
Necessary points of view: Joan and Efa. End of list.
That said, the history is good. It's good history! I appreciate that beyond reason. That's two stars right there. And a decent characterization of The Black Prince? Mwah. Not even A Knight's Tale could pull that off, and that movie was goddam glorious.
I love the way that Campion chose to end the book. Love it. That's why it's three stars instead of two, and why I will still recommend it to history buffs.
May 3, 2018
La storia ci presenta Giovanna di Kent come la sposa di Edoardo il Principe Nero, l’eroe di Crecy, e madre del futuro re di Inghilterra.
Questo romanzo ci apre una finestra su come Giovanna ci sia arrivata a quelle nozze, sui suoi amori, le sue speranze, le sue delusioni e i suoi dolori.
Figlia di un uomo morto da traditore, benché poi riabilitato, cresciuta a corte un po’ nel ruolo della parente di cui prendersi cura perché orfana, Giovanna conosce bene le mire della Corona su di lei, l’importanza che riveste come nobildonna della casata Plantageneta nel mercato dei matrimoni e delle alleanze.
Solo undicenne ma già bellissima, viene inviata nei Paesi Bassi al fine di far capitolare un nobile utile al Re.
Sola, in un paese nemico, Giovanna cederà alle ragioni del cuore, sposando invece un povero cavaliere, Sir Thomas Holland.
Il matrimonio, benché consumato, deve restare un segreto e la madre approfitta del fatto che l’unione della figlia non sia di dominio pubblico per unirla al povero William Montagu, il personaggio forse più meritevole di cristiana pietà del romanzo: marito della donna più desiderata del regno, langue infelice perché innamorato senza speranza di un focoso ammiratore di sua moglie, il Principe Nero.
Quando però Giovanna e Thomas si incontrano di nuovo, l’amore mai sopito divampa nuovamente e i due giovani faranno tutto quello che è in loro potere per poter finalmente vivere il loro matrimonio alla luce del sole.
Essendo un romanzo storico, sapevo perfettamente e in anticipo come sarebbe finito il libro, ma i personaggi sono caratterizzati così bene che ti trovi a tifare per loro, anche se sai benissimo che le loro vicende finiranno in un modo piuttosto che in un altro.
Giovanna, ad esempio, mi è piaciuta moltissimo: è forte, intelligente, sa piegarsi a chi è più potente ma solo per risollevarsi non appena ne ha l’opportunità.
Edoardo inizia come un bambino viziato e prosegue come un uomo insopportabile, ma saprà riscattarsi nella maturità.
Thomas Holland devo ammettere che ci ho messo un bel po’ per farmelo piacere, nonostante incarni perfettamente il tipo del cavaliere dell’epoca, uomo d’onore ed eccelso cavaliere. Semplicemente perché l’idea che un uomo adulto sposi e vada a letto con una dodicenne, turba e offende il nostro moderno sentire.
Ci sono poi decine di altri personaggi, ma lascio a tutte voi il piacere di scoprirli.
Buffy - per RFS
Questo romanzo ci apre una finestra su come Giovanna ci sia arrivata a quelle nozze, sui suoi amori, le sue speranze, le sue delusioni e i suoi dolori.
Figlia di un uomo morto da traditore, benché poi riabilitato, cresciuta a corte un po’ nel ruolo della parente di cui prendersi cura perché orfana, Giovanna conosce bene le mire della Corona su di lei, l’importanza che riveste come nobildonna della casata Plantageneta nel mercato dei matrimoni e delle alleanze.
Solo undicenne ma già bellissima, viene inviata nei Paesi Bassi al fine di far capitolare un nobile utile al Re.
Sola, in un paese nemico, Giovanna cederà alle ragioni del cuore, sposando invece un povero cavaliere, Sir Thomas Holland.
Il matrimonio, benché consumato, deve restare un segreto e la madre approfitta del fatto che l’unione della figlia non sia di dominio pubblico per unirla al povero William Montagu, il personaggio forse più meritevole di cristiana pietà del romanzo: marito della donna più desiderata del regno, langue infelice perché innamorato senza speranza di un focoso ammiratore di sua moglie, il Principe Nero.
Quando però Giovanna e Thomas si incontrano di nuovo, l’amore mai sopito divampa nuovamente e i due giovani faranno tutto quello che è in loro potere per poter finalmente vivere il loro matrimonio alla luce del sole.
Essendo un romanzo storico, sapevo perfettamente e in anticipo come sarebbe finito il libro, ma i personaggi sono caratterizzati così bene che ti trovi a tifare per loro, anche se sai benissimo che le loro vicende finiranno in un modo piuttosto che in un altro.
Giovanna, ad esempio, mi è piaciuta moltissimo: è forte, intelligente, sa piegarsi a chi è più potente ma solo per risollevarsi non appena ne ha l’opportunità.
Edoardo inizia come un bambino viziato e prosegue come un uomo insopportabile, ma saprà riscattarsi nella maturità.
Thomas Holland devo ammettere che ci ho messo un bel po’ per farmelo piacere, nonostante incarni perfettamente il tipo del cavaliere dell’epoca, uomo d’onore ed eccelso cavaliere. Semplicemente perché l’idea che un uomo adulto sposi e vada a letto con una dodicenne, turba e offende il nostro moderno sentire.
Ci sono poi decine di altri personaggi, ma lascio a tutte voi il piacere di scoprirli.
Buffy - per RFS
November 5, 2014
Full disclosure: I received this e-book copy from Edelweiss for an honest review.
This is the story of Joan of Kent, a cousin to the king and the crown prince, the granddaughter of a king...she is one of the Plantagenets. She is beautiful and is desired by many and will soon make a strategically political marriage. Her heart gets in the way as she betrothed to not one, but three, different men (hence the reason, in my opinion, for the title of the book A Triple Knot). As she deals with the machinations of the court, her mother, her friends and extended family, she must tread carefully as she becomes a pawn in all their intrigues. Will she be able to marry her love, or will she married off to a man she cares nothing about, or even will she become the a queen of the realm?
Joan's life and the times of the 14th century period (wars and plague) make for compelling reading in this historical novel that fills in the gaps of what is known about this woman and the men in her life.
This is the story of Joan of Kent, a cousin to the king and the crown prince, the granddaughter of a king...she is one of the Plantagenets. She is beautiful and is desired by many and will soon make a strategically political marriage. Her heart gets in the way as she betrothed to not one, but three, different men (hence the reason, in my opinion, for the title of the book A Triple Knot). As she deals with the machinations of the court, her mother, her friends and extended family, she must tread carefully as she becomes a pawn in all their intrigues. Will she be able to marry her love, or will she married off to a man she cares nothing about, or even will she become the a queen of the realm?
Joan's life and the times of the 14th century period (wars and plague) make for compelling reading in this historical novel that fills in the gaps of what is known about this woman and the men in her life.
September 20, 2018
Non conoscevo la storia di Giovanna, la Bella Fanciulla di Kent, che divenne la moglie di Edoardo il Principe Nero (nessuno spoiler, è Storia!). Il libro racconta la vita di Giovanna prima di diventare moglie di Edoardo, sicuramente una vita di cui ci sono poche testimonianze certe. Ma, come racconta l'autrice nella nota finale, tutto è partito da una semplice domanda: come mai Giovanna volle essere sepolta non accanto al Principe Nero, ma accanto al primo marito, Thomas Holland? E' una storia interessante e variegata, di amori e tradimenti, figure oscure (su tutte, quella del principe Edoardo) e guaritrici.
Interessante è anche scoprire come si intrecciano le mie varie passioni letterarie e i personaggi che animano le mie serie preferite: nella serie di Paul Doherty dedicata all'investigatore fratello Athelstan, i personaggi storici di sfondo sono proprio il giovane re Riccardo 2° e il suo tutore Giovanni di Gand. Giovanna era la madre di Riccardo!
Interessante è anche scoprire come si intrecciano le mie varie passioni letterarie e i personaggi che animano le mie serie preferite: nella serie di Paul Doherty dedicata all'investigatore fratello Athelstan, i personaggi storici di sfondo sono proprio il giovane re Riccardo 2° e il suo tutore Giovanni di Gand. Giovanna era la madre di Riccardo!
July 1, 2019
This was ok.
July 21, 2023
Joan of Kent, is the first Princess of Wales in the history of England (as heir to the throne), due to her marriage to the Prince of Wales Edward of Woodstock, they were cousins too and the couple, although both of noble birth, married when they were over 30 years old and by their own choice, there is no drama in the relationship, Edward seems to have been interested enough in Joan since his youth to send her gifts, he didn't have mistresses, which has led historians to think that it was a marriage for love and happy.....BUT Although Edward died first leaving a grave for Joan next to his, she decided that she did not want to be buried with him, but with Thomas Holland, Joan's first husband, who was originally a simple knight, 11 years older than her and without fortune, so why would Joan want to be buried next to Thomas? That is the question that inspired this novel. According to the author, despite his relatively humble origins, age and status, Thomas was Joan's true love "her prince " . I myself have wondered why Joan made that decision and I see no other option but Joan's desire to spend eternity with Thomas. The detail is that the story of Thomas and Joan is very complex historically this is all that is known:
Thomas and Joan were married secretly in 1340 when she was 12 years old.
They kept the union a secret and 2 years later Joan was forced to marry the Earl of Salisbury.
Thomas claimed her as his wife before Rome and the pope was in favor of Thomas.
They had 3 children
No lovers or illegitimate children registered for Thomas.
Obviously the records have a lot of blanks, which prevent us from being clear about what really happened, why did Joan, being from the royal family, marry in secret? Why if she was so in love with Thomas she didn't spend even a year widowed before marrying Edward? That and other questions are what this novel seeks to resolve.
The story begins with 12-year-old Joan, tormented by the execution of her father years ago, Joan has a strange friendship with her cousin Prince Edward here called Ned, who although is just 9 years old is obsessed with her, wants to make her his queen and considers himself his "champion" she welcomes his friendship or so the book tells us although in reality she is uncomfortable because he is brutally jealous and insistent, he even forced her to promise in a church she will marry him, but after a childish and quite illogical prank , Joan is taken with the queen and king to the low countries, where they are trying to form alliances, during her trip Joan meets Thomas Holland a knight, whose noble family is trying to win back royal favor, Thomas is kind and chivalrous enough for Joan to fall in love, when she arrives at her destination Joan is very quickly used for an engagement with a nobleman, Joan obviously does not want to marry for politics, and everything worsens when the father of her supposed fiancé tries to abuse her, before that Queen Philippa and King Edward III are almost indifferent, which puts Joan on the verge of despair, she takes refuge with a family of rich merchants who manipulate the situation and push her to Thomas, in fact they practically orchestrate the marriage, Joan marries for fear of ending up in the hands of a pervert but also because she loves Thomas, who is curious because he is a man of honor, values, courage, respect but falls in love with a 12 year ole girl from the royal family, he loves her and claims that he wants to protect her, so What is the best way according to his logic?..... Brace yourself on this.......marrying her, bedding her, and leaving her for years ......that's the perfect solution according to him.....
Ok I'll let the age issue go because that was the middle ages, although many nobles waited for their child wives to grow older to consummate the union, many others did not, however you are telling me that such a perfect and honorable man would have married and slept with a member of the royal family without the consent of HIS King?? Missing all the service codes, let's not even talk about the codes of chivalry. In addition, he tells himself and assures us that Joan's well-being is first and foremost. And taking away her virginity helps whyyyyy??? He wasn't even going to stay near her, How was that going to prevent her from being raped or given in another marriage? In fact, that was what happened, but well, what I want to say with all this is that the entanglements and the ways in which the author bases the realization of the marriage seemed illogical, implausible to me, but above all I could not agree with the characterization of Thomas and Joan, they are both so, so perfect, I would have liked to read about a human Thomas, good but covetous, some evil or humanity in he which made him do what he did, Ok Thomas must have been handsome and good for that the historical Joan preferred him over princes and dukes, I myself believe that even with the age difference he must have conquered her in some way and their union was happy, but I refuse to believe that the marriage was an act given in circumstances and for reasons so
silly like the author portrayed here, as I refuse to believe that he was perfect from head to toe, I think and it seems obvious to me that he advantageously seduced her knowing the benefits that he could obtain economically and politically speaking, he must have liked her of course for something they called her the beautiful lady but nothing in life is black or white and I am sure that his motives were not merely romantic, the same for Joan who is only a scared girl, she does not have the slightest notion of the world in which she lives, isn't even believable her role as the damsel in love, because she barely knows him, and she even knows that he has a mistress who is married , did she really was so idiot to believe him a good husband ?? I mean why would she risk all for him ???? and they are both idiots, when the king refuses to recognize the union they are like WHAT??? WHYYYY?? we love each other, and I was like... HELLO!!! It's the 14th century , she's from the royal family, what did you expect??? That the king shook hands with Thomas and said "welcome to the royal family" dude.... lol... Funny but our protagonists are exactly expecting that, from then on we will read like for ten years Thomas and Joan have to fight to be together, that's most of the book which is really boring, Joan doesn't grow as a character she gets stuck in her role as a girl in love who doesn't have what she wants, not much happens in the story except military campaigns and the eternal fight of the lovebirds, it was hard for me to move on through all those pages, they eventually get married and of course their marriage is loving, perfect, ideal, (boring and false) it must have been good of course but they never really fought? They never had disagreements? Anyway, the wave of the interesting rises again when Thomas dies (at 90 percent of the book) his death is not peaceful or natural and could have been avoided, it leaves Joan full of anger and heartbroken, broken inside, really destroyed, really broken and dead inside. So much that Thomas hasn't even cooled in his grave, but she's already sleeping with Ned. Here I can say that I finally see a bit of balance in Joan, although she seems more like a woman with a contradictory personality than a human being overwhelmed by the pain of losing the love of her life. But at least it's entertaining, after Thomas's death, Ned is the one who comforts not only her but her children as well, who love him like a second father, on top of that Joan has problems with her lands that seem to have been created by the royal family but Ned helps her and leaves her independent so she can be rich and free if she wants to, but at that moment she realizes that she doesn't want independence, she wants Ned, but she's not sure why, on the one hand she knows that he would be the perfect protector for her and her children, although it is not clear that he should protect her if nobody threatens her, but in the end she tells us over and over again how good Ned would be as a protector, rather as a lover, then at the suggestion of her sister, Joan invites him to her bed, he goes but being naked in front of each other Ned insists that he wants to make her his wife and queen, not just his lover, she insists on sleeping with him without compromises but in the end Ned convinces her, she lowers her arms and accepts, soon after they get engaged, and they marry in secret, after having a lustful love affair, Joan is afraid that the king will not approve her but she doesn't care, she knows that Ned will never leave her as lovers or wife and husband , but the most important thing is that she is determined to be with him because she wants him, and she loves him, although not more than Holland of course, but she loves Ned, and when the royal family approves the marriage she does not hesitate for a moment to get married, shortly after she discovers that he could have helped Holland's death which leaves her shocked but she also knows that she can't return back and she doesn't want to, she loves him and wants to be with him, what's more, she feels proud that he is hers without all his complexity......
There are many personal relationships that come out of the historical record, such as Joan's mother's love affair, as well as many personalities that do not match the record and fictional characters, although they are mostly servants, I think that the investigation is there but the novel does not always follow the known facts, I think that it sacrifices them for the good of the story, however it is decent in terms of historical facts, as I already said the characterization in general is poor , we have to type of people good or bad, I think that one or two people highlight Queen Philippa for example, Ned also stands out he feels more human, although for my taste he is too cruel, spoiled and obsessive, those characteristics are not bad either, he was the heir to the throne but I think he is exaggerated, it would have been good to see him mature even so he was my favorite character although that may be due to the fact that I like the historical character, in short it is not a bad novel, not really, but most of the book is boring and the central point as I said is completely absurd, the story lacks emotion and intrigue, the protagonists are so unbalanced that it was really hard for me to sympathize with them , and although the story is descriptive, it does not flow, many moments or many scenes are illogical and feel forced, in addition the book it ends with Joan's wedding and Edward, I wanted to see her as the King's mother, I mean by the third knot I understand that it will cover his three marriages but no.
In the end I think three stars is fair, I thought I'd give it two because I think there are few parts that I liked but it's well written and it's not horrible.
Thomas and Joan were married secretly in 1340 when she was 12 years old.
They kept the union a secret and 2 years later Joan was forced to marry the Earl of Salisbury.
Thomas claimed her as his wife before Rome and the pope was in favor of Thomas.
They had 3 children
No lovers or illegitimate children registered for Thomas.
Obviously the records have a lot of blanks, which prevent us from being clear about what really happened, why did Joan, being from the royal family, marry in secret? Why if she was so in love with Thomas she didn't spend even a year widowed before marrying Edward? That and other questions are what this novel seeks to resolve.
The story begins with 12-year-old Joan, tormented by the execution of her father years ago, Joan has a strange friendship with her cousin Prince Edward here called Ned, who although is just 9 years old is obsessed with her, wants to make her his queen and considers himself his "champion" she welcomes his friendship or so the book tells us although in reality she is uncomfortable because he is brutally jealous and insistent, he even forced her to promise in a church she will marry him, but after a childish and quite illogical prank , Joan is taken with the queen and king to the low countries, where they are trying to form alliances, during her trip Joan meets Thomas Holland a knight, whose noble family is trying to win back royal favor, Thomas is kind and chivalrous enough for Joan to fall in love, when she arrives at her destination Joan is very quickly used for an engagement with a nobleman, Joan obviously does not want to marry for politics, and everything worsens when the father of her supposed fiancé tries to abuse her, before that Queen Philippa and King Edward III are almost indifferent, which puts Joan on the verge of despair, she takes refuge with a family of rich merchants who manipulate the situation and push her to Thomas, in fact they practically orchestrate the marriage, Joan marries for fear of ending up in the hands of a pervert but also because she loves Thomas, who is curious because he is a man of honor, values, courage, respect but falls in love with a 12 year ole girl from the royal family, he loves her and claims that he wants to protect her, so What is the best way according to his logic?..... Brace yourself on this.......marrying her, bedding her, and leaving her for years ......that's the perfect solution according to him.....
Ok I'll let the age issue go because that was the middle ages, although many nobles waited for their child wives to grow older to consummate the union, many others did not, however you are telling me that such a perfect and honorable man would have married and slept with a member of the royal family without the consent of HIS King?? Missing all the service codes, let's not even talk about the codes of chivalry. In addition, he tells himself and assures us that Joan's well-being is first and foremost. And taking away her virginity helps whyyyyy??? He wasn't even going to stay near her, How was that going to prevent her from being raped or given in another marriage? In fact, that was what happened, but well, what I want to say with all this is that the entanglements and the ways in which the author bases the realization of the marriage seemed illogical, implausible to me, but above all I could not agree with the characterization of Thomas and Joan, they are both so, so perfect, I would have liked to read about a human Thomas, good but covetous, some evil or humanity in he which made him do what he did, Ok Thomas must have been handsome and good for that the historical Joan preferred him over princes and dukes, I myself believe that even with the age difference he must have conquered her in some way and their union was happy, but I refuse to believe that the marriage was an act given in circumstances and for reasons so
silly like the author portrayed here, as I refuse to believe that he was perfect from head to toe, I think and it seems obvious to me that he advantageously seduced her knowing the benefits that he could obtain economically and politically speaking, he must have liked her of course for something they called her the beautiful lady but nothing in life is black or white and I am sure that his motives were not merely romantic, the same for Joan who is only a scared girl, she does not have the slightest notion of the world in which she lives, isn't even believable her role as the damsel in love, because she barely knows him, and she even knows that he has a mistress who is married , did she really was so idiot to believe him a good husband ?? I mean why would she risk all for him ???? and they are both idiots, when the king refuses to recognize the union they are like WHAT??? WHYYYY?? we love each other, and I was like... HELLO!!! It's the 14th century , she's from the royal family, what did you expect??? That the king shook hands with Thomas and said "welcome to the royal family" dude.... lol... Funny but our protagonists are exactly expecting that, from then on we will read like for ten years Thomas and Joan have to fight to be together, that's most of the book which is really boring, Joan doesn't grow as a character she gets stuck in her role as a girl in love who doesn't have what she wants, not much happens in the story except military campaigns and the eternal fight of the lovebirds, it was hard for me to move on through all those pages, they eventually get married and of course their marriage is loving, perfect, ideal, (boring and false) it must have been good of course but they never really fought? They never had disagreements? Anyway, the wave of the interesting rises again when Thomas dies (at 90 percent of the book) his death is not peaceful or natural and could have been avoided, it leaves Joan full of anger and heartbroken, broken inside, really destroyed, really broken and dead inside. So much that Thomas hasn't even cooled in his grave, but she's already sleeping with Ned. Here I can say that I finally see a bit of balance in Joan, although she seems more like a woman with a contradictory personality than a human being overwhelmed by the pain of losing the love of her life. But at least it's entertaining, after Thomas's death, Ned is the one who comforts not only her but her children as well, who love him like a second father, on top of that Joan has problems with her lands that seem to have been created by the royal family but Ned helps her and leaves her independent so she can be rich and free if she wants to, but at that moment she realizes that she doesn't want independence, she wants Ned, but she's not sure why, on the one hand she knows that he would be the perfect protector for her and her children, although it is not clear that he should protect her if nobody threatens her, but in the end she tells us over and over again how good Ned would be as a protector, rather as a lover, then at the suggestion of her sister, Joan invites him to her bed, he goes but being naked in front of each other Ned insists that he wants to make her his wife and queen, not just his lover, she insists on sleeping with him without compromises but in the end Ned convinces her, she lowers her arms and accepts, soon after they get engaged, and they marry in secret, after having a lustful love affair, Joan is afraid that the king will not approve her but she doesn't care, she knows that Ned will never leave her as lovers or wife and husband , but the most important thing is that she is determined to be with him because she wants him, and she loves him, although not more than Holland of course, but she loves Ned, and when the royal family approves the marriage she does not hesitate for a moment to get married, shortly after she discovers that he could have helped Holland's death which leaves her shocked but she also knows that she can't return back and she doesn't want to, she loves him and wants to be with him, what's more, she feels proud that he is hers without all his complexity......
There are many personal relationships that come out of the historical record, such as Joan's mother's love affair, as well as many personalities that do not match the record and fictional characters, although they are mostly servants, I think that the investigation is there but the novel does not always follow the known facts, I think that it sacrifices them for the good of the story, however it is decent in terms of historical facts, as I already said the characterization in general is poor , we have to type of people good or bad, I think that one or two people highlight Queen Philippa for example, Ned also stands out he feels more human, although for my taste he is too cruel, spoiled and obsessive, those characteristics are not bad either, he was the heir to the throne but I think he is exaggerated, it would have been good to see him mature even so he was my favorite character although that may be due to the fact that I like the historical character, in short it is not a bad novel, not really, but most of the book is boring and the central point as I said is completely absurd, the story lacks emotion and intrigue, the protagonists are so unbalanced that it was really hard for me to sympathize with them , and although the story is descriptive, it does not flow, many moments or many scenes are illogical and feel forced, in addition the book it ends with Joan's wedding and Edward, I wanted to see her as the King's mother, I mean by the third knot I understand that it will cover his three marriages but no.
In the end I think three stars is fair, I thought I'd give it two because I think there are few parts that I liked but it's well written and it's not horrible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2014
Thanks Bloggingforbooks for this book! Check out my blog at: http://callmesensei.weebly.com/books-...
Let me start with this: I cannot finish this book.
Actually, I should probably start with a plot description. This novel falls under the realm of historical fiction. It concerns the life of Joan of Kent, cousin to and ward of King Edward III. Her father was named a traitor when she was younger and was executed for his crimes. Since then, her and her brother have fallen into the hands of the King and his Queen, Philippa. Joan is destined for a politically advantageous marriage to help the King of England take France. This is the start of all of Joan's troubles. The King and Queen agree to at least two different matches for Joan--both of them bad (the first is a child molester and the second is a homosexual jealous of Joan's relationship with the crown prince). In order to get away from the first suitor, Joan must marry a knight whom she actually loves. However, they decide to keep it a secret and she is married off to the second suitor. The knight tries and tries again to get the King and the Pope to recognize their marriage but she is kept from him in order to benefit the King and Queen. Meanwhile, the crown prince is obsessed with Joan and seeks to off both of Joan's husbands. Keep reading to find out how the story ends but I cannot...
It's not that I don't enjoy historical fictions. I used to read the fictional diaries of ladies like Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette when I was in third grade. There are quite a few things wrong with the crafting of this novel:
1. The introduction to the story is confusing. There is a list in the beginning of the book with names and relationships between the royal family. This did not help me. I am still confused as to whether Joan's father was the dowager queen's husband or brother. Maybe both, considering the time period.
2. The random changes in perspective threw me off. For the majority of the novel, the story is written from Joan's point of view. But every once in a while there are perspective chapters from the Queen or the knight. I felt that the perspective of the Queen was unnecessary and that the perspective of the knight should have been more consistent. He drops off the face of the earth for about 100 pages while others deliberate on Joan's future. I wish the author would have continued to provide insight into his character so that their relationship could be more enticing. As it is, he's a man twice Joan's age with nothing to offer her but his sometimes wish-washy love.
3. The part that stopped me from reading the book entirely was the pacing. I kept expecting some kind of plot progression but really Joan is just stuck for at least 150 pages with nothing happening! I wish the author might have speed up these bits to get to the next point in the plot! Around the 280 page mark (e-book format), she lost me (100 pages away from the finish). I have tried for three days to get back into it and cannot!
The one redeeming part of this novel is Joan's character progression. She has, what I feel, to be the appropriate emotions and responses to most of the things that happen to her (except her connection with her cousin which I don't understand). I empathize with her struggle and can relate to her tough character. Overall, I'd give this book 2/5 stars.
Thanks Bloggingforbooks for this book!
Let me start with this: I cannot finish this book.
Actually, I should probably start with a plot description. This novel falls under the realm of historical fiction. It concerns the life of Joan of Kent, cousin to and ward of King Edward III. Her father was named a traitor when she was younger and was executed for his crimes. Since then, her and her brother have fallen into the hands of the King and his Queen, Philippa. Joan is destined for a politically advantageous marriage to help the King of England take France. This is the start of all of Joan's troubles. The King and Queen agree to at least two different matches for Joan--both of them bad (the first is a child molester and the second is a homosexual jealous of Joan's relationship with the crown prince). In order to get away from the first suitor, Joan must marry a knight whom she actually loves. However, they decide to keep it a secret and she is married off to the second suitor. The knight tries and tries again to get the King and the Pope to recognize their marriage but she is kept from him in order to benefit the King and Queen. Meanwhile, the crown prince is obsessed with Joan and seeks to off both of Joan's husbands. Keep reading to find out how the story ends but I cannot...
It's not that I don't enjoy historical fictions. I used to read the fictional diaries of ladies like Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette when I was in third grade. There are quite a few things wrong with the crafting of this novel:
1. The introduction to the story is confusing. There is a list in the beginning of the book with names and relationships between the royal family. This did not help me. I am still confused as to whether Joan's father was the dowager queen's husband or brother. Maybe both, considering the time period.
2. The random changes in perspective threw me off. For the majority of the novel, the story is written from Joan's point of view. But every once in a while there are perspective chapters from the Queen or the knight. I felt that the perspective of the Queen was unnecessary and that the perspective of the knight should have been more consistent. He drops off the face of the earth for about 100 pages while others deliberate on Joan's future. I wish the author would have continued to provide insight into his character so that their relationship could be more enticing. As it is, he's a man twice Joan's age with nothing to offer her but his sometimes wish-washy love.
3. The part that stopped me from reading the book entirely was the pacing. I kept expecting some kind of plot progression but really Joan is just stuck for at least 150 pages with nothing happening! I wish the author might have speed up these bits to get to the next point in the plot! Around the 280 page mark (e-book format), she lost me (100 pages away from the finish). I have tried for three days to get back into it and cannot!
The one redeeming part of this novel is Joan's character progression. She has, what I feel, to be the appropriate emotions and responses to most of the things that happen to her (except her connection with her cousin which I don't understand). I empathize with her struggle and can relate to her tough character. Overall, I'd give this book 2/5 stars.
Thanks Bloggingforbooks for this book!
December 22, 2019
"Candace Robb è bravissima nel restituirci un’immagine della Fair Maid of Kent ben diversa da quella che finora abbiamo conosciuto, rielaborando a suo modo le poche fonti storiche attendibili di cui siamo in possesso su quel periodo e soprattutto sulla sua complessa vicenda matrimoniale. Da una visione di donna dissoluta e poco incline a seguire le regole, la Robb passa a una ben più probabile e realistica vittima della società fortemente maschilista dell’epoca, in cui chiunque osasse mettere in discussione il proprio ruolo o l’autorità del sovrano finiva bollata, in qualche modo costretta a piegarsi. Giovanna lo fece solo in parte, non rinunciando mai a lottare per i propri diritti, per il rispetto e per l’amore, ponendosi in questo senso come una delle prime femministe mai esistite.
Intorno alla vicenda personale della prima principessa del Galles si sviluppa un romanzo ricco e sfizioso che ci consente di essere ammessi alla corte di Edoardo III, in un tempo difficile in cui l’Inghilterra cercava costantemente di far valere le proprie ragioni sulla Francia, spesso a costo di eccessive vite umane, miseria, pestilenze. Anche la figura di Thomas Holland è quella di un eroe tutto d’un pezzo come pochi ne rimangono, ancorato ai valori dell’onore, dell’onestà, della lealtà e al desiderio di riscattare il nome della famiglia".
Leggi la recesione completa qui:
http://www.affaritaliani.it/culturasp...
Intorno alla vicenda personale della prima principessa del Galles si sviluppa un romanzo ricco e sfizioso che ci consente di essere ammessi alla corte di Edoardo III, in un tempo difficile in cui l’Inghilterra cercava costantemente di far valere le proprie ragioni sulla Francia, spesso a costo di eccessive vite umane, miseria, pestilenze. Anche la figura di Thomas Holland è quella di un eroe tutto d’un pezzo come pochi ne rimangono, ancorato ai valori dell’onore, dell’onestà, della lealtà e al desiderio di riscattare il nome della famiglia".
Leggi la recesione completa qui:
http://www.affaritaliani.it/culturasp...
January 12, 2018
I read few books of these historical characters, and none of them impressed me yet to much. These are not bad books, but they are not even impressive to remember them. And such a very interesting period and fascinating characters...full of intrigue, love, lies, betrayal, sinister plots, lust and obsession... Unfortunately, this book did not impress me too but it is better than others in some way
To much descriptions of the clothing, the feasts, the dancing... but unlike others books, this has at least such descriptions...The second half of book was incredibly rushed. The writer didn’t develop the relationship between Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent and Prince Edward... And in the end Joan moved very quickly from being scared of Ned to lusting after Holland was dead. There could have been so much more to the story and I would have loved to have read it
To much descriptions of the clothing, the feasts, the dancing... but unlike others books, this has at least such descriptions...The second half of book was incredibly rushed. The writer didn’t develop the relationship between Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent and Prince Edward... And in the end Joan moved very quickly from being scared of Ned to lusting after Holland was dead. There could have been so much more to the story and I would have loved to have read it
November 30, 2015
Wow! What a life The Fair Maid of Kent, Lady Joan, lived. Quite a dynamic personality. Unfortunately, the Plantagenets kept marrying their first cousins, and as a result, they produced some weak monarchs, but this book discusses the life of Joan of Kent. It was a fascinating one. This book takes place during the 14 Century, and when I think how much was done in the 14 Century while wars were continued to be fought, it truly amazes me. The book started a bit slow for me, but then picked up, and it kept me very interested. The author researched her material well. I felt as though i was right there with Joan and her family. That was grand! A very good look at life in The Middle Ages.
September 25, 2021
The story of Joan of Kent was a very impressive one, told from her perspective. The story covered her two marriages and the beginning of her third marriage to Prince Edward. Her life was interesting, complex, and romantic during hard times. Great reading experience about an interesting woman. Full review you can find on my blog: https://poetryofreading.blogspot.com/...
Read
June 23, 2014Stopped at 51%. Gave it the good ol' college try, but just can't bring myself to finish.
September 4, 2018
I’m a fan. Campion takes the few details we have on the life of famous beauty Joan of Kent and carefully weaves a story that is both entertaining and interesting. In her author’s note she goes over her thoughts on Joan’s early marriage to Sir Thomas Holland and subsequent marriage to the black prince, while noting collaborative conversation between she and other historians.
Lots of love, intrigue and historical nuggets for those of you who, like me enjoy looking at history through stories, and from different perspectives.
4 stars for this book and hoping its author will write another soon !!
Lots of love, intrigue and historical nuggets for those of you who, like me enjoy looking at history through stories, and from different perspectives.
4 stars for this book and hoping its author will write another soon !!
August 12, 2018
I think there was a missed opportunity by the author. Joan was likable and I've enjoyed reading about her. However, the author did a disservice by rushing the ending. Why not write about her entire life instead of through the first two marriages? I was left wanting more. This book however was not better than the The Kings Mistress by the same author. I enjoyed most of the secondary characters who surrounded Joan but I hated the way Queen Philippa was portrayed...Overall a decent book but just wanted more.
July 23, 2014
I was taken back to the 14th Century, the time of political turmoil and the black plague. King Edward the III will plunge England into the Hundred Years War, vying for the crown of France. Here is where I will be introduced to the beautiful Joan of Kent, known to history as the Fair Maid of Kent.
A Triple Knot is based on the true story of Joan of Kent, daughter of Edmund, Earl of Kent, the youngest son of Edward I. When Isabella, Edward II's queen, invaded England with Roger Mortimer, her lover, Edmund took sides against his half brother, Edward II. Realizing his error in judgement, he was led to believe that Edward II was still alive, hidden, and held against his will, despite a public funeral. Edmund's allegiance would prove fatal and he was later beheaded for being a traitor and trying to restore the throne of Edward II. A Triple Knot begins when Joan is a young girl, grieving the loss of her beloved father and plotting revenge on those that betrayed him. Edmund's primary betrayer was Isabella, the Dowager Queen and to the dismay of both Joan and her mother, Margaret, they were living under the same roof. After Edmund's death, Edward the III and Queen Phillippa, perhaps feeling quilty for not stopping the execution, took responsibility for the family and provided well for them in the home of Queen Phillippa.
Joan and Ned, (Prince Edward, known as the Black Prince) became very close during childhood and Ned became Joan's adversary and protector. He lavished Joan with affection but was also prone to tantrums and posessiveness. Joan loved him dearly but did not share his affections and as they reached puberty, she began to distrust him. His jealousy was beginning to rear it's ugly head and Joan did not find it flattering. From an early age, Ned had always admired his beautiful cousin, and he declares that one day they will be betrothed. Ned makes Joan promise to marry him and because she did not want to witness a tantrum, she quickly agrees. Of course, the young prince does not keep his love for Joan hidden and his mother, Queen Phillippa soon takes notice and does not approve of the relationship and soon plots a way to send Joan away, taking her mother, Margaret, with her. The Queen has tired of their constant presence and the control young Joan seems to have over her eldest son. Pillippa brings her suggestion to the King and comes away from the conversation quite pleased with herself. She had convinced King Edward that his niece would make a fine match for a powerful Lord and a potential ally. Best of all, it looked as if the proposed idea of marriage was King Edward's alone and the King felt that he had arranged a perfect political union. Joan is quickly placed on a boating excursion so that she may be "placed" in sight of the nobleman. He will see her beauty and all will be well with the world. However, Joan and her mother can't help but feel they are one step closer to being exiled far away and it is on this ship that a twelve-year old Joan meets the much older Thomas Holland. Joan is instantly attracted to the handsome King's Knight. Joan and Thomas fall madly in love and carry on an illicit affair with incredible passion. At this time, Joan is being persued with many marriage proposals, most importantly, she was being carefully groomed for William Montague but her heart belongs to Holland. Thomas Holland may be a knight and a decorated soldier but he is below Joan's station and therefore deemed an unacceptable union. Joan continually defies those that tried to keep the lovers apart and they met in secrecy whenever possible, no matter the risks. It is not long before Joan and Thomas contract a secret marriage without royal consent. The King is enraged at Joan's defiance and when Holland is away fighting the Hundred Years' War, Joan is forced to marry. Fearing for Holland's life, Joan does not disclose her secret marriage. Will they remain happy? And, what of Prince Edward's undying love for Joan? Will he ever make Joan his Queen as he once vowed to do? If you know your history, well, you already know the answer. I hate to spoil the outcome for those that do not know much about the lesser known Joan of Kent but I will say this: A Triple Knot indeed. Joan was quite adept at getting what she wanted. She was smart, beautiful, and had a way of subtle manipulation, to say the least. Did Joan exact her revenge on the Dowager Queen Isabella? I believe she did and I believe she did it with the utmost courage and nobility. Afterall, she was the Fair Maid of Kent.
Historical fiction is brilliant because one is able to take the facts and play with them a bit, tweak them here and there. I believe Campion did her homework on the subject and wrote an enthralling tale of betrayal, love, intrigue, and family. Most importantly, Emma Campion has provided me with knowledge of the 14th Century and of a woman, that before a few days ago, I knew very little about. Campion has opened the door for me and now I must seek more historical stories from a fascinating period in time.
*Received this DRV ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A Triple Knot is based on the true story of Joan of Kent, daughter of Edmund, Earl of Kent, the youngest son of Edward I. When Isabella, Edward II's queen, invaded England with Roger Mortimer, her lover, Edmund took sides against his half brother, Edward II. Realizing his error in judgement, he was led to believe that Edward II was still alive, hidden, and held against his will, despite a public funeral. Edmund's allegiance would prove fatal and he was later beheaded for being a traitor and trying to restore the throne of Edward II. A Triple Knot begins when Joan is a young girl, grieving the loss of her beloved father and plotting revenge on those that betrayed him. Edmund's primary betrayer was Isabella, the Dowager Queen and to the dismay of both Joan and her mother, Margaret, they were living under the same roof. After Edmund's death, Edward the III and Queen Phillippa, perhaps feeling quilty for not stopping the execution, took responsibility for the family and provided well for them in the home of Queen Phillippa.
Joan and Ned, (Prince Edward, known as the Black Prince) became very close during childhood and Ned became Joan's adversary and protector. He lavished Joan with affection but was also prone to tantrums and posessiveness. Joan loved him dearly but did not share his affections and as they reached puberty, she began to distrust him. His jealousy was beginning to rear it's ugly head and Joan did not find it flattering. From an early age, Ned had always admired his beautiful cousin, and he declares that one day they will be betrothed. Ned makes Joan promise to marry him and because she did not want to witness a tantrum, she quickly agrees. Of course, the young prince does not keep his love for Joan hidden and his mother, Queen Phillippa soon takes notice and does not approve of the relationship and soon plots a way to send Joan away, taking her mother, Margaret, with her. The Queen has tired of their constant presence and the control young Joan seems to have over her eldest son. Pillippa brings her suggestion to the King and comes away from the conversation quite pleased with herself. She had convinced King Edward that his niece would make a fine match for a powerful Lord and a potential ally. Best of all, it looked as if the proposed idea of marriage was King Edward's alone and the King felt that he had arranged a perfect political union. Joan is quickly placed on a boating excursion so that she may be "placed" in sight of the nobleman. He will see her beauty and all will be well with the world. However, Joan and her mother can't help but feel they are one step closer to being exiled far away and it is on this ship that a twelve-year old Joan meets the much older Thomas Holland. Joan is instantly attracted to the handsome King's Knight. Joan and Thomas fall madly in love and carry on an illicit affair with incredible passion. At this time, Joan is being persued with many marriage proposals, most importantly, she was being carefully groomed for William Montague but her heart belongs to Holland. Thomas Holland may be a knight and a decorated soldier but he is below Joan's station and therefore deemed an unacceptable union. Joan continually defies those that tried to keep the lovers apart and they met in secrecy whenever possible, no matter the risks. It is not long before Joan and Thomas contract a secret marriage without royal consent. The King is enraged at Joan's defiance and when Holland is away fighting the Hundred Years' War, Joan is forced to marry. Fearing for Holland's life, Joan does not disclose her secret marriage. Will they remain happy? And, what of Prince Edward's undying love for Joan? Will he ever make Joan his Queen as he once vowed to do? If you know your history, well, you already know the answer. I hate to spoil the outcome for those that do not know much about the lesser known Joan of Kent but I will say this: A Triple Knot indeed. Joan was quite adept at getting what she wanted. She was smart, beautiful, and had a way of subtle manipulation, to say the least. Did Joan exact her revenge on the Dowager Queen Isabella? I believe she did and I believe she did it with the utmost courage and nobility. Afterall, she was the Fair Maid of Kent.
Historical fiction is brilliant because one is able to take the facts and play with them a bit, tweak them here and there. I believe Campion did her homework on the subject and wrote an enthralling tale of betrayal, love, intrigue, and family. Most importantly, Emma Campion has provided me with knowledge of the 14th Century and of a woman, that before a few days ago, I knew very little about. Campion has opened the door for me and now I must seek more historical stories from a fascinating period in time.
*Received this DRV ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2019
Young, beautiful and of royal blood, Joan of Kent is destined to be wed to someone of strategic importance to Edward III. But this is not what she wants and when a proposed marriage fills her with dread and fear, she enters into a clandestine marriage with Thomas Holland, one of the king’s knights and a poor match for a woman of such high blood. But this marriage might not save her from heartache when the king decides to marry her to his trusted friend’s son.
A Triple Knot was such a frustrating read.
There are parts of A Triple Knot that are good, and when they’re good, they’re really, really good! The vast majority of characters are complex personalities, one gets the sense that Emma Campion has not divided these people into categories of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ but sees them as complicated people as real humans are. This is also helped by using a range of perspectives to tell Joan’s story so that we’re not just getting one character’s view of events and people, and these perspectives are rendered sympathetically – Philippa of Hainault, though often serving as an antagonist to Joan, is not an evil witch cackling and rubbing her hands together with glee as she seeks to ruin Joan’s happiness for the sake of being Evil, but acting from her own valid worries and concerns.
And while I tend to shy away from romantic readings of Thomas and Joan’s clandestine marriage, Campion’s interpretation of it is more palatable than most, having it be driven by outside manipulation and fear, leading to Joan and Thomas making the decision to marry out of a desire to protect Joan from unwanted attention. It’s a naïve choice, of course, but it makes relative sense when you realise how young Joan is (her age is never directly stated, but she would have been around 13).
I was also excited that Campion steers away from some of usual tropes in stories focusing on Joan of Kent. Joan’s mother, Margaret, is usually presented as an evil, power-hungry scheming harpy who happily sells Joan off to improve her lot and has no sympathy whatsoever for her daughter’s feelings. Here, though, she’s a woman in a difficult situation, trying to do her best, manipulated by people around her and unable to protect her daughter the way she wants to. Will Montagu, the man Joan is meant to marry, is also quite sympathetically rendered at first – he’s a bit wet and you don’t want him to end up with Joan but we’re not to meant to hate him from the get-go simply because he’s not Thomas Holland. But more on him later.
I largely enjoyed Campion’s characterisation of Joan. She was sympathetic and likeable while still being flawed. However, there were times when she seemed a bit too much like a morality princess – you know, the high-born young woman who somehow has modern sensibilities and the only one who sees when things are bad, cares more about the commoners than anyone else – and when her behaviour verges from “flawed” to quite horrific. For instance, her denial of her mother was downright bratty and
Campion’s writing is quite solid and impressive. There were only two or so times when it bugged me – one time, it was too archaic to make sense and another time where Joan’s firstborn son is labelled a “momma’s boy” – “momma” reads VERY American to me and would be better rendered as “mama’s/mamma’s boy”, though that term is still too modern for my liking. The descriptions can be quite lush, though I echo what other readers have said about the lack of interest in the Black Death.
Unfortunately – and this is where the frustration comes in – when A Triple Knot is bad, it’s very, very bad.
My biggest complaint here is the character of Edward, the Black Prince (here called ‘Ned’), the third and final of Joan’s husbands. Where I find depth in every other character, there’s none in Ned. I’m not entirely sure if that’s by design or by accident, whether Campion wanted to make him a complicated, morally grey character and got carried away or if she deliberately made him a creepy, puppy-killing, obsessive, possessive, stalkerish, sadistic, murderous, thieving, manipulative, bullish, ultra-selfish, delusional, bragging jerk. But hey, yeah, the Black Prince was killing puppies by the time he’s six or seven because he must have Joan all to himself!
Thanks, I hate it.
I just find it completely unbelievable. Not just along the lines of meshing the historical Prince with Campion’s Ned, but on a story/character level. Every time he appears, he’s doing something cruel – and often to Joan herself, the supposed love of his life. The reader – and Joan and Thomas by extension as they’re two of the POV characters – is too aware of Ned’s faults and cruelties to find it believable when Joan seems to forget how he’s treated her in the past. He tells her he killed her puppy when he was six or seven, she’s mad at him but then the very next scene they’re in, she’s just vaguely uneasy about him. Or she’s even flat-out scared of him and then she thinks he’s great again and then is surprised when he’s a jerk again. It’s like that joke, “'I never thought leopards would eat MY face,' sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party” only it’s more “‘I never thought Creepy Violent Jerk would be a creepy violent jerk to ME,’ sobs woman who has seen Creepy Violent Jerk be a creepy violent jerk since he was six and was a creepy violent jerk to her five seconds ago”.
And the idea that Ned has always been obsessively and possessively in love with Joan and actively hated her two husbands and wished them ill… doesn’t really make sense. Especially when Joan has him informed or when he volunteers to be godfather to her firstborn son which would have created another roadblock in any plans he had to marry her as being a godfather to Joan’s son meant that they had spiritual kinship that required a papal dispensation (as additional to the dispensation already required for them being related within the degrees of consanguinity) in order for them to legally marry.
I admit to being fond of the historical Prince so I doubt I’d be happy with a dark interpretation of him anyway but Campion’s Ned just doesn’t make sense within the narrative. His evilness is too overblown and too personally directed at Joan for her not to want be a million miles away from him. But in terms of historical accuracy, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Black Prince was well-regarded and popular in his lifetime and immediate afterlife and while his reputation was severely impacted by the legend of the massacre at Limoges as recounted by Froissart, modern historians such as Richard Barber and Michael Jones have begun to question Froissart’s account. While he might not have been a fine, upstanding moral citizen in modern day terms – he was a warrior prince in the Middle Ages, what do you expect? – he was likely not a monster. What evidence we have of his relationship with Joan suggests it was romantic and affectionate, there’s no indication that he was interfering in her life, and the sole indication that their relationship was not as wonderous as depicted in contemporary accounts is the fact that she chose to be buried with Thomas Holland rather than the Prince. This might have been for done for any number of reasons and may not even indicate that she loved him less than Holland. And while you can point to his military actions as proof that he wouldn’t just quietly pine away after Joan, most people see warfare and love as very different things and respond to them very differently.
While I have praised Campion’s characterisation of Montagu, I found his eleventh-hour heel-turn from a fairly sympathetic character to a kidnapping, violent rapist was also hard to swallow. There’s no evidence Joan and Montagu ever consummated their marriage or that he was a rapist, and it comes so far out of the blue that I wonder if it was the result of a “wait, he’s too sympathetic and we don’t want the reader feeling like it’d be OK if Joan’s marriage to him was declared valid so we must make him utterly evil and awful” intervention by the publisher. If so, publisher: you suck. It absolutely didn’t need to be that way and I hate it and it's such an ugly detail in a book that’s so good when we don’t have Ned being a Creepy Violent Jerk.
I also found the later chapters could have been expanded in more detail – it felt we just rushed over events from when Joan’s marriage to Thomas was declared valid to when he was dead, everything feeling like a highlights reel. Her decision to take Ned as her lover/husband also felt rushed through and her giving in to him odd, given what’d happened between them before. I second the reviewer who suggested that this could have been a trilogy – book 1 about Joan’s marriage drama, book 2 about her Holland marriage and book 3 about her marriage to Ned.
Additionally, I wasn’t thrilled by the recurrent mentions of charms, curses and magical healing, channelled around Joan’s childhood nurse, Efa. I didn’t mind that Joan had a “wise woman” in her household, i.e. someone who knew herblore, but Efa seemed a bit too much like a miracle worker, especially when the mystical side of things started to pop out.
So it’s hard to know how to rate this. When this book is good, it’s great and I finished it wanting to pick up Campion’s first novel and her work under the name Candace Robb. I even hope Campion will eventually publish a sequel to this, focusing on Joan’s time as Princess of Wales because hey, even if Ned continues to be a creepy violent jerk, I should get at least one scene of adorable baby Richard II, right? When A Triple Knot is bad, though, I found myself wanting to scream and throw it across the room. There’s so much that’s so good about it but when it’s bad, it’s really bad.
A Triple Knot was such a frustrating read.
There are parts of A Triple Knot that are good, and when they’re good, they’re really, really good! The vast majority of characters are complex personalities, one gets the sense that Emma Campion has not divided these people into categories of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ but sees them as complicated people as real humans are. This is also helped by using a range of perspectives to tell Joan’s story so that we’re not just getting one character’s view of events and people, and these perspectives are rendered sympathetically – Philippa of Hainault, though often serving as an antagonist to Joan, is not an evil witch cackling and rubbing her hands together with glee as she seeks to ruin Joan’s happiness for the sake of being Evil, but acting from her own valid worries and concerns.
And while I tend to shy away from romantic readings of Thomas and Joan’s clandestine marriage, Campion’s interpretation of it is more palatable than most, having it be driven by outside manipulation and fear, leading to Joan and Thomas making the decision to marry out of a desire to protect Joan from unwanted attention. It’s a naïve choice, of course, but it makes relative sense when you realise how young Joan is (her age is never directly stated, but she would have been around 13).
I was also excited that Campion steers away from some of usual tropes in stories focusing on Joan of Kent. Joan’s mother, Margaret, is usually presented as an evil, power-hungry scheming harpy who happily sells Joan off to improve her lot and has no sympathy whatsoever for her daughter’s feelings. Here, though, she’s a woman in a difficult situation, trying to do her best, manipulated by people around her and unable to protect her daughter the way she wants to. Will Montagu, the man Joan is meant to marry, is also quite sympathetically rendered at first – he’s a bit wet and you don’t want him to end up with Joan but we’re not to meant to hate him from the get-go simply because he’s not Thomas Holland. But more on him later.
I largely enjoyed Campion’s characterisation of Joan. She was sympathetic and likeable while still being flawed. However, there were times when she seemed a bit too much like a morality princess – you know, the high-born young woman who somehow has modern sensibilities and the only one who sees when things are bad, cares more about the commoners than anyone else – and when her behaviour verges from “flawed” to quite horrific. For instance, her denial of her mother was downright bratty and
Campion’s writing is quite solid and impressive. There were only two or so times when it bugged me – one time, it was too archaic to make sense and another time where Joan’s firstborn son is labelled a “momma’s boy” – “momma” reads VERY American to me and would be better rendered as “mama’s/mamma’s boy”, though that term is still too modern for my liking. The descriptions can be quite lush, though I echo what other readers have said about the lack of interest in the Black Death.
Unfortunately – and this is where the frustration comes in – when A Triple Knot is bad, it’s very, very bad.
My biggest complaint here is the character of Edward, the Black Prince (here called ‘Ned’), the third and final of Joan’s husbands. Where I find depth in every other character, there’s none in Ned. I’m not entirely sure if that’s by design or by accident, whether Campion wanted to make him a complicated, morally grey character and got carried away or if she deliberately made him a creepy, puppy-killing, obsessive, possessive, stalkerish, sadistic, murderous, thieving, manipulative, bullish, ultra-selfish, delusional, bragging jerk. But hey, yeah, the Black Prince was killing puppies by the time he’s six or seven because he must have Joan all to himself!
Thanks, I hate it.
I just find it completely unbelievable. Not just along the lines of meshing the historical Prince with Campion’s Ned, but on a story/character level. Every time he appears, he’s doing something cruel – and often to Joan herself, the supposed love of his life. The reader – and Joan and Thomas by extension as they’re two of the POV characters – is too aware of Ned’s faults and cruelties to find it believable when Joan seems to forget how he’s treated her in the past. He tells her he killed her puppy when he was six or seven, she’s mad at him but then the very next scene they’re in, she’s just vaguely uneasy about him. Or she’s even flat-out scared of him and then she thinks he’s great again and then is surprised when he’s a jerk again. It’s like that joke, “'I never thought leopards would eat MY face,' sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party” only it’s more “‘I never thought Creepy Violent Jerk would be a creepy violent jerk to ME,’ sobs woman who has seen Creepy Violent Jerk be a creepy violent jerk since he was six and was a creepy violent jerk to her five seconds ago”.
And the idea that Ned has always been obsessively and possessively in love with Joan and actively hated her two husbands and wished them ill… doesn’t really make sense. Especially when Joan has him informed or when he volunteers to be godfather to her firstborn son which would have created another roadblock in any plans he had to marry her as being a godfather to Joan’s son meant that they had spiritual kinship that required a papal dispensation (as additional to the dispensation already required for them being related within the degrees of consanguinity) in order for them to legally marry.
I admit to being fond of the historical Prince so I doubt I’d be happy with a dark interpretation of him anyway but Campion’s Ned just doesn’t make sense within the narrative. His evilness is too overblown and too personally directed at Joan for her not to want be a million miles away from him. But in terms of historical accuracy, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Black Prince was well-regarded and popular in his lifetime and immediate afterlife and while his reputation was severely impacted by the legend of the massacre at Limoges as recounted by Froissart, modern historians such as Richard Barber and Michael Jones have begun to question Froissart’s account. While he might not have been a fine, upstanding moral citizen in modern day terms – he was a warrior prince in the Middle Ages, what do you expect? – he was likely not a monster. What evidence we have of his relationship with Joan suggests it was romantic and affectionate, there’s no indication that he was interfering in her life, and the sole indication that their relationship was not as wonderous as depicted in contemporary accounts is the fact that she chose to be buried with Thomas Holland rather than the Prince. This might have been for done for any number of reasons and may not even indicate that she loved him less than Holland. And while you can point to his military actions as proof that he wouldn’t just quietly pine away after Joan, most people see warfare and love as very different things and respond to them very differently.
While I have praised Campion’s characterisation of Montagu, I found his eleventh-hour heel-turn from a fairly sympathetic character to a kidnapping, violent rapist was also hard to swallow. There’s no evidence Joan and Montagu ever consummated their marriage or that he was a rapist, and it comes so far out of the blue that I wonder if it was the result of a “wait, he’s too sympathetic and we don’t want the reader feeling like it’d be OK if Joan’s marriage to him was declared valid so we must make him utterly evil and awful” intervention by the publisher. If so, publisher: you suck. It absolutely didn’t need to be that way and I hate it and it's such an ugly detail in a book that’s so good when we don’t have Ned being a Creepy Violent Jerk.
I also found the later chapters could have been expanded in more detail – it felt we just rushed over events from when Joan’s marriage to Thomas was declared valid to when he was dead, everything feeling like a highlights reel. Her decision to take Ned as her lover/husband also felt rushed through and her giving in to him odd, given what’d happened between them before. I second the reviewer who suggested that this could have been a trilogy – book 1 about Joan’s marriage drama, book 2 about her Holland marriage and book 3 about her marriage to Ned.
Additionally, I wasn’t thrilled by the recurrent mentions of charms, curses and magical healing, channelled around Joan’s childhood nurse, Efa. I didn’t mind that Joan had a “wise woman” in her household, i.e. someone who knew herblore, but Efa seemed a bit too much like a miracle worker, especially when the mystical side of things started to pop out.
So it’s hard to know how to rate this. When this book is good, it’s great and I finished it wanting to pick up Campion’s first novel and her work under the name Candace Robb. I even hope Campion will eventually publish a sequel to this, focusing on Joan’s time as Princess of Wales because hey, even if Ned continues to be a creepy violent jerk, I should get at least one scene of adorable baby Richard II, right? When A Triple Knot is bad, though, I found myself wanting to scream and throw it across the room. There’s so much that’s so good about it but when it’s bad, it’s really bad.
August 21, 2014
I have mixed feelings about this book.
On one hand, the story is so intriguing. Going off of facts, Campion takes exciting (but not ridiculous) liberties with the story of Joan of Kent and creates an enthralling tale about this alluring cousin of a King who participated in multiple clandestine marriages. It's an absolutely great topic for a historical fiction novel, and I truly enjoyed learning all about this family. I'm craving to know more — especially about Prince Edward and Catherine. All of the characters were so interesting and really each deserve their own books!
But on the other hand, I also felt like this book was very slow. The novel starts in 1338 and ends in 1361, leaving very few details out. I think that it would've been a more fast-paced and exciting read if some not-as-important parts had been cut out. For obvious reasons once you read it, the story necessarily needs to last for most of Joan's life because of how everything plays out, but it was in serious need of some editing down. I did find it all very intriguing and I honestly did enjoy reading it, but it was not a quick read.
I also felt like there was too much foreshadowing used. Even though A Triple Knot is based on real life and the facts are there if you want to look them up beforehand, I thought that the story played out in a very predictable way. But I don't think that it would've been as obvious if the author hadn't made you feel like you knew what was going to happen. Particularly with how the book ends, I'd seen both of the two "twists" coming, so the story ended up not being as exciting as it could've been if it had been written slightly differently.
But there are so many things about A Triple Knot that I really enjoyed. The historical accuracy that clearly came from tons of research, the completely relatable character of Joan, the depth of each of the side characters, the political motivations of all the players involved...those nitty-gritty historical fiction-y parts of the book were awesome. I just would've loved a more fast-paced flow that was less straightforward in where it was heading.
Overall, though, I quite enjoyed this book and am definitely interested in reading more of Campion's work. Especially if she writes more about some of the background characters from this one! An engrossing and romantic story, A Triple Knot masterfully intrigued me and made me want to keep reading. I'd recommend this to historical fiction fans who don't mind a bit of a slow read and who are interested in characters who fight for love...in both good and bad ways.
On one hand, the story is so intriguing. Going off of facts, Campion takes exciting (but not ridiculous) liberties with the story of Joan of Kent and creates an enthralling tale about this alluring cousin of a King who participated in multiple clandestine marriages. It's an absolutely great topic for a historical fiction novel, and I truly enjoyed learning all about this family. I'm craving to know more — especially about Prince Edward and Catherine. All of the characters were so interesting and really each deserve their own books!
But on the other hand, I also felt like this book was very slow. The novel starts in 1338 and ends in 1361, leaving very few details out. I think that it would've been a more fast-paced and exciting read if some not-as-important parts had been cut out. For obvious reasons once you read it, the story necessarily needs to last for most of Joan's life because of how everything plays out, but it was in serious need of some editing down. I did find it all very intriguing and I honestly did enjoy reading it, but it was not a quick read.
I also felt like there was too much foreshadowing used. Even though A Triple Knot is based on real life and the facts are there if you want to look them up beforehand, I thought that the story played out in a very predictable way. But I don't think that it would've been as obvious if the author hadn't made you feel like you knew what was going to happen. Particularly with how the book ends, I'd seen both of the two "twists" coming, so the story ended up not being as exciting as it could've been if it had been written slightly differently.
But there are so many things about A Triple Knot that I really enjoyed. The historical accuracy that clearly came from tons of research, the completely relatable character of Joan, the depth of each of the side characters, the political motivations of all the players involved...those nitty-gritty historical fiction-y parts of the book were awesome. I just would've loved a more fast-paced flow that was less straightforward in where it was heading.
Overall, though, I quite enjoyed this book and am definitely interested in reading more of Campion's work. Especially if she writes more about some of the background characters from this one! An engrossing and romantic story, A Triple Knot masterfully intrigued me and made me want to keep reading. I'd recommend this to historical fiction fans who don't mind a bit of a slow read and who are interested in characters who fight for love...in both good and bad ways.
July 6, 2014
There were things about A TRIPLE KNOT by Emma Campion that I absolutely loved and there were things that irritated me. My final conclusion on the book is that it was excellent, so the irritations must have been insignificant enough not to really matter in the grand scheme of things.
The novel is historical fiction, and probably historical romance although not in the way that most historical romances are filled with bed-hopping. It is the fictionalized story of Joan of Kent who lived in England during the middle of the 14th Century. Joan was a Plantagenet – part of one of the families who later fought the War of the Roses in England. That made her marriageable into many important houses that would offer important alliances to then-King Edward III.
And this is where Campion starts her story. I’m not entirely sure why it’s called A TRIPLE KNOT other than that it is because Joan goes through three husbands. And sews a lot. She sews a lot. But that’s what women did then – they got married and they did needlework.
With a lot of conniving, scheming, and childbearing in between.
Joan was very good at these things. She wasn’t conniving so much in that she never intended to deliberately hurt anyone unless they had seriously harmed her family – like the Dowager Queen Isabella who she held responsible for her father’s execution. She schemed, though, and did it well. And she ended up the mother to seven children – reality.
The catch is, and this is what irritated me, that Joan is ten when the book begins. She’s twelve when she enters into her
Personally, I think accounts of this era of history are fascinating – fiction or non-fiction. And as someone who also likes to read non-fiction, I know that twelve year old girls, and younger, were often married off to much older men. It was reality.
But it doesn’t really fit this story.
The way Campion writes Joan, it’s too easy to forget that she’s twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and so on. So easy that I was startled out of the story every time Campion had someone mention Joan’s age. The character reads as someone older and that makes it hard to grasp her as little more than a child. I’m not saying her age should have been altered, just maybe that her age shouldn’t have been mentioned.
And that’s why the story is a conflict for me, but one that I very much liked in the end.
The added bonus of it all, though, was that it sent me to non-fiction books to look up more about Joan and Edward, The Black Prince – who I knew existed but I didn’t know much about. Any book that entertains me and then teaches me is a book I love.
(I received a copy of A TRIPLE KNOT through Net Galley in return for an honest review.)
The novel is historical fiction, and probably historical romance although not in the way that most historical romances are filled with bed-hopping. It is the fictionalized story of Joan of Kent who lived in England during the middle of the 14th Century. Joan was a Plantagenet – part of one of the families who later fought the War of the Roses in England. That made her marriageable into many important houses that would offer important alliances to then-King Edward III.
And this is where Campion starts her story. I’m not entirely sure why it’s called A TRIPLE KNOT other than that it is because Joan goes through three husbands. And sews a lot. She sews a lot. But that’s what women did then – they got married and they did needlework.
With a lot of conniving, scheming, and childbearing in between.
Joan was very good at these things. She wasn’t conniving so much in that she never intended to deliberately hurt anyone unless they had seriously harmed her family – like the Dowager Queen Isabella who she held responsible for her father’s execution. She schemed, though, and did it well. And she ended up the mother to seven children – reality.
The catch is, and this is what irritated me, that Joan is ten when the book begins. She’s twelve when she enters into her
Personally, I think accounts of this era of history are fascinating – fiction or non-fiction. And as someone who also likes to read non-fiction, I know that twelve year old girls, and younger, were often married off to much older men. It was reality.
But it doesn’t really fit this story.
The way Campion writes Joan, it’s too easy to forget that she’s twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and so on. So easy that I was startled out of the story every time Campion had someone mention Joan’s age. The character reads as someone older and that makes it hard to grasp her as little more than a child. I’m not saying her age should have been altered, just maybe that her age shouldn’t have been mentioned.
And that’s why the story is a conflict for me, but one that I very much liked in the end.
The added bonus of it all, though, was that it sent me to non-fiction books to look up more about Joan and Edward, The Black Prince – who I knew existed but I didn’t know much about. Any book that entertains me and then teaches me is a book I love.
(I received a copy of A TRIPLE KNOT through Net Galley in return for an honest review.)
January 1, 2015
3.5 stars.
A Triple Knot by Emma Campion was an interesting read about a Plantagenet that I haven’t had the opportunity to read a lot about – Joan of Kent.
The story is based in the 14th century when Edward III is king and Joan of Kent is his cousin. As Edward works to claim the crown of France, Joan becomes a pawn for Edward to make a strategic move and gain support where he needs it. Ned, who is Edward and Phillipa’s first born son, believes himself in love with Joan as well and this has created another reason the queen would like to marry Joan off. As he and his wife, queen Phillipa, work to make a strategic match for Joan, things start to get complicated.
Joan was an interesting character and I really did enjoy learning more about her background and what her role was during this time period. For a girl her age, she seemed very mature and I had to keep reminding myself that although she was only 12 years old, this was a different time and it wasn’t out of the ordinary that, as a royal, she wouldn’t have been betrothed or married at that age – don’t get me wrong, it was still unsettling.
As the story progresses, we learn more about her clandestine marriage to Thomas Holland and ultimately their life together. I was rooting for these two all the way and while they appeared to have a good life together, I also felt they were robbed of a number of years and then ultimately he was away at battle quite a bit. Never mind how things ended for Thomas.
Ned was a challenge. As a first born son of the king, he was next in line for the throne and because of that; his parents didn’t want him attached to Joan. He was clearly not used to taking no for an answer and when he didn’t get his way, he wasn’t afraid to do whatever he felt he needed to in order to get what he wanted. This is what makes me question Thomas’ end and how that all went down. Eventually he does get what he wants…Joan as his wife (even though they were first cousins).
Overall I enjoyed this story a lot. There were a lot of characters and as was the norm of the time, they all had the same names which made it difficult to remember who was whom. Despite that, this was a great peek into the life of someone in English history that I haven’t had the opportunity to read a lot about. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, definitely check this one out.
Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the review copy.
A Triple Knot by Emma Campion was an interesting read about a Plantagenet that I haven’t had the opportunity to read a lot about – Joan of Kent.
The story is based in the 14th century when Edward III is king and Joan of Kent is his cousin. As Edward works to claim the crown of France, Joan becomes a pawn for Edward to make a strategic move and gain support where he needs it. Ned, who is Edward and Phillipa’s first born son, believes himself in love with Joan as well and this has created another reason the queen would like to marry Joan off. As he and his wife, queen Phillipa, work to make a strategic match for Joan, things start to get complicated.
Joan was an interesting character and I really did enjoy learning more about her background and what her role was during this time period. For a girl her age, she seemed very mature and I had to keep reminding myself that although she was only 12 years old, this was a different time and it wasn’t out of the ordinary that, as a royal, she wouldn’t have been betrothed or married at that age – don’t get me wrong, it was still unsettling.
As the story progresses, we learn more about her clandestine marriage to Thomas Holland and ultimately their life together. I was rooting for these two all the way and while they appeared to have a good life together, I also felt they were robbed of a number of years and then ultimately he was away at battle quite a bit. Never mind how things ended for Thomas.
Ned was a challenge. As a first born son of the king, he was next in line for the throne and because of that; his parents didn’t want him attached to Joan. He was clearly not used to taking no for an answer and when he didn’t get his way, he wasn’t afraid to do whatever he felt he needed to in order to get what he wanted. This is what makes me question Thomas’ end and how that all went down. Eventually he does get what he wants…Joan as his wife (even though they were first cousins).
Overall I enjoyed this story a lot. There were a lot of characters and as was the norm of the time, they all had the same names which made it difficult to remember who was whom. Despite that, this was a great peek into the life of someone in English history that I haven’t had the opportunity to read a lot about. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, definitely check this one out.
Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the review copy.
April 28, 2014
Having known nothing about Joan of Kent, I quite enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to get swept up and away in Joan's story which begins when she's twelve and very much grieving her father's execution. I won't spoil what happens in detail as there's a large amount of royal court intrigue and what must also be the longest petition in history to declare a marriage valid. It was all very interesting but I admit that I had difficulty vesting in Joan & Thomas Holland's love.
This was the first book I'd read of Ms Campion but I would read another absolutely, especially covering Joan and Ned's married life. I won a copy of this book from the publisher in a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first book I'd read of Ms Campion but I would read another absolutely, especially covering Joan and Ned's married life. I won a copy of this book from the publisher in a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
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