Time and chance by Sharon Kay Penman

Eleanor and Henry have been rulers of a vast empire from England to Aquitaine for several years. The Plantagenet dynasty also seems secure when they sire son after son. But such a vast empire creates many challenges and uprisings from Wales to Brittany. And when Henry appoints his chancellor Thomas Becket archbishop of Canterbury, he suddenly turns against Henry. In the meantime, Eleanor and Henry are more and more growing apart and when Henry meets the fair Rosamund De Clifford, doubts surround this golden marriage

Time and chance picks up where ‘When Christ and his saints slept‘ left off. The book centres on the early years of Eleanor and Henry’s marriage – with all its ups and downs. And it’s also about Henry’s struggle with Becket.

And that struggle takes over the whole plot at times, which I found a little tiresome. Becket is portrayed highly ambitious and unsympathetic. A relief from the martyrdom the Catholic Church later gave him – as I do believe that Becket was also in the wrong here. The story really elaborates on their strive.

There is also a subplot in Wales where the story of the fictional Ranulf continues and we follow the struggles of the Welsh royal family. This was my favourite storyline, I still love Ranulf. And I didn’t know a lot about Wales during the time of Henry II’s reign.

Penman again chooses a number of main perspectives and complements them with others where necessary. Eleanor, Henry, Ranulf, Maud and Rainald make up the main ‘cast’. In addition, quite a few clerics are given the floor for Becket’s case and I have to admit that I could not always tell everyone apart properly – so many bishops and clerics.

This is a good novel, but not as epic as the previous one. In the next volume ‘The devil’s brood’, things will get really bitter between Henry and Eleanor so that’s something to look forward to again.

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Have you read anything about Henry and Eleanor?