Sharon Kay Penman's Plantagenet books

Hope this is allowed here. Contains spoilers about historical events.

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(Since the rules mention historical fiction I wanted to make it clear that I understand that Penman's Plantagenets are fictional characters, even if they did make me curious about the real Plantagenets).

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I don't think I have ever grieved like this for characters in a book, at least as an adult.

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I am in the last book of the Plantagenet series, A King's Ransom.

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When Henry II died in the third book I literally threw myself a drunken memorial service for this long dead king. I thought that I didnt like Henry II much but I still ended up caring about him and his death affected me, the relationships with his sons that would never be resolved etc. I cried so much and it still hurts.

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Now Richard is gonna die I guess and I was low key in love with Richard in his crusader era. I listened to the audiobook Lionheart mostly during a heatwave walking around town and it was perfect in that setting. This last book on the other hand highlights the character flaws and strained relationships a lot more. Feels damp and dreary like an Austrian prison.

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I am not ready to say goodbye to this family, this series.

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Like I said there are books that I love where I care deeply about the characters but they remain characters within a fictional world. For example Wuthering Heights, Macbeth, etc are some of my favorite works. Also loved Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. I enjoy those works immensely and admire the craft. But they don't get to me like the Angevins do.

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Somehow THIS series about the Plantagenets feels more alive to me than anything.

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I just wanted to rave about these books. They are SO good. I figure that other people here may have also read them. Would LOVE to talk about the characters, could never get enough of talking about them.

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Also, the Plantagenets are so interesting. I never knew that about them. Was always low key interested in the Tudors because of the dynastic drama but all this time there was the Plantagenets and I had no idea.