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Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "Perhaps not the considered by the best novel of William the Conquerer, but enjoyed the read and learn more about him." Was obviously on a medieval reading course during this time of life; check out other books read during the years 1995-97. And, interesting that they were all written by women. ( )

I finished this while waiting for the turkey to cook, and it's a good thing the last few chapters weren't longer, or we'd have had a burnt bird!
This tells the life story of William the Conqueror from his birth, through his struggles to hold the Duchy of Normandy to his invasion of England and being crowned King of England (I think I'm safe and that should not be a surprise to anyone). It is helped along by William's having a dedicated knight Raoul of Harcourt, who chooses to follow William and becomes as much a friend as a loyal knight. At first, Raoul admires William, but gradually he comes to realise that they have very different ambition, and that Williams ambitions could cause a lot of pain and hurt to Raoul and those he has come to call his friends. This is complicated further by one of his friends being Edgar,a Saxom thegn sent to William's court as a hostage. It gets complicated, in a way that books referencing battles rarely are. Things are not always black and white and there are divided loyalties that get in the way. The description of the battle of Hastings is every bit a vicious as a battle can be. It's not what you expect from a writer of romances, but it just shows her range. The ending is both sad and full of hope, there will be a future, both for Raoul and England, although they will not be a smooth ride, they will endure.

Re-read.
I suppose as you already know the end, a second read isn't spoiled by having finished it once. I think that by using Raoul (I don't know if he is real or invented) as a stand in for us, it allows us to relate to William as a man, rather than just as an exalted personage. He could be too distant to be able to relate to, in this we relate to Raoul, who links us to William. And we feel for Raoul and Edgar and the situation they find themselves in, the resolution forever out of their hands. It did it again, tears at the end, even though I knew it was coming from the moment it is prophesied. It stands up well to a second reading and the ferocity of the battle looses nothing on a second pass. ( )

Subtitled: "A Novel of William the Conqueror, the Bastard Son Who Overpowered a Kingdom and the Woman Who Melted His Heart". This the famous "William the Conqueror" from English historical fame, when England fought to rule territories in France. I read a brief overview of the historical background to be able to follow Heyer's story (thank you Wikipedia). The novel was well done and I found it very engaging. A romance of the lusty, gritty style and not in the softer Regency style. ( )

This historical novel actually stayed pretty true to the facts and did a good job of depicting William as both a great and charismatic man and a bit of an overreaching and greedy man. But this was not my favorite Georgette Heyer (Amy Wilson-I can't believe I just used the phrase "favorite Georgette Heyer"!) ( )