Good King Harry

Synopsis

Set against the sweeping backdrop of medieval England, Good King Harry brilliantly brings to life one of the most fascinating, conflicted monarchs in history, Henry V.

A contemplative soul imbued with a compassion and mental agility beyond his years, young Harry, Prince of Wales — the future King Henry V — is marked early as the object of his father's scorn. In the eyes of Lord Bolingbroke, his son is a weak link in the House of Lancaster and has a dangerous loyalty to the rebellious Welsh that must be broken.

As Harry reaches maturity, the battle within his heart grows fierce. Torn between the sensitivities of his soul and the uncompromising nature he will need to take the throne, he embarks on an odyssey rife with political agendas, sexual intrigue, and military combat, transforming him into the accomplished monarch a volatile England so urgently demands.

Evoking the sights and sounds of fifteenth-century London, acclaimed author Denise Giardina artfully illuminates power’s double-edged sword, and the momentous events that unfold in the making of a king.

First published 1984.

Hardback from Harper & Row, 393pp; paperback from Ballantine Books, 416pp

Background

I fell in love with Prince Hal when I was fifteen years old. No one else in my high school came close. Hal was wild, and yet he was haunted by the leadership role he was called to fulfill. My only problem with Hal was what seemed an inevitable love story centered on Princess Katherine. She didn't deserve him!

As I grew older and wrote Good King Harry, I decided to stay as close to history as I could. First of all, best not to try and out-Shakespeare Shakespeare! But I also wanted to get as close as possible to the real man.

For example, Shakespeare could not write about Harry's friend, the proto-Protestant reformer Sir John Oldcastle, without risking being burned at the stake. I had no such problem. Sir John Oldcastle may not be so vividly rendered as his stand-in, Falstaff. But he deserves to be remembered. And I wanted to put flesh upon the nameless women Hal was drawn to. The fact that they were nameless suggested they were of low birth. Thus, Merryn.

Most important, I have tried to reverse Shakespeare. In the bard's plays, Hal moves from irresponsible prince to heroic king. Looking at the life of Henry V, I saw the opposite. The prince who consorts with the humble, raises a cup in taverns, and then falls into bed with a woman of low estate is far more admirable than the king who invades France.

What the critics said

Giardina shows unusual skill as well in making psychological sense out of the dynamics of a complicated family situation in which a false move can cost one's life." —The New York Times Book Review

"Giardina tapped the same vein Shakespeare found so rich. She found the mother lode; out came more treasure." —Los Angeles Times

"A book that should delight not only lovers of the historical novel, but all readers who enjoy fast-paced absorbing fiction." —Richmond Times Dispatch

"The unfolding of this unlikely romance [between Henry and Merryn], in a setting of political intrigue and royal family squabbles, is as satisfying as the best of BBC's Masterpiece Theater series, and as tear-jerking as any novel by Dickens." — New York Times (Sunday edition)

Good King Harry was selected for inclusion in the Ballantine Reader’s Circle.

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