When Christ & His Saints Slept

"A compelling, well-written epic...Penman is an accomplished novelist and certainly has staked a claim to medieval England as her literary fiefdom." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

A.D. 1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But before Maude could claim her throne, her cousin Stephen seized it. In their long and bitter struggle, all of England bled and burned.

Sharon Kay Penman's magnificent fifth novel summons to life a spectacular medieval tragedy whose unfolding breaks the heart even as it prepares the way for splendors to come — the glorious age of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Plantagenets that would soon illumine the world.

"[A] marvelous medieval pageant of a novel...Another jewel in [Penman's] already glittering crown." The Orlando Sentinel

"Penman once again tells a tale of kings and queens, singular destinies, and double-crosses....[She] inventively animates a large cast [and] continues to base her narrative on the firm ground of fact."Kirkus Reviews

A.D. 1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But before Maude could claim her throne, her cousin Stephen seized it. In their long and bitter struggle, all of England bled and burned.

Sharon Kay Penman's magnificent fifth novel summons to life a spectacular medieval tragedy whose unfolding breaks the heart even as it prepares the way for splendors to come—the glorious age of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Plantagenets that would soon illumine the world.

Sharon Kay Penman has lived in England and Wales and currently resides in New Jersey. She is the author of six other novels: Falls the Shadow, Here Be Dragons, The Reckoning, The Sunne in Splendour, When Christ and His Saints Slept, and the first Justin de Quincy adventure: The Queens Man.

1. Some of the authors characters are based on real- life figures, and some, such as Ranulf, are purely fictional. Why do you think she does this? What purpose does Ranulf serve? Did you relate to him differently than you did the other characters?

 2. Do you think that Maude would have made a better ruler than Stephen? Why or why not? 

3. In the Middle Ages, children of the nobility were sent away to be educated in other households. Why do you think this practice evolved the way it did? How do you think it impacted child- rearing during that time? 

4. Henrys mother vanished from his life for more than three years. Do you think he was adversely affected by her prolonged absence? How? 

5. Discuss the medieval attitude toward physical disabilities. What would have happened to Rhiannon if her family had not been so supportive of her? 

6. Anti- Semitism was obviously quite prevalent in the Middle Ages. Ranulf was at one point extremely anti- Semitic, but his attitude changed when he met the young Jewish peddlers. What do you think changed his mind? How is this plotline relevant in our society today? 

7. Discuss the various romantic relationships and marriages in the book. How do you think Maude and Stephen each relate to their spouses? How does this affect their aspirations for power? 

8. Maude paid a great price for being unable or unwilling to adhere to her societys restrictive concepts of proper female behavior. Do you think her quest for the crown was doomed from the outset by male prejudice? How much of her defeat do you think can be attributed to her gender? How much to her personality? 

9. How do you think Stephen would have fared in the modern world? Do you think he was advanced for his time?