The King's Achievement - by Robert Hugh Benson

Book Synopsis

One of the most coldly calculated acts of Henry VIII during the Reformation was the dissolution of the monasteries. Monks and nuns were driven from their cloisters; the abbeys were plundered and turned over to greedy courtiers. From these ignoble proceedings came Robert Hugh Benson's inspiration for this great historical novel, the story of a house divided against itself. The Torridon brothers are sworn to serve different masters; one is a monk, in love with the Mass and the Faith of Ages, the other an agent of the Crown, in love with Beatrice Atherton, a protege of Sir Thomas More. Among the giant figures who move through the tale are those of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, the ruthless King Henry VIII, and the grasping Cromwell. Their actual deeds are carefully woven into this harrowingly romantic tale of the attempted destruction and resilience of the Catholic Faith in England.

Review Quotes

"A good story, excellently told-capable of inspiring deep love for the Faith and opening our eyes to the sufferings which have preserved it for us."-FR AIDAN NICHOLS OP, St Michael's College, Kingston, Jamaica

"Enjoyable as it is edifying, Benson's historical novel The King's Achievement helps us third-millennium readers become more familiar with the heroic times of anti- Catholic persecution in England."-FR ARMAND DE MALLERAY FSSP, author X-ray of the Priest In A Field Hospital

"Breathe the air of a recusant household and family; rejoice in the triumphs of Divine Grace imagined in these absorbing pages: because this story is as exciting and as page-turning as a modern thriller."-FR JOHN HUNWICKE

"This precious historical novel is essential reading to all those interested in the national and personal complexities of the English Reformation."-TIMOTHY KELLY PHD, Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford