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Joe Danna

Joe Danna

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The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

Story Behind The Book

What started as a 500-word short story assignment gained its own momentum, surprising me when it developed into a 52,000-word novel. The information I had stored somewhere in the back of my mind related to identity, belief, and perception, was expressed against a backdrop of my life while growing up in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Little did I know what was to unfold would turn out to be a showcase for the natural laws of the universe.

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<p><a class="txtlarge gl3 gr4 reviewTitle valignMiddle" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R1BPD8UK7V58L8/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0615364683&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books"><strong>Ron's &quot;The Narrow Gate&quot; Review</strong></a><span class="gry valignMiddle"> <span class="inlineblock txtsmall">December 29, 2010</span> </span></p> <div class="mt4 ath"><span class="gr10"><span class="txtsmall"><span class="gry">By</span> <a class="noTextDecoration" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2TZKINFRGNNCK/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp">Creative Cultural Center</a></span> </span></div> <div class="txtsmall mt4 fvavp"><span class="inlineblock formatVariation"><span class="gr3 gry formatKey">Format:</span><span class="formatValue">Kindle Edition</span></span></div> <div class="mt9 reviewText"> <div class="drkgry">The Narrow Gate A Journey Through Identity, Belief and Perception is a wonderful captivating story that draws the reader into the mind of its main character through a detailed account of the events which brought Salvatore DeSanti through an intriguing transformation. This is a truly compelling tale of a young man who experiences life in the physical realm while being led towards the development of his spiritual senses. The story of his visit from the spirit of an ascended friend who he did not yet know had completed his walk on this physical plane echoed an experience I once had and in doing so brought me to a place of shared consciousness with Salvatore.<br /><br /> The author paints a vivid picture of the small New England town in which Salvatore expanded his consciousness. I felt at home in every paragraph and found myself reminiscing of times past through the photos in my mind and the new images created there by JP Danna.<br /><br /> This book is one that everyone should read whom is in a place of uncertainty about their present beliefs. One who is yearning to move forward and expand their faith and consciousness while journeying along their path of infinite ascension will gain much understanding through the experiences of Salvatore DeSanti. The shared circumstances and situations throughout this book not only exhibit a common thread between reader and writer, but also bring enlightenment and solace through the use of effective analogy and vivid expressiveness.<br /><br /> I highly recommend this book. The most frustrating thing about reading The Narrow Gate A Journey Through Identity, Belief and Perception was to force myself to put it down.<br /> -Ron Ash<br /><br /><a class="txtlarge gl3 gr4 reviewTitle valignMiddle" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2J1EV9T2GUGFU/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0615364683&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books"><strong>Loved the Book!!!!</strong></a><span class="gry valignMiddle"> <span class="inlineblock txtsmall">April 30, 2012</span> </span> <div class="mt4 ath"><span class="gr10"><span class="txtsmall"><span class="gry">By</span> <a class="noTextDecoration" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1P4Q60FOS8G87/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp">Debbie Cardwell</a></span> </span></div> <div class="txtsmall mt4 fvavp"><span class="inlineblock formatVariation"><span class="gr3 gry formatKey">Format:</span><span class="formatValue">Paperback</span><span class="gl7 gr7 gry">|</span></span><span class="inlineblock avpOrVine"><span class="orange strong avp">Amazon Verified Purchase</span></span></div> <div class="mt9 reviewText"> <div class="drkgry">What a great style of writing! This book told a beautiful story about a spiritual journey of a young man named Salvatore. I couldn't put the book down! I would highly recommend this book to anyone! Loved IT!!!!!<br /><br /><a class="txtlarge gl3 gr4 reviewTitle valignMiddle" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2Q9A85194V8EQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0615364683&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books"><strong>ENLIGHTENMENT</strong></a><span class="gry valignMiddle"> <span class="inlineblock txtsmall">April 30, 2012</span> </span> <div class="mt4 ath"><span class="gr10"><span class="txtsmall"><span class="gry">By</span> <a class="noTextDecoration" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A26E42I2IKD4T6/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp">Kimba7159</a></span> </span></div> <div class="txtsmall mt4 fvavp"><span class="inlineblock formatVariation"><span class="gr3 gry formatKey">Format:</span><span class="formatValue">Paperback</span></span></div> I HAVE THE PRIVILEDGE OF KNOWING THE AUTHOR OF THIS WONDERFULLY, SPIRIT-FILLED BOOK!!! THE JOURNEY INTO TAPPING INTO THE VERY CORE OF WHO YOU ARE AND BRINGING IT TO THE PAGES WAS ONE THAT TOUCHED MY HEART...WELL WRITTEN, FULL OF KNOWLEDGE, UPLIFTING...THAT IS JOE DANNA...A MAN WHO HAS GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A BLESSING TO ALL WHO WILL START WITH THE FIRST PAGE AND CONTINUE WITH THEIR OWN PAGE....NEVER ENDING JOY</div> </div> </div> </div>