Amazon.com
Combining the pace and descriptive quality of a novel with the authority of a textbook, Alison Weir's study of the revered and reviled Eleanor of Aquitaine should be valuable to anyone with an interest in medieval European history. Wife of Louis VII of France and subsequently of Henry II of England, and mother of Richard "the Lion-Hearted," Eleanor played a prominent part in the politics of the 12th century. The author of a number of other books on the medieval period (Life of Elizabeth I, The Children of Henry VIII), Weir brings all the color and ever-present dangers of Eleanor's world to life, filling the text with absorbing background detail and revelatory contemporary anecdotes. She is concerned throughout to make critical analysis of the primary sources, the later myths about Eleanor, and other modern biographies. This results in a fresh and thoughtful perspective on the energetic life of a determined and ambitious woman living with the sexism, excesses, and violence of a society in which the word of a single man could condemn thousands to death. Eleanor of Aquitaine is a vivacious but scholarly book with extensive notes and references, giving an objective and rich account of the staunch Eleanor, her feuding family and her complex and unstable world. --Karen Tiley, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in Europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the Middle Ages. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, Eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. In this beautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of this truly exceptional woman, and provides new insights into her intimate world. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, Weir captures the woman— and the queen—in all her glory. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificent past era.
Customer Reviews:
Powerful social history.......2007-06-13
Alison Weir has written a powerful social history of Eleanor's times. "Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life" presents an encyclopedic marshalling of facts. Few authors would think to include, say, Adelard of Bath, the "first English scientist," who had traveled widely in the Arab world, introduced the astrolabe to England and tutored young Henry a decade before the lad became King Henry II. Weir knows how to position Adelard and a hundred walk-on players like him in her flow of time and events. The bit parts are all present, and they fit.
Meanwhile Eleanor comes through as her own creature, able - (this is a rare quality in humans of either sex) - to substantially command her Fate in an adverse world. I just wish that Weir had integrated Eleanor, her character and her actions more thoroughly into the weave of the queen's several families and the social histories of her kingdoms and her courts. When Eleanor is present she commands the page, always recognizable, always strong, challenging the male social hierarchies of Church and state. That's as it should be; that's as it was. But too often Eleanor is absent. If only Weir had integrated her two distinct sets of ingredients, Eleanor's person, and Eleanor's world, more smoothly. They needed more time in the blender. Never mind. Weir has written an impressive book.
Robert Fripp, author of
"Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine"
Informative in a roundabout way.......2006-12-29
By reading the other reviews I thought that was going to be a very interesting book about an interesting woman in history; however, I am about half way through and am a little disappointed because there seems to be little talk about Eleanor and more about the surroundings and her husbands. Understandably if there is little information there is not much that you can say, but I would be more interested if it presupposed a little bit more and not cited so many other sources. I guess I wish it would have read more like a story instead of an academic book.
Matriarch of a Powerful but Dysfunctional Family.......2006-12-22
This is a very well researched narrative on the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Unlike other women of her era, she controlled property, was able to retain it and, therefore, was a participant in and not a bystander to events. The nuns of Fontevrault extol the "brilliance" of the "royal progeny" with which she "illuminated the world". There were no newspapers then, and being cloistered, they had only Eleanor's word on this. While she is the mother of 2 kings (3 if the "Younger King" counts), these sons are not exactly distinguished. They cannot inspire their nobles, they make war on each other and one of them essentially loses England's continental empire.
Weir doesn't speculate on the daily prodding Eleanor might have given her sons to make war on their father, but she presents evidence to demonstrate that she tried to temper their wars against each other. Her efforts on behalf of the kidnapped Richard are extraordinary. There is no record, but legend has it that she sought leniency for her imprisoned (by her son) grandson and other legends have it that she killed him.
I found it interesting how this family spends Christmas or Easter together... after and sometimes in the middle of all this drama. Another thing of interest in this family is the role of guilt. Henry II wears a hair shirt and orders himself lashed in the presence of witnesses including his family, Richard publically decries his unspeakable sins and Eleanor's writes the Pope that her sins have caused the troubles that have befallen Richard.
Eleanor was in no way an ornament or passive queen. She managed kingdoms and rode along on 2 Crusades. It appears she engineered her divorce from the King of France, an accomplishment in its own right (witness the trouble Henry VIII had in this regard) and maintained some sort of useful relations with him throught his life. She was imprisoned for 10(?) years, and came back without missing a beat.
Weir conveys all this, drawing a picture of the times, what they wore, what they ate, how they traveled, the appearance of the castles and how they were defended and much more.
Good book!.......2006-10-24
I must admit that before I found this book, I had NO idea who Eleanor was. However, shortly after completing this book, I knew enough about Eleanor & her sons that I was able to successfully answer Jeopardy! questions while watching from the comfort of my home. The author did a wonderful job of writing about her -- although the book was a bit slow at some points. I do recommend this book to any history lovers!
Eleanor of Aquitaine.......2006-09-30
This is by far the best biography I have yet read of Eleanor. Marion Meade's book does not answer many of the questions raised in her book or this one. This book answered many questions previously unanswered, and is backed up by documentary evidence. It is eminently readable, as are all of Alison Weir's books, and it is hard to put it down. It is solid, readable and reliable history. Highly to be recommended.
Amazon.com
Do you know the story of Sharon Kay Penman's first mystery novel, The Sunne in Splendour? She spent every spare moment for years--first as a law student, then as a lawyer--working on the book about Richard III. And when the only copy of the manuscript was stolen from her car, she sat down and wrote it again. Five excellent historical mysteries later, Penman has started a new series set even farther back in time. It's 1193, and King Richard has disappeared on his way back to England after fighting in the Crusades. Justin de Quincy, the well-educated but illegitimate son of a bishop, is tapped to search for the missing ruler, and he turns out to be just the chap to blow away the cobwebs that often hang over historical mystery. Other Penman picks: Falls the Shadow; Here Be Dragons; Reckoning.
Book Description
Epiphany, 1193. Eleanor of Aquitaine sits upon England's throne. Her beloved son Richard Lionheart is missing, presumed dead--and the court whispers that her younger son John is plotting to seize the crown.
Meanwhile, on the snowy highroad from Winchester, a destitute young man falls heir to a blood-stained letter, pressed into his hand by a dying man. The missive becomes Justin de Quincy's passport into the queen's confidence--and into the heart of danger, as he pursues a cunning murderer and jousts with secret traitors in Eleanor's court of intrigue and mystery. . . .
Customer Reviews:
An entertaining medieval mystery.......2007-10-08
Having read and watched several of the Brother Cadfael mysteries, I picked up The Queen's Man. I read through it in a couple of days, intrigued by the story and enjoying Sharon Kay Penman's clear, flowing writing style. She includes plenty of historical background without turning it into a history lesson; the characters are engaging and the mystery kept me guessing right up to the end. I would most definitely pick up her other books, and encourage you to give The Queen's Man a try!
Quick, light read.......2007-05-30
On the bright side it kept my interest for the 6 hours, or so it took to read it and it made a long plane flight easier. On the other hand it is a simple story, with simple characters and at times Justin was frustrating doltish. Maybe she was trying to convey the naivety of a country boy in the 1100s, but good thing he was lucky. The twists and turns in the plot were predictable.
not enough suspense.......2007-05-06
Sharon Kay Penman writes very good non fiction about the Medieval times. Now she has used that quality to write medieval detectives. You can see that she knows that period (King Richard, Prince John) very well. The everyday life and atmosphere are decribed in detail and work fine for me. However, the story is not very eventfull and suspense is almost absent. Still I ordered the following 4 books of the serie, so it must not be all too bad!
Well writen medieval mystery novel that starts the "de Quincey" series.......2007-04-29
With the Queen's Man Sharon Kay Penman introduces a new mystery series with fictional sleuth Justin de Quincey as its lead character. While I have read others in the series with great enjoyment, this first one is exceptionally good and it introduces many of the characters that you will see in other books.
The series is set in England during the last decade of the twelfth century. The "Queen" of the title is Eleanor, who is depicted in her later years as the Queen Mother of Richard the Lionheart. Penman does an excellent job of humanizing and bringing to life both this famous queen and her famous son Prince John. Richard is away during this book (and several sequels) and his absence and John give the book its plot.
The mystery itself is well written with many imaged, but realistic characters. The plot is quite well done, but the fact that Penman's previous works have been historical novels means that you get a much better written mystery than a lot of other mystery writers are capable of creating.
Overall this book is generally recommended for anyone who enjoys the medieval period or mysteries and highly recommended for fans of Penman's historical novels or fans of other medieval mystery series like the Dame Frevisse or Sister Fidelma books.
Later de Quincey mysteries have settings in Wales and France as well, giving an interesting glimpse into other parts of the medieval world in that decade.
Good read for lover's of medieval times.......2007-01-05
Sharon Penman's writing style brings to mind the novels of Diana Gabaldon. The Queen's Man is an intriguing mystery with interesting plot lines and characters. While not as detailed as the Gabaldon novels, The Queen's Man is an enjoyable read.
Average customer rating:
- Murder most foul
- Pleasant reading, but no surprises or depth
- --Interesting story featuring Eleanor of Aquitaine aka Queen of England
- First Penman book I read
- Justin de Quincy Undergoes the Tribulations of Success
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Cruel As the Grave: A Medieval Mystery
Sharon Kay Penman
Manufacturer: Henry Holt & Company
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0805056084 |
Amazon.com
Readers of The Queen's Man, Sharon Kay Penman's first book about young Justin de Quincy, will feel right at home as Justin--the bastard son of a bishop--continues to help England's aged Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine find out if her son Richard Lionheart is still alive in a German prison while trying to keep another son, John, from usurping the throne. Newcomers might take a few more pages, but Penman's skill at making the daily life of 1193 England so immediately accessible should soon have them equally comfortable. Why would a messenger grab his mantle but not his boots before jumping out of a Winchester bawdy house window on a mild April night? Because that's where a traitorous message is hidden. What would Justin and his friend Luke have for supper at a Thameside cookshop? "Pork-filled pie and ginger wafers, washed down with cider." Why was "breakfast the day's dubious meal, not quite respectable?" Because, Penman tells us, "people were supposed to be able to satisfy themselves with a hearty dinner and a lighter supper." Details like these bond us quickly with distant ancestors--and make us wonder what particulars of our own lives will be fodder for future writers of historical fictions. --Dick Adler
Book Description
She was young--barely fifteen. A poor peddler's daughter newly arrived in London, she was loved as much for her good heart as for her good looks. Someone had taken advantage of that sweet nature, leaving her dead in a churchyard, a ripped bodice testimony to her struggle, a bloodstained cross the solitary witness to her end.
England, 1193: A land awash in intrigue. While Eleanor of Aquitaine searches vainly for her eldest son, imprisoned by his enemies, her youngest plots to capture the crown. In her service: young Justin de Quincy, the Queen's Man. What has he to do with common murder, with the death of a poor man's child? Despite himself, Justin becomes ensnared in the case, seeking to unmask a killer. But can he also bring that killer to justice?
Hailed "an impressive debut" (Houston Chronicle), nominated for an Edgar for Best First Mystery, chosen by the ALA as a Best Book for Young Adults: The Queen's Man established a tradition that Cruel as the Grave upholds splendidly.
Customer Reviews:
Murder most foul.......2007-01-22
It's 1193, and the Welsh girl Melangell is murdered in a London graveyard. Prince John is plotting and generally making a nuisance of himself while his brother King Richard languishes in a jail abroad. John and Richard's mother, Eleanor of Acquitane, is trying to keep the realm together.
Connecting the murder and the Court intrigues is Justin de Quincy - who sets out to solve the mystery of the murder, but he is also needed by the Queen.
This is the first Sharon Penman novel I've read and I found it an amiable enough whodunnit. The two themes of the novel tend to run in parallel rather than to help each other along, and I got the distinct feeling that you have to be prepared to read more of these novels for a full resolution of the Court-based stuff. Of the murder plot - well I sussed the culprit very early, nevertheless I thought it was OK as these type of novels go. In this I benefit from having suffered a Christian Jacq novel - nothing can beat that for dross, so others shine by comparison.
The Medieval background does get lost at times and it's always a problem giving characters who operate in settings so long ago some convincing dialogue - hence you get the occasional "mayhap" and "for certes" just to convince you these are people living in 1193.
Not to be too churlish, it's harmless enough stuff, entertaining in limited way.
G Rodgers
Pleasant reading, but no surprises or depth.......2006-09-27
Justin de Quincy, a young man in the service of Eleanor of Aquitaine, is helping his queen discover what her son John is planning as he tries to usurp the throne while his brother Richard Lionheart is in a German prison. At the same time he is asked by a friend to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. The suspects are two teenage boys, one who was sleeping with her and the other who was truly in love with her. There is a quote at the beginning about the emotion of jealousy being cruel as the grave and their is a great amount of it at the center of both story lines. Cruel as the Grave is a quick and enjoyable read. The techniques used to investigate in the 12th century were interesting as we are now so used to fingerprints and DNA evidence. Some of the details about life in the middle ages were also fascinating. The central mystery however was facile and no surprise in the end. The characters also had little depth. It's a pleasant book but not challenging in any way.
--Interesting story featuring Eleanor of Aquitaine aka Queen of England.......2006-09-26
CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is the second book about Justin de Quincy who is known as the queen's man. Justin works for Queen Eleanor the widow of Henry the II. She employs him as a messenger, spy and man that she can trust to carry out her orders.
The story takes place in the year 1193. During this time frame King Richard's life was in danger and his brother Prince John was hoping that Richard would be killed and not return to rule England. Queen Eleanor, their mother, was caught in the middle of their battle and although she wanted to stop Prince John, she did not want him hurt. Justin walks a fine line in his investigations because no one every wants to cross Prince John since there is a good chance that he will one day be King of England.
There is a dual mystery in this story where Justin also becomes involved in the murder investigation of a young woman.
The characters in this medieval mystery are a combination of historic figures and fictional characters. At the end of the book, in the author's note, Sharon Kay Penman offers some additional information about some of the characters and tells what is factual and what is not in her story. This author does a lot of research for her books, and tries to be as true to history as possible.
First Penman book I read.......2005-11-30
I normally don't read mystery books and to top it off this was my first Penman book I read. I loved it. Yes, I figured it out before the ending, but the story was compelling and I enjoyed it anyway. I loved the setting and loved the characters she has created as well as the historical ones. Penman did an awesome joby in my opinion. Since then I have read another one of her mysteries and I am looking forward to reading all of her books with Justin in them. I love how he is from humble orgins and not in the highborn culture yet he can interact with them and still keep his honor. I also love how he is honorable and just.
Justin de Quincy Undergoes the Tribulations of Success.......2005-02-03
Sharon Kay Penman's "Cruel as the Grave" continues her foray into medieval murder mysteries. In "The Queen's Man," her first such novel, Penman introduced Justin de Quincy to the world. The bastard son of a bishop, Justin is a man of talent but no means until fate brought him into the confidence of England's Queen Eleanor. Through courage, wit, and loyalty, Justin rose mightily in the eyes of both the royal court and with several of his "more common" friends . . . and made a few enemies in the bargain.
In "Cruel as the Grave," set in the early spring of 1193, immediately after "The Queen's Man" ends, Justin reaps the fruit of his success. Now an honored and trusted member of the Queen's inner circle, Justin must undertake several risky ventures to help Eleanor ransom her beloved kidnapped son, Richard Lionheart, king of England -- held in an Austrian prison cell. He must also help Eleanor in a high-stakes chess match --with the throne of England as the prize -- with her cunning younger son, John (dubbed by many, "the Prince of Darkness," and deservedly so). Since John is one of the enemies Justin made in "The Queen's Man," Justin's life is in considerable peril.
Justin must also cope with his new-found fame as a crime solver par excellence with his less-royal but no less demanding friends. A beautiful young woman is found murdered in a local churchyard, and the sons of a local merchant are implicated. Justin is forced to look into the murder, and soon learns that suspects and motives abound in this grisly affair.
Penman balances these two plot lines expertly, and the action sweeps from the streets of London to the courtroom of the palace to the siege of Windsor Castle. Penman writes with her trademark clarity, equally at home with a battle scene as with friends bantering over drinks in the alehouse. (Although fans of carnage would be better suited reading Bernard Cornwell's various works - Penman does not linger long over the violence.)
True to her last murder mystery, Penman injects "Cruel as the Grave" with more humor than her historical epics, and the novel is much shorter, as well (230-odd pages). While these novels are (almost) entirely fictional, they are fantastic opportunities to delve deeper into Penman's captivating treatment of Queen Eleanor's England. Check it out!
Note -- while some "sequels" can be read without reading earlier novels in the series, "Cruel as the Grave" will be much more enjoyable for those who have already read "The Queen's Man." (I would also recommend reading "While Christ and His Saints Slept" and "Time and Chance" first, so the reader can learn the back-story of Queen Eleanor before reading these murder mysteries, which are set in the twilight of her reign -- but reading those two novels is not as essential as reading "The Queen's Man," because Justin de Quincy does not play a role in the other works.)
Average customer rating:
- Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine
- Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine
- My Favorite
- The Diary of a amazing girl
- If you liked this book...
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Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine
Kristiana Gregory
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
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ASIN: 0439164842 |
Book Description
Fourteen-year-old Eleanor of Aquitaine lives in a castle in Poitier, France, with her father Count William of Aquitaine (son of William the Conqueror), and her 12-year-old sister Petronilla. Their mother died several years earlier, so their grandmother and ladies-in-waiting raise the girls. Eleanor is extremely intelligent and literate, having been carefully educated by royal tutors. Spinning bores her, as does weaving, sewing, and other housewifery skills expected of her. She would rather be a knight and ride off to war. In fact, in 1136, when her father is invited to help invade Normandy,
Customer Reviews:
Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine.......2006-03-17
THIS BOOK, in MY OPINION, was one of the best out of the "Royal Diaries" Series. Eleanor is not a princess, but a Duchess of Aquitaine (Southern France) in the 1100's. This book was well written and contained much information on Eleanor's teen years. Although the reading level is supossed to be ages 9-12, i am 13, almost 14, and enjoyed this book. I think it's good for all ages.
Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine.......2006-01-04
Eleanor of Aquitaine has a difficult childhood. Her father, the duke, constantly gets in fights with the pope. As if that's not enough to deal with, her brother died and her father wants her to get married as a political arrangement.A beloved family member goes on a trip, never to return. And finally, she must marry Louis the Younger when she'd much rather be playing with her sister and daydreaming.
This was one of the most exciting books in the Royal Diaries series! It has brave knights in battle,court intrigues,and betrayal...
My Favorite.......2005-11-18
This is the second Royal Diary I read, and I loved it. The story is wonderful. Eleanor is a young girl who goes through all the same things that girls do now, she just was in the 1100s. I think that every young girl will love learning about history while also reading a good story.
The Diary of a amazing girl.......2005-10-31
Eleanor is a young girl but is old enough to get married. Her father Duke William X a very wealthy man, decides to go to war. So her sister and her are left with no father or mother only servants and there grandma. He does come back but a tragedy occurs and she is forced to marry the price soon to be king of France. She has never met him before and she really like Clotaire the strong. Her life is filled with new, terrifying, heart leaping adventures. She also has a younger brother and sister. Her brother dies but, her sister is still alive. Her mother is also gone. So it's not really a big family. Just her younger sister her dad and herself. I really like this book because of different things I get to read about. I think its so cool hearing about what it was like for a girl in medieval times about my age well she was really more of a princess. Her father had even more money then the king. It's really interesting reading about her life. How and where she hides her diary. How she is taken care of. What they ate back then. Where they went to the bathroom with no toilets. Its such a fascinating book with so much drama. And life filled with excitement!
If you liked this book..........2005-09-01
If you liked this book, then try reading "A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver." It tells the story of the rest of Eleanor's life. She was an AMAZING woman who led an enormously fascinating life!!!!
Book Description
When I look back over my long and tempestuous life, I can see that much of what happened to me—my triumphs and most of my misfortunes—was due to my passionate relationships with men. I was a woman who considered herself their equal—and in many ways their superior—but it seemed that I depended on them, while seeking to be the dominant partner—an attitude which could hardly be expected to bring about a harmonious existence.
Eleanor of Aquitaine was revered for her superior intellect, extraordinary courage, and fierce loyalty. She was equally famous for her turbulent relationships, which included marriages to the kings of both France and England.
As a child, Eleanor reveled in her beloved grandfather’s Courts of Love, where troubadours sang of romantic devotion and passion filled the air. In 1137, at the age of fifteen, Eleanor became Duchess of Aquitaine, the richest province in Europe. A union with Louis VII allowed her to ascend the French throne, yet he was a tepid and possessive man and no match for a young woman raised in the Courts of Love. When Eleanor met the magnetic Henry II, the first Plantagenet King of England, their stormy pairing set great change in motion—and produced many sons and daughters, two of whom would one day reign in their own right.
In this majestic and sweeping story, set against a backdrop of medieval politics, intrigue, and strife, Jean Plaidy weaves a tapestry of love, passion, betrayal, and heartbreak—and reveals the life of a most remarkable woman whose iron will and political savvy enabled her to hold her own against the most powerful men of her time.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Novel.......2006-02-08
This is a fictional novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine written in "her" own words.
From her childhood in France, her marriage to Louis, the Crusade, marriage to Henry, her sons, her imprisonment, release and her love of her son Richard and hatred of John, this book tells everything about Eleanor.
THE FIRST FEMINIST..........2002-10-05
In this, the fifth volume in her Queens of England series of novels, the author, also known as Victoria Holt to her legion of fans, tackles the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman who led an incomparable life. Born in an age when women tended to be submissive and docile, Eleanor was anything but. She was an outspoken, well educated, independent, and beautiful woman. Hers is a story that, in the hands this author, an accomplished storyteller, captivates the reader.
Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, became Queen of France when she entered into a marriage of state with Louis VII of France, a somewhat weak and ineffectual, though pious, young ruler. Theirs was not a passionate affair of the heart but, rather, a mesalliance that would come to a somewhat abrupt end, when she met Henry II, the first Plantagenet King of England. Though she was eleven years his senior, theirs was to be a tempestuous and passionate love-hate relationship that would end in marriage and span a lifetime. She would give birth to their numerous sons and daughters, two of whom would go on to reign over England, Richard the Lionhearted and John Lackland.
Narrated in the first person, as are all the books in this Queens of England series, Eleanor tells the reader of her adventurous and exciting life, set against a backdrop of medieval politics, intrigues, and strife. A woman who brooked little interference in her life, she decribes what it was like to have experienced and gone on a crusade. She tells of her long years as prisoner of her philandering husband, Henry II. She relates the triumphs and disappointments of her long and singular life. In doing so, she weaves a memorable tapestry of love, passion, betrayal, and heartbreak. It is an account that will keep the reader turning the pages of this unforgettable, though somewhat romanticized, account of a life lived to the fullest.
THE FIRST FEMINIST..........2002-08-31
In this, the fifth volume in her Queens of England series of novels, the author, also known as Victoria Holt to her legion of fans, tackles the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman who led an incomparable life. Born in an age when women tended to be submissive and docile, Eleanor was anything but. She was an outspoken, well educated, independent, and beautiful woman. Hers is a story that, in the hands this author, an accomplished storyteller, captivates the reader.
Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, became Queen of France when she entered into a marriage of state with Louis VII of France, a somewhat weak and ineffectual, though pious, young ruler. Theirs was not a passionate affair of the heart but, rather, a mesalliance that would come to a somewhat abrupt end, when she met Henry II, the first Plantagenet King of England. Though she was eleven years his senior, theirs was to be a tempestuous and passionate love-hate relationship that would end in marriage and span a lifetime. She would give birth to their numerous sons and daughters, two of whom would go on to reign over England, Richard the Lionhearted and John Lackland.
Narrated in the first person, as are all the books in this Queens of England series, Eleanor tells the reader of her adventurous and exciting life, set against a backdrop of medieval politics, intrigues, and strife. A woman who brooked little interference in her life, she decribes what it was like to have experienced and gone on a crusade. She tells of her long years as prisoner of her philandering husband, Henry II. She relates the triumphs and disappointments of her long and singular life. In doing so, she weaves a memorable tapestry of love, passion, betrayal, and heartbreak. It is an account that will keep the reader turning the pages of this unforgettable, though somewhat romanticized, account of a life lived to the fullest.
Elenor of Aquataine.......2001-06-01
I've read many of Jean Plaidy's books under all her names. By far, Elenor of Aquataine is the most amazing (after Elizabeth I of course) of England's Queens. This story, written as if by Elenor herself, is truly fascinating. Elenor was first the Duchess of Aquataine, who then became queen of France, divorced, and then became Queen of England by marrying HenryII. On top all that, she was the mother of Richard the Lionheart AND Bad King John.Her story is so amazing, it's difficult to believe that she was an actual person. A few years ago, while travelling in England, I visited Dover Castle, one of the castles that Henry imprisioned her in in her later years. As I walked the un-altered passage ways of the castle keep, I remembered her story from this book, and thought, "I'm walking the same corridors that Queen Elenor walked". Reading Jean Plaidy's historical fiction is a great way to learn about history. You feel like you are truly in the head of historical figures.
Book Description
July 1193. King Richard Lionheart lies in a German prison, held for ransom by the emperor. His mother, Dowager Queen Eleanor, ransacks England for gold to buy his freedom, while his younger brother, John, plots with King Philippe of France to ensure that he rots and dies in chains.
When a ransom payment vanishes, Eleanor hastily dispatches young Justin de Quincy to investigate. In wild, beautiful Wales, his devotion to the queen will be supremely tested–as an arrogant border earl, a cocky Welsh prince, an enchanting lady, and a traitor of the deepest dye welcome him with false smiles and deadly conspiracies. The queen’s treasure is nowhere to be found, but assassins are everywhere . . . and blood runs red in the dragon’s lair.
Customer Reviews:
Ransom demand.......2007-04-03
King Richard, caught while on his way back from the Holy Land, has been imprisoned by Henry VI, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor. Prince John, Richard's hated brother (and the same Prince John from the Robin Hood stories) is plotting with the French king to make sure that Richard doesn't leave prison alive.
Henry sets the ransom at an impossible 150,000 marks (perhaps five times the annual income for the English Crown under Richard), and the Dowager Queen Eleanor has set about raising the ransom. In Wales, a sizable portion of that ransom has gone missing, and she sends Justin de Quincy into Wales to find it.
Davydd ab Owain, Prince of Wales, suspects his nephew, Llewellyn ab Iorweth, who would later grow to be one of the greatest of all Welsh princes. He is married to Emma of Anjou, the highborn half-sister of Richard's and John's father - and Eleanor's deceased husband - King Henry. Davydd is incensed when Justin approaches the problem logically, wanting to inspect the site the ransom was to have been stolen from, conducting interviews, etc.
While not as intricately plotted as the next book in the series, Prince of Darkness, this nevertheless is a fantastic read, especially if you've read and enjoyed Penman's historical fiction, and amongst those, namely Here be Dragons.
Wonderful book!.......2006-08-28
If you haven't discovered the joys of Sharon Kay Penman, then I feel sorry for you. All of her books are fascinating character studies and are rich in action, romance, and period detail. This is one of her delightful short mysteries.
If you are interested in the Medieval time period, then do read Sharon Kay Penman. She has researched this subject so much, that she is able to bring historic characters to life in an exciting and fascinating way.
Check out her novel: "Time and Chance", or any other of her historic novels.
How did they solve murders in the Middle Ages? Penman's mysteries tell you how. Her series is on par with Cadfael, and The Name of the Rose. I love all four of her mysteries and think most readers will too. My only complaint is that they aren't longer!
Dragon's Lair is a fun read. I love the Medieval characters, and think other readers will be happy to discover the wonderful world of Sharon Kay Penman's Middle Ages. Check her out. Her books will hook you!
A Huge Disapointment.......2005-07-27
Personally, I don't see what the fuss is about over Penman. This book was underwhelming in a number of catergories.
For example, the main character Justin de Quincy is two-dimensional and unrealistic. After spending over 300 pages with this character, I feel I know very little about him, and what I do know is somewhat of a contradiction. Whilst de Quincy is loyal to his queen, he has no loyality to the woman that carries his child. Not only does de Quincy cheat on the pregnant woman, he doesn't even think twice about it. Meanwhile, his sense of duty to his queen and stedfast loyality to her are constantly apparent throughout the story. The point is, it is very hard to believe a character who is a loyal professional, but doesn't have the slightest bit of regret by living an amoral personal life.
The second issue I have with this novel is the mystery itself. 'Dragon's Lair' has so much potential in this arena, but falls flat time and time again. The basic premise of trying to find the queen's ransom is appealing, but the way in which the crime unfolds is anti-climatic. Moreover, the murder in this book does not occur until after page 200 of a 320 page book!
Dialogue is another major issue here. When murder finally occurs it announced by a character declairing 'there's been murder done!' - for me, that was a laugh out loud moment. Do people really talk that way? de Quincy's lover constantly says silly things like 'goodbye lover!' and 'thank you lover'. Again, people don't talk that way, and I found it very annoying having to read dialogue that was continuously unrealistic.
Lastly, although this book is historical in nature, there was hardly anything historical about this book. Although the politics of the age affect the events of this story, that alone did not bring the middle ages alive in this story. Penman resorted to cheap tricks such as having over half the book take place in taverns in an attempt to create time and place.
In short, lack of detail, flat characters, bad dialogue, and no real mystery to solve made this book a huge disapointment.
third in a terrific series.......2005-05-04
Sharon Penman's series about Justin de Quincy, the Queen's Man for Eleanor of Aquitaine, is both highly readable and historically accurate. The reader is treated to an interesting plot involving a king's ransom stolen in Wales, as well as the development of the de Quincy character.
I enjoyed reading about Wales and the politics of the region at the time. I also thought the secondary characters were interesting and believable. I have enjoyed other books by this author and will continue to follow this series.
Justin de Quincy Rides Again!.......2005-03-17
Sharon Kay Penman's "Queen's Man" series of historical mysteries is starting to rival her other, longer novels of a more pure "historical fiction" bent. It's no surprise -- her historical mysteries demonstrate better research and command of the period than many "pure" historical novels.
"Dragon's Lair" again features Penman's fictional hero, Justin de Quincy, bastard son of the bishop of Chester. Justin is educated, resourceful, clever, and, as he admits, lucky. As a result, he's the perfect choice to serve Queen Eleanor. Beset by a tide of troubles in her later life, Eleanor in 1193 is trying to ransom her beloved son, King Richard, currently held captive in Germany. While the call has gone out across the realm for the ransom to be compiled, many less-than-loyal subjects desire to keep the ransom for themselves. The leading candidate for betrayal comes from within the royal family, as Eleanor's son John has no desire to see Richard return from confinement.
And so it is no great surprise when a valuable shipment of coin and luxurious wool (worth its weight in gold) goes missing en route from Wales. Eleanor immediately dispatches Justin to this remote, wild kingdom, charged with recovering the lost ransom. Justin soon finds himself in Welsh intrigues as wild and tangled as the Welsh countryside, and there's more than a wee spot of murder afoot, too.
Along the way, Penman feasts the reader on a host of precise details that evoke the time period, but does so in a highly readable fashion. We also delight in learning more about Justin, including meeting some players from his misspent youth.
An entertaining mystery (very realistic in its details) populated by a vivid cast of characters, "Dragon's Lair" keeps you guessing from page to page. A very enjoyable read!
Book Description
The beautiful, brilliant daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine, Eleanor grows up in one of Europes most dazzling courts, the birthplace of courtly love. In 1137, she is only 15 when her father dies suddenly, leaving her heir to the richest province in Franceand an irresistible prize for the first baron who rides in to kidnap her and seize her lands. While his advisers condemn it as madness to expose Eleanor to such danger, the duke is convinced that beyond her youth and loveliness lie the brains of a man and the soul of a warrior. Upon his death, Eleanor hatches a scheme to marry King Louis himself. But, despite her determination to hold up her end of the bargain, Eleanor learns she has more courage and conviction than her husband, and must eventually strike her own path out of a loveless marriage to an even greater alliance with Henry II of England. Sweeping from the French countryside to the courts of Paris to the perils of the Crusades, Duchess of Aquitaine introduces one of the most powerful, resourceful, and intriguing women in all of history.
Customer Reviews:
A mystical and diluted Eleanor of Aquitaine.......2007-06-14
I've never read a non-fictional book about Eleanor of Aquitaine but I know something of her life story and I've read a number of novels in which she featured (by authors such as Sharon K. Penman, Pamela Kaufman, Annette Motley and others) and from this I have gotten a very strong impression of her character. She was strong, uncompromising, smarter then most of the men in her age and didn't know when to back down. This novel tells the story of Eleanor's life from when her father died and she had to marry the King of France to keep her lands, to when she ditches the queen for Henry Plantagenet, the future Henry II of England. And I just didn't get the same impression of the character of Eleanor from this book.
This is an interesting novel though. It has a slight pagan slant to it, starting off with a description of a dance to bring on the spring equinox which makes a pretty clear statement about the divinity of women. Then the first chapter is told from the point of view of a saint, and throughout the book there are visions and slight hints of a sort of catholic/nature magic mix which is helping Eleanor's destiny. But these things are so slight in the novel that they don't really make an impact. If the angle had been explored more I think this would have been a far better and definitely more different book. As it stands this a run of the mill historical novel with some mystical imagery thrown in.
And Eleanor, as smart and politically canny as she is shown in this book, just didn't fit with what I know about her, and certainly didn't jive with the "other" fictional Eleanor's I have read about. This could be a deliberate attempt for verity on the author's part, or just how the author viewed her, but when a character is so firmly established in history, and historical fiction, any variation always seems weird. Like you're reading about someone else who happens to have the same name and history as the person.
Basically, I did enjoy this novel. I learned some things from it (for example, apparently the Knights Templar were not to bathe as part of their holy orders and could easily be identified by the stench one emitted) and it wasn't badly written. But I felt Eleanor was diluted in character and the mystical angle could have been explored more.
Three stars.
Light weight Eleanore.......2007-03-25
This is a romantic novel written for a teen age reader.
The author does poor justice to one of the great women of history.
I got tired of the soap opera and didn't finsih the book.
Mediocre.......2006-07-29
Eleanor of Aquitane is one of the most fascinating figures of medieval history. A woman of legendary beauty, strength and intelligence, she carved out a position of power in a era thoroughly hostile to women. And created a dynasty of kings whose names are legendary.
With that said, this book presents her as more of a perky "cheerleader" who relies on binding men to her by her beauty and possessions. There is no character development or depth-the characters remain as one dimensional as cardboard cutouts.
If interested in historical fiction concerning Eleanor, try Sharon Kay Peman. A far better writer, her books "When Christ and His Saints Slept" and "Time and Chance" (and her mystery series "Queen's Man", etc) capture not only the essence of the this period, but also clothe the players in layers of personality. So much so that they seem to reach out to us across the centuries and seem real.
deep look at a woman of ambition .......2006-06-17
At 15, Eleanor knows as the heiress to Aquitaine and Poitou, men will come out of woodwork to claim her as their bride upon the death of her father. She believes that no one less than a king should be her husband. Her goal is to become the Queen of France and not the wife of some duke or worse.
The Duchess achieves her objective when she marries King Louis VII, but finds her spouse a loser especially after the disastrous Second Crusade. Concluding he is not worthy of her Eleanor looks across the Channel where Geoffrey of Anjou reigns. However, following her divorce of Louis VII, it is the son Henry Plantagenet that catches her attention.
Biographical fiction fans will receive immense pleasure from this deep look at a woman of ambition who marries to achieve her political objective of ruling as a queen. Eleanor sets her mind to become the monarch early on and chooses Louis, who she dubs a loser so she turns to the English throne. The descriptions of the era in France, the Holy Land, Byzantine, and England run deep while the key characters come alive. Margaret Ball provides a powerful look at the twelfth century through the escapes of Eleanor, queen of two countries.
Harriet Klausner
"From the devil he comes, and to the devil he'll go.".......2006-06-13
The legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine cuts her teeth on the politics of expediency, cobbling together a marriage in 1137 with the son and heir of Louis the Fat, Louis VII, "pale, blonde, beardless, soft as a girl, with meek eyes cast down like a novice monk's." Thinking this a masterful bargain, Eleanor, at fifteen, controls Aquitaine and Poitou after he father's untimely death, seeking only to secure her lands and her person from plundering by a less noble union. It is an impulsive match she will learn to regret as the years pass, Louis a stern spiritual taskmaster with a cold and passionless heart. The saintly Louis is more brutal in his icy contempt for others than any soldier, bereft of compassion, as rigid in his beliefs as a saint and just as dangerous. Upon his arrival to claim his bride, his southern retainers trample Aquitaine and Poitou as though they are poor stepchildren, earning the enmity of Eleanor's subjects.
On the fateful day of her marriage, Eleanor's mistake is in assuming that her intended, the future King of France, is a potential political astute, rather than an unwitting and insecure pawn, who might better spend his days in self-flagellation and repentance in a dank monastery cell. Eleanor underestimates the nature of the man she marries and his commitment to his spiritual life. Louis the Pious will never appreciate his wife's talent for politics or her female charms, too enraptured by the nature of sin to live in the real world. On Crusade with Louis in 1147, Eleanor realizes the depth of her unhappiness and the futility of her struggle against men who will not countenance the intelligence of women. After humiliating defeat, Louis leaves the land of the infidels, revising his actions until he has become a hero, Eleanor the cause of the losses.
Ball's decidedly feminist-friendly Eleanor has reached womanhood despite a stifling environment, anxious to be free of Louis and once more in control of her own property. Perhaps this is her only real conceit, for Eleanor is pawn to any man who can claim her once she leaves Louis' protection. So she makes another educated gamble, allying herself with Henry Plantagenet, who will be King Henry II of England, eschewing the emotional vacuum of her marriage to Louis for a future with Henry. Eleanor is remembered as a pawn of history, a frivolous and unfaithful wife. Perhaps not. Surviving indifference, betrayal and a natural prejudice against the female sex, the extraordinary Eleanor of Aquitaine is born to rule, Queen of France, future Queen of England and mother of Richard the Lionheart; unfortunately Louis is too blinded by asceticism and his own virtue to appreciate the value of such a consort. Luan Gaines/ 2006.
Average customer rating:
- Good book, but drags a bit at times
- More great work from Penman
- Royal unstoppable force meets ecclesiastical immovable object
- Lackluster depiction of Henry and Eleanor
- Romantic rather than Historical
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Time and Chance
Sharon Kay Penman
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
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Binding: Hardcover
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When Christ and His Saints Slept
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Sunne in Splendour
ASIN: 0399147853 |
Amazon.com
The Sunne in Splendour confirmed Sharon Kay Penman's place in the upper echelons of historical fiction, combining a breathtaking panoply of the past with an acute psychological observation of her characters. Time and Chance is the second part of her planned trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, beginning in the glory years of their reign. Penman conjures for us an astonishing era in which Henry battles with the Welsh and the French king, appoints Thomas Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury, and, by taking a mistress, makes a bitter enemy of his wife.
Readers know the scalpel-like precision of Penman's character building from her earlier work, and the emotional lives of Henry and the troubled Eleanor are powerfully realized. As in the first book of the sequence, When Christ and His Saints Slept, conflict is ever the driving force. Henry and Eleanor's remarkable partnership was proving highly fecund, both politically, and physically, as Eleanor gave birth to five sons and three daughters, laying to rest her reputation as a barren queen and founding a dynasty that was to last three centuries. But auguries of trouble ahead were apparent: war with the Welsh; acrimonious battles with Eleanor's first husband, King Louis VII of France. But the truly destabilizing factor was Henry's decision to appoint his friend and confidant Thomas Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry had assumed that the worldly, ambitious Becket would be the perfect ally, and was devastated when the new archbishop cast off his own worldly past as he embraced his role as Defender of the Faith, swapping dissolution for piety.
As Penman vividly demonstrates, Henry saw Becket's action as a humiliating betrayal. One of the most famous murders in history followed, with further conflict in the kingdom caused by Henry's liaison with the daughter of a baron. In bedding Rosamund Clifford, Henry put his marriage and even his kingship at risk. As always, Penman handles her research lightly; the personal drama is the engine of her narrative, with each fresh scandal and intrigue delivered with a beguiling combination of relish and restraint. She is assured in her detailing of the political and ecclesiastical clashes of the court, but it is Henry II who strides her novel like a colossus--just as he did the kingdom he ruled. --Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
The long-awaited sequel to Sharon Kay Penman's acclaimed novel When Christ and His Saints Slept, Time and Chance recounts the tempestuous marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II in a magnificent story of love, power, ambition-and betrayal.
He was nineteen when they married, she eleven years his senior, newly divorced from the King of France. She was beautiful, headstrong, intelligent, and rich. It was said he was Fortune's favorite, but he said a man makes his own luck. Within two years, Henry had made his, winning the throne of England and exercising extraordinary statecraft skills to control his unruly barons, expand his own powers, and restore peace to a land long torn by banditry and bloodshed. Only in one instance did Henry err: Elevating his good friend and confidant Thomas Becket to be Archbishop of Canterbury, he thought to gain control over the Church itself. But the once worldly Becket suddenly discovered God, and their alliance withered in the heat of his newfound zeal. What Becket saw as a holy mission-to protect the Church against State encroachments-Henry saw as arrant betrayal, and they were launched inevitably on the road to murder.
Rich in character and color, true to the historical details, sensitive to the complex emotions of these men and women, Time and Chance recreates their story with all the drama, pain, and passion of the moment. It is Penman at her best.
Customer Reviews:
Good book, but drags a bit at times.......2006-09-04
Another enjoyable book from SKP, but I didn't find this quite as interesting as her others, and a bit slower than When Christ and His Saints Slept. It's probably just me, but I didn't find the whole Thomas Becket saga all that fascinating, albeit it is an important part of English history. I did like the fact that the author continued with the Welsh side of the story, as so many authors of English history paint the Welsh as pagen barbarians.
I am anxiously awaiting the publishing of the last in this series, The Devil's Brood, which I suspect will be the most fascinating, as it covers the period when the animosity between Henry and Eleanor heats up and the power plays for her sons. I read on the author's website that she's had health issues that have slowed down completion of the book, hopefully out in 2008.
More great work from Penman.......2006-03-31
Picks up where "When Christ and His Saints Slept" left off, after Empress Maude is (sort of) vindicated by having her son, Henry II, crowned King of England. The wily Henry has expanded his Angevin Empire (which includes most of France as well as England) by marrying the wilier Eleanor of Aquitaine.
I was a little disappointed that more attention wasn't paid to what, exactly, drove Henry and Eleanor apart. Yes, Rosamund Clifford, blah blah. But Henry's mistress barely puts in an appearance at all, and Henry's feelings for her garner even less attention. We're given one confrontation between Rosamund and Eleanor, and it's such a non-event - and so unlike Eleanor - that it sheds absolutely no light on the antagonism between them. She's Eleanor of freakin' Aquitaine! Couldn't we at least get a decent catfight? Instead we get sulks and martyrdom and the silent treatment.
Let's face it, the real lover's quarrel here is between Henry and Thomas Becket. Henry, like confused wives everywhere, is stunned when he ropes Tom into commitment by handing him an archbishop's miter and is then blown off and shown zero gratitude. Becket, who thought things were fine just the way they were when he was Henry's chancellor, quickly turns from amusing playmate to aloof and condescending wet blanket, ordering Henry around and asking him to fold his socks and make his dinner. OK, not that last part. But you get the idea. Henry mopes around, whining, "I thought he loved me! Why did he have to change?" and Becket shrugs and says, "I told you how it was going to be before you appointed me. Now fetch my slippers." And then poor scorned Henry has him killed. You know it's coming, but by the time it actually does the real shock is that the two hadn't killed each other years ago.
Ranulf, Penman's entirely fictional secondary character, is put to even more use here. He's essentially our window into Wales, and frankly these sections are even more interesting, if only because it's certainly less trod-upon ground. The competition between the sons of Owain for the crown of North Wales is fascinating, and Hywel, the poet-prince, was my favorite character in the entire book.
I love that Penman's historical novels manage to be fresh and interesting without being sensational or anachronistic. I liked this one slightly less than "Christ and His Saints", but I think only because I already know more about the whole Eleanor/Henry/Becket ménage than I did about Maude and Stephen. Still, for anyone interested in the period, you can't do much better than Penman's novels.
Royal unstoppable force meets ecclesiastical immovable object.......2006-02-14
"What miserable drones and traitors I have nourished and promoted in my household, who let their lord be mocked so shamefully by a lowborn clerk!"
Thus, in TIME AND CHANCE, is author Sharon Kay Penman's version of the angry words that compelled four of Henry II's knights to commit one of the most famous assassinations in Western European history, that of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The second in an ostensible series of three works of historical fiction - the last has yet to appear - about the first Plantagenet King of England and his consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine, this volume spans the period 1156 - 1171. Woven into the plot are the four pivotal events (for historians, novelists and screenwriters, at least) of that period: Henry's subjugation of the Welsh king, Owain Gwynedd, Henry's taking of Rosamund Clifford as his mistress, Henry's disastrous relationship with Becket, and the crowning of Henry's oldest son, Young Henry, as Ol' Dad's heir apparent.
Judging from Penman's other novels, she has a fascination with medieval Wales. Here, she fleshes out much of the Owain Gwynedd subplot through a completely fictional character, Ranulf Fitz Roy, carried over from the first book in the series, WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT, which dealt with that period of English civil war before Henry II's accession when his mother Maude, the daughter of Henry I, fought to dethrone the then English monarch, Stephen. As Sharon would have it, Ranulf was an illegitimate son of Henry I by a Welsh mistress, and therefore half-brother to Maude and half-uncle to Henry II. In any case, I accepted his presence in the first book because the main player in the series, Henry II, had yet to take center stage. Now, with the fully developed characters of Henry II, Eleanor and Becket, Ranulf's presence doesn't do much more than pad the novel to an unnecessary length and, for that reason, I'm reluctantly knocking off a star. Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor are, for me, the two most interesting individuals in history, and their dysfunctional family life provides more than enough entertainment without the introduction of a make-believe ringer.
For English history buffs, TIME AND CHANCE provides a gripping perspective on the calamitous collision between the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury, especially as the dialogues that occurred between the two men in the book, as well as the circumstances of Becket's murder, are, according to Penman, transcribed from numerous eyewitness accounts.
I've been looking forward to the release of the third book in the trilogy for quite some time, and I wish Penman would get on with it.
Lackluster depiction of Henry and Eleanor .......2005-10-08
I love this author, but I have to say I was disappointed with this novel. Eleanor of Aquitane is such a popular historical figure - however, in this novel her character is extremely flat. After reading this novel, wondering why author started mystery series based on Eleanor? Maybe I will understand when the last novel of this trilogy comes out. Hopefully her character will be more fleshed out next time.
This novel centered way too much on the battle between Henry and Becket - was somewhat tedious - would have rather Henry/Eleanor storyline had been the center focus - especially since she did not explain Thomas's behavior/point of view.
I will definately read the last novel when it comes out, hoping will portray Eleanor and Henry's relationship in more detail.
Romantic rather than Historical.......2005-05-02
I picked up this book to read about intriguing English history. But I found the matter too sketchy. The thick book talks mainly about relationships using historical developments as a mere backdrop.
It did build a few characters including that of King - Henry Fitz Empress - quite impressively, but the rest characters appeared more like fillers.
It was sketchy and the episodes not tied well.
All in all - not worth the time I put into it!
Book Description
One of history’s greatest women, celebrated by her contemporaries, descendants, and biographers, comes to life in this mesmerizing novel by bestselling author Pamela Kaufman.
In 1137, fifteen-year-old Eleanor became Duchess of Aquitaine, a wealthy and powerful province in the South of France. Rich and influential in her own right, her tumultuous marriages thrust Eleanor into the political and cultural spotlight, where she would remain for more than half a century.
Still in her teens, Eleanor married Louis VII of France, a sickly religious fanatic so obsessed with adultery that he kept his beautiful wife under lock and key. A lifelong rebel, Eleanor would defy her husband and the Church and eventually strong-arm the Pope into annulling her unhappy marriage.
Once free, she thought to marry Baron Rancon, her childhood love, but found herself forced into another political marriage with Henry II of England, a ruthless soldier known as “the red star of malice.” In Henry, Eleanor found a man whose iron will and political cunning matched her own, but the marriage was a bitter and brutal one, which escalated into open warfare when Eleanor backed their sons in an armed rebellion against Henry. Vowing revenge, he imprisoned her for seventeen years, hoping she would die in obscurity. But Eleanor would not go quietly. In prison, she wrote her memoir. This is her story.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating Historical Fiction.......2007-03-25
This book is about Queen Eleanor, the mother of Richard the Lionhearted, who appeared in Kaufman's other book, Banners of Gold. However, you won't recognize that Eleanor here, nor does it link with her other books at all. I kept expecting Alix of Wanthwaite to show up, but she never did. This book seems to be more factual and less fiction.
It's a fascinating story, and Eleanor is a strong female lead. Read it as if you had not read the Alix books, and you will enjoy it.
an historical injustice.......2006-12-17
Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of both France and England, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, was one of the most fascinating and glittering figures of the entire medieval period. As such, she deserves a fictional biography that does her justice. Pamela Kaufman's "Book of Eleanor" is not that book. Kaufman's Eleanor comes across as one-dimensional, and is believable neither as a royal personage nor a woman of her particular time or place. Her behaviour and speech are more those of a spoiled, nasty, modern teenager. It is clear that Kaufman wishes us to admire Eleanor, but this charecter so grated on my nerves that I wanted nothing so much as to smack her. Both Kings Louis Capet and Henry Plantagenet (as well as assorted other males) come across as comic-book style villians. Her fictional romance
with the cardboard hero Rancon is trite and uncompelling, and does nothing for the story. Eleanor's true life story is fascinating - why add in something that never happened and only serves to detract from her stature? Significant events in Eleanor's life, including her father's death, the fire at Vitry, and the birth of her first child, are dispatched with a few lines and have all the dramatic impact of a tepid bath. The dialogue is so hackneyed and inauthentic as to be laughable. For a book that does Eleanor greater justice, try Ellen Jones's "Beloved Enemy." For a master class in how historical fiction should be written, try Rosalind Miles's "I Elizabeth." Both Eleanor of Aquitaine, and anyone truly interested in her life, deserve better than this mess.
A very bad book, both as a romance and as a history.......2006-11-23
The basic premise of the book is that after being raped by King Louis on her wedding day and finding out ten days later that she had become pregnant, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who in this book is a whiny professional victim, turns to the handsome Bernard of Ventadour. She and Ventadour remain together through thick and thin; the singer eventually fathers at least one of her children, Richard the Lionhearted.
There are so many problems with this book that I don't know if I can list them in the space given. Historically, it's a mess. Far from a rapist, Louis was so afraid of the wages of sin that he could barely force himself to have sex with his own wife! Eleanor said about him, "I thought I was marrying a man, but I married a monk." The idea that he attacked Eleanor is absurd. The troubadour with whom Eleanor was supposed to be having an affair paid courtly attention to her - as did many men; it was the style at the time to pay court to an unavailable woman while having mistresses of one's own. Even the minor characters are badly drawn; most of the men save Bernard and Richard the Lionhearted are made to be pure evil, and Richard is shown to have loved women exclusively, something at odds with most historical accounts of the man.
The main problem, however, is that the writer is too afraid of her characters' actions and the consequences to actually face up to what happens to them. When Eleanor is raped by Louis, for instance, Eleanor passes out just before the rape and wakes up just afterwards, sparing the character (and the writer) the nasty business in between. Yet her actions after the rape are those of a woman who *experienced* a great horror, not one that passed out before a great horror was committed on her. It just doesn't ring true.
I'm also still trying to figure out how Eleanor knew she was pregnant ten days after she was raped. That's beyond the ability of even the best modern hospital pregnancy tests, let alone a 13th century woman.
I really, really do not recommend this book, unless you need to have something to laugh over.
Absolutely God-Awful.......2006-04-16
The Book of Eleanor left me feeling sorry for the author. When she is old, she will be frankly embarassed of this melodramatic rubbish. She made about three-thousand leaps of faith, and once you finished the novel the author basically said "Oh yeah, by the way, I made up that huge thing in the plot! Sorry."
With its soap opera-esque flashbacks and soppy dialogue, I almost laughed while reading this book. DO NOT BUY THIS UNLESS YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE FUN OF SOMETHING.
Great as Fiction, but it stops there.......2006-02-10
Although this book falls under the "Historical Fiction" area, I wouldn't exactly pit it towards historical accuracy. If you enjoy fictional books with engaging characters and romance, then you'll enjoy this... but if you're expecting an exciting and more accurate tribute to the life and times of Eleanor of Aquitaine, you might want to check out other options.
Amazon.com
Was there ever a ruler, man or woman, quite as fascinating as Eleanor of Aquitaine? The ruler of France's largest kingdom from the age of 15, Eleanor (1122- 1204) was renowned for beauty, intelligence, and the thoughtful application of power. Her marriage to her second husband, Henry Plantagenet of Normandy, brought her to the English throne; the birth of their sons John Lackland and Richard I Lionheart forever changed the face of medieval European history. Always at the center of her world, Eleanor remains a fascinating figure even today, and Amy Kelly captures the whirlwind of her life in this entrancing biography.
Book Description
The story of that amazingly influential and still somewhat mysterious woman, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has the dramatic interest of a novel. She was at the very center of the rich culture and clashing politics of the twelfth century. Richest marriage prize of the Middle Ages, she was Queen of France as the wife of Louis VII, and went with him on the exciting and disastrous Second Crusade. Inspiration of troubadours and trouvères, she played a large part in rendering fashionable the Courts of Love and in establishing the whole courtly tradition of medieval times. Divorced from Louis, she married Henry Plantagenet, who became Henry II of England. Her resources and resourcefulness helped Henry win his throne, she was involved in the conflict over Thomas Becket, and, after Henry's death, she handled the affairs of the Angevin empire with a sagacity that brought her the trust and confidence of popes and kings and emperors.
Having been first a Capet and then a Plantagenet, Queen Eleanor was the central figure in the bitter rivalry between those houses for the control of their continental domains--a rivalry that excited the whole period: after Henry's death, her sons, Richard Coeur-de-Lion and John "Lackland" (of Magna Charta fame), fiercely pursued the feud up to and even beyond the end of the century. But the dynastic struggle of the period was accompanied by other stirrings: the intellectual revolt, the struggle between church and state, the secularization of literature and other arts, the rise of the distinctive urban culture of the great cities. Eleanor was concerned with all the movements, closely connected with all the personages; and she knew every city from London and Paris to Byzantium, Jerusalem, and Rome. Miss Kelly's story of the queen's long life--the first modern biography brings together more authentic information about her than has ever been assembled before and reveals in Eleanor a greatness of vision, an intelligence, and a political sagacity that have been missed by those who have dwelt on her caprice and frivolity. It also brings to life the whole period in whose every aspect Eleanor and her four kings were so intimately and influentially involved. Miss Kelly tells Eleanor's absorbing story as it has long waited to be told--with verve and style and a sense of the quality of life in those times, and yet with a scrupulous care for the historic facts.
Customer Reviews:
Eleanor of Acquitaine and the Four Kings.......2007-10-11
This book is a superior piece of literature, carefully researched, beautifully written, and more exciting than any novel.
Amy Kelly, pioneer of modern Eleanor research.......2007-05-16
Don't let an Eleanor of Aquitaine scholar fool you! The fact is that "Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings" has been an important source book for authors who have written on the subject of this extraordinary woman during the past six decades. This book may have been the most important component of Amy Ruth Kelly's academic work. She was a Harvard scholar, close to retirement when her magnum opus went to press circa 1950.
A careful reading shows that much of Ms. Kelly's text is original in the sense that she was diligent in exploring manuscripts and early histories, borrowing relatively little from her contemporary historians. She pioneered modern Eleanor scholarship.
The author was the product of a more genteel age, a fact which her style betrays. It is curiously antique in places, but easy to read and to follow. For example, she introduces the word "Paraclete" without explanation: she herself needed no introduction to the school of Peter Abelard. Her book includes a number of dated curiosities: for example she refers to the Turkish port from which Eleanor sailed to Antioch as Satalia, rather than the modern day Antalya.
Several modern scholars think Ms. Kelly got the Court of Ladies wrong. I disagree. I believe that she got it partly right. In fact the true nature of Eleanor's Court of Ladies at Poitiers is still the subject of debate. Personally, I believe that the late Claude Marks, the author of "Pilgrims, heretics, and lovers: A medieval journey" came close to reasonable truth on this topic.
"Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings" is informative. Modern historians have added a good many facts to the life and times of Eleanor of Aquitaine since Ms. Kelly published her book a lifetime ago, but she left us a record that feels true to life, entertaining and informative.
Robert Fripp, Author of ...
"Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine"
'Courts of Love,' Double Crowns and Fateful Politics.......2006-02-26
This book is an indispensable link in the chain of events that constitute French mediaeval history. With Eleanor's marriage to Louis VII in 1137 her dowry, the unruly realm of Aquitaine, in theory merged with the Royal Domains of the Capetians, but remained outside Royal control. In 1152 Louis, in need of a male heir, found Eleanor a willing partner in divorce. Outwitting her former husband the King of France, Eleanor's second marriage to the formidable Henry of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, in reality augmented Aquitaine into the Angevin Empire. Further still, the Conquerors crown of 1066 would find another conquerors head, that of Henry II, the Norman dynasty of England is eclipsed by yet another Duke of Normandy, Henry of Anjou, Eleanor becomes queen for a second time. With fateful consequences this union would involve the heavy tread of a Hundred Years War in pursuit of an inheritance. This too would be the last time a Duke of Normandy overawes the King of France in an ambiguous dual capacity as King of England.
Amy Kelly beautifully catches the reflected fragments to this elusive personality through the world of Kings in which she was a part. By following the biography of this extraordinary woman we meet all the major protagonists of the age, including a Byzantine Emperor from her involvement in the Second Crusade, to Archbishop Beckett, as well as those bequeathed to history by the Queen herself, namely King Richard I, the Lion Heart and King John of England. Kelly clarifies a dynastic web of deception, internecine war and greed, bringing warmth to grim events in the persona of the Queen and her troubadour court of high romance that was so much a part of her lineage from the south.
For those whose appetite has been tantalized, this book forms a distinguished trio in conjunction with; The Normans, by David Crouch; Eleanor, by Kelly, and A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman which brilliantly covers the Hundred Years War. Taken together they form a rich and scholarly narrative on the Middle Ages and of French and English history in particular. Taken on its own, Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings remains a classic!
Call the ASPCA! she's abusing her Thesaurus!.......2005-09-20
great book if you want to debouch from a parvis and clinch your dialectic with the syllogism. As she writes in Chapter I: "Exercises like these make learning lovable to the wayfaring intelligence of women."
This from someone at Wellesley College? I don't care if she wrote it in 1950!
That's all. I must return to "the gross epithalamia of the people....."
History As It Should Be Written.......2004-12-19
For over half a century, readers have turned to Amy Kelly's book for an exciting look at a broad swath of European history. From 1137 through her death in 1204, Eleanor was a principal player on the stage of history. She was married to two kings -- the mediocre Louis VII and the hot-tempered Henry II -- and mother to two other kings -- Richard the Lion-Hearted and King John the chicken-hearted. She had travelled to Constantinople, Jerusalem, Germany, and all around England and France.
Among the characters that pass through this history are St Bernard of Clairvaux, the Abbot Segur, the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus, Saladin, King Philip Augustus of France, Thomas Becket, Popes Celestine III and Innocent III, and hundreds of nobles, knights, clerics, and others. This history is a pageant, but one played for keeps. Excommunications and interdicts were bandied about as frequently as harsh words; and every fight had an ecclesiastical dimension.
Is your wife getting long in the tooth? Just get the clergy to declare that the marriage should be annulled because of consanguinity (which consanguinity was of course known by the kings who married their cousins). Just as he is about to wed Ingeborg of Denmark, Philip Augustus has second thoughts; and the outraged Dane betook herself to a nunnery and began a years-long letter-writing campaign that finally got the attention of Innocent III.
After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the Normans held both England and a large part of France. The Capetian kings vainly tried to take pieces of France back from the Angevin kings Henry II and Richard, but only under John Lackland (appropriately named) did they begin to have any measure of success.
Where was Eleanor in all this? To her 83rd year, she was a player. Although the chronicles tended to follow the kings, Eleanor was never far away. While Richard was being held for ransom in Germany, it was she who held the country together while John vainly attempted to forge an alliance with the enemy of his dynasty. Although Kelly's work is scholarly, she keeps her sources in unobtrusive endnotes that do not interrupt the flow of the text. If you want to read a history that is a real page-turner, I heartily recommend this book.
One of the main things I learned from the book is that Richard the Lion-Hearted was not the great hero of the English as he has been portrayed. For one thing, he bankrupted the country twice, first with his crusade and then with his ransome, and he didn't even speak a word of English. And he preferred to spend his time in Normandy.
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