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crimsoncor's review against another edition
4.0
As the number of players and the scope of things shrinks, the books can spend more time on character development. Good finale to the series.
mjporterauthor's review against another edition
5.0
The Autumn Throne by Elizabeth Chadwick is a delightful book.
Charting the final thirty years of Eleanor of Aquitaine's life, it is not exactly a fast-paced novel, but I don't think it's ever meant to be. For all that Eleanor was imprisoned for nearly fifteen years of those thirty, there is still a great deal that befell her, and of course, with her unruly husband and difficult sons, Eleanor really doesn't have a moments peace to herself.
I very much enjoyed the arrival of many of Eleanor's grandchildren throughout the novel, as well as the reappearance on multiple occasions of William the Marshall - definitely Elizabeth Chadwick's greatest character to date.
I don't think that I've read the first two parts of the trilogy, but I've read about Eleanor before - both in fiction and non-fiction, and I didn't feel as though I missed out on anything, and for all that I knew the ending of the novel would be her death, that didn't diminish the enjoyment of reading about her sometimes chaotic and busy life.
While Henry II is not reviled throughout the novel, he never appears as a particularly pleasant man, neither do her sons, especially John. Yet, the author does a fine job of portraying all of Eleanor's sons, and her husband, as men that Eleanor can't help but love, both as their mother, and as their wife, even when they anger her. But it also shows how helpless she was. She might have been a great queen, but she was really just a pawn that her husband and sons used when it suited them.
A finely nuanced book.
Charting the final thirty years of Eleanor of Aquitaine's life, it is not exactly a fast-paced novel, but I don't think it's ever meant to be. For all that Eleanor was imprisoned for nearly fifteen years of those thirty, there is still a great deal that befell her, and of course, with her unruly husband and difficult sons, Eleanor really doesn't have a moments peace to herself.
I very much enjoyed the arrival of many of Eleanor's grandchildren throughout the novel, as well as the reappearance on multiple occasions of William the Marshall - definitely Elizabeth Chadwick's greatest character to date.
I don't think that I've read the first two parts of the trilogy, but I've read about Eleanor before - both in fiction and non-fiction, and I didn't feel as though I missed out on anything, and for all that I knew the ending of the novel would be her death, that didn't diminish the enjoyment of reading about her sometimes chaotic and busy life.
While Henry II is not reviled throughout the novel, he never appears as a particularly pleasant man, neither do her sons, especially John. Yet, the author does a fine job of portraying all of Eleanor's sons, and her husband, as men that Eleanor can't help but love, both as their mother, and as their wife, even when they anger her. But it also shows how helpless she was. She might have been a great queen, but she was really just a pawn that her husband and sons used when it suited them.
A finely nuanced book.
mjporterauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Firstly, apologies, I am very late to review this one - I was put off by the length of it - but it's been well worth the time.
The Autumn Throne by Elizabeth Chadwick is a delightful book.
Charting the final thirty years of Eleanor of Aquitaine's life, it is not exactly a fast-paced novel, but I don't think it's ever meant to be. For all that Eleanor was imprisoned for nearly fifteen years of those thirty, there is still a great deal that befell her, and of course, with her unruly husband and difficult sons, Eleanor really doesn't have a moments peace to herself.
I very much enjoyed the arrival of many of Eleanor's grandchildren throughout the novel, as well as the reappearance on multiple occasions of William the Marshall - definitely Elizabeth Chadwick's greatest character to date.
I don't think that I've read the first two parts of the trilogy, but I've read about Eleanor before - both in fiction and non-fiction, and I didn't feel as though I missed out on anything, and for all that I knew the ending of the novel would be her death, that didn't diminish the enjoyment of reading about her sometimes chaotic and busy life.
While Henry II is not reviled throughout the novel, he never appears as a particularly pleasant man, neither do her sons, especially John. Yet, the author does a fine job of portraying all of Eleanor's sons, and her husband, as men that Eleanor can't help but love, both as their mother, and as their wife, even when they anger her. But it also shows how helpless she was. She might have been a great queen, but she was really just a pawn that her husband and sons used when it suited them.
A finely nuanced book.
Thanks to Netgalley for my EArc.
The Autumn Throne by Elizabeth Chadwick is a delightful book.
Charting the final thirty years of Eleanor of Aquitaine's life, it is not exactly a fast-paced novel, but I don't think it's ever meant to be. For all that Eleanor was imprisoned for nearly fifteen years of those thirty, there is still a great deal that befell her, and of course, with her unruly husband and difficult sons, Eleanor really doesn't have a moments peace to herself.
I very much enjoyed the arrival of many of Eleanor's grandchildren throughout the novel, as well as the reappearance on multiple occasions of William the Marshall - definitely Elizabeth Chadwick's greatest character to date.
I don't think that I've read the first two parts of the trilogy, but I've read about Eleanor before - both in fiction and non-fiction, and I didn't feel as though I missed out on anything, and for all that I knew the ending of the novel would be her death, that didn't diminish the enjoyment of reading about her sometimes chaotic and busy life.
While Henry II is not reviled throughout the novel, he never appears as a particularly pleasant man, neither do her sons, especially John. Yet, the author does a fine job of portraying all of Eleanor's sons, and her husband, as men that Eleanor can't help but love, both as their mother, and as their wife, even when they anger her. But it also shows how helpless she was. She might have been a great queen, but she was really just a pawn that her husband and sons used when it suited them.
A finely nuanced book.
Thanks to Netgalley for my EArc.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent final book in an excellent trilogy. I knew a fair bit about Eleanor and her times, but I now know infinitely more! These are very excellent historical fiction if you like that sort of thing.
lish90's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for this one because I appreciate the research that went into this book, although I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two as it seemed slower and was harder to keep going with it.
Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of my favourite historical figures and I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to read any historical fiction about her to read this series.
Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of my favourite historical figures and I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to read any historical fiction about her to read this series.
barbaraf's review against another edition
4.0
This was the third book in the Eleanor of Aquitaine series (and first book that I read on my new Kindle Paperwhite from the SF library).
It takes us through her later years of tragedy, turmoil and imprisonment and through her time as Queen advisor for her sons King Richard (the Lionheart) and King John (Lackland). It's definitely a worthwhile trilogy for anyone interested in medieval English history. I find that bringing these historical figures to light with fiction while staying true to the actual events makes it a lot easier to remember their stories.
It takes us through her later years of tragedy, turmoil and imprisonment and through her time as Queen advisor for her sons King Richard (the Lionheart) and King John (Lackland). It's definitely a worthwhile trilogy for anyone interested in medieval English history. I find that bringing these historical figures to light with fiction while staying true to the actual events makes it a lot easier to remember their stories.
hsrudolph's review against another edition
4.0
Incredible narration on the audio book brought this interesting story to life.
riseclare's review against another edition
3.0
Snoozeville...as any conclusion to Eleanor's life story always is. I will say that Sharon Kay Penman did it with more flourish! This was a rough one. And I LOVE Eleanor of Aquitaine. First two were great.
ailurophile_bibliophile89's review against another edition
5.0
5 Stars!
Okay, I love historical fiction. Obviously. I love a book even more when is consistent with the facts and yet humanizes the people it's about.
Eleanor, or Alienor, is one of the more famous English queens, but history has not always been kind to her. She's often portrayed as a shrewd beauty who uses her wits and looks to get what she wants. If she's portrayed otherwise, it's rarely as a victim but rather as a cold hearted queen who incites her sons to fight on her behalf.
Chadwick does not portray her as either. And I love that. This Alienor is a woman who is ahead of her time. She's educated, more so than many men of her era, so she's intelligent; she's intuitive, a key skill in international politics and in the marriage bed; and she's not shy about her faults even though some consider her somewhat vain and spoiled. As a woman in Medieval England, kings and queens were answerable to the Church, which essentially ruled Europe. Therefore, Alienor was constrained by the laws of chastity, meekness, and that women must abide by their husbands no matter who is in the wrong.
At the beginning of the series, in The Summer Queen Alienor was given in an arranged marriage to the (eventual) King of France, a common situation back then. Louis was a weak husband and an even weaker king who believed that faith and God's love were more important than good international relations. A deeply loyal follower of the Church, Louis was ill-equipped to be king and a husband and his actions show he ruled less with logic and more with his heart. In The Winter Crown Alienor watches as her second husband, Henry II of England, fights to keep everything under his control while alienating his own sons. His paranoia even causes Alienor to sympathize with her sons, a notion he sees as betrayal.
The Autumn Throne begins with Alienor's captivity, a result of her and Henry's sons acting on their own accord, and ends with her death. As the book progresses and those she loves and cares for die, she constantly questions why she is still alive when all others have gone before her. Having outlived all but two of her children, both husbands, and even her closest supporters and friends, I can't blame her for growing just a little bitter, especially after Richard's death. Still, she shows resilience in every situation. She fights and supports her sons because she sees Henry's treatment of them as a legitimate reason for rebellion. (Honestly, even I see it as a legitimate reason.) Henry is very much like his grandfather in that he plans for the future but he doesn't surrender any of his power to his heirs. And like his grandfather, he avoids negotiation and council from his advisers but then sees it as as a betrayal when someone acts out or against his orders. Alienor sees that as a major flaw when her sons are repeatedly hurt by his unwillingness to share duties.
Beautifully written with detailed accounts of events, Chadwick does a wonderful job at portraying Alienor not as a victim or a villianess, but as a woman restrained by the times she lives in. And yet somehow, Alienor's long-lived life is not a failure but a triumph because she is able to rise above the betrayals of her husbands and her son John and show the world that she is just as intelligent, shrewd, and politically astute as any other ruler in her time.
I suppose in the end that is all that matters.
Okay, I love historical fiction. Obviously. I love a book even more when is consistent with the facts and yet humanizes the people it's about.
Eleanor, or Alienor, is one of the more famous English queens, but history has not always been kind to her. She's often portrayed as a shrewd beauty who uses her wits and looks to get what she wants. If she's portrayed otherwise, it's rarely as a victim but rather as a cold hearted queen who incites her sons to fight on her behalf.
Chadwick does not portray her as either. And I love that. This Alienor is a woman who is ahead of her time. She's educated, more so than many men of her era, so she's intelligent; she's intuitive, a key skill in international politics and in the marriage bed; and she's not shy about her faults even though some consider her somewhat vain and spoiled. As a woman in Medieval England, kings and queens were answerable to the Church, which essentially ruled Europe. Therefore, Alienor was constrained by the laws of chastity, meekness, and that women must abide by their husbands no matter who is in the wrong.
At the beginning of the series, in The Summer Queen Alienor was given in an arranged marriage to the (eventual) King of France, a common situation back then. Louis was a weak husband and an even weaker king who believed that faith and God's love were more important than good international relations. A deeply loyal follower of the Church, Louis was ill-equipped to be king and a husband and his actions show he ruled less with logic and more with his heart. In The Winter Crown Alienor watches as her second husband, Henry II of England, fights to keep everything under his control while alienating his own sons. His paranoia even causes Alienor to sympathize with her sons, a notion he sees as betrayal.
The Autumn Throne begins with Alienor's captivity, a result of her and Henry's sons acting on their own accord, and ends with her death. As the book progresses and those she loves and cares for die, she constantly questions why she is still alive when all others have gone before her. Having outlived all but two of her children, both husbands, and even her closest supporters and friends, I can't blame her for growing just a little bitter, especially after Richard's death. Still, she shows resilience in every situation. She fights and supports her sons because she sees Henry's treatment of them as a legitimate reason for rebellion. (Honestly, even I see it as a legitimate reason.) Henry is very much like his grandfather in that he plans for the future but he doesn't surrender any of his power to his heirs. And like his grandfather, he avoids negotiation and council from his advisers but then sees it as as a betrayal when someone acts out or against his orders. Alienor sees that as a major flaw when her sons are repeatedly hurt by his unwillingness to share duties.
Beautifully written with detailed accounts of events, Chadwick does a wonderful job at portraying Alienor not as a victim or a villianess, but as a woman restrained by the times she lives in. And yet somehow, Alienor's long-lived life is not a failure but a triumph because she is able to rise above the betrayals of her husbands and her son John and show the world that she is just as intelligent, shrewd, and politically astute as any other ruler in her time.
I suppose in the end that is all that matters.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
Alienor is being kept in isolation at Sarum, far from the court and her estranged husband Henry. Whilst a fragile peace has been maintained between Henry and their sons, Alienor knows that unless Henry gives the boys more freedom he will alienate them further. Alienor is a survivor and as her two eldest boys die, followed by Henry, it is up to her to support her dynasty against both the French king and themselves.
As ever, a new book by Elizabeth Chadwick is a real treat. Yes it is guilty pleasure for me, Chadwick writes historical fiction that is more historical romance and she embroiders much onto the facts but those facts are the solid base. The tale of Eleanor of Aquitaine is well-known but the personality of the woman less so whilst Chadwick takes huge liberties she also creates a a compelling romantic narrative.
As ever, a new book by Elizabeth Chadwick is a real treat. Yes it is guilty pleasure for me, Chadwick writes historical fiction that is more historical romance and she embroiders much onto the facts but those facts are the solid base. The tale of Eleanor of Aquitaine is well-known but the personality of the woman less so whilst Chadwick takes huge liberties she also creates a a compelling romantic narrative.