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vakarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sabregirl's review against another edition
5.0
I had been waiting for this book for YEARS. When I first learned that Elizabeth Chadwick was writing a trilogy on Eleanor of Aquitaine I couldn't wait! And I had to, they were hard to find in my area and finally the last book came out and I got them all at once for Christmas. Really loving this! It feels the same yet different from all of her other novels. Will end up doing a full review once I finish the other two novels.
georgemay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
llona's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Very historically accurate but a bit slow, I suppose that s a direct consequence otherwise I really enjoyed that reading
lassarina's review against another edition
3.0
I love Eleanor of Aquitaine but I knew relatively little of her early life, and this book lays it out in intense detail. (Perhaps, in some ways, a little bit too much detail - this is a long book, 512 pages according to Amazon, and sometimes I felt like the thread was drifting. In fact, I got distracted early on and read another book in between starting and finishing this, although that might just be me.) The book treats Eleanor more as a woman who was clever in maneuvering within the constraints of her time, than as a woman who ran roughshod over said constraints, as she is often depicted in modern writing. It's hard to say which one is accurate; there's probably a bit of both.
Some of the details that really made this book come alive to me were the bits where the time period is vastly different from our own--how dangerous even a simple cold can be, the absolute permeation of faith, a world without central heat/air conditioning, the pace and difficulty of travel. I liked the explanations of food and the way the politics worked. That said, I felt like really only a few people felt like they were real, versus historical cutouts moving around as required for the progression of the (predetermined by history) story. Perhaps that's just a facet of the genre, with which I do not have much experience.
Some of the details that really made this book come alive to me were the bits where the time period is vastly different from our own--how dangerous even a simple cold can be, the absolute permeation of faith, a world without central heat/air conditioning, the pace and difficulty of travel. I liked the explanations of food and the way the politics worked. That said, I felt like really only a few people felt like they were real, versus historical cutouts moving around as required for the progression of the (predetermined by history) story. Perhaps that's just a facet of the genre, with which I do not have much experience.
emiann2023's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoy stories about powerful frmale rulers. Elizabeth I (and II), Hatshepsut, Catherine the Great, Queen Seondeok. And of course, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
She is known to have been a fearsome, powerful ruler. And I was excited to read such a detailed telling of her story. She was truly an incredible woman, and this book gave sucb depth and clarity to her as a woman and a ruler. Truly a delightful read.
She is known to have been a fearsome, powerful ruler. And I was excited to read such a detailed telling of her story. She was truly an incredible woman, and this book gave sucb depth and clarity to her as a woman and a ruler. Truly a delightful read.
caslater83's review against another edition
3.0
It's okay.
This book is very different in style of writing. It's okay, but not my favorite. Aelinor had to put up with a lot of issues in her young life. Her husband started out to be a man who loved her. But as time progressed, he became increasingly difficult to respect. He mirrors more of his mother and trusts his advisors too much. His blatant disregard for his wife is sad and disgusting. No wonder she wanted her marriage annulled. All in all, I think the story is interesting, but I don't think that this series is intriguing enough for me to continue.
This book is very different in style of writing. It's okay, but not my favorite. Aelinor had to put up with a lot of issues in her young life. Her husband started out to be a man who loved her. But as time progressed, he became increasingly difficult to respect. He mirrors more of his mother and trusts his advisors too much. His blatant disregard for his wife is sad and disgusting. No wonder she wanted her marriage annulled. All in all, I think the story is interesting, but I don't think that this series is intriguing enough for me to continue.
helzie_2023's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
Born into a life of wealth and privilege, young Alienor of Aquitaine is destined for greatness. However when her father dies prematurely the 13 year becomes the heiress to a vast fortune and is married off to Louis of France. Louis was destined for the Church but the death of his brother meant that he became King of France, however Louis is influenced by ascetic churchmen and this leads to conflict in his marriage to Alienor. Growing to dislike one another the two struggle with their marriage.
The story of Eleanor of Aquitaine is very well-known and has been told many times both as fact and fiction. However her early life is less well covered on the fictional front and in the first book of a planned trilogy Chadwick seeks to address this. In common with most medieval marriages the marriage of Louis and Alienor was dynastic move rather than a love match and, as often is the case, in an age where divorce was unheard of the getout was annulment. The excuse given was consanguinity but given that all the royal houses intermarried this was impossible to avoid. Louis wanted a pious, compliant wife to give him sons, Alienor was too passionate and quite probably his intellectual superior. Whilst much of this book is complete fiction it is backed up by strong research therefore the known facts are not messed with and the day to day life of Alienor is pretty accurate. It is only the emotional parts and the dialogue that are pure fiction. Whilst Chadwick is a writer who does play to the very romanticised end of historical fiction she is a strong writer with a good ear for dialogue and that is what makes this a very readable book.
The story of Eleanor of Aquitaine is very well-known and has been told many times both as fact and fiction. However her early life is less well covered on the fictional front and in the first book of a planned trilogy Chadwick seeks to address this. In common with most medieval marriages the marriage of Louis and Alienor was dynastic move rather than a love match and, as often is the case, in an age where divorce was unheard of the getout was annulment. The excuse given was consanguinity but given that all the royal houses intermarried this was impossible to avoid. Louis wanted a pious, compliant wife to give him sons, Alienor was too passionate and quite probably his intellectual superior. Whilst much of this book is complete fiction it is backed up by strong research therefore the known facts are not messed with and the day to day life of Alienor is pretty accurate. It is only the emotional parts and the dialogue that are pure fiction. Whilst Chadwick is a writer who does play to the very romanticised end of historical fiction she is a strong writer with a good ear for dialogue and that is what makes this a very readable book.