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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I have been a fan of Gortner’s work since I picked up my first read of his, [b:The Confessions of Catherine de Medici|6801454|The Confessions of Catherine de Medici|C.W. Gortner|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320520974s/6801454.jpg|7007904]. He has a talent of taking maligned or misunderstood women and making them approachable characters whom readers can identify with and attempt to understand their choices. His novel of Isabella of Castile is no different. Isabella is remembered by history as the Spanish queen who re-incited the Inquisition, the mother of Catherine of Aragon and Juana la Loca, and the queen who financed Christopher Columbus’ American expedition. In The Queen’s Vow we are treated to an Isabella who does all of these things, but whom we also see grow up and who struggles with her decisions.
Right from the first pages we meet a young Isabella that we can identify with and grow up with. We feel what it is like to grow up maligned from the court that you belong to and see your livelihood stripped away. We can identify with the heat of a first love. As time goes on we get to know her husband, Fernando of Aragon, and even later her brood – Isabel, Juan, Juana, Maria, and Catalina. I most enjoyed getting to know her family who I didn’t know too much about. In all the novels I have read I have always found Fernando distasteful, however here I found myself enamored by him – despite his flaws. We get to really know her oldest two children the best, Isabel and Juan, whom you don’t read much about.
While we don’t know the thoughts that went through Isabella’s head while making some of her most important decisions as queen, I find Gortner’s take on it fully plausible. Most people have some qualms about major decisions they make and I can absolutely believe that Isabella might have had doubts about some of her most definitive decisions. If nothing else, his choices fit in well with the characters he created. You really feel that Isabella is a real person who has flaws.
While I enjoyed all the aspects of this story of Isabella’s life, I most enjoyed reading about the Reconquista and especially how she wanted to be out at the battlefield. She was truly a strong Queen, regardless of how we may feel about her decisions regarding the Inquisitions. I cannot wait to have the chance to read [b:The Last Queen|2367495|The Last Queen|C.W. Gortner|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320503753s/2367495.jpg|2374321], about her daughter, Juana, as a continuation of this storyline.
Gorter is an author whose work I know I will always enjoy.
This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.
Right from the first pages we meet a young Isabella that we can identify with and grow up with. We feel what it is like to grow up maligned from the court that you belong to and see your livelihood stripped away. We can identify with the heat of a first love. As time goes on we get to know her husband, Fernando of Aragon, and even later her brood – Isabel, Juan, Juana, Maria, and Catalina. I most enjoyed getting to know her family who I didn’t know too much about. In all the novels I have read I have always found Fernando distasteful, however here I found myself enamored by him – despite his flaws. We get to really know her oldest two children the best, Isabel and Juan, whom you don’t read much about.
While we don’t know the thoughts that went through Isabella’s head while making some of her most important decisions as queen, I find Gortner’s take on it fully plausible. Most people have some qualms about major decisions they make and I can absolutely believe that Isabella might have had doubts about some of her most definitive decisions. If nothing else, his choices fit in well with the characters he created. You really feel that Isabella is a real person who has flaws.
While I enjoyed all the aspects of this story of Isabella’s life, I most enjoyed reading about the Reconquista and especially how she wanted to be out at the battlefield. She was truly a strong Queen, regardless of how we may feel about her decisions regarding the Inquisitions. I cannot wait to have the chance to read [b:The Last Queen|2367495|The Last Queen|C.W. Gortner|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320503753s/2367495.jpg|2374321], about her daughter, Juana, as a continuation of this storyline.
Gorter is an author whose work I know I will always enjoy.
This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.
I learned a lot about Isabella of Castile by reading this book. I knew relatively little about her before reading this book, and I can always appreciate a learning experience. She was a fascinating person to explore. I do have to say that I preferred the first half of the book to the second. I found that the beginning was quite detailed and easy to imagine. As the book progressed, I felt that it became a bit more inconsistent. It lagged at times, and jumped forward at others. I could have maybe done a bit less with the Reconquista, and preferred to instead follow Isabella for a bit longer than the book did.
Adorei!
Tão lindo, tão real...
Eu sei que em muitos livros a vida das rainhas são um pouco fantasiadas para dar mais "animação" a história, mas este livro entrou directamente para os meus favoritos.
A escrita é maravilhosa e viciante. As personagens são fortes e com muita personalidade. Tenho de admitir que em certos momentos eu sofri com elas.
Isabel é uma mulher que sempre quis dar tudo o que tinha pelo seu reino e que foi manipulada por causa da sua ingenuidade. Se ela soubesse as repercussões que teve e o que verdadeiramente aconteceu, nunca teria dado o seu aval para a criação da Inquisição. Nunca. Isabel teve uma infância e adolescência um pouco infelizes mas, depois de casar com Fernando, atingiu a plenitude. Uma coisa rara no que se refere a rainhas.
Gostei muito deste livro e recomendo a todos os fãs de romances históricos. Não se vão arrepender.
Tão lindo, tão real...
Eu sei que em muitos livros a vida das rainhas são um pouco fantasiadas para dar mais "animação" a história, mas este livro entrou directamente para os meus favoritos.
A escrita é maravilhosa e viciante. As personagens são fortes e com muita personalidade. Tenho de admitir que em certos momentos eu sofri com elas.
Isabel é uma mulher que sempre quis dar tudo o que tinha pelo seu reino e que foi manipulada por causa da sua ingenuidade. Se ela soubesse as repercussões que teve e o que verdadeiramente aconteceu, nunca teria dado o seu aval para a criação da Inquisição. Nunca. Isabel teve uma infância e adolescência um pouco infelizes mas, depois de casar com Fernando, atingiu a plenitude. Uma coisa rara no que se refere a rainhas.
Gostei muito deste livro e recomendo a todos os fãs de romances históricos. Não se vão arrepender.
I am interested in Isabella of Castile. She was a queen in her own right at a time of kings. And a very powerful queen at that. It seemed interesting to read a novel about her.
Gortner starts when Isabel is a young girl still living at her father’s court. He’s depicted as a weak ruler who is caught between his wife and the grandees who exert control over him. When he dies, Isabel and her brother Alfonso leave court before her half-brother Enrique, the new king, can harm them. So Isabel grows up isolated from the court until she’s a teenager. Gortner makes the decision to skip most of Isabel’s childhood and go straight to her as a teenager. It’s a good choice, allowing the readers to get right to main part of the story. Whatever we need to know about her childhood is woven expertly into the narrative.
Isabella and her brother are sent to their half-brother's court, where Gortner paints a good picture. It’s a place of debauchery and danger. Enrique is very much his father’s son, weak-willed and ruled by his wife and grandees. His lifestyle offends his sister’s religious inclinations but she holds her tongue for her own safety. Gortner portrays the danger Isabella is in constantly as well. Especially around Enrique’s closest supporters and his wife. The queen takes great delight in tormenting Isabella and this is conveyed quite well.
Onto the romance…Fernando is introduced early in the novel. And it’s love at first sight…at least for him. He is determined to marry Isabella. She’s a bit more hesitant until he charms her in only a few days. Isabella is then set on marrying him as she grows older and her brother tries to marry her off to get her out of the country. It's a bid to invalidate her claim to the throne. And it allows his wife to laud over Isabella how much control she had over Isabella’s future as it’s her brother, the king of Portugal, Isabella is to marry. So Isabella plots to marry Fernando and they work hard to make the marriage a reality.
The romance starts out as a reality vs. fantasy situation. Isabella believes that marriage to Fernando will be great and solve all her problems. Oh, to be young and idealistic. And at first, he’s really romantic. But Isabella's outside problems still remains. Namely her brother, who refuses to acknowledge Isabella’s marriage and accuses Isabella of treason. Isabella and Fernando have to fight for their marriage but ultimately emerge victorious.
With the external problems taken care of, they then face internal problems. Fernando has to go fight off the French, who are invading Aragon. Isabella deals with the separation and fresh threats from Enrique. She makes peace with her brother but still worries for her safety. When he dies, she has to move quick and declares herself queen without Fernando. She works to get the grandees to acknowledge her. It also causes friction between her and her husband. He feels slighted, especially as he comes from a country where women can’t be the ruler. Isabella worries this will cause trouble for them later on, especially with their daughter. Then she learns of his infidelity while fighting the French. Devastated, she gives him the cold shoulder, disgusted by his behavior. And this cold shoulder goes on for some time in the book.
It’s an interesting relationship for a romance novel. Most writers tend to idealize and romanticize (is that a pun?) relationships. They don’t usually show the dark side of romances. Or at least the ones I read. But I liked it. I liked how Isabella was blinded by fantasy, how it is shattered and how she moves past it. I liked it because it made their relationship seem stronger. When we see them throughout the rest of the novel, they are a united front and very much in love.
Now onto the Inquisition. Of course it plays a part in this story. Namely, we see how it comes to be revived under Isabella and Fernando. It’s mostly from European anti-Semitism disguised as piety. Isabella starts out hesitant to suspect her subjects. Others work at her, trying to convince her of the dangers those who profess to be Christians but practice Judaism in secret pose. What danger was this? Mostly one in their heads due to superstitious attitudes. The kingdom is enjoying a fragile peace and they are afraid of angering God. Because His chosen people are doing just that. (Some times one of the downsides to reading historical fiction is getting riled up over the bigotry of the past). I like how Isabella is cautious, not wanting to inflict pain on her subjects. But one man’s hatred and a superstitious culture make the conditions right for the Inquisition. I’m not sure if it’s indicative of Isabella’s real feelings or if the author just made her more in line with our modern sympathies though. Gortner doesn't provide much insight, saying that the version of Isabella in the novel is what he believed from what clues he found in his research.
The last half of the book is focused on Fernando and Isabella’s Reconquista. Isabella as a military leader is quite inspiring. And Fernando is not threatened by his wife’s intelligence. He’s turned on it, honestly. They are the perfect pair: she’s the brains, he’s the brawn.
Do I recommend it? Yes, I do. Especially if you like Isabella of Spain.
Gortner starts when Isabel is a young girl still living at her father’s court. He’s depicted as a weak ruler who is caught between his wife and the grandees who exert control over him. When he dies, Isabel and her brother Alfonso leave court before her half-brother Enrique, the new king, can harm them. So Isabel grows up isolated from the court until she’s a teenager. Gortner makes the decision to skip most of Isabel’s childhood and go straight to her as a teenager. It’s a good choice, allowing the readers to get right to main part of the story. Whatever we need to know about her childhood is woven expertly into the narrative.
Isabella and her brother are sent to their half-brother's court, where Gortner paints a good picture. It’s a place of debauchery and danger. Enrique is very much his father’s son, weak-willed and ruled by his wife and grandees. His lifestyle offends his sister’s religious inclinations but she holds her tongue for her own safety. Gortner portrays the danger Isabella is in constantly as well. Especially around Enrique’s closest supporters and his wife. The queen takes great delight in tormenting Isabella and this is conveyed quite well.
Onto the romance…Fernando is introduced early in the novel. And it’s love at first sight…at least for him. He is determined to marry Isabella. She’s a bit more hesitant until he charms her in only a few days. Isabella is then set on marrying him as she grows older and her brother tries to marry her off to get her out of the country. It's a bid to invalidate her claim to the throne. And it allows his wife to laud over Isabella how much control she had over Isabella’s future as it’s her brother, the king of Portugal, Isabella is to marry. So Isabella plots to marry Fernando and they work hard to make the marriage a reality.
The romance starts out as a reality vs. fantasy situation. Isabella believes that marriage to Fernando will be great and solve all her problems. Oh, to be young and idealistic. And at first, he’s really romantic. But Isabella's outside problems still remains. Namely her brother, who refuses to acknowledge Isabella’s marriage and accuses Isabella of treason. Isabella and Fernando have to fight for their marriage but ultimately emerge victorious.
With the external problems taken care of, they then face internal problems. Fernando has to go fight off the French, who are invading Aragon. Isabella deals with the separation and fresh threats from Enrique. She makes peace with her brother but still worries for her safety. When he dies, she has to move quick and declares herself queen without Fernando. She works to get the grandees to acknowledge her. It also causes friction between her and her husband. He feels slighted, especially as he comes from a country where women can’t be the ruler. Isabella worries this will cause trouble for them later on, especially with their daughter. Then she learns of his infidelity while fighting the French. Devastated, she gives him the cold shoulder, disgusted by his behavior. And this cold shoulder goes on for some time in the book.
It’s an interesting relationship for a romance novel. Most writers tend to idealize and romanticize (is that a pun?) relationships. They don’t usually show the dark side of romances. Or at least the ones I read. But I liked it. I liked how Isabella was blinded by fantasy, how it is shattered and how she moves past it. I liked it because it made their relationship seem stronger. When we see them throughout the rest of the novel, they are a united front and very much in love.
Now onto the Inquisition. Of course it plays a part in this story. Namely, we see how it comes to be revived under Isabella and Fernando. It’s mostly from European anti-Semitism disguised as piety. Isabella starts out hesitant to suspect her subjects. Others work at her, trying to convince her of the dangers those who profess to be Christians but practice Judaism in secret pose. What danger was this? Mostly one in their heads due to superstitious attitudes. The kingdom is enjoying a fragile peace and they are afraid of angering God. Because His chosen people are doing just that. (Some times one of the downsides to reading historical fiction is getting riled up over the bigotry of the past). I like how Isabella is cautious, not wanting to inflict pain on her subjects. But one man’s hatred and a superstitious culture make the conditions right for the Inquisition. I’m not sure if it’s indicative of Isabella’s real feelings or if the author just made her more in line with our modern sympathies though. Gortner doesn't provide much insight, saying that the version of Isabella in the novel is what he believed from what clues he found in his research.
The last half of the book is focused on Fernando and Isabella’s Reconquista. Isabella as a military leader is quite inspiring. And Fernando is not threatened by his wife’s intelligence. He’s turned on it, honestly. They are the perfect pair: she’s the brains, he’s the brawn.
Do I recommend it? Yes, I do. Especially if you like Isabella of Spain.
I love the take this author has on historical figures. His writing is impeccable and his approach makes one sympathetic towards somewhat unlikeable people. This was another winner.....the story of all Isabella experienced and survived.
Started out great - an interesting way to learn about Isabella of Castile. But towards the middle, it started to read like a history book, detailing Spanish victories over the Moors, without providing much story.
Read my full review: https://time2tome.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/the-queens-vow-by-c-w-gortner/
This book was really good. I didn't know much about Isabella's younger years, so this was a good way to learn a bit of who everyone was.