Scan barcode
kahlloria's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Author tried to tackle too much material, the third person narrative didn't really work and the transitions between events was confusing.
solalari's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting. Historical? Ish. Realistic? Ish. At least an interesting "insight" to the lives of these women.
robyndansereau's review against another edition
4.0
This book about four sisters-queens was a highlight this month! Full review here: https://robyntocker.weebly.com/four-sisters-all-queens.html
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
The Louises don't come off too well in historical fiction, do they? (Mind, I haven't read much historical fiction regarding the French monarchy, so I'm basing that on this book and what I've read about Louis VII, but it's enough to make one wonder just how the French monarchy survived so long.) More interested in furthering the interests (and adding to the wealth) of the Church than in, oh, running the country.
Four Sisters, All Queens covers the lives of four sisters from Provence who (wait for it, wait for it) ultimately became queens. This is perhaps not as romantic as it sounds: the eldest two were queens of France and England, but the younger two were queens for much shorter periods of time, and in not altogether stable situations.
Four points of view and four countries and numerous crusades—it's a lot to pack into one book. Jones manages it largely by ascribing a very specific personality to each sister: Marguerite as the calm one, the quintessential eldest; Eléonore as determined and somewhat calculating; Sanchia as pious and retiring (and not always the brightest crayon in the box); Beatrice as headstrong and jealous (the quintessential bratty youngest).
I don't know how much of the story—not the historical events, that is, but the personalities and interpersonal relations and so on—is based in fact, but it's fascinating to consider just how secondary women were in their own lives. Expected to marry to the family's advantage, or to the Pope's; subject to being cast aside if they didn't produce a heir fast enough; property rather than independent humans. People died, on average, much younger in the 1200s than they do now (side note: [b:Being Mortal|20696006|Being Mortal Medicine and What Matters in the End|Atul Gawande|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408324949s/20696006.jpg|40015533] does an excellent job of summarising why), and country boundaries were constantly in flux. You could sum one theme of the book up as grasping for power: some of the sisters have it (sometimes in name only), some want it, their husbands all want it, the barons want it, the Pope has it.
Oh, on the subject of the Pope—gosh, talk about a racket! Here's somebody basically running a city-state but also with a massive power over much of Western Europe: he's the final authority on all manner of disputes...and can be bought for a price. (Not that corruption's gone from the Church, but here it's blatant.)
Anyway. As with much of the (admittedly limited amount of) historical fiction I've read, there's just enough sex here to titillate, though Jones manages to refrain from giving more than one of the sisters an extramarital affair. (Honestly, if royalty of yore had even a fraction of the affairs that are ascribed to them in historical fiction...) I could have done without that and without the present tense, and with more complexity to the villains especially, but overall I just...got a kick out of the whole thing, really. Am really not sorry that I didn't live in that era.
Four Sisters, All Queens covers the lives of four sisters from Provence who (wait for it, wait for it) ultimately became queens. This is perhaps not as romantic as it sounds: the eldest two were queens of France and England, but the younger two were queens for much shorter periods of time, and in not altogether stable situations.
Four points of view and four countries and numerous crusades—it's a lot to pack into one book. Jones manages it largely by ascribing a very specific personality to each sister: Marguerite as the calm one, the quintessential eldest; Eléonore as determined and somewhat calculating; Sanchia as pious and retiring (and not always the brightest crayon in the box); Beatrice as headstrong and jealous (the quintessential bratty youngest).
I don't know how much of the story—not the historical events, that is, but the personalities and interpersonal relations and so on—is based in fact, but it's fascinating to consider just how secondary women were in their own lives. Expected to marry to the family's advantage, or to the Pope's; subject to being cast aside if they didn't produce a heir fast enough; property rather than independent humans. People died, on average, much younger in the 1200s than they do now (side note: [b:Being Mortal|20696006|Being Mortal Medicine and What Matters in the End|Atul Gawande|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408324949s/20696006.jpg|40015533] does an excellent job of summarising why), and country boundaries were constantly in flux. You could sum one theme of the book up as grasping for power: some of the sisters have it (sometimes in name only), some want it, their husbands all want it, the barons want it, the Pope has it.
Oh, on the subject of the Pope—gosh, talk about a racket! Here's somebody basically running a city-state but also with a massive power over much of Western Europe: he's the final authority on all manner of disputes...and can be bought for a price. (Not that corruption's gone from the Church, but here it's blatant.)
Anyway. As with much of the (admittedly limited amount of) historical fiction I've read, there's just enough sex here to titillate, though Jones manages to refrain from giving more than one of the sisters an extramarital affair. (Honestly, if royalty of yore had even a fraction of the affairs that are ascribed to them in historical fiction...) I could have done without that and without the present tense, and with more complexity to the villains especially, but overall I just...got a kick out of the whole thing, really. Am really not sorry that I didn't live in that era.
bellatora's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the nonfiction account of these sisters lives, [b:Four Queens: The Provençal Sisters Who Ruled Europe|691001|Four Queens The Provençal Sisters Who Ruled Europe|Nancy Goldstone|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1177276028s/691001.jpg|677345], a lot better.
theportalmaster's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest, I enjoyed this book a lot. It had some very good characters. Reading about four sisters becoming queens is interesting, for sure! :)
steph_geneie's review
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alexa_ayana's review against another edition
4.0
Ini pertama kali baca karya Sherry Jones. Pertama aku salut dia bisa menuliskan kisah masing2 dari para Provence princess, secara terpisah ditiap bab tapi juga sukses bisa meleburkan kisah mereka ber4 dalam alur cerita penuh intrik keluarga, politik dan drama HF kerajaan ini.
So far until gaya penulisannya fresh, ringan, mengalir dan enak dibaca. Malahan gak mirip-mirip gaya penulis HR. Biar begitu pembaca tidak disumpal dengan bertumpuk2 fakta dan angka2 bersejarah.
Untuk penggambaran karakter juga bagus, tiap "suara" unik, memorable dan bisa menggambarkan kisah mereka masing2. So far suka sih, krn walau ini buku sejarah tp bisa dibaca santai.
Quote fave tentang pasangan dari buku ini "We are like two pearls in the same oyster. We rub against each other at times but it polishes us. "
So far until gaya penulisannya fresh, ringan, mengalir dan enak dibaca. Malahan gak mirip-mirip gaya penulis HR. Biar begitu pembaca tidak disumpal dengan bertumpuk2 fakta dan angka2 bersejarah.
Untuk penggambaran karakter juga bagus, tiap "suara" unik, memorable dan bisa menggambarkan kisah mereka masing2. So far suka sih, krn walau ini buku sejarah tp bisa dibaca santai.
Quote fave tentang pasangan dari buku ini "We are like two pearls in the same oyster. We rub against each other at times but it polishes us. "
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
3.0
I am a huge lover of fiction set in medieval Europe, but I did not love Four Sisters, All Queens. Sherry Jones had an interesting idea - focus on four sisters who wore the crowns of England, France, Germany, and Sicily. But I feel she bit off more than she, or perhaps anyone, could chew. To deal with decades of history of such a huge area of Europe is beyond difficult in a narrative setting - especially in just over 400 pages! The way Jones handled it was to give the audience flashes in time, throwing in tidbits of political detail, but not connecting the events in a comprehensive way. I prefer to read historical fiction that educates me.
I can't say that I loved the human side of the story, either. I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Though Jones portrays the sisters as having realized the importance of their sibling ties at the end, their lives show that selfishness and lust for power guided everything they did.
I can't say that I loved the human side of the story, either. I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Though Jones portrays the sisters as having realized the importance of their sibling ties at the end, their lives show that selfishness and lust for power guided everything they did.
duchessofreadin's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an interesting read. It not only showed how families sought to better themselves with marriages, but the lengths that they would go to. These four sisters, although they tried to band together, ended up working against each other in some instances, but as their mother always reminded them, family came first. These four girls were extraordinary for their times. They rose from Count's daughters to royal queens, and used their power not only to negotiate with their husbands but to help out their sisters as they were able. I would definately recommend this book to read. There were some parts that were rather slow and took me a little while to get through, but there are a few other books that go hand in hand with it and give some extra information.