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A review by liralen
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
3.0
Eleanor of Aquitaine (Alienor in the book, per the spelling of the day) is a fascinating historical figure: one of the most powerful women of the medieval age, yet constantly subject to laws made and enforced by men. Wealthy in land and money in her own right, but forced to be under the influence of her husband to rule those lands—and not necessarily permitted to choose who that husband would be. The only woman in history to have been queen of both France and England, not at the same time and with two different husbands. Her politics often appall me as a modern reader (the Crusades, for example), but she was both a product of her time and, arguably ahead of her time. With two children from her first marriage and eight from her second—many of whom went on to have epic family trees of their own—there's an argument that the vast majority of people in present-day England are one way or another related to Edward III; as he's one of many documented descendants of Eleanor of Aquitaine, that would mean an even higher probability of being somehow related to Eleanor of Aquitaine if you're from England (and, you know, places with heavy English-origin and English-adjacent populations).
Many of the (also many) novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine's life make her out to be led by her erotic passions—dissatisfied by Louis VII and throwing herself crotch-first at various willing men. There does seem to be some evidence that she had affairs (and that Louis was too wedded to the church to be satisfying as a husband or a king), but I have to think that Eleanor was too canny, too ambitious to run willy-nilly from one affair to the next, as a lot of historical fiction suggests. And so I really appreciate this about The Summer Queen: Eleanor is dissatisfied with her marriage, yes (and we are told, often in detail, whether or not she enjoyed any given sexual encounter), but this is not a book about affairs. The focus does remain more on her attempts to retain her power as a duchess in her own right, ensure that her legacy will continue, and maintain a sense of agency in her private life.
What didn't work so well for me were the many, many times the reader is told exactly what the POV character thinks or feels. Take this example: Raoul knew all about being careful. He had had decades of practice during the various affairs he had conducted. He had a slight conscience about Petronella, but it wasn't enough to subjugate his lust or his drive as a sexual predator (115). Just...tell me...what person ever thinks that way...? It probably makes some good page-space sense to go for telling rather than showing (it's not a short book as it is), but...I don't think the book ever goes for subtlety. (If a character promises to destroy some Dramatic Evidence of Misconduct, you can bet that not only will they not destroy it but it will be uncovered within, like...the next ten pages.)
There is some nuance to Louis for once, though, which is nice. Oh, he's still portrayed as being ashamed of sex, and focussed more on the church than on the country, and quite petty about things at times—but he has his more human moments. Too, Eleanor's marriage to Henry II is not portrayed as a loins-first-politics-second animal attraction, but a calculated decision on both sides, which seems much more in line with the careful woman Eleanor would have had to be to maintain her power and influence.
So much and yet so little is known of her life—despite her influence and power and scope, only one known possession of hers remains (and even that is a vase that she gifted to Louis, who in turn gifted it to the church). Her thoughts and feelings and private, non-political life are up to guesswork and probability. This particular estimating continues with [b:The Winter Crown|25365228|The Winter Crown (Eleanor of Aquitaine, #2)|Elizabeth Chadwick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429116526l/25365228._SY75_.jpg|27038984], so I may yet add that to my pile of Eleanor-themed books.
Many of the (also many) novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine's life make her out to be led by her erotic passions—dissatisfied by Louis VII and throwing herself crotch-first at various willing men. There does seem to be some evidence that she had affairs (and that Louis was too wedded to the church to be satisfying as a husband or a king), but I have to think that Eleanor was too canny, too ambitious to run willy-nilly from one affair to the next, as a lot of historical fiction suggests. And so I really appreciate this about The Summer Queen: Eleanor is dissatisfied with her marriage, yes (and we are told, often in detail, whether or not she enjoyed any given sexual encounter), but this is not a book about affairs. The focus does remain more on her attempts to retain her power as a duchess in her own right, ensure that her legacy will continue, and maintain a sense of agency in her private life.
What didn't work so well for me were the many, many times the reader is told exactly what the POV character thinks or feels. Take this example: Raoul knew all about being careful. He had had decades of practice during the various affairs he had conducted. He had a slight conscience about Petronella, but it wasn't enough to subjugate his lust or his drive as a sexual predator (115). Just...tell me...what person ever thinks that way...? It probably makes some good page-space sense to go for telling rather than showing (it's not a short book as it is), but...I don't think the book ever goes for subtlety. (If a character promises to destroy some Dramatic Evidence of Misconduct, you can bet that not only will they not destroy it but it will be uncovered within, like...the next ten pages.)
There is some nuance to Louis for once, though, which is nice. Oh, he's still portrayed as being ashamed of sex, and focussed more on the church than on the country, and quite petty about things at times—but he has his more human moments. Too, Eleanor's marriage to Henry II is not portrayed as a loins-first-politics-second animal attraction, but a calculated decision on both sides, which seems much more in line with the careful woman Eleanor would have had to be to maintain her power and influence.
So much and yet so little is known of her life—despite her influence and power and scope, only one known possession of hers remains (and even that is a vase that she gifted to Louis, who in turn gifted it to the church). Her thoughts and feelings and private, non-political life are up to guesswork and probability. This particular estimating continues with [b:The Winter Crown|25365228|The Winter Crown (Eleanor of Aquitaine, #2)|Elizabeth Chadwick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429116526l/25365228._SY75_.jpg|27038984], so I may yet add that to my pile of Eleanor-themed books.