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A review by rai
The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile by C.W. Gortner
3.0
The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile
By C.W. Gortner
Date completed: May 20, 2016
Length: long, 12-15 hours
Source of book: Discount book from Bookbub, purchased from Amazon for$1.99
"No one believed I was destined for greatness."
Isabella of Castile. The woman responsible for Christopher Columbus "discovering" America. And while this is obviously a fictionalized tale, it's eerie and so different then I expected.
I never studied Spanish history. There are some great gaps in my knowledge. And other then Isabella and Ferdinand having a great love story, I didn't know what else there was to her story.
It turns out there's a lot to her story. More then you could possibly imagine. To start with, she is the first born of the Kings second wife. He has a much older son from his first wife, and a younger son by his second wife. We pick up the story upon his death.
The important thing about this is Isabel wasn't next in line for the throne. Even when her elder brother has no heir, the succession would go to her younger brother. The throne would go to their issue, before her. Obviously, spoiler alert, Isabella becomes queen.
For all that she has an interesting story, the novel drags. There is an abundance of prose and description, and not a lot of action. It drags and then it becomes political. And while intriguing things happen, I found they were boring and overburdened by either inaction, complacency, or just poor decisions.
What really starts to distinguish itself in the latter half of the novel it's Isabella's religious fervour. She is a Christian queen... A very Christian queen. Her fight for the throne comes from her deep seeded belief in the divine right of ruling. All her choices are based on her religious belief. Her loyalty to her older brother, her fights against the opposition to her rule... And it culminates with the inquisition and crusade into Grenada. If you are sensitive to religion in literature, avoid this book. If you're accepting to the historical significance, it's a little more acceptable but I found it a little overbearing even then. The one oddity was Isabella's defense of her Jewish subjects. Ultimately it was for naught, but she attempted to protect them.
Rating: 7/10 a slow start gave way to a very detailed and researched expedition. Perhaps a little on the dry side but a window into an otherwise unknown section of history for me.
See more reviews by me at https://abrutalreview.wordpress.com/
By C.W. Gortner
Date completed: May 20, 2016
Length: long, 12-15 hours
Source of book: Discount book from Bookbub, purchased from Amazon for$1.99
"No one believed I was destined for greatness."
Isabella of Castile. The woman responsible for Christopher Columbus "discovering" America. And while this is obviously a fictionalized tale, it's eerie and so different then I expected.
I never studied Spanish history. There are some great gaps in my knowledge. And other then Isabella and Ferdinand having a great love story, I didn't know what else there was to her story.
It turns out there's a lot to her story. More then you could possibly imagine. To start with, she is the first born of the Kings second wife. He has a much older son from his first wife, and a younger son by his second wife. We pick up the story upon his death.
The important thing about this is Isabel wasn't next in line for the throne. Even when her elder brother has no heir, the succession would go to her younger brother. The throne would go to their issue, before her. Obviously, spoiler alert, Isabella becomes queen.
For all that she has an interesting story, the novel drags. There is an abundance of prose and description, and not a lot of action. It drags and then it becomes political. And while intriguing things happen, I found they were boring and overburdened by either inaction, complacency, or just poor decisions.
What really starts to distinguish itself in the latter half of the novel it's Isabella's religious fervour. She is a Christian queen... A very Christian queen. Her fight for the throne comes from her deep seeded belief in the divine right of ruling. All her choices are based on her religious belief. Her loyalty to her older brother, her fights against the opposition to her rule... And it culminates with the inquisition and crusade into Grenada. If you are sensitive to religion in literature, avoid this book. If you're accepting to the historical significance, it's a little more acceptable but I found it a little overbearing even then. The one oddity was Isabella's defense of her Jewish subjects. Ultimately it was for naught, but she attempted to protect them.
Rating: 7/10 a slow start gave way to a very detailed and researched expedition. Perhaps a little on the dry side but a window into an otherwise unknown section of history for me.
See more reviews by me at https://abrutalreview.wordpress.com/