Scan barcode
A review by sianami
The Captive Queen by Alison Weir
3.0
The life of Eleanor of Aquitaine and her marriage to Henry II is an incredible and fascinating story. Alison Weir's reach somewhat exceeds her grasp however and I found there are issues with pacing and that her prose style is not great, though it has moments where it really rises above. However it remains a very enjoyable tale of a passionate, love/hate relationship, and mediaeval political intrigues.
(I must say I was rather shocked reading goodreads reviews where people stated they found the sex scenes unrealistic or detracting from the seriousness of Eleanor as a character. Eleanor divorced a monkish first husband to marry a much younger and more attractive man & had 8 children in 13 years. She probably enjoyed sex! And I am struck that no one criticised the numerous sex scenes Henry has as making them unable to take him seriously as a politician when he is constantly chasing women. Hmmm.)
(I must say I was rather shocked reading goodreads reviews where people stated they found the sex scenes unrealistic or detracting from the seriousness of Eleanor as a character. Eleanor divorced a monkish first husband to marry a much younger and more attractive man & had 8 children in 13 years. She probably enjoyed sex! And I am struck that no one criticised the numerous sex scenes Henry has as making them unable to take him seriously as a politician when he is constantly chasing women. Hmmm.)