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A review by meghana34
Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England by Alison Weir
2.0
Unfortunately, resources from this time (1295? - 1358) are limited. Weir's attempt to do detective work and fully use these resources - she goes on and on for several pages about Isabella's birth year - must be applauded, but it makes for a hypothetical and conjecture-based book. The last twenty-eight years of Isabella's life could be skimmed or even skipped as there is hardly any historical evidence for the existence of those years. The dramatic events discussed in this book could instead be a riveting historical fiction novel.
As Weir professed in the introduction, the premise for this book is that Isabella has been vilified in history. A detailed discussion of her legacy and cultural depictions - Isabella is a popular femme fatale figure in plays and literature - was needed to support this premise, but Weir doesn't go into that. Why bring it up in the first place, then? This lack of follow-through is common in the book, and then unfortunately I can't recommend it.
As Weir professed in the introduction, the premise for this book is that Isabella has been vilified in history. A detailed discussion of her legacy and cultural depictions - Isabella is a popular femme fatale figure in plays and literature - was needed to support this premise, but Weir doesn't go into that. Why bring it up in the first place, then? This lack of follow-through is common in the book, and then unfortunately I can't recommend it.