Amazon US $11.64 $11.55
Amazon CA $29.69
This title was shortlisted for the May Book of the Month
Biographical Fiction
Biographical Fiction
1176
England
“Imprisoned by her husband, King Henry II,
Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England, refuses to let her powerful husband
bully her into submission, even as he forces her away from her children and her
birthright. Freed only by Henry's death, Eleanor becomes dowager Queen of
England. But the competition for land and power that Henry stirred up among his
sons has intensified to a dangerous rivalry.
Eleanor will need every ounce of courage and
fortitude as she crosses the Alps in winter to bring Richard his bride, and
travels medieval Europe to ransom her beloved son. But even her indomitable
spirit will be tested to its limits as she attempts to keep the peace between
her warring sons, and find a place in the centres of power for her daughters.”
The third in a
trilogy, but easily read as a stand-alone (although I heartily suggest reading
the other two, The Summer Queen and The Winter Crown) – who can go wrong
with an Elizabeth Chadwick?
Ms Chadwick
refers to one of the three most well-known queens (the other two being
Elizabeth I and Victoria) Eleanor of Aquitaine as Alienor, which would have
been the style of her name during her lifetime. Probably ranked as history’s
most formidable and admired queen, this wonderful trilogy follows her
fascinating, courageous, and at times tragic and violent, life from the budding
of womanhood to old age – via two husbands, the King of France and the King of
England, her volatile sons and her used-as-alliance daughters.
The Autumn Throne covers the
final thirty years of her long, incredible, life and in this trilogy – this volume
included – we have seen these real characters of history who had major roles in
her life through a very different perspective. How on earth did this remarkable
woman survive all that was thrown at her?
Ms Chadwick’s
writing, as always is fluid, entertaining, engrossing and a delight to read.
Above all, though, you know that the facts are facts – and given Ms Chadwick’s wonderful
skill it is virtually impossible to know what scenes are the facts and what are
the imagined fiction, a sure sign of a top-class historical novel.
Definitely a
Diamond Read – in my opinion a Koh-i-Noor!
© Anne Holt
© Anne Holt
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Ms. Chadwick is definitely one of those authors whose books I buy sight unseen. Thanks for the review! I still have not been able to read this yet, but need to do so soon. I have the first ones in this series, so need to complete the set!
ReplyDeleteI entirely agree - I get a copy for my kindle as soon as I can, finding time to actually read it is the hard part - mainly because I know once I start I'll be doing _nothing_ else until I've finished!
DeleteI, too, am a fan of Ms Chadwick and read this book just recently (borrowed from the public library). It is every bit as brilliant as Anne and Helen have indicated.
ReplyDeleteI think what I enjoyed most was a different slant on Ailenor and Henry to the usual novels. Plus, of course, you can trust Elizabeth's excellent research.
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