St. Isabel of Castilla

This fictional diary of Queen Isabel of Spain begins when she is a lonely fifteen-year-old princess, forced by her brother, King Enrique, to live away from her widowed mother. She plots to bring her other brother, Alfonso, to the throne, while thwarting her brother's attempts to arrange a marriage for her. She decides to take matters into her own hands and arrange a marraige that will bring her happiness and political prosperity. This was a wonderful book that brought Isabel to life, not just as a royal figure, but as a teenager with feelings and dreams. I highly reccomend this book to historical fiction fans, especially if you enjoyed other books in the Royal Diaries series. ( )

Reviewed April 2000

Another winning bio! A bit confusing as I know quite a lot less about Catherine of Arragon's mother. Also confusing is this horrible habit these royal people have of naming their children after saints and themselves. Several Isabels, Juans, and Juanas, makes it a mess at times. If this book is as researched as the Elizabeth book then I can place a lot of faith that the majority of the fats are straight. In the index the author lists who were fictional charactors and what happened to the real people mentioned. I'm very glad that the author brings up the truth about Isabel's legacy, the Spanish Inquisition. Columbus is also mentioned, but his crimes are only hinted at. From the Spaniards point of view I guess it was factual. I did find it sad that the author chose to have Isabel live happy ever after once she married, instead of ending at her crowning as Queen of Castilla. ( )

Not a great book, but not a bad one either. The writer doesn't quite bring Isabel to life; the young Princess always seems a bit wooden. But it is interesting if you've had an interest in the intrigues of nobles' lives back in the days of Kings and Queens. ( )

Written as a diary, about the events leading up to Princess Isabel's engagement and life in pre-Inquisition Spain. A great series for young girls!

One feature of the Royal Diaries series is once the story is finished, the author includes a section which is only facts: pictures/portraits of the main characters, family trees, a "What life was like in (insert name) lived" to help the reader distinguish between what we know about the characters, what we assume from artifacts found, and what the author made up to help the story along. ( )