I had to say I loved this book. A lot. I liked how Juana stood out from the rest of her sisters and it was nice to see Catalina (afterwards becoming Catherine of Aragon) have a "cameo" appearence in the story. Juana is very headstrong, and despite what she goes through, she manages to be steadfast and it was as if nothing could break her. I admired Juana a lot in this book. I liked how the relationship between Juana and Philip started. It was lovely and reminded me a lot of the love between Catalina and Arthur in The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. It was so sad to see it so short lived. When Philip shows his colors the reader realizes he's not such a great loving person after all. Perhaps because he did not have the right influences and not the most greatest of advisors, however it was sad to see his ambition get to his head. It was so surprising to see Juana so steady and steadfast and even stands up against Philip (although she's beaten back down to submission). I admire her bravery and courage to stand up to a court ruled by men, it seemed as if she was by herself the majority of the time.

The story flowed flawlessly and there were no bumps or stops to inturrupt the fluidity of this book. If you want something with lots of court intrigue and plotting this is something for you. There is a lot of plotting behind every character's back in this book and when it's realized, there's explosive confrontations filled with emotion and sometimes violence. I really liked the little tidbits of Spanish in this book (small phrases) it added more realism to the story and it enhanced the reader's ability to actually feel like they were right there in Medieval Spain.

I felt a lot of sympathy towards Juana. Although she's very strong, I knew she had her limits and she could only take so much. I realized then, it's not really that she's "crazy" moreso, because of the emotional, mental and sometimes physical abuse it's no wonder she went through a mental breakdown. Juana herself is a very emotional character. She's explosive and has a temper, she's filled with different feelings and is a very passionate person in this book. It's indeed a very sad story. Juana goes through one tragic event after another and she really has no one to trust. Amist the large court with very few people on her side, Juana is a very lonely character.

Overall a wonderful book for those always curious or interested in Juana la Loca. The author's note at the end also provides very good information as to what happens afterwards to Juana. It's a very sad tragic tale, and paints Juana in a very different light It's actually a refreshing look on Juana and sheds off the myth of a "madwoman" who was probably not really that crazy after all. ( )

After reading all the Philippa Gregory books I was burned out on the whole "poor, mistreated queen with a side of crazy" genre. Honestly, every queen or almost queen or thought about being queen in history must have had a misogynistic twist in their DNA. On the whole I wasn't really excited to read THE LAST QUEEN but I had posted its book trailer so I was obligated. Long story short this was a really good book.

THE LAST QUEEN is a fictionalized biography about Juana of Castile, the last Spanish queen of Spain. She is a true individual, and for a brief time, romantic that knows what she wants and plays the right political games to obtain them. However, she has a tendency to be too trusting and allows herself to be tricked by the one person she thought she could trust; her father. To summarize: Juana marries a man , Philip of Flanders, she falls in love with and who has more political aspirations than he is entitled to. Juana becomes heir to the Spanish throne due to a series of tragedies and finds herself and her children embroiled in her husbands schemes. Now disillusioned to her husband's machinations Juana fights to preserve her throne for herself. She keeps her throne briefly and shares it with her father who decides that he wants it for himself. You can imagine the end.

I was on vacation when I started this book and surprisingly I finished it in one day. I even skipped dinner with my friend to finis the last 30 pages. This book was captivating and tragic. I knew how it was going to end and I couldn't force myself to look away from Juana's train wreck of a life. Told in the first person the reader quickly feels for Juana, wanting her to find a way to be independent in a world where that is not encouraged. ( )

I just finished listening to The Last Queen: A Novel of Juana la Loca by C W Gortner (unabridged). The narrator, Margarite Gavin, did an excellent job of reading the book and interpreting the characters. She has a lovely voice that makes listening easy.

This is what the publisher said about the book:
One of history's most enigmatic women tells the haunting, passionate story of her tumultuous life. Juana of Castile is just thirteen when she witnesses the fall of Moorish Granada and the uniting of the fractured kingdoms of Spain under her warrior parents, Isabel and Fernando. Intelligent, beautiful, and proud of her heritage, Juana rebels when she is chosen as a bride for the Hapsburg heir - until she comes face-to-face with Prince Philip the Fair, a man who will bring her the greatest of passions, and the darkest despair.

When tragedy decimates Juana's family in Spain, she suddenly finds herself heiress to Castile, a realm prey to scheming lords bent on thwarting her rule. The betrayal of those she loves plunges Juana into a ruthless battle of wills - a struggle of corruption, perfidy, and heart-shattering deceit that could cost her the crown, her freedom, and her very life.

In case you didn't understand the title, she was called the "crazy" by many people. We are lead to believe that may have been mostly the based on rumors spread by her power hungry husband and his group and, after his death, furthered by her own father, whose need for power was equally as great as he wished to out shine the accomplishments of his dead wife. Was she crazy? I will let you decide.

Was she mad? As in angry? The life of strong, smart, educated women during this time of male dominance was never easy. Women were expected to be docile, marry who they were told to, and bear children (she had 5, only 2 of which for male). How does one stand up for her rights and those of her country, to be a QUEEN, in such an atmosphere?

This is a face paced, fascinating autobiographical novel, which drew me in quickly and kept me riveted to her story. Looking through her eye, you clearly see all the different characters, while feeling her reactions.

(My husband's comment: "The characters are well formed and developed. Its only flaw is that it reflects a modern woman's perspective of a vastly different time and I wonder if women 500 years ago area accurately depicted int it?)

I expect this will be one I will want to read and/or listen to again. ( )

Juana of Castile was mad. Not angry mad, but crazy mad. Or at least, she was reputed to be mad. She has gone down in Spanish history being known as “Juana the Mad” or “Juana La Loca”. Most people are more familiar with who her parents were: they were Isabelle and Ferdinand of Spain. Or they know about Juana’s younger sister, Catherine of Aragon (also known as Catalina), who was married to Henry VIII of England.

Juana is the subject of the historical fiction novel, The Last Queen: A Novel by C.W. Gortner.

When I first had heard about Juana the Mad, it intrigued me that in an age of arranged and loveless marriages between royal families, Juana and her betrothed Philip of Habsburg were instantly attracted to each other in spite of their marriage being an arranged one.

C.W. Gortner covers this aspect of Juana’s life very well. In his telling of her story (which is done in the first person narrative), Juana’s passion for Philip continues through their marriage, even though it developed in a love/hate relationship. This was partly due to Philip’s infidelities, but also due to all of the political intrigue that went on during that time. What marriage would not be strained under these circumstances? However, it lasted only ten years due to Philip dying young, and Juana went on to survive for several more years, living to be 75 years old.

Gortner paints Juana as a very strong-willed woman– if she had been meek and submissive, I am sure that there would not have been all the conflict between herself, Philip, and even her parents. Here is a passage in “The Last Queen”:

“My hands clenched in my lap. I wished I could pretend I didn’t believe it. But I did believe it. It had been there all the time: his arrogance and lust for power, his weakness and thwarted rage. He had played a treacherous game even as my mother lay dying, my father fought a bloody war in Naples and I struggled for my place in a world he’d torn apart. This was the man he was. This was the husband I was bound to”.

As for Juana’s supposed madness, Gortner does not deal with this in a heavy-handed, over-wrought way. We are allowed to see how others percieve Juana. In addition, we see her inner thoughts and can deduce for ourselves whether Juana is having moments of insanity or not.

This novel is not just about Juana and Philip, but also the personal and political relationships she had with her parents and her siblings (especially Catalina of Aragon).

I felt the book’s climax was reached when Philip died, but the book goes on for a little bit longer, stopping soon after Philip’s death. I appreciated the factual afterword to the book, which briefly filled in the many years that remained of Juana’s life and reign.

It does seem that C.W. Gortner did extensive research while writing this book. I think one thing I’d change is the cover of the trade paperback; I’d have preferred a portrait of Juana, perhaps. It would also have been nice to have a family tree. A map is provided of Spain and Europe of the novel’s era, which helped me understand the different regions of Spain– Castile, Aragon, and so on. Overall, I would recommend this book, especially if you like historical fiction.

Historical Fiction at it's best. Told from Juana's point of view. Born the 3rd child to Isabel and Ferdinand, Juana's destiny is to marry Phillip, the heir to the Habsburg empire. At first it is a happy love match but soon Phillip's ambitions are made known and when Juana becomes the heir to Spain, they start their own private war. Juana is betrayed, and lied to, and imprisoned. She leaves her children to go to Spain, bears more children and is betrayed, lied to and imprisoned. But she never renounces the throne. ( )