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Loading... Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life (original 1999; edition 2001)by Alison Weir
Work detailsEleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir (1999)
Not so much detail about Eleanor herself but a brilliant picture of the life of mediaeval Europe. I'm not a royalist and usually prefer books about the ordinary people, but this book is a very entertaining read. It shows the various royals, dukes, counts and church dignitaries as a bunch of liars, murderers, rapists and thieves who could rival anything in fiction for brutality. Only a pity that we don't get the other side of the story - that of the peasants and townsfolk who sufferd their depredations. (  ) SChant | Apr 25, 2013 |  Alison Weir's biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine is thorough and well-researched, from birth to death. There's a lot of dates and names, and Weir's style doesn't really make that kind of detail absorbing, but there's plenty to interest a patient reader. My chief criticism is that Weir presents this as a complete portrait of Eleanor, commenting that previous accounts of her life rely too heavily on the actions of her husbands and sons, but Weir herself falls into that same pitfall. Whole chapters go by in which Henry or Richard or John are the focus. Still, worth the time I invested, I think. Eleanor was a fascinating woman and a great queen, amd Weir definitely shows the reader that. ( ) shanaqui | Apr 9, 2013 | Brilliant. Interesting approach to understand the period and the pinnacle of the Angevin Empire. She was a formidable woman and ruled effectively. Her relationship with her husband was complex and challenging. (  ) literarytech | Jan 19, 2013 | Alsion Weir,with her usual,easily flowing prose, has well illuminated the life and times of Eleanor of Aquitaine, an astonishing woman of the ages. ( ) RTS1942 | Nov 5, 2012 | This was an excellent read. Allison Weir has done a wonderful job in trying to fill the many holes in the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Of course, as much information has not survived the passage of time, much of Eleanor's life will never be known. That being said, this book gives us a more clearer picture of a remarkable woman. (  ) briandrewz | Sep 20, 2012 | no reviews | add a review
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