The Adventures of Alianore Audley

If you're looking for a little levity, you can't go wrong in spending an afternoon with Alianore, who is not your typical 15th century waiting woman - she's a saucy, savvy, sexy little spy for her cousin, King Edward IV, employed in the household of her other cousin, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. At times she is biased and unreliable - she's got some fanciful stories about certain events that take place during Richard's reign - but she's always entertaining.

Alianore finds herself in one jam after another as she contrives to balance the demands of political intrigue with her life's ambition to be an ordinary knight's lady. This is a quick read and great fun, particularly if, like me, you've read more than your fair share of medieval show more novels!

Witness this recent entry from the Court Circular, in the Alliances Sought section:

"Damosel, XXI years. Warranted chaste and obedient. No visible blemishes. Offers to John Audley, at Eltham. Woodvilles, Hautes, etc. need not apply."

Or Paragraph Eighteen from the Knightly Code: "No knight, esquire, or armiger shall carry off, ravish or imprison any lady, damosel or gentlewoman (except for the purpose of taking her in canonical marriage against her will) under pain of six months banishment from all tournaments in Western Europe and a fine of twenty-four shillings."

Or the sign on the wall of a favorite London cook-shop: "Anne Neville, Duchess of Gloucester, worked here, 1471."

The author explains that he rattled off this little romp as a break to get his creative juices flowing again while writing his more serious work, Within the Fetterlock. I highly recommend this little tart of a book! show less

What a hysterical send up of historical fiction. Mel Brooks couldn't have done better. I was laughing through every page, the author's toungue must have been firmly planted in his cheek the entire time. Hard to believe this is the same person who wrote the ever so serious (and brilliant!) Within the Fetterlock.

However, I would recommend that you have a passing knowledge of the Wars of the Roses, Edward the IV and Richard the III. Otherwise, you'll miss most of the jokes.

Highly recommended and a breath of fresh air from so many serious works of fiction.

This was a fun romp. It helps to know a thing or two about the Wars of the Roses. The author clearly knows a thing or forty five. While this is clearly not a serious historical novel so much as a lovely bit of fun, its a lovely bit of fun that has its basic facts right. I laughed a lot with Alianore, her irrepressible career through the violent landscape of late fifteenth century Endland and her thoroughly irreverent take on the vagaries of her lecherous cousin Edward IV, his sadly humor impaired brother Richard III and their unfortunate successor, The Tudor Slimeball. I really had fun with this and recommend it highly.

What a fun book to read! Alianore chronicles the time of Edward IV and Richard III. She serves as a spy for both kings. Wickedly funny portrayals of the times and characters. The whole thing is tongue-in-cheek, but historically pretty accurate regarding events.

Lively tale told by a delightful and thoroughly devious spy mistress about the end of the War of the Roses.

Fun and amusing

I enjoyed the different telling of a story I know so very well. Don't take it seriously and just enjoy. The author has all the timelines correct and very interesting theories.

One of my favourites.

I am amazed that this distinguished historian author has taken such historical drama and turned the genre on it's ear. His tongue in cheek approach and rapier wit had me laughing thru out the entire book.