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Duchess of Aquitaine by Margaret Ball
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Duchess of Aquitaine (edition 2007)

by Margaret Ball

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2074129,914 (2.82)2
Beautiful and brilliant, Eleanor is the daughter of the duke of Aquitaine, whose glittering court is the twelfth-century birthplace of courtly love. For all of the duke's boasts that Eleanor has the brains of a man and the soul of a warrior, everyone knows that a girl of fifteen cannot possibly hold the richest dukedom in France. Everyone, that is, except her dying father, who insists on leaving Eleanor his most valuable provinces---and making her prey to the first baron who rides in to kidnap her. Eleanor, though, is not content to sit idly by and let herself become a victim, and devises a plan to marry the heir to the throne of France. While her alliance to Louis VII may be a dazzling one, her husband is a cautious man whose wit and courage do not always match Eleanor's own, and she ultimately finds herself seeking an even greater match with Henry II of England. Sweeping from the courts of Paris to the perils of the Crusades,Duchess of Aquitaine gloriously illuminates the life of one of the most powerful, resourceful, and fascinating women in all of history.… (more)
Member:thesnowtigress
Title:Duchess of Aquitaine
Authors:Margaret Ball
Info:St. Martin's Griffin (2007), Paperback, 400 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:historical fiction, Eleanor of Aquitaine

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Duchess of Aquitaine: A Novel of Eleanor by Margaret Ball

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This review is full of spoilers if you don't know anything about Eleanor of Aquitaine.




This is (obviously) the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, from the time of her father's death to her divorce from whichever King Louis of France (that was never made clear). She plots to become Queen, goes on Crusade, and then divorces her weak, religious husband.

This book was okay. I've heard of Eleanor, of course, but I didn't know much about her. I did learn some things, but the pacing of the book was all wrong for me. The part where she's trying to choose a husband who will help her hold her father's lands was pretty quick. All of a sudden, she was a queen. Then she was an unhappy, bored, unappreciated queen. That part dragged on and on. Then she went on Crusade with her husband, on his orders. This was actually pretty interesting. She meets the Emperor of Constantinople, she sees fighting, she discusses strategy with the local leaders, and then her husband grows a backbone, tells her he's doing everything his way, and she'll be quiet and like it. Flash forward about three years. We've read what feels like her every waking thought for the previous ten or so years, but just when it gets interesting and she starts to show what she's capable of, we just flash forward. I was disappointed. Then she gets divorced from the mostly spineless King Louis and outwits him to marry Henry Plantagenet. And they lived happily ever after? Who knows? This is where the author just decided to stop. For me, there was way too much of the parts I didn't care about and very little of the parts that were interesting.

The character of Eleanor was very well-developed. I was interested in her and she felt real to me. Louis was developed enough for me to despise him. Everyone else was pretty flat.

I would say that there have got to be better books about Eleanor of Aquitaine out there. Read those instead. ( )
  JG_IntrovertedReader | Apr 3, 2013 |
i got 120pgs in and decided it was too dull. ( )
  aBohemian1 | Jul 11, 2012 |
Eleanor shows her keen intellectual abilities early on as she sets her cap for the son of the King of France. But the young king was intended for the priesthood and is much too boring for Eleanor. Then she moves on to the King of England. This novel takes you through her going to the Crusades and all the intrigue she avoids and doesn't avoid in her lifetime. A very interesting modern take on Eleanor.
  nolak | Jun 15, 2009 |
Historical Fiction. Mainly focuses on her marriage to King Louis of France. ( )
1 vote LameDuck | Oct 4, 2007 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Margaret Ballprimary authorall editionscalculated
Craft, Kinuko Y.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Beautiful and brilliant, Eleanor is the daughter of the duke of Aquitaine, whose glittering court is the twelfth-century birthplace of courtly love. For all of the duke's boasts that Eleanor has the brains of a man and the soul of a warrior, everyone knows that a girl of fifteen cannot possibly hold the richest dukedom in France. Everyone, that is, except her dying father, who insists on leaving Eleanor his most valuable provinces---and making her prey to the first baron who rides in to kidnap her. Eleanor, though, is not content to sit idly by and let herself become a victim, and devises a plan to marry the heir to the throne of France. While her alliance to Louis VII may be a dazzling one, her husband is a cautious man whose wit and courage do not always match Eleanor's own, and she ultimately finds herself seeking an even greater match with Henry II of England. Sweeping from the courts of Paris to the perils of the Crusades,Duchess of Aquitaine gloriously illuminates the life of one of the most powerful, resourceful, and fascinating women in all of history.

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