Customer Reviews

Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ever since I saw Katherine Hepburn play Eleanor of Aquitaine in the film Lion in Winter, I have read everything available on this fascinating 12th century woman - and this book was, by far, the most readable, and probably the most accurate. Though Allison Weir avoids over romanticizing the story by passing along legends as facts (that Eleanor murdered her husband's mistress or the many tales surrounding her Court of Love), she still weaves a fascinating tale. Because Weir is such a stickler for researched facts, there are long sections where she admits that very little is known about what exactly Eleanor was doing at the time (most notably during the murder of Thomas Becket), but I still never lost interest - and she provides enough balanced background on the many characters that you develop a true understanding for their complicated motives. After reading Weir's other books (especially the definitive "Six Wives of Henry VIII"), I was positive that this would be another enjoyable history lesson - and Ms. Weir, as usual, did not disappoint!

Once again Alison Weir has produced another wonderful and exciting biography. In this book on Eleanor of Aquitaine she has told the story of this most interesting person in a manner that had me glued to the pages. I must state that I have not previously read any books on this subject, quite a few on Richard I but nothing on his mother. I usually enjoy military history but this was an excellent story, well researched and well presented with heaps of plots, fighting and treachery. The story may well be known to quite a few people out there but to me this book offered the first timer a grand and interesting panorama of this most interesting person during a most interesting period. The narrative was quick and exciting, moving along covering a vast period of time and people however I never got lost in the story. On a number of occasions points in dispute were threshed out and a common sense approach was adopted in trying to find the truth of the matter. Eleanor of Aquitaine had a number of detractors throughout history but I think the author tried to present her story in a non biased manner. This is a good book and I think that most people will enjoy the story and even those who know the whole story should gain something from this account.

She was the wife of two kings (Louis VII of France and Henry II of England) and a fascinating and controversial woman in her own right. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, was one of the most important and influential personalities of the Middle Ages and she truly comes alive in Alison Weir's masterful biography. After a short introduction on the history and culture of Southern France, Ms. Weir describes Eleanor's life in wonderful detail, examining contemporary sources, modern historical investigations, myth and reality. Everything you ever heard about Eleanor is here: her marriage to King Louis, her journey to Constantinople and Jerusalem during the Second Crusade, her marriage to King Henry, her emotional and political relations with her sons (two of them were also kings of England: Richard the Lionheart and King John), her role as Queen Regent, the legendary Courts of Love, and her imprisonment and eventual release are all told in Alison Weir's wonderful style. The author also includes a lot of information about other fascinating personalities of the time, such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Becket and William the Marshall, and she always manages to evoke the feeling of the period. This is a very well researched and brilliantly written biography that reads like a historical novel.

I have been awaiting the arrival of Alison Weir's new biography for over a year now! Weir is arguably the foremost authority on Tudor England, as she has displayed with previous books on the War of the Roses, Henry VIII, and his children. I was pleasantly surprised to see her new book depart from her "Tudor tradition" and delve into the extraordinary life of Queen Elaenor.

Always clever, always insightful, Weir paints a riveting account of Eleanor: her life, her triumphs, her challenges, and her legacy. Weir's objective portrayal of Eleanor's attributes is notable. Particularly, Weir doesn't shield Eleanor's flaws, nor does she overexaggerate her virtues, leaving her readers with a truer sense of Eleanor's psyche.

Readers will find this book an enjoyable read. Kudos to Weir -- I can't wait for you next one!

This book was a delight to read -- well-reasearched, descriptive, engaging. _Eleanor of Aquitaine_ gives you the information of a well-researched thesis with the pacing of a novel. However, it was a subtle disappointment because the information on Eleanor was much less than I had expected. (Note to self: Next time read an excerpt!)

Weir sets the reader up in the Forward, mentioning that little information about Eleanor has been found or proven. However, she is quick to point out the difference between her book and the books of other authors attempting to portray Eleanor. Weir claims that some previous biographers have painted a not-so-virtuous picture of Eleanor because they have relied on poor evidence. (For example, many biographers have used fictional works -- poetry, songs -- of the period to prove that Eleanor was an adultress.)

A continuing refrain in the book is, "Some historians have said X. Contemporary theorists have said Y. Based on the evidence I've seen, I can't decide between X or Y." While I do appreciate Wier's unbiased opinion, it didn't always make for the most interesting reading. Often I felt dissatisfied because I wanted to know more - I wanted to know the truth. However, perhaps that is Weir's point - we'll never truly know what Eleanor was like because there is simply not enough evidence.

In order to learn more about Eleanor's life, Wier had to painstakingly resurrect it from accounts of the lives of her children and family members. Consequently, the book serves as an excellent primer about Eleanor's historical period and family. For me, this was an unexpected bonus because I know very little about medieval times, the Crusades, etc. However, readers that are very medieval-savvy may find Weir's extensive (but necessary) digressions annoying.

Overall: If you're looking for a peek into the life of a lesser-known historical figure and time period, this book is an excellent choice.

Alison Weir doesn't disappoint with another lively, colorful biography. It's a refreshing human portrait of a complicated and not always likeable woman who was neither the Rosamund-murdering shrew nor the romantic bare-breasted Amazon Crusader of myth. It's a shame that Weir had so little information in the contemporary chronicles to go on, and the book suffers from it. Eleanor disappears for great gaps in the historical record, and as a result, Weir must pad the book with the minutiae of medieval life and the political wranglings of her husbands: so much so that the book often reads like a bio of Henry II. Still, it's highly readable and told with Weir's usual verve.

Eleanor has held a particular mystique for many centuries, and for good reason. long before "The Lion In Winter", there were songs,poems and stories circulating around. We learn that she was a powerful woman, when women were not so. How did she manage to be the wife of the king of France, and then the king of England? Then she was the mother of three kings. How did she go on two crusades...but perhaps more importantly, cut her own distinct trail in the shadow of her powerful husbands and sons? And she made her opinions well known. We learn that Henry relied on her counsel, as did her son Richard.

During her long lifetime, -82 years when life expectancy was in the 30's- we meet an impressive list of characters, whom the author talks about in detail: William Marshall, perhaps the greatest Knight the world has ever seen, Thomas Becket, friend. confidant to Henry II, and his greatest nemesis. Then there is Eleonor's legendary son Richard the Lion Heart, and his long captivity at the hands of the German emperor, largely in revenge for an affront to a relative of the Emperor committed by Richard during during the Crusade. While Richard is held prisoner, his brother John takes over the crown, and he means to keep it. This is the celebrated time that gave rise to the legend of Robin Hood. And it was the beginning of the romantic era, when the legend of King Arthur was born.

The book is a story of romance, adultery, treachery, and warfare. It seems that the men in Eleaonor's family were big brutes (all around six-and-a- half feet tall) who enjoyed war, sex and power. And that's pretty much all they did, with great relish.

There are some portions that are particularly poignant and memorable: An angered Henry screaming in frustration at Becket's obdurate steps to protect the Church from the monarchy, the knights who heard their King and tried to do what they thought was right by murdering Becket..and Henry's subsequent despair and regret. For me this was a particularly moving and inspiring story. Becket was without a doubt, a man of great integrity and in my mind, an undeclared saint.

I also enjoyed a scene where William Marshall, standing fast by his King, meets the usurper Richard on the road, and at Richard's plea not to kill him, he unhorses him instead, and tells him that the devil would do the job. After Henry's death, Richard, in apparent admiration for the man's loyalty and honor, puts him in a position of power.

The book tells of Henry II's highly successful conquests and solidification of his lands, which at this time made England the greatest power in Europe. Then we witness Richard successfully maintaining his inheritance, only to have it all fall apart durinng his brother John's reign. What an amazing story. Add to it the crusades, Thomas Becket's murder, Richard's dramatic death, the intrigue with kings and popes, bishops, brothers and sons. In her old age, Eleonor was almost kidnapped by her grandson, who was trying to position himself to unseat his uncle, King John, only to be murdered by him.

Needless to say, the book is well written. And it makes for a great read.

This is an excellent biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine. All the others that I have tried to read are bogged down in footnotes and geneologies, but Ms. Weir turns her into a person, something more biographers should try for. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The full title of this book is Eleanor of Aquitaine: By The Wrath Of God, Queen Of England (or at least that's the title of the copy I bought in England)....some books are worth reading just for the brilliance of the title.....to me this is THE classic work on Eleanor, it's so good I did something I rarely do.....I got my copy signed. Weir begins with simple detail that enhances her narrative.....I knew this was going to be a great book when she took the time to differentiate names, she's still the only Eleanor author to make sure we knew that Eleanor herself would have used Alienore, not Eleanor. The hope Weir articulated in her preface that the book would emerge as credible and balanced, stripped of myths and misunderstandings is the heart of why I cherish this one above all the other Eleanor writings.....it is largely a successful effort at what Weir herself calls "more like a....detective work than a conventional historical biography." An absolutely wonderful work.....and very much appreciated.

Here's an example of how Weir works her magic: The historical facts surrounding Eleanor's marriage to Henry are nicely presented with a minimum of speculation. For example, Weir says only "Eleanor sent envoys to Henry, asking him to come at once and marry her; this was not necessarily a proposal, ....for it is possible that the couple had already agreed to marry." And even in this speculation she cites Gervase of Canterbury. The entire text runs like this.....facts predominate, speculation is limited to where Weir's opinion as a researcher well-embedded in the sources of the period has a value. Although I'm primarily an Eleanor fan, this book inspired me to read the rest of Weir's works, and she has done an excellent job on Henry VIII, Elizabeth, the Two Princes, and the Wars of the Roses......so now I guess I'm an Alison fan too. She has produced some of the most enjoyable reading of the past decade for me.

This was a very well written book about the early Angevin family, with Eleanor of Aquitaine as perhaps the common thread uniting Henry II, Richard and John. To call it a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine is inaccurate: she is absent (or only speculated about) for large portions of the book. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in European history.