Customer Reviews

The Last Queen: A Novel

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've now read the new version of this novel, which was sold to Random House in a two-book deal. Not only has the author finally gotten recognition for his efforts, but the new scenes and edit have refined and smoothed whatever rough edges this book once had. C.W. Gortner writes with eloquence and style; he turns his masterful pen to Renaissance Spain and conjures a diverse and complex land recently united by the Catholic monarchs, Isabel and Fernando. Spain is unfortunately not explored nearly as much as it should be by historical fiction novelists and Gortner brings it to life through the eyes of Juana la Loca, arguably the most beautiful and certainly most enigmatic of the Catholic monarchs' four daughters. Known to history as the Mad Queen and the older sister of Katherine of Aragon (Henry VIII's first wife) Juana has often been neglected as a figure in her own right. This novel restores her to her proper place - and what a dramatic place it is! Through vivid prose and an intense feeling for emotional characterization, Juana tells us her story - from her arranged and ultimately tormenting marriage to the Hapsburg Emperor's son Philip to their lethal struggle for the throne of Spain, which Juana inherits through tragedy. Incredible characters like Queen Isabel, wily Fernando of Aragon, as well Henry VII of England and Louis of France, make memorable appearances; Isabel in particular is a compelling combination of steel and sacrifice. But it is the courageous, amazingly young, and very human Juana who dominates the story, and the secrets she reveals are startling and unexpected. A sumptuous feast for the senses, this novel exemplifies the best of historical fiction - accurate and yet daring in its approach, respectful of the facts but focused on the human elements; you are captured by Juana's story until the very end, when you find yourself both awestruck and haunted by this queen who truly has been forgotten by most of the world until now.

The Tudors of England have enjoyed surging popularity in the past year, with a hit Showtime series and Philippa Gregory's acclaimed historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which was adapted to the big screen last winter. But few people know about Juana of Spain, also known as Juana la Loca, sister to Henry VIII's first wife Katherine of Aragon. In The Last Queen, C.W. Gortner proves that Juana's story is just as complex and captivating as that of her more famous younger sister.

The novel opens in 1492 when Juana is 13 years old. Her parents, Ferdinand and Isabella, have just conquered Grananda, ending 300 years of Moorish rule. Juana has never known life apart from the crusades and her parents' all-consuming dedication to uniting Spain and expelling the Moors. Ferdinand and Isabella passed their passion and fierce nationalism on to at least one of their four daughters: from childhood, Juana harbored an intense loyalty to her native land.

In 15th century Europe, royal children were betrothed in marriage not for love, but to facilitate political alliances. Juana was no exception. Her parents arranged a marriage between Juana and Philip the Fair, Hapsburg heir and archduke of Flanders.

Initially resistant to the marriage, Juana eventually fell in love with Philip and resigned herself to life in Flanders, outside her beloved Spain. But everything changed when, through a succession of family deaths, Juana became direct heir to the Spanish throne; she suddenly saw an ambitious, calculating, even cruel side of her dashing husband.

Chaos ensued. The life Juana had built in Flanders crumbled as everyone around her scrambled to exploit any and every possible political advantage. Her husband was influenced by deceitful, unscrupulous advisors. Her parents put political objectives before family. Church officials were corrupt, and often the most politically ambitious men around. The Spanish nobles who had long resented the power held by Ferdinand and Isabella were determined to wrest it from Juana as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Juana was anguished by the mistrust she felt toward her husband and parents. She missed her children, all of whom she was separated from at various points in time. She was driven by an underlying loyalty to Spain that compelled her to accept unthinkable risk in order to claim her rightful place as its queen.

The diverse cast of characters in this novel - both heroes and villains - is well developed, sure to evoke a mixture of compassion, admiration, and ire in the reader. Historical figures come alive, and relationships and alliances between various 15th century European monarchs are illuminated.

Gortner sets his story firmly in its historical context, giving the reader a clear sense of a time when adultery was a given and wives were expected to turn their heads, political ambition was paramount, and strong independent women risked being branded as crazy (in Spanish, loca.)

The plot pacing is perfect. Gortner covers considerable territory, without rushing or overwhelming his reader, providing just the right amount of historical background, and fleshing it out with romance, family drama and political intrigue.

Outside of Spain, she might be a relatively obscure historical figure, but by the end of this novel, Juana la Loca seems incredibly real, a person full of conflicting passions and loyalties with a compelling story to tell.

Reading books like this make you realize how lucky you are not to have been born a princess in 1400's Europe. In this novel about Juana of Castille - the second daughter of Ferdinand, King of Aragon, and Isabella, Queen of Castile - Gortner allows you to witness the delicate balance of power and impotence that marked Juana's life. Married off to Philip the Handsome at a young age, her life was continually marked by the power she could potentially wield and the control men had over her. Although she eventually became heir to the Crown of Spain, her husband and father never allowed her to claim her throne. Her once passionate marriage to Philip transformed into one marred by his thirst for power, and even turned abusive when he began spreading rumors about her "madness" in order to justify keeping her locked up. Indeed, her own father and son used the madness card to imprison her in the tower of Torsedillas for fifty-five years, until her death in 1555. Gortner takes some liberties with the storyline, changing for instance, the method of Phillip's death, but his modifications add depth to the story and in the afterword he fully admits he took liberties with Juana's history. He also gave Juana the benefit of the doubt when it came to questions of her sanity. While many historians believe she suffered from schizophrenia, Gortner gives us a woman whose life pushed her to the brink of human endurance and sanity.

I respect a person's right to disagree with me regarding anything and everything and I never put forth an argument; however, I find it incredibly frustrating when people presume to know the real person behind the persona, as if though they were lifelong friends. No matter how erudite a person is regarding a particular historical figure, no one can be so bold as to profess knowing first hand their true psychological makeup, especially when the person in question died four and half centuries ago. Let's be honest, no one in this world really knows anyone else, and so why take on this personal familiarity with someone whom you never even met? J.N.W. Bos "Joan" states "...but this autobiography just didn't feel like the real Juana La Loca." Whom does he suppose the real Juana La Loca was? Is he in possession of her memoirs? Confessions? Firstly, it isn't an autobiography, as Juana of Castile did not write it herself and secondly, even if he meant biography (which, no doubt, he did), it isn't one either. It is a historical novel and I believe it's a well known fact that in this particular genre, writers take certain liberties especially with the protagonists' inner monologues. They simply have no choice but to do so, as no one who knew them personally is alive to offer any first hand insight and if there were, even then it's all conjecture. I found this a fun, exciting and, ultimately, very interesting novel about a historical figure who has pretty much been reduced to a caricature; that of a woman driven to madness by love, passion and power. Here we get a far more well rounded portrait a strong woman who due to her sex was born to be dominated by the men in her life yet whose unfailing love of country and sense of duty nearly tore asunder the world around her. C.W. Gortner might not be the most poetic novelist being published these days, but what he lacks in baroque narrative and philosophical meditations, he more than makes up for with a wonderful sense of time and place, great attention to detail and a story that never once lags in it's intensity and all around appeal. I thought it was a pretty great novel about a woman who deserves to be better known. Whether it's the real Juana of Castile, no one will ever know, but in Mr. Gortner's capable hands, she is a fascinating and multi-faceted person who never lacked for incredible circumstances.

Historical fiction readers are inundated with novels about Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. If they do a little digging, they might be able to find something on Mary Queen of Scots or Marie Antoinette. Not that these aren't interesting people, but I was beginning to wonder if there was any other historical figure out there about whom an author might write. C.W. Gortner's "The Last Queen" is the answer to that question.

I knew absolutely nothing about Juana of Castile, so I brought no preconceived notions to the novel. I was able to read it without thinking "this is where that will happen," because I simply wasn't aware of the historical background. Juana of Castile had a life full of betrayal (I'm giving nothing away unless you skip reading the jacket blurb). Her story exemplifies the truth that women were nothing more than political pawns, meant for marrying well and breeding sons. Though Juana was daughter to a powerful Queen, even this did not protect her.

Overall, I found the story quite interesting (thus four stars), though the writing often suffered. The book is written from Juana's point of view, but most of it is not written as a woman of any era would speak, in my opinion and, given that I am female, I think I have a basis for expressing that opinion. I made this determination before I knew C.W. Gortner's gender, but as I read, I guessed that a man had written it. The bad guys were telegraphed so far in advance that I would have had to have been blind to miss the foreshadowing. There were a few surprises, but I would have preferred to find things out when Juana did, not see them coming 50 pages ahead of time.

The Last Queen did serve an important purpose, in that I would like to know more about Juana of Castile. It was surprising and intriguing news to me to hear that two films, and several books, had been released regarding her life, and I will be investigating those quite soon.

In the pivotal years of Spanish rule, when Isabel and Fernando reign with an iron religious fist, Juana of Castile is wed to Philip of Flanders, with no expectation of fulfilling a more ambitious role than that of wife and mother. But affairs of state are dictated by expediency and Juana becomes a pawn of both her mother's political machinations and Philip's ambitions, the Archduke driven by his personal demons. Juana, a sensual young woman, falls desperately in love with her handsome, if unfaithful husband, the first years of their marriage spent in a whirl of passion. Devastated by Philip's casual infidelity, Juana is brought back to earth by the harsh realities of her existence, her wifely advice restricted by the overweening influence of Philip's advisors.

Juana's line bears a terrible legacy: madness. She has seen her grandmother held captive for years by Isabel's order. Juana realizes that someday her own fate may be the same if she attempts to circumvent her mother's plans. After a series of family deaths, the Spanish throne is suddenly thrust upon Juana, with Philip as her royal consort. But Philip's alliance with France, Spain's arch enemy, places the Infanta at the center of a powerful struggle between her mother's plans for the throne and Philip's increasing hostility, a scheming nobility and a well-founded mistrust of those who would hold the power for themselves. At the heart of the novel is whether "Juana La Loca" is truly mad or driven to distraction by those who would twist her future into their ends.

Well-researched and written with a fine sensibility for the period, The Last Queen is a significant novel, one that reaches beyond the sensationalism of a crazy queen, a view of history from the perspective of a female heir to the throne in a patriarchal society too long chafed by Isabel's rule and determined to thwart Juana's. Never knowing who to trust, Juana is betrayed on all sides, finally the victim of powerful men who literally lock her away from the throne. Gortner's dramatic novel gives weight to an argument that the title "Juana La Loca" becomes a convenient label for a much-maligned woman ill-prepared to stem the tide of history. Albeit fiction, this account is a fascinating foray into that dark world of 15th century power and politics and one woman's youthful passion, disillusion and reckoning with a terrible fate. Luan Gaines/2006.

This is an excellent work of historical fiction of a Queen about whom very little is known, Juana, the second oldest daughter of the King and Queen of Spain, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Juana's parents would drive the Moors from Spain with the defeat and capture of Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada.

Ruling the newly united Spain was a formidable task, and much was expected of the five children of Isabella and Ferdinand. Their marriages were political ones, meant to secure Spain from its enemies and solidify its union. Juan, their son and heir, would marry Margaret of Hapsburg. The eldest daughter, Isabella, would marry Alfonso, the Prince of Portugal, while the youngest, Catalina, would first marry Arthur, the oldest son of King Henry VII of England, and later would go on to marry his younger brother, Henry. Maria would marry King Emanuel of Portugal. At sixteen, Juana was married to Phillip the Fair of Hapsburg, Archduke of the duchy of Flanders and heir to the Hapsburg Empire.

In Flanders, Juana becomes besotted with her husband, and just when true happiness seems to be within her grasp, with her children about her and her love for her husband paramount, the unthinkable happens. Her situation suddenly and drastically changes with the unexpected deaths of her brother, Juan, and her older sister, Isabella, making her the heiress to the throne of Spain. This changes the tenor of her relationship, as well as the balance of power, with her husband, who is no more than a puppet in the hands of his greedy and grasping Chancellor, the powerful Archbishop Besancon.

When Juana goes to Spain with her husband, she finds herself continually battling for power with him and struggling to retain her kingdom. She finds foes where she would least expect to do so and is pretty much left to fend for herself. Upon her husband's death, she carries her husband's coffin about with her, vowing to fight for what is best for Spain. She soon discovers that others do not share her vision. As rumors of her mental instability fly, Juana finds herself continually disenfranchised from her kingdom, heralding the beginning of the end for her reign, the last queen of Spain, and the end of life as she knows it.

Absorbing and well-written, the author's interpretive efforts bear much fruit, as he spins a story that captures the reader's imagination. This queen, about which so little is known, comes to life on the pages of this book. Written in the first person, it is a fascinating story of political intrigue at its most diabolical, replete with familial betrayal and great passion. Those who enjoy the books of Jean Plaidy and Philippa Gregory will, undoubtedly, enjoy reading this book, as well.

She is known through history as Spain's Mad Queen. But was Juana, daughter of the powerful Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, really as mad as they say? Juana of Castile, also known as Juana "La Loca" for her rumored insanity, lives again through the pages of C.W. Gortner's beautifully written story of trust and betrayal. Gortner has taken a much different and unexplored approach to Juana, instead portraying her as a passionate woman who was not at all insane, but rather a victim of history's chauvinistic attitude towards women.

Every man who came into Juana's life wanted her only for her crown. And when she refused to freely give what was rightfully hers, her enemies spun a wheel of treacherous deceit and manipulation, telling all who would listen that Juana was unfit to rule, a women driven mad by her passions. This sad fact truly angered me, as it seems to play off that age old idea of "women and their hysterics." While Juana did occasionally unleash a raging bout of anger or despair, it is clear that any woman of feeling would have been similarly driven to act out in some way if put under the same circumstances. I felt SO frustrated at certain points just reading as Juana fell into one trap after the other, blindly trusting those who should have been her staunchest allies, were they not only looking out for their own selfish ambitions.

I really like that the author has challenged a widely-accepted point of view on one of history's most misunderstood, and under appreciated, of women. Recorded history in and of itself does not always amount to pure fact, indeed there were many men in Juana's life who sought to tarnish her reputation forever in order to cover their own greed and the injustices that Juana was made to suffer. In Juana's case, "recorded history" must be challenged, as much of the conventional wisdom on Juana's character comes from the very men who sought to bring down this most tragic queen, and who thereby would have reason to wish to see Juana's name sullied, her abilities as a queen held to indefinite question.

I cannot emphasize enough how stunningly this book is written. I've never read an historical novel on Spain before, and this author expertly wove in prose and poetic wording to bring this country's history and its pious but prideful people brilliantly to life. He really captured the essence of Spain under the great Isabel, and the dramatic shift to hardship and chaos that took place there immediately after her death. Many of the betrayals Juana endured throughout her life came from the most unexpected of sources. Gortner is really good at tricking you as the reader into trusting these two-faced characters as well, which helps the reader to better understand Juana's situation. His ability to make the reader feel empathetic, as though he or she were experiencing Juana's hardships as their own, attests his abilities in evoking emotion and his overall artistry as a creative writer.

Gortner excels particularly at expressing the internal feelings and emotions of his main character Juana. I will admit I had my doubts at first when I learned that C.W. was a male author writing in first person from a female perspective, but after reading The Last Queen, he is now one of my new favorite authors. The Last Queen is right up there with Josephine B and Signora da Vinci for me; truly a splendid gem of a novel.

If you're an Anglophile, or enjoy biographies of queens, you undoubtedly know the story of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife. Catherine's sister was Juana of Castile, known in Spain as Juana la Loca. C.W. Gortner could have called his historical novel, The Last Queen, the lost queen or the forgotten queen. As he says in the outstanding commentary on his website, Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spain, is almost unknown outside of Spain.

It doesn't hurt to listen to his commentary before reading the book. It's well-done, sets the scene, and begins with the comment that history says she went made with love, but history can be wrong. Gortner's story shows a woman with method behind her madness, a tragic, yet triumphant queen who never ruled Spain.

Juana of Castile, daughter of Isabella and Fernando was an Infanta of Spain. When she was thirteen, her parents conquered Granada, seizing it from the Moors, and uniting Spain. Her mother, who was actually the more powerful of her parents, sent her to Flanders to marry Philip, heir to the Hapsburg empire. There, she was a contented wife and mother. However, when her husband became greedy for power, and sought to unite his duchy with France, she refused to be a party to a union with Spain's enemy. As tragedy after tragedy befell her family, this young woman found herself on the path of destiny. Once she was named heir to her mother's throne, she would find herself pitted against the husband she once loved.

Gortner allows Juana to tell her story, looking back at her life. Her visit to her dying grandmother, who had been imprisoned for her madness, foreshadows the last years of her own life. For Juana, in pitting herself against her husband, and other men, became a target for the powerful men who wanted her throne. Her determination to save Spain led to her own downfall, but it kept the country intact for her son.

This book would be an excellent choice for book clubs, with its exploration of a life not really known in this country. It's as fast-paced and riveting as any thriller. The Last Queen is a beautifully written, well-researched story of an unknown queen. Gortner brings her to vivid life, as a lusty, strong-willed woman. Was Juana of Castile, Juana la Loca, really mad? Gortner says history isn't always kind to women. However, he gives voice to a strong woman, and allows her to proclaim her story.

C.W. Gortner's website is www.cwgortner.com

"The Last Queen" by C.W. Gortner is a historical novel which gives a fresh perspective on the life of the enigmatic Queen Juana of Castile. Gortner skillfully weaves together the loose threads of fact and fiction into a rare and subtle tragedy. The story of the daughter of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, known to history Juana la Loca, is usually told with the emphasis on the passion between Juana and her faithless husband, Philip of Flanders. While Gortner's retelling captures Juana's passionate nature as never before, he also gives a fuller picture of her unique calamity by going beyond her relationship with miscreant Philip to the larger scope of the situations enveloping her. Until reading this book I had not fully grasped the fierceness of the political intrigues, the familial tug-of-war, and the basic struggle of good versus evil which rent Juana's heart, mind and soul. Gortner realistically but sensitively paints her gradual descent into agony as she fights to keep herself from unraveling.

"The Last Queen" combines riveting action with a compassionate portrait of a woman haunted by mental illness. While some fleeting love scenes may not be suitable for very young readers, the gist of the story far surpasses the realm of mere sensuality but takes on the vast range of political, cultural, and spiritual issues that were at stake. Renaissance Europe springs to life in this carefully researched novel, replete with colorful details about the various historical characters. Of course, Juana upstages everyone else. The more wild the incident, the more one can be certain that it truly happened.

Particularly vivid is the portrayal of Queen Isabel; her personality comes through so strongly in the book so that I almost feel that we have met face-to-face. Other than the fact that she was a queen and a matron, Isabel reminds me of the great St. Teresa of Avila, possessing similar determination and luminous faith. Juana's father Ferdinand is a complex character. One cannot help but love him like Juana does, which makes his later actions all the more disturbing.

Outraged in every way, Juana's ordeal encompasses the full gamut of suffering so as to have universal relevance. Hers was a dauntless courage. Her love of her people caused her not to flinch from any sacrifice. I marvel at her tenacity and greatness of heart, qualities shared with her mother Queen Isabel, and with her sister Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England. Juana, like Catherine, had a long battle with the powers of darkness incarnated in a turncoat spouse. Like Catherine, Juana's greatest love became her greatest foe and betrayer. Each queen had to endure disgrace and isolation for refusing to compromise on essentials. It is difficult to say which sister had the most complete immolation. They take their place with other tragic Catholic queens of history, such as Mary Queen of Scots and, of course, Marie-Antoinette.