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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting look at a little known person from history, April 22, 2010
This review is from: The Queen's Pawn (Mass Market Paperback)
I was honored to receive this advanced copy to read and review and enjoyed the story that Ms. English presents. I am always happy to read anything that deals with Eleanor of Aquitaine and this touching novel did not disappoint. This is the story of a girl rarely mentioned in history, the Princess Alais of France.
Alais was betrothed to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II's son Richard and sent to live in England until her marriage. Once in England she is taken under Eleanor's wing and the two form a close mother-daughter relationship. Eleanor really sees a lot of herself in young Alais. After meeting Richard she falls in love with him and looks forward to the day when they will finally be wed. However, her love quickly turns to hate when she discovers him in the arms of another woman and takes it personally. Despite Eleanor's advice that most men will stray, Alais feels that she has been nothing but a pawn and decides to take revenge on not only Richard but on Eleanor as well. Her goal? To be crowned Queen of England next to Henry.
This was a very interesting look into the life of a girl who, if she is mentioned in history at all, is usually only mentioned in a quick side note. There really wasn't too much going on in the story through the first half as the author introduces us to the major players and really sets the scene for the coming conflict. The action really seems to start in the second half and then the story moved fairly quickly. The detail in the descriptions of life during this time was fantastic. The author really gives the reader a look at something that is usually overlooked in most novels - a closer inspection of what life was like for royal females. I especially enjoyed the scenes in the Great Hall during meals; it was very easy for me to picture Eleanor lording it over her end of the table with Henry trying not to be outdone on the other end. Her attention to the details was really amazing and I appreciated the effort to make things come alive. You will not get bogged down in all this detail though, as can happen in some historical fiction when too much is thrown at you; what is on the page is what is needed in the story. The only thing that got a bit annoying to me was the constant repetition of certain phrases or ideas, which happens quite a bit in Eleanor's case as she is always saying, for example, "Alais is like me; she is very strong" in various ways. As for the characters of Eleanor, Henry, and Richard, they behave as you would expect with nothing "out of character" for them, though I thought the affection Richard showed Alais was very touching. Alais, however, turns out to be one of those characters who I initially liked but eventually came to despise, though I am not saying that her character is not well written. I just have never been a huge fan of drastic changes in a character's personality. I was fine with her until she got it into her head to try to push Eleanor off her throne, though it did give me a chuckle to think that this young girl thought that she'd be able to best Eleanor of Aquitaine. I thought her hatred of Richard's seeming betrayal was a bit much and I found it hard to believe that she actually thought men were faithful (at this time) once they were betrothed or married. As usual, I loved how Eleanor always shows queenly poise and thought how she handles the entire situation was beautifully written. I liked the way the author ended the story as well; it was a very calm and peaceful scene.
Overall this was an enjoyable read. It was another fascinating look into the lives of the volatile early Plantagenets. I liked how the author focuses on a little known person from history and gives her a story of her own, really making her come to life. As it has never been proven that there was a relationship between Henry II and Alais I found this version of what "could have been" a very interesting read. I would certainly recommend this to readers interested in reading about Eleanor of Aquitaine but are not ready to take on the much larger novels about her. Too bad Amazon does not allow 1/2 stars because I would give this a 3.5. I am looking forward to this author's next novel!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very enjoyable "what if", April 17, 2010
This review is from: The Queen's Pawn (Mass Market Paperback)
I love historical fiction, and I really enjoyed The Queen's Pawn. The young and lovely Alais starts out as a sweet girl who's surprised to find that everything she'd ever heard about Queen Eleanor (of Aquitaine) was wrong, or at the very least unfair. She grows to love Eleanor as a mother, and Eleanor in turn, dotes on Alais and raises her to be a strong, independent woman. The Queen's Pawn is truly a love story, but not the kind you'd expect. It's complex and full of betrayal and forgiveness, just like a good love story should be.
It starts off as a fairly straightforward historical fiction novel, but at some point shifts to a historical "what-if" novel. What if we knew what these two ladies were thinking? What if the (alleged) affair between Alais and Henry didn't begin how we think it did? What if the timing were just a little bit different?
I found the book to be very entertaining, and I loved getting lost in it for a while. Incidentally, it's English's first novel! I can't wait for the next one!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy on Fiction - Light on History, June 23, 2011
This review is from: The Queen's Pawn (Mass Market Paperback)
Others have described the plot here which, in a nutshell, deals with the supposedly intimate, mother-daughter type relationship between the redoubtable Eleanor of Aquitaine and young Alais of France, sent to England as a girl after her betrothal to Richard the Lionhearted, son of Eleanor and Henry II. The narrative alternates between chapters written from each of these two women's points of view. I laughed out loud at another reviewer's mention of "mind-reading" as I had that exact reaction to a good bit of the narrative. Somehow both Eleanor and Alais are certifiably clairvoyant as each seemingly is unerringly able to read and understand the secret, unspoken thoughts of the other - as well as most of the other players in the tale. If I had a buck for everytime phrases such as "I was able to read the truth in his eyes behind his shuttered face" cropped up, I'd be fixed for life. Never have I come across a work so bogged down in telepathic communication that wasn't intended as science fiction.
Ms. English acknowledges taking liberties with historical facts in order to promote her fictional plot. That is legitimate in HF, but in this case, there is so much fictional content that the entire story could well have been 100% concocted out of thin air. Better to have the fictional parts be subsidiary in historical novels and not the meat of the story, as is the case here. As an aside, it is widely held that Richard the Lionheart was homosexual. That fact in mind, all the moonlight and cow eyes between him and Alais strikes a false note. Factually, Richard basically had no truck with women at all and ended up marrying - but never living with - a completely different woman, despite the intimation at the end of this work that he and Alais would somehow end up in blissful marriage after Henry II died. Balderdash.
This is not much more than searing gazes of the characters into the hearts and minds of one another. Shaky history and far-fetched supposition makes this one quickly read and quickly forgotten.
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