Revenge of the Rose: A Novel [Hardcover]

Nicole Galland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2006

This is a lively, captivating novel, set in the medieval Holy Roman Empire, that combines the historical detail of Dorothy Dunnett's "The Lymond Chronicles" with the spellbinding narrative of "The Other Boleyn Girl". In the summer of 1199, Willem, a naive, poor young nobleman, is summoned to the magnificent court of Konrad, the Holy Roman Emperor, whose realm spans much of Europe. Willem's champion and waggish guide to courtly life is the irrepressible but mysterious minstrel Jouglet, a longtime admirer of Willem's sister Lienor. The model of chivalry, Willem wins great honors for his knightly prowess, but soon learns that gossip, secrets, and lies are what really fuel courtly life and that he himself is the unwitting pawn in an elaborate scheme.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With deep nods to the Roman de la Rose, Galland (The Fool's Tale) has penned a clever novel of courtly love that resolves the ambiguities of the late-medieval work, while leaving some of its own questions. Troubadour Jouglet, honored member of the court of Konrad, the fictional Holy Roman Emperor, has schemed for years to bring his beloved friend Willem of Dole—and Willem's beauteous sister Lienor, whom Jouglet secretly loves—to Konrad's attention. Brought to court, Willem is a great success, but quickly falls prey to intrigue. Evil priest Paul, the emperor's brother, plots with Willem's dishonest kinsman, Alphonse, to destroy the best-laid plans of Jouglet, and of Willem's new friend at court, the lowborn but worthy Marcus, Konrad's steward. Everyone has his own secret (there are broad hints at another object of Jouglet's affections), many of which are flushed out by the appearance of a mysterious rose and a rediscovered ring. The whipsaw plot twists don't always stop short of the breaking point, and the denouement leaves as many questions as it answers, but this court romp entertains with a flourish. (Aug.)
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From Booklist

This sprawling novel by the author of The Fool's Tale (2005) is like a tasty fictional stew, mixing elements of twelfth-century culture together skillfully to produce a veritable reading feast. The setting rotates among remote estates in Burgundy and cities and counties in the Holy Roman Empire. Major characters include a made-up Holy Roman emperor named Konrad; his court minstrel; courtiers and ecclesiastics lacking in moral and ethical values; a naive, chivalrous knight; and his beautiful (of course) sister. The minstrel, an intelligent and manipulative player, schemes to elevate the knight and his family within Konrad's court. The combination of vicious politics, mysterious doings, betrayals, and double-dealing, added to a leisurely but engaging plot, will keep those pages turning. The invented Holy Roman emperor, some anachronistic language, and wholesale disregard of some medieval cultural proscriptions, combined with the author's glossing over the more unpleasant aspects of medieval life, will irritate historical fiction purists. However, the romance is sweet, and the revenge is satisfying enough to appeal to readers of period mysteries and light historical fare. Ellen Loughran
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1St Edition edition (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006084177X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060841775
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious treat!, August 8, 2006

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Dr. B "Wisecracker" (Bethesda, MD United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Revenge of the Rose: A Novel (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this juicy novel, and would highly recommend it to anyone who takes pleasure in clever writing. As with the Fool's Tale (a truly wonderful book!), Galland snared me with her characters. I am most likely to reject a book if the characters are not people I can believe in, or care about, so I've put aside many a skillfully written novel on those grounds. This book will not dissapoint, but I warn you not to begin it if you won't be able to treat yourself to a minor obsession until you're done.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great hero, great book, August 8, 2006

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Skeptical Reader (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revenge of the Rose: A Novel (Hardcover)

I eagerly picked up this novel in a pre-publication galley because I was such a huge and surprised fan of "The Fool's Tale." I was both happy to re-encounter Galland's quick and smart prose, and surprised by how different this novel is. It's less dark, ultimately, than her first novel, but quicker, odder, and more irreverent. If "The Fool's Tale" was how people coped with the various political and personal rules of life among the medieval nobility, this is a book about how people -- or, one brilliant person -- goes about subverting it. Because of that, it has an element of the fantastic: surely, no one Back Then was ever as resourceful, clever, wise and ultimately powerful as the minstrel Jouglet. But by the end of the book, it doesn't matter, just as it doesn't matter that there's never been a spy as good as James Bond. In both cases, though, you fondly hope there were.

Once again, Galland writes a historical romance that's safe for people who hate historical romances. And she does more than that: not only is this not about virtuous knights and shy maidens in castles, it's about people who laugh at those cliches, and spend their lives doing their best to escape the restrictions imposed by them. Among other things, in a world in which everyone, and everybody, is restricted as to who they can be, what they can do, even who they are allowed to speak to, Galland creates someone who achieves something like complete freedom. You end up impressed, and even envious.

I'm not giving it five stars, by the way, only because in the end I still preferred The Fool's Tale, because I personally tend towards the dark. But this is a great read, and will keep Galland's growing legions of fans happy until her next book.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing twist...., September 3, 2006

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Flush Barrett-Browning (Tennessee Valley) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Revenge of the Rose: A Novel (Hardcover)

Nicole Galland's Revenge of the Rose is an interesting twist on the medieval 'Romance of the Rose.' Its strengths are the delightful characters, the interesting presentation of historical detail for an entirely fictional background, and, my favorite, a strong heroine. Its major weakness is Galland's tendency to visualize the entire novel with little attention to interior states [this is more screenplay than novel]; her novels are very visual, but she needs to work at moving from screenplays to novels. That said, the conclusion is among the most satisfying I have ever read. It's a winner!