The Traitor's Wife [Paperback]

Susan Higginbotham (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 1, 2009

Includes a special Q&A from the author of The Traitor's Wife, Susan Higginbotham.

From the bedchamber to the battlefield, through treachery and fidelity, one woman is imprisoned by the secrets of the crown.

It is an age where passion reigns and treachery runs as thick as blood. Young Eleanor has two men in her life: her uncle King Edward II, and her husband Hugh le Despenser, a mere knight but the newfound favorite of the king. She has no desire to meddle in royal affairs—she wishes for a serene, simple life with her family. But as political unrest sweeps the land, Eleanor, sharply intelligent yet blindly naïve, becomes the only woman each man can trust.

Fiercely devoted to both her husband and her king, Eleanor holds the secret that could destroy all of England—and discovers the choices no woman should have to make.

At its heart, The Traitor's Wife is a unique love story that every reader will connect with.

Gold Medalist, historical / military fiction, 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards • Includes bonus reading group guide

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PRAISE FOR THE TRAITOR'S WIFE:

"Conveys emotions and relationships quite poignantly... entertaining historical fiction."
Kirkus Discoveries

"Higginbotham's talents lie not only in her capacity for detailed genealogical research of the period, but also in her skill in bringing these historical figures to life with passion, a wonderful sense of humor, honor, and love."
Historical Novels Review Online

"Higginbotham has stirred to life a girl who is naive and passionate, impulsive and loyal... an endearing, involving story, made so by the unconventional characters of Eleanor and Edward."
Reviewer's Choice

"Higginbotham makes history come alive... The Traitor's Wife is a tale of intrigue, betrayal, loyalty, and passion."
BookPleasures

"All the ingredients for a great tale: [love], treason, war, and murder. Couple this with Higginbotham's clear passion and knack for accuracy, and this book is a can't miss... this novel was a joy to read."
Read and Review

"Higginbotham makes history come alive…The Traitor's Wife is a tale of intrigue, betrayal, loyalty, and passion."
Book Pleasures

"Beautifully researched and incredibly captivating, The Traitor's Wife is a book you won't want to put down. Susan Higginbotham's vivid portrayal of life during Edward II's tumultuous reign makes for fascinating reading. Highly recommended!"
Michelle Moran, bestselling author of The Heretic Queen

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A strong woman circumscribed by artificial restrictions imposed on her by her time, her place, and her social standing is a recurrent theme in historical fiction. Higginbotham artfully reworks this theme, fictionalizing the story of Eleanor le Despenser, niece of Edward II and wife of Hugh le Despenser the Younger. As lady-in-waiting to Queen Isabella, Eleanor enjoys her privileged position in the fourteenth-century English court until doubts about her uncle and his seemingly unsavory relationship with her husband begin to creep in. Higginbotham does a superb job of vividly re-creating the royal intrigue and treachery that characterized Edward’s inner circle, while breathing new life into a complex, real-life heroine forced into making decisions that virtually defined the historical destiny of her family. --Margaret Flanagan

Review

"Conveys emotions and relationships quite poignantly . . . entertaining historical fiction." -- Kirkus Discoveries

"[D]ialogue is excellent . . . Higginbotham [brings] these historical figures to life with passion, a wonderful sense of humor, honor, and love." -- Catherine Perkins, Historical Novels Review Online, Autumn 2005

[D]ialogue is excellent . . . Higginbotham [brings] these historical figures to life with passion, a wonderful sense of humor, honor, and love. -- Historical Novels Review Online, Autumn 2005 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402217870
• ISBN-13: 978-1402217876
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (132 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Higginbotham's meticulously researched historical fiction brought to life by her heartfelt writing delights readers. Higginbotham runs her own historical fiction/history blog, History Refreshed by Susan Higginbotham, and owns a bulletin board, Historical Fiction Online. She has worked as an editor and an attorney and lives in Apex, North Carolina, with her family.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 129 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Eleanor le Despenser's story... February 13, 2008

By JaneConsumer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Eleanor de Clare, niece to Edward II, marries Hugh le Despenser when the book opens in 1306. Hugh was quite the character - a pirate, knight, knave or confidant of the king at one time or another. Adopting the consensus of most historians, The Traitor's Wife portrays his relationship with Edward II as a homosexual one. It even suggests there may have been sexual relations between Eleanor and the king, which some historians also believe.

This love triangle is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scandals during Edward's reign. In fact, this one doesn't even begin until after the death of Piers Gaveston, also alleged to have had homosexual relations with the king. And then there's the scheming of Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella, who want to reign - and do for a short while - in all but name.

Even after Hugh le Despenser, and a short time later, Edward II, die, Eleanor's life is anything but uneventful. She marries William la Zouche, the man responsible for capturing Hugh. Then she manages to get herself accused of marrying two different men at the same time. As the author later explains in the afterword, the explanation of this event is fictional. But historical records indicate that John de Grey, a knight, challenged the marriage because he believed Eleanor to have been married to him.

In short, the book is jam-packed with scandal - impeccably researched, which makes for some juicy reading. Moreover, the characters are likeable - perhaps except for Mortimer - even when they're misbehaving.

If you like action-packed medieval drama supported by accurate historical details, you'll love this book. Highly recommended.

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The banality of evil October 28, 2006

By wkbee

Format:Paperback

I was very interested in reading this book to get a different take on Hugh Despenser and was willing to suspend disbelief. However, even the author can't save him from his notorious deeds. The best she can do for him is make him a loving husband and father who somehow manages to hide from his naive and adoring wife both his physical relationship with Edward II and outright theft of lands and treasure. Eleanor hardly raises an eyebrow even when he wrangles with her own sisters over their rightful inheritence (and wins, of course, with the king on his side). In order to get the reader to have some empathy for Eleanor, it's necessary to keep her in the dark about Hugh's bad behavior, which just makes Eleanor seem witless and unreliable. The way she could be fooled about his true self simply because he was a considerate spouse is unbelievable in a "we didn't know what the Nazis were doing" kind of way. The very modern English used detracts further from the believabilty of the story. Despenser is a tough character to work with if you are determined to have a novel with a sympathetic person at its center. The book might have worked better if Eleanor was not written as a naif but as an active participant in Hugh's activities, which she probably was, since she's long been viewed as a spy planted in Queen Isabella's household. There are many pages devoted to the stories of Despenser's children; the family actually managed to work its way back into royal favor in years to come. That might have been another angle to take - the sons dealing with the legacy of a notorious father. But Hugh as husband of the year? I'm just not buying it.

92 of 112 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Soap Opera That Followed Braveheart September 17, 2006

By Floyd M. Orr VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

King Edward I invaded Scotland, setting off the events more or less chronicled in the fictional book and movie, Braveheart. Edward's son was far less of a war hawk than his dad. His misadventures became the root of many problems that cropped up in the English king's court during the early 1300's. In essence, Edward II was the Bill Clinton of England: you either hated him for his sexual dalliances or you ignored them and respected him for his better qualities. This book is a fictionalized account of the story, as seen through the eyes of the king's niece, Eleanor le Despenser, who was also married to a pirate who shared his bed with both of them. Susan Higginbotham explains the whole, sordid, convoluted history with a conversational style that keeps the action flowing and the reader turning the page. This is quite an impressive first novel.