The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick is the beginning of her trilogy on the life of Eleanor of the Aquitaine. This book tells the story of Alienor's (how she was known at that time) betrothal and first marriage to King Louis VII of France in 1137 and follows her on crusade and as challenges cause both of them to seek annulment. Beautifully written, this is my favorite type of historical fiction with enough detail to expand my understanding while telling an interesting story. The story moves quickly, with conversations and interactions which feel realistic. I've already hunted down the sequel to read at some point.Another example of wonderful historical fiction is Helena by Evelyn Waugh, telling the story of Saint Helena from when she meets and marries Constanine and continues as she follows him, and later her son, from military post to post. Personally this book was a bit too light on facts about the saint but an interesting overview of life during the 4th Century Roman Empire. Even if this leans more fiction than history the writing is wonderful, particularly as she searches for the True Cross and seeks the intercession of the Magi.
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Wow, really neat historical fiction reads, Joy! I'm the same way with historical fiction- like when there's enough details but an interesting story line as well. :)
ReplyDeleteYou’ve got me interested in The Summer Queen. Thanks for the recommendations!
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DeleteI'm currently re-reading Evelyn Waught's Brideshead Revisited and realizing I wasn't really aware of anything else he'd written! These look interesting! Thanks for linking up.
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