The summer queen A novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine

Historical fiction novelist Chadwick (The Greatest Knight; A Place Beyond Courage) launches a new trilogy centered on Eleanor of Aquitaine. Alienor (Eleanor) is only 13 when her father dies on a religious pilgrimage, leaving behind a plan for her to marry the French heir to the throne and one day become queen of France. Initially pleased with the dashing young Louis, Alienor soon finds that his obsessive piety and dependence on ambitious advisers make it almost impossible for her to play the powerful role at court she had anticipated. Caught between her need to appease Louis and her own desires and passions, Alienor struggles to discern where her ultimate loyalties should lie. Verdict Chadwick is extremely popular among readers of medieval historical fiction owing to her meticulous research and attention to detail. Fans of her previous novels should enjoy getting a closer look at Eleanor, who has appeared in several of her other books, while newcomers will find this to be a pleasurable introduction to Chadwick's work.-Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

British author Chadwick (Shadows and Strongholds,2005, etc.) begins a trilogy chronicling the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, a queen equal to kings.The tale opens with William, Duke of Aquitaine, mortally ill. To ensure Aquitaines future, he arranges the marriage of his daughter, 13-year-old EleanorAlienor, as written thento Louis, the French crown prince. Europe in 1137 was a jumble of fiefdoms, every ruler seeking alliances of power, and so Alienor acquiesces to her fate. At first, Louis proves an acceptable husband, but as king, he stumbles from one disaster to another, quickly becoming "a querulous man, old before his time, full of righteous anger, his guilt and self-loathing twisting within." Daughters are bornrather than a male heir, and the marriage collapses. Alienor demands annulment, granted only after politicized negotiations. Freedom brings peril: An "irresistible marriage prize to someone," Alienor risks being kidnapped and forced into marriage by any rogue coveting Aquitaines riches. Chadwicks prodigious research sets the scene, whether in castles, trekking from one dukedom to another or on Louis Holy Crusade, all extraordinarily detailed, if occasionally too replete with duplicities, court manners and poisoned clerics with political agendas. Leaving court and bedroom lamentations behind,Chadwick shifts into high gearwhen Henry, Duke of Normandy and future ruler of England, seeks marriage. Only 18, nine years younger than Alienor, but her equal in intelligence and courage, Henry, "a force of nature carrying all before him," roars into the narrative with the sure-footed power of a king-to-be. Other characters abound, some sympathetic in love and loyalty, like Alienors vassal and first love, Geoffrey de Rancon, whom she cannot marry lest she fracture peace in Aquitaine. Chadwick layers on each page the great passions of medieval life, all murderous manipulations and aristocratic ambitions, leaving readers only to speculate how these teenagers stepped astride history to rule.An immersion in the life of a queen who helped shape the Western world. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.