Books : Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of England

Rating: - Wonderful! A masterpiece
this was my first book that i read by Alison Weir and gee! What an impresson it made! I thought that it was a great book and throughly researched. Alison Weir writes so well that it keeps you hooked until you have read the last page. I did however feel that Ms Victoria Clare's review scathing and doesnt have any truth in the matter what soever! So if you like any books about fascinating medieaval women, or are looking for a great read than this is the book for you! Well done Alison Weir!

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Rating: - A formidable, mediaeval woman
This fascinating biography tells the true story of a formidable, mediaeval woman who liked to live life to the full. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, was married twice - first to Louis VII of France, then to the future Henry II of England who was, at that time, embroiled in civil war against his usurping cousin King Stephen.

Eleanor was a much-travelled woman, journeying to the Holy Land, Rome, England, Spain and various countries in between.

She also had ten children, including Richard the Lion Heart and King John, and rebelled against her husband, Henry, in favour of their sons, spending several years under house arrest as a result.

I knew nothing about Eleanor before I read this, but, typical of Alison Weir's writing, this is a gripping tale that I just couldn't put down.

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Rating: - Interesting read about a remarkable woman
Alison Weir has the gift of combining historical expertise with real story-telling skill thereby bringing long-dead people to life in a way that few can match. Although there are relatively few contemporary sources for Eleanor's life, Ms Weir combines fact and knowledge of the era to flesh out the bones, so to speak. It's a fascinating story containing all the elements of a good blockbuster - love, power, family, intrigue, money, conflict - set in a world of chivalry, knightly adventures and medieval pageantry. Even better, it's all true!
Eleanor was married to two kings, mother of two kings and was a feudal lord of enormous tracts of land in her own right - in an age when women were seen as mere chattels to be disposed of as and when (and to whom) the men pleased, she is an inspiration and a one-off. Fab read, cool heroine, true story - and you don't have to be a history buff to enjoy it.

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Rating: - Decent thin book hides inside mediocre fat book
Two problems with this book: lack of source material and inadequate research. Alison Weir's usual beat is the Renaissance and late Middle Ages: she clearly isn't so confident with this earlier period.

She's apparently dogged by restricted evidence about Eleanor (or so she says: Eleanor has got to be one of the best documented women of the period, and I personally think Weir is looking for a kind of evidence you just don't get at this time.)

The generic 'about the period' information she's used instead as padding could really use trimming by a decent editor.

I think I knew that 'fruits and berries grew on trees' - this is only one example of the many 'generic statements about life in the Middle Ages' she uses, but it's a particularly fine example! Yet she does not explain why these generic statements are important, or why they are significant to Eleanor's life and circumstances.

And it seems really odd to jump from explaining in moronic detail why people left money to the church, to a glancing reference to resumption of crown lands - surely a technical term that merited more explanation? Niggles, perhaps, but I started noticing them more and more as I read: this one is probably not going to get a second read from me.

It's a readable book with some interesting points. But if it were half the length, it would be twice the book.

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Rating: - A cracking read!
Alison Weir really does bring history to life with this superbly written book. This thoroughly well researched account of the life of Eleanor of Aquataine makes fascinating reading, and is a must for any lover of history. Weir brilliantly balances the political aspects of Eleanor's life with the personal, creating a scholarly work that is both informative and full of intrigue - a truly riveting read!