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33rd out of 504 books
—
44 voters
Reign of Madness
by
Lynn Cullen (Goodreads Author)
From the author of The Creation of Eve comes a tale of love and madness, royal intrigue and marital betrayal, set during the Golden Age of Spain.
Juana of Castile, third child of the Spanish monarchs Isabel and Fernando, grows up with no hope of inheriting her parents' crowns, but as a princess knows her duty: to further her family's ambitions through marriage. Yet stories...more
Juana of Castile, third child of the Spanish monarchs Isabel and Fernando, grows up with no hope of inheriting her parents' crowns, but as a princess knows her duty: to further her family's ambitions through marriage. Yet stories...more
Hardcover, 437 pages
Published
August 4th 2011
by Putnam Adult
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**Copy received thru First Reads Giveaway**
Took me a while to get into this book as it read like a YA book to me all the way through. Juana starts off as a teenager and even though she has six children and 10 or so years pass, she's still acting like a teenager. Everything she does is reactive - I dislike passive 'heroines' like this. Granted, for the time period described, female passivity was the norm, but you can't advertise this book as a great love story or a drama because there's neither....more
Took me a while to get into this book as it read like a YA book to me all the way through. Juana starts off as a teenager and even though she has six children and 10 or so years pass, she's still acting like a teenager. Everything she does is reactive - I dislike passive 'heroines' like this. Granted, for the time period described, female passivity was the norm, but you can't advertise this book as a great love story or a drama because there's neither....more
My full 4 JEWEL review can be found at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
The history of Spain and its royalty was mostly unknown to me until reading this book. I had heard of Isabella and Ferdinand of course, but not many details. While Reign of Madness went a long way to change that, it was also an enjoyable read.
Lynn Cullen has focused on a point in history that is still surrounded by more questions than answers, almost 500 years later. It continues to be a mystery what really happened to Juana dur...more
The history of Spain and its royalty was mostly unknown to me until reading this book. I had heard of Isabella and Ferdinand of course, but not many details. While Reign of Madness went a long way to change that, it was also an enjoyable read.
Lynn Cullen has focused on a point in history that is still surrounded by more questions than answers, almost 500 years later. It continues to be a mystery what really happened to Juana dur...more
I was intrigued by the story and knew very little about Spanish history and about Juana the Mad when I began reading Reign of Madness. I think that this lack of background information made it easy for me to dive into the story, to sympathize with Juana and to find myself staunchly on her side.
Juana had never expected to become queen of Spain. She was the daughter of Queen Isabela, one of the most powerful queens in Spanish European history and the mother of Charles V, emperor of the Holy Roman E...more
Juana had never expected to become queen of Spain. She was the daughter of Queen Isabela, one of the most powerful queens in Spanish European history and the mother of Charles V, emperor of the Holy Roman E...more
In the Reign of Madness, Lynn Cullen explores the life and relationships of Juana la Loca, the "Mad", daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile, and sister of Catherine, first wife of Henry VIII of England. Cullen addresses, with understanding, insight and compassion, the true nature of this woman, falsely accused of madness by her contemporaries, including her husband. The detail-filled descriptions of Juana, her husband, Philip, her sister, Catherine, and life in the Spain and Neth...more
About 60 pages into it, I looked at my stack of to-read books, and stopped. It was reading like a YA romance, with a teenage heroine having
--issues with her parents (news flash: when your mother is the Queen of Spain, she's going to be a little controlling, and I doubt that Queen Isabel gave feminist speeches to her daughters, such as analogizing women to horses with "And so it continues forth, a noble, strong creature, kicked and spurred into docility by the little man upon it. . . .");
--a crus...more
--issues with her parents (news flash: when your mother is the Queen of Spain, she's going to be a little controlling, and I doubt that Queen Isabel gave feminist speeches to her daughters, such as analogizing women to horses with "And so it continues forth, a noble, strong creature, kicked and spurred into docility by the little man upon it. . . .");
--a crus...more
I did not know much about Juana of Castile before reading this book but I now know that I want to know more.This tale of yet another young woman in history sold to a man she did not know for political reasons is unbelievably sad. While a work of fiction the story is based on what fact has come down through history.
Juana was the third daughter of the very famous Ferdinand and Isabella. She was not expected to ever ascend to the throne of "the Spains" but as a royal daughter she was sent to Austri...more
Juana was the third daughter of the very famous Ferdinand and Isabella. She was not expected to ever ascend to the throne of "the Spains" but as a royal daughter she was sent to Austri...more
Being a princess was no fairy story! This tale is more tangled than Rapunzel’s!
Reign of Madness is an account that begins as a sunny romance and ends in gothic noir.
Juana of Castile was a bartered bride, following in her sister Catherine of Aragon’s doomed footsteps, bargained off as a political pawn to Habsburg Philippe the Handsome, Archduke of Flanders.
A flowering branch of one of the mightiest family trees in history, she was the daughter of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella. Her brother-in-la...more
Reign of Madness is an account that begins as a sunny romance and ends in gothic noir.
Juana of Castile was a bartered bride, following in her sister Catherine of Aragon’s doomed footsteps, bargained off as a political pawn to Habsburg Philippe the Handsome, Archduke of Flanders.
A flowering branch of one of the mightiest family trees in history, she was the daughter of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella. Her brother-in-la...more
Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen, a Kindle book supplied by my local, loving Hennepin library system. Two weeks seems to be the ideal amount of time that both I have to devote to a book and that the library gives for me to read it before it's suddenly whisked away.
Already having alot of invested interest in the Spanish monarchy and the Inquisition, I flocked to this book, really looking forward to delving into an era prior to what's covered in another favorite book of mine, Poison by Kathryn Harr...more
Already having alot of invested interest in the Spanish monarchy and the Inquisition, I flocked to this book, really looking forward to delving into an era prior to what's covered in another favorite book of mine, Poison by Kathryn Harr...more
I received this book in a goodreads giveaway.
A princess never supposed to be Queen, a Queen denied her right to rule. This is the sad story of Juana, daughter of Queen Isabella, one of the greatest monarchs of all time. While this book was a fictionalized version of true events, the basic story was of course based on facts. I couldn't help but feel that poor Juana probably did actually go mad in reality though, after being abused and neglected for so long. The first part of the book is actually...more
A princess never supposed to be Queen, a Queen denied her right to rule. This is the sad story of Juana, daughter of Queen Isabella, one of the greatest monarchs of all time. While this book was a fictionalized version of true events, the basic story was of course based on facts. I couldn't help but feel that poor Juana probably did actually go mad in reality though, after being abused and neglected for so long. The first part of the book is actually...more
I don't recall ever reading any books set in the spanish court so I checked Reign of Madness out of the library with relish. I quickly read through most of the book, but at about 3/4th of the way in I suddenly lost almost all interest in it. I did go ahead and finish it up, and in doing so pinpointed why this happened. Juana of Castile is a mousey character. She has events happen to her, but doesn’t do anything to really try to prevent the situations she finds herself in, I had thought that some...more
During the sixteenth century, Spain and her territories were ruled by Juana of Castile, the daughter of famous monarchs Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Reign of Madness is a work of historical fiction depicting how Juana came to be Queen, how she came to be known as Juana the Mad, and the intrigue and power plays that surrounded her life at Court.
It is particularly satisfying to learn about some facet of history about which I am unaware. I haven’t studied much about Spanish history and when I...more
It is particularly satisfying to learn about some facet of history about which I am unaware. I haven’t studied much about Spanish history and when I...more
I've read some of Cullen's earlier books and knew I'd be in for a treat with her latest historical fiction and, more than being pleased, I was dazzled. About the time Christopher Columbus is sailing the ocean blue we have the story of Juana of Castile, daughter of Isabel and Fernando, who is destined to inherit the throne. What starts out as a touching romance in the arranged marriage of Juana and Philippe "the Handsome" soon turns into a lusty union and plots to grab the crown. Oh, the intrigue...more
My review of first appeared in the November 2011 issue of Historical Novels Review:
Veteran author Lynn Cullen, author of The Creation of Eve, chose Juana la Loca, middle child of Spain’s Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, to bring to life in this tragic cautionary tale. C.W. Gortner also wrote about Juana the Mad in his recent novel, The Last Queen. Interestingly, both Gortner and Cullen, after doing the research, decided that Juana’s diagnosis and 50-year confinement (at the hand...more
Veteran author Lynn Cullen, author of The Creation of Eve, chose Juana la Loca, middle child of Spain’s Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, to bring to life in this tragic cautionary tale. C.W. Gortner also wrote about Juana the Mad in his recent novel, The Last Queen. Interestingly, both Gortner and Cullen, after doing the research, decided that Juana’s diagnosis and 50-year confinement (at the hand...more
Myth and legend are often very different from the truth. Set against the background of late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, Ms. Cullen weaves a remarkable tale about a famous young woman from a very famous royal family. Daughter of the Catholic Kings and sister to the famed Catherine of Aragon, the woman known from defaming stories as "Juana la Loca", Reign of Madness paints a very different story of this woman who was every bit as remarkable as her family members.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
I’m a huge “fan” (if you will) and supporter of Juana the Mad. Bluntly, I don’t think she was crazy and many of her actions were a result of being driven to a point of anxiety and misunderstanding. To me, she was a strong, captivating female. My interest in her caused me to anxiously await the release of “Reign of Madness”.
After reading only a few pages, I knew that I wasn’t going to be as satisfied as I initially perceived. Reign of Madness instantly throws you into a VERY fictional world. Alt...more
After reading only a few pages, I knew that I wasn’t going to be as satisfied as I initially perceived. Reign of Madness instantly throws you into a VERY fictional world. Alt...more
This is another amazing book by celebrated author Lynn Cullen. I highly recommend this book!! You do not need to know about the history of Spain to enjoy this book. Ms. Cullen has weaved a fast paced story that will capture you from the first few pages. She has created a spell binding story of Queen Juana of Spain also knowm as Juana the Mad, and her journey from girl to Queen. She has a great array of characters from history and you have to keep reading it to see what befalls poor Juana. I knew...more
1st off, a big THANK YOU to GOODREADS and G P Putnam Sons for the free copy that i won through one of Your book giveaway offers...so great!....
and this was a pretty good piece of historical fiction...i would not say it is the best researched, with some leaps in logic behind the motivations of the Juana the Mad, et al, but they were not fantastical leaps and it was a relatively new era for me to branch out into, not having run across much historical fiction covering Isabella and Fernando's reign...more
and this was a pretty good piece of historical fiction...i would not say it is the best researched, with some leaps in logic behind the motivations of the Juana the Mad, et al, but they were not fantastical leaps and it was a relatively new era for me to branch out into, not having run across much historical fiction covering Isabella and Fernando's reign...more
Sep 06, 2011
Tonya
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
historical fiction lovers
Shelves:
first-reads,
fiction-historical
Juana’s story in Reign of Madness is one of unsure teen growing into an unsure woman who finally, after many years and too late, sees how she has fallen into the hands of a selfish husband and later into a power hungry father.
I enjoyed Juana’s story as it was written by Lynn Cullen; I found it, at times, beautiful. We the reader can see the foreshadowing of Juana’s future as we read along, at times I wanted to take her aside and whisper in her ear that she “really shouldn’t talk about that” or...more
I enjoyed Juana’s story as it was written by Lynn Cullen; I found it, at times, beautiful. We the reader can see the foreshadowing of Juana’s future as we read along, at times I wanted to take her aside and whisper in her ear that she “really shouldn’t talk about that” or...more
This easy-reading bit of historical fiction is set in late 1400s/early1500s Spain and Belgium, and tells the story of "Juana the Mad," the third child of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. Juana, who married Hapsburg duke "Phillipe the Handsome" at 16, neither expected nor wanted to become Queen of Spain, but she did and was then cloistered by her husband, then her father, then her son and never allowed to rule. The novel focuses on her life prior to her ascendency to the throne and he...more
I have to admit, I didn't really know anything about Juana "la Loca" before I read this book. I knew she was the daughter the Ferdinand and Isabel and that she was Katharine of Aragon's sister. But that was pretty much it. This book was amazing in that it told what it was like to be Juana from her point of view. I could understand her relationship with her mother, I was furious with her husband, and I missed her children when they weren't with her. I could just imagine how she must've felt when...more
Juana "the mad" Queen of Spain is no unreliable narrator. Rather, in writer Cullen's version, this daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella is a completely sane human being. The problem, as the novelist sees it: Juana has been exploited by three generations of power-mad men--her father, husband and son--and subsequently by history. Not only does "Reign of Madness" take an unconventional view, it also delivers a close-up look at the royal courts of Inquisition-era Europe that includes cameos by Christo...more
.5 stars. This was poorly edited (check the dates in the chapter titles. The years were wrong.) and an overall train wreck. I come looking for a meaningful historical fiction and since there were no new Michelle Moran books, I picked up this out of my interest for Juana la Loca. Instead I got an overly dramatized and contrived peace of crap, something lacking a strong female lead (as the inside flap led me to believe I would find.) We are told that Juana is a character of quiet strength, or at l...more
Oct 24, 2011
Marilyn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Historical Romance lovers, History buffs, Book Clubs, Everyone
Shelves:
first-reads
REIGN OF MADNESS
BY Lynn Cullen
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York
Copyright: Lynn Cullen 2011
How far would you go for your family? Is there any limit? That’s a question to ask while you read this fantastic historical novel. Lynn Cullen paints a realistic picture of her characters and the time period that the novel takes place in. Another good question is how far would you go for power and glory?
This is a novel about Spain during the 1400’s to the 1500’s. It is a story about Queen Isabelle an...more
BY Lynn Cullen
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York
Copyright: Lynn Cullen 2011
How far would you go for your family? Is there any limit? That’s a question to ask while you read this fantastic historical novel. Lynn Cullen paints a realistic picture of her characters and the time period that the novel takes place in. Another good question is how far would you go for power and glory?
This is a novel about Spain during the 1400’s to the 1500’s. It is a story about Queen Isabelle an...more
This book chronicled a period in history and people that I previously knew very little about. I enjoyed the fascinating history lesson very much. In fact, the author's multi page author's note with detailed historical facts was one of my favorite parts of the book! The author writes history in such a way that it becomes very exciting, fast-paced, and relevant to today. I found myself searching for more information online, so I know I was hooked on this story.
However, the book was difficult for m...more
However, the book was difficult for m...more
I loved this book. It ranks in the top five historical novels I've read this year. From the first page, I was totally enamored of Juana, our heroine, and sucked in to her world. I'm sort of mentally flailing my arms in my enthusiasm, so I apologize if this review is less substance and more squee.
Juana's parents are the Isabel and Ferdinand of Columbus/New World fame. A bright child, Juana is married off to a handsome, playful, vivacious Duke whose opulent, decadent world is the opposite of the...more
Juana's parents are the Isabel and Ferdinand of Columbus/New World fame. A bright child, Juana is married off to a handsome, playful, vivacious Duke whose opulent, decadent world is the opposite of the...more
Just for a moment, imagine that you are a queen. The queen of Spain, perhaps. You follow a line of legendary rulers, but that's not what you are remembered for. All you get is "the Mad" attached to the back of your name. You are known for having supposedly gone insane after your husband dies and are locked away in a castle for some fifty years. Not much of a fairy tale, right? This is precisely what happened to Juana of Castile, the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella in the late 15th and early 1...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
An interesting take on the supposed madness of Queen Juana, and though conventional wisdom accepts that she was truly mad, the notion of a slander campaign against her as presented by Cullen makes quite a bit more common sense (though I must confess to not being familiar with the actual historical records on this topic). A fascinating read about man's insatiable thirst for power and the lengths they will go to in acquiring more and more. A tragic, but fascinating read.
Not as good as Wolf Hall but in a similar style. This is the story of Juana, daughter of Isabell and Ferdinand, third or fourth in line to the throne of the Spains. A genealogical chart, map of the world and a little imagination are required. It is easy to forget that Spain once ruled mightly and that alliances were made at the time of a child's birth. Juana is, of course, Spanish and is wed to Phillipe who is Austrian and from the house of Hapsburg. Who knew?
Thoroughly depressing.
Cullen tries to for Juana of Aragon what Greggory did for Mary Boleyn, but Juana's life is so full of suckitude (that is so a word!), that the book left me mopy and disturbed.
Its well researched, I'll give it that, but it came off a little clinical - all the facts were there, the people, the events, etc, but it was missing some vital spark to make it all come alive. Cullen covers a lot of ground, which doesn't leave the reader much time to care for any of the characters -...more
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Aug 23, 2011 12:25pm