Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe
by Nancy Goldstone
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 257)
Read in April, 2008
The book describes the lives of four sisters from provence, who all end up being queen of differing kingdoms across Europe. It's a great introduction to what life is like for royalty in this time period, making the affairs of the kingdoms, the crusades, the politics of the Pope, the medieval value system and mindset and general government accessible to the reader. Even though I was lost at times in the intertwining of the kingdoms and earls and who was on who's side, the author does a great ...more
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Read in May, 2008
As a student of both English literature and history in a broader sense, this is easily one of the best books I've ever read, especially in the non-fiction realm. Goldstone does an admirable job of tying together the intricate and overly complex threads of each sister's life as they intertwined and spun off on their own. While she does tend to overwhelm with the amount of characters with which she expects you to keep up, ultimately she keeps the reader interested and invested throughout, a task...more
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Goldstone provides a very in-depth look into the lives of the four daughters of the Count and Countess of Provence, three of whom (Marguerite, Eleanor, and Beatrice) were exceedingly ambitious. The book details the lengths to which the aforementioned ambitious women would go to gain international glory and respect, many times foiling one another's schemes to achieve their individual ends. What could've been a boring and dry account of medieval life is made vivid and exciting by Goldstone, and th...more
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Read in June, 2008
What an exciting life these women lived! These women never had a dull moment and they didn't get everything they wanted in life either despite being a queen. I was fascinated by their financial troubles, their interactions with each other, their difficulties in marriage (which did not result in divorce) and the fall of the dice as it were where sometimes they won and sometimes they lost. This book is long but not because the author is verbose, the plot has a lot of twists and turns. I really...more
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Read in March, 2008
A great read. The lives of the sisters are given in relation to one another and the demands of the time period with selections from extant documents to give the reader an idea of the real people involved. The historical figures become real and the author isn't afraid to write her opinon of them or their actions. An engaging, well written story...Louis IX is a ruler you love to hate for his foolishness and self indulgence. Marguerite and Eleanor work so hard to succeed that you can't but admi...more
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Read in September, 2007
This is the biographical account of four sisters who all married kings of Medieval Europe. It's interesting to see how they changed the face of Europe, for without their influence, the Middle Ages would have gone much differently. Europe in the 13th century was already precarious, and these ladies played leading roles in the drama that ensued. I can't say whether the author is fully accurate in her writings, but it has shed some light on the nature of Europe at this time. Good read overall.
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Read in April, 2008
I know I'm probably the only person in the world who likes non-fiction, but I really enjoyed this. The author did a really good job of telling the story as a story (and it's a really good one about strong women, YAY!) without getting all hysterical or hyperbolic about it or getting too bogged down in the academia. I recommend this to ALL of my friends who like to pretend that they're 13th century princesses in their heads while they load their respective dishwashers.
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Only diehard medieval history buffs will get into this. Biography enthusiasts may enjoy it, too. I loved it but it was a difficult read--switched between sisters, countries, and it is sometimes difficult to keep people straight because of noble titles and Christian names being used for the same person throughout.
Very interesting, though!
Very interesting, though!
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Read in July, 2007
Got this one from the library. It wasn't a particularly difficult history, and I wasn't a huge fan of her informal tone when discussing her subjects. I'm also not sure how historically accurate the research is - some of the Amazon commenters have commented on facts that are ignored or twisted to suit her hypothesis. But it was entertaining and it made the train ride pass that much faster.
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
history lovers
I think this book would have been better read in print. It was difficult for me to keep up with the historical characters in audiobook format. Loved the "story", though. It is about 4 sisters from the same area in what is France today,how they married well, and became powerful women at a time when women were supposed to be demure and quiet.
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Read in March, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I am a little partial to books about sisters (since I have 4 of my own), but I thought this was fascinating. I loved learning about each of the sisters' distinct personalities and strengths and the way they each dealt with their power. It is well written and engaging throughout. Highly recommended!
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone who likes historical novels (even though this is non-fiction)
This is a non-fiction book written about four sisters from Provence who all marry kings in the 13th century. It is written in a narrative style that is very readable and engaging, even with all the facts, politics and military campaigns. I learned a great deal about this time period. I think it would make a excellent movie!
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Read in May, 2008
Nonfiction. The life stories of four sisters who married some of the most powerful men in Europe. They were usually rich and illustrious, and the ties between them even forced their occasionally warring husbands to remain at peace. A great book for the history of what would become France, England, and the status of women.
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Read in June, 2008
I enjoyed this. At times her interpretation of the events was a bit of "guess and golly" but history is interpretation. Overall, the read was easy and interesting. I would have liked more expanded genealogical tables in the back-it is easier to watch the players and relationships with that kind of graphic to follow.
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Read in June, 2007
Should be called "Five Queens", because you have to count the scheming mother. :)
Fantastic book. In an age where women were supposed to be powerless, four sisters occupied the thrones of England, France, Germany and Sicily, and their actions changed the face of 13th century Europe. Wildly readable.
Fantastic book. In an age where women were supposed to be powerless, four sisters occupied the thrones of England, France, Germany and Sicily, and their actions changed the face of 13th century Europe. Wildly readable.
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Pam by:
Lisa Tebbsrecommends it for: History buffs, especially thosse like me who love English history
Very interesting book. It had intrigue, mystery, battles love stories. It was better than any fictional novel plot! I didn't know anything about this part of history, and it was very interesting. I was also so excited to learn that there were educated and literate women during this time period.
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Biz by:
Momrecommends it for: history-buffs
This book is a fascinating history of four sisters from Provence who each became queens during medieval times. It is amazing how much information they have on the lives of people who lived almost a thousand years ago! I think this is a good one for anyone interested in historical non-fiction.
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Read in January, 2007
If you like historical non-fiction this is a quick/easy read. It provides background to the kingdoms of France & England and how they found peace through 4 sisters. It is not one of my favorite historical non-fiction books and if you tend to not like that genre, don't pick this one up.
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This is medieval Europe at its best -- war, intrigue, etc. The power and influence these four sisters weilded in the 13th century is just incredible and almost hard to believe. These women changed history as the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily.
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Read in May, 2008
Liz Smith dishes on the Dark Ages. No seriously this is a well documented, footnote loaded story that reads well. Informative, fun. Stuff I never knew. Teachers doing any units on women back in the bad old days should read this. Loved this book.
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