The Plantagenet Prelude (Plantagenet Saga, #1)

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The Plantagenet Prelude (Plantagenet Saga #1)

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 513 ratings · 37 reviews

When William X dies, the duchy of Aquitaine is left to his fifteen-year-old daughter, Eleanor. But such a position for an unmarried woman puts the whole kingdom at risk. So on his deathbed William made a will that would ensure his daughter's protection: he promised her hand in marriage to the future King of France.

Eleanor grows into a romantic and beautiful queen, but she...more

Hardcover, 3 pages

Published March 17th 1980 by Putnam Publishing Group

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Aug 28, 2011 Alexa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un genial comienzo para una saga histórica sobre una interesante porción de la dinastía inglesa, la de los denominados "Reyes Plantagenet". Este libro en particular relata la historia de una de las mujeres (a mi parecer) más admirables de la historia: Leonor de Aquitanía; carismática, sabia, artística y de mente abierta. En fin, una mujer totalmente adelantada a su época a quien obligaron a casarse con el santurrón Luis VI pero que luego de lograr disolver ese matrimonio, encontró el amor con el...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Perry Whitford rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eleanor Hibbert, under a number of pseudonyms, the most frequent of which was Jean Plaidy, was one of the most prolific writers of historical fiction in, well, history. When about to read your first book by a prolific novelist, such as Jean Plaidy was, there is always the same mixed feelings of anticipation and unease. How can someone tossing out two or three novels a year write to a high standard, and if they can how the hell will I find the time to read all their work if I do take a shine to t...more Eleanor Hibbert, under a number of pseudonyms, the most frequent of which was Jean Plaidy, was one of the most prolific writers of historical fiction in, well, history. When about to read your first book by a prolific novelist, such as Jean Plaidy was, there is always the same mixed feelings of anticipation and unease. How can someone tossing out two or three novels a year write to a high standard, and if they can how the hell will I find the time to read all their work if I do take a shine to them?
Fortunately, or unfortunately, dependent on the way you look at it, after pushing myself, listless and plodding through The Plantagenet Prelude - which is just the first episode in a series of fourteen books, which itself is just one of the many epic historical series of books that Plaidy dashed off over a fifty year career of well over a hundred novels - I won't be needing to conjure up any additional reading time to factor in more for Mrs Hibbert.

Eleanor of Aquitaine is undoubtedly one of the most alluring female figures of history. Wife to both the kings of France and England; mother of Henry III, King John and Richard the Lionheart; crusader, courtier and captive prisoner of the state for sixteen years, she was a thrilling and volatile woman. By virtue of Plaidy's broad-brush approach, however, she comes across as little more than a vain, vacuous socialite, just as Henry II becomes little more than a lusty yeoman prone to the odd tantrum.
Their characters are so flat and static, expressed through endless repetitions of the same thoughts and statements; Eleanor refers to her first husband, Louis VII, as being "monkish" about a hundred times, and for all Henry's monumental friendship and fall-out with Thomas Beckett, which forms the majority of the narrative here, all we learn is that the king indulged his chancellor for so long because he "amused" him like no one else could.

You can learn as much by reading a history book, and there are not enough of a fiction writers arts on show here to elevate this novel above a factual account.
(less)

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Sep 13, 2010 Rosanne Lortz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’ve heard very mixed reviews about Jean Plaidy and her historical novels. Some claim that she is their favorite historical fiction author EVER. Some complain that she is a terrible writer.

Jean Plaidy (real name Eleanor Hibbert) was an extremely prolific author who published scores of books throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Her historical novels were very popular with the reading public, and she dealt with many time periods and dynasties including the Plantagenets, the Tudors,...more I’ve heard very mixed reviews about Jean Plaidy and her historical novels. Some claim that she is their favorite historical fiction author EVER. Some complain that she is a terrible writer.

Jean Plaidy (real name Eleanor Hibbert) was an extremely prolific author who published scores of books throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Her historical novels were very popular with the reading public, and she dealt with many time periods and dynasties including the Plantagenets, the Tudors, the Stuarts, and the Georgians.

For my first foray into Jean Plaidy, I selected the first volume of her fourteen-book Plantagenet Saga entitled The Plantagenet Prelude. Part I tells the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, her marriage to Louis of France, her dissatisfaction with him and her notorious love affairs, and her subsequent marriage to Henry Plantagenet. Part II relates the growing estrangement between Eleanor and Henry but also focuses on the rocky relationship between Henry and the Archbishop Thomas Becket.

One commonly touted rule of writing is, “Show, don’t tell.” This rule is not something that Jean Plaidy adhered to. Throughout the book, she constantly tells us what we should think about the characters, sometimes reiterating the same thing multiple times over the course of a few chapters. Eleanor is “sensual.” Matilda is a “virago.” Sometimes her assessments fail to jive with the few anecdotes that she reveals about the characters. Even though she continually tells us that Thomas Becket, as chancellor, is very “amusing” he seems much more of a bore than an entertaining fellow.

As I was reading the first part of the book, I found myself frequently wondering about the historical accuracy of some of the events. I was willing to accept the fact that Eleanor might have had an affair with her uncle, Raymond of Antioch, since I had read elsewhere that there were rumors to that effect. But when Eleanor struck up a liaison with Saladin the Turk, my skepticism got the better of me. Looking up the facts, I learned that Saladin would have been eleven years old at the time Eleanor was in the Holy Land. Hmmm. However, I also learned that Jean Plaidy did not manufacture the story out of thin air. A medieval romance, written at least a century after Saladin’s life, painted a love interest between the two, and it is on this source that Plaidy draws to spin her spurious yarn.

The second half of the story, Henry’s conflict with Thomas Becket, was one that I was quite familiar with (see The Life and Death of Saint Thomas Becket), so I was in a better position to evaluate Plaidy and her historicity. In this section I found that Plaidy adhered to the primary source material (almost to a fault), many times quoting directly from the medieval chroniclers. This sometimes created an odd discontinuity between the pieces of dialogue she invented and the pieces of dialogue she lifted from source material. Once again, I discovered that Plaidy was indiscriminate in the use of her sources, intermingling apocryphal stories from a later period (like the tale that claimed Becket’s mother was a Saracen princess) with eyewitness accounts of Becket’s life.

Although it may seem that I am complaining about Plaidy’s choice of sources, all in all, she was far more accurate than many other historical fiction writers are. That said, I must acknowledge that her writing style is somewhat tedious. I doubt that I will be able to make my way much further through her massive Plantagenet Saga. But at the same time, I have no regrets about finishing The Plantagenet Prelude. It’s always good to know what’s out there in the realm of historical fiction.(less)

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Nov 23, 2009 Tania rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Jun 27, 2012 Rusty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I love historical fiction. In fact, I read HF about a third of my time. When I discovered Jean Plaidy I decided I should read a series and selected Plantagenets. However, other books became more intriguing and I kept shelving the books. When someone requested this one, I decided I should read it and called the library.

It is a good read! Plaidy makes Eleanor (English spelling) and Henry so real that I smiled when I read their conversations and quarrels.

Eleanor, who views herself as the queen of l...more I love historical fiction. In fact, I read HF about a third of my time. When I discovered Jean Plaidy I decided I should read a series and selected Plantagenets. However, other books became more intriguing and I kept shelving the books. When someone requested this one, I decided I should read it and called the library.

It is a good read! Plaidy makes Eleanor (English spelling) and Henry so real that I smiled when I read their conversations and quarrels.

Eleanor, who views herself as the queen of love, keeps looking for someone to love. Marrying Louis of France, she discovers that he is no where near the man she wants. He is religious, weak, and passive. She wants excitement, adventure, and more. She dallies with her uncle who is handsome, charismatic and manly. She experiments with loving an infidel (an Arab). Eventually, she discovers Henry. He isn't handsome. He isn't fastidious, rather he is a bit sloppy in his dress. And, he's a womanizer but she falls deeply in love with him.

Securing a divorce from Louis, she and Henry marry immediately. Henry becomes king of England and she, of course, is his queen. Plaidy follows their lives from that point. Eleanor revels in being adored but when Henry forms a friendship with Thomas Becket, she becomes jealous. She knows that Henry has many women but worries only when one becomes more important. When Henry brings a bastard son into her nursery she cannot forgive him. She knows that her charms are no longer enough to satisfy him. To keep Eleanor at the edge of his life, Henry wants to keep her pregnant. She cherishes her children when they are little.

I found this to be a most enjoyable book. Plaidy makes each of her characters so real. I understand Eleanor - her fury and jealousy at times. Still she loved the man deeply. He was the center of her life even when he found someone much younger. When you like history with a realistic twist even through fiction's eyes you enjoy this Plaidy novel. (less)

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Nov 22, 2008 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, hf-medieval-europe, read-2008

She has another style than SKP since her book is mainly based on historical facts without the use of dialogues to tell us the story. But I really liked the beginning of Plantagenet's saga written by another greater writer on HF. I hope I will be able to get all books in this series.

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Mar 06, 2012 lia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

This is the first book from Jean Plaidy that i ever read and i can't say that i'm impress.

She write about the most famous woman in medieval time, Eleanor of Aquitaine, her two king husbands and Thomas Becket.

Queen Eleanor is pictured as selfish and shallow woman. Who put importance on her pleasure above all else.
She is not satisfied with her husband the naive and pious Louis so she betrayed him with her uncle before being forced to return to France.

Eleanor got the divorce she wanted with the...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love history, and have just moved from historical biographies to historical fiction. Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet Prelude was interesting, it was easy to read, and obviously well-researched. Though as I'd expected, there were some 'moments' that were historically inaccurate or purely fictional.

I could also overlook Jean's tendency to repeat certain phrases and adjectives, as the book was entertaining and some of history's greatest characters were brought vividly to life within its pages.

She's not...more

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Oct 17, 2012 S rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hate not finishing a book, it really bugs me but I just didn't have the energy to go on. I love historical fiction, it is my favourite genre and I have read a couple of Jean Plaidy's books before but I was so disappointed with this one. The characters are boring and the background environment is never described. It made me not believe the characters and their situations. I felt that the story wasn't going anywhere and I got to the point where I didn't care what happened anyway. I nearly reserv...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Samantha rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this based on fairly positive reviews and the fact that I normally love reading anything about the Plantagenets. This is one of the few books that I have started that I did not make myself finish. From the first few pages I was annoyed by the author's habit of repeating the same information over and over (and over) again. By the time I was told the 10th time in the first chapter that Eleanore's father desired a male heir and Eleanore was offended by this idea, I was quite disappointed. Ho...more

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Feb 01, 2010 Caroline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, medieval-england, queen-eleanor

The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy is the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine. It begins with her as a 15-year-old girl, a wealthy heiress who is “ripe for marriage.” She marries the gentle, pious, naïve King Louis of France and they have two daughters. Yet Louis does not satisfy the passionate Eleanor. So she haves affairs with her uncle and an infidel. Then she meets the future King Henry of England, falls in love, divorces Louis and marries Henry. Their marriage creates a powerful empire and ma...more

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Jul 04, 2008 Debbie Lake rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, historical, fiction

This was a quick and interesting read. It is the first book of Plaidy's Plantagenet series and follows the early years of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. It covers Eleanor's marriage to Louis of France and her adventures in the Holy Land on Crusade to her meeting with Henry II. Then it follows the early years of their marriage; Henry's betrayal with Rosamund Clifford and his battle with Thomas Becket. It ends with Becket's murder.None of the characters are especially sympathetic. Eleanor is v...more

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Apr 03, 2008 Alaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This book starts out being a book about Eleanor of Aquitaine and her first marriage to Louis VII, King of France and the crusade they went on together, then her subsequent annulment and her marriage to Henry II, King of England and Normandy. Where the story fell over for me, was that this woman was portrayed as an independent strong woman with a will of her own, then in the middle of the book, she became nothing more than a breeder for Henry II and by the end she was vaguely described as bitter...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, historical-france, historical-england, books-i-own

I was really looking forward to reading this book since I didn't really know anything about this time period. An I stayed optimistic for the first 50 pages or so, but then it kind of fell from there. Not that the book was bad, it wasn't that. It just wasn't good either. Everything was rushed and the prose was strange and clipped.

Just a thought I had while reading - Louis and Eleanor reminded me of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Especially when she cast her greedy eyes on Toulouse.

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Sep 02, 2012 Faith Trimmer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book seemed to be half novel, half biography and failed dramatically at being either. The historical facts were all over the place (I can't believe that the author included that old chestnut about Thomas Becket's mother being a Saracen princess) and the writing wasn't much cop either. Oh well. I'm pleased I read it if only because it adds to my book count for the year.

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Aug 31, 2012 Kyle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Plantagenet Prelude was pretty good. In case you are unaware, the Plantagenets preceded the Tudors in the line of English kings. This line of kings is the line I know least of, and it was a refreshing change from the Tudor era (my favorites to read about). Eleanor of Aquitaine is a strong female and I enjoyed reading about a queen who was had a backbone and wasn't afraid to use it. I will definitely continue this series.

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Jul 31, 2010 Christina added it · review of another edition

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Jan 13, 2010 Harper20 added it · review of another edition

I was a huge fan of the Plantagenet books back in the day! I got into them particularly after I watched the BBC drama The Devil's Crown. Really wish that had come out on dvd but I guess its been lost. Its not been repeated in many years:-(

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Aug 12, 2012 Bridget rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is a load of old dross. Over dramatic, full of repetition and very little substance.

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Feb 27, 2011 Lisa Bergin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jean Plaidy's books are great but do lack a certain something hence only 4 stars

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Jun 19, 2012 Jeri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very well written, her research is impressive, and yet it reads easily.

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Sep 29, 2009 Wen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 03, 2012 Clare Hempson richter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not as good as Alison Weirs book about Eleanor of Aquitaine

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Jan 03, 2010 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jean Plaidy's Plantaganet books were my favorites.

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Oct 09, 2010 NickiUK rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, historical-fiction, src-fall-2010

I used to read my mum's Jean Plaidy books when I was a teenager, so this is the first one of hers I've read for about 30 years! Still just as good.

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Mar 13, 2013 Nessarose rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: incomplete

I can't finish this. The writing is just horrible. The characters are too flat. Everything is spoon fed. The one chapter that had my interest (since it was written slightly different) ended and took what little joy I managed to find in this book away with it. This is not for me.

I'm wondering whether I should try another book of hers out; every author has bad books, after all. But I'm not going to rush it.

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Jul 21, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely love Jean Plaidy. She keeps right to the history side of her novels with just the right amount of romance. I would recommend this book to anyone. I love reading about the Plantagenet Kings. They have some of the wildest history I know of. Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of my favorite women to read about. She almost always was able to get what she wanted even when her husband Henry II locked her up.

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Sep 09, 2012 Rosemary Prawdzik rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first in the Plantagenet series and one of her earlier books, I think. The writing style was a bit simple and not much in the way of character development. Did Eleanor really have as many extra-marital affairs as is represented in this portrayal? I have my doubts. Other historical"facts" are questionable as well. Not my favorite book about Henry & Eleanor but I enjoyed comparing notes

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Sep 23, 2010 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

It was a struggle to finish this book. It was well researched but the author obviously has little love for Eleanor of Aquintaine while I think she's pretty awesome. It was hard for me to get thru her continual bashing of Eleanor's decisions when I found most of her choices head strong and brave. More historical than fiction, I think I'll stick to Alison Weir.

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Jul 01, 2008 Deodand rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, europe

This is a fast read about the lives of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Thomas Becket. Don't look here for subtle characters or a lot of dialogue. What you will find is a good story, based on truth, about a very interesting time in England. I plan to read the rest of the Plantagenet series. This is excellent beach material for those looking for something more substantial than the latest bestsellers.

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About Jean Plaidy

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million)....more

More about Jean Plaidy...

Books by Jean Plaidy

The Lady in the Tower (Queens of England, #4)

Katharine of Aragon: The Wives of Henry VIII (Tudor Saga, #2-4)

The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of Henry VIII (Queens of England, #11)

To Hold the Crown: The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (Queens of England Series, #11)

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