Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir

Sep 03, 2011 Erin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historic-fiction-1100s

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What makes a book a memorable reading experience? For me it comes down to three things: a good plot, interesting characters and compelling writing. In reading the back cover, Weir’s The Captive Queen appeared to have two of the three.

Eleanor is a choice candidate for leading lady. I've admired her since I first discovered her story some years ago. So much so that her name was one of the first I considered...more Find my favorite quotes and follow more reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot.com

What makes a book a memorable reading experience? For me it comes down to three things: a good plot, interesting characters and compelling writing. In reading the back cover, Weir’s The Captive Queen appeared to have two of the three.

Eleanor is a choice candidate for leading lady. I've admired her since I first discovered her story some years ago. So much so that her name was one of the first I considered when naming my daughter. All things considered, it is fair to say I have a well-established preconception of her character. I wish I could say I was happy with Weir's version but I'm afraid our ideas clashed considerably.

Plot is the easy one here. The story was already written and since Weir previously published a nonfiction biography on Eleanor, I am willing to bet she didn’t look far for resources. Eleanor’s is a story worth telling. Regrettably, this detail is the only thing the author and I agree on.

Randy was not a word I associated with Eleanor until I read The Captive Queen. Maybe it was the moment Eleanor "cherished [Henry's member] in both hands." Maybe it was Eleanor's distress over sharing a bed as she would be unable to masturbate with an audience. Maybe it was the phrase “well-endowed stallion.” It doesn't really matter; I was disgusted by the tastelessly pornographic imagery. I don't doubt Eleanor understood the power of feminine sexuality but I take issue with the vulgarity of the Weir's depiction. I simply can't condone her debasing of Eleanor's character to that of a licentious doxy. She obviously had an active sex life and one would assume she welcomed the attention as she had a rather large number of children but that doesn't mean her sole motivation was a sea of raging hormones.

The majority of the supporting cast is undeveloped, not to be confused with underdeveloped, just plain undeveloped. Look at Petronilla. She has one scene when she comes to her sister's court, disappears from the text for fourteen years, has a second scene during John's birth and shortly thereafter, we learn she drank herself to death. Were we readers supposed to care? Eleanor’s sibling isn’t the only character to suffer from Weir’s negligence. Eleanor's eleven children share only a handful of scenes with their mother but rarely utter more than a sentence or two.

I’ve done a fair amount of ranting thus far but I am not above giving credit where it is due. Annoying and flawed though he is, Weir's Henry II is a well-rounded personality who is all too easy to hate. Again, my opinions were not in line with the author's but I feel Weir succeeded in relating her version of Henry. The reader actually experiences the death of his father, his wild tantrums, his relationship with his wife and his love affair with Rosamund which allows us to really understand the character as Weir perceived him. Eleanor does not enjoy the same treatment. The reader is told what to think of Henry's queen as we rarely get into her head outside the bedroom.

The style of writing leaves much to be desired. The first forty-two chapters are mind-numbingly slow. Weir should have summed up the events in a series of flashbacks. This technique would have cut the amount of content considerably but it would have been more appropriate for her abilities. Weir's relaying of facts is wonderful for nonfiction but it makes for very poor storytelling. She sabotaged her own work by biting off more than she could chew.

I firmly believe it is possible to write a compelling and entertaining novel of Eleanor's life, Weir just wasn't the author to do it. Perhaps I will read Penman's novels while I await the publication of Chadwick's books. Readers who are unfamiliar with Eleanor of Aquitaine may find value in The Captive Queen but I would advise those who are well acquainted with her story to steer clear.(less)

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Jun 20, 2010 Misfit rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: get-it-from-the-library, wall-banger, die-in-a-fire, endless-exposition, what-the-hell-happened-here, will-this-book-never-end

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Aug 27, 2012 Jemidar rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, culled

DNF. Lost the will to live at around page 200.

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Jul 28, 2010 Evelina A. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 12th-century, england, historical-fiction, france

In this novel on the life of the indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir tells the story of a queen with a strong sexual passion for her husband, Henry, even as her marriage to him begins to disintegrate. We are first introduced to Eleanor lasciviously recollecting her sexual experiences with three previous lovers while one of them, Geoffrey of Anjou, with his eighteen year old son Henry beside him, is paying homage to her current husband, Louis VII of France. Eleanor conceives a sudden pa...more In this novel on the life of the indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir tells the story of a queen with a strong sexual passion for her husband, Henry, even as her marriage to him begins to disintegrate. We are first introduced to Eleanor lasciviously recollecting her sexual experiences with three previous lovers while one of them, Geoffrey of Anjou, with his eighteen year old son Henry beside him, is paying homage to her current husband, Louis VII of France. Eleanor conceives a sudden passion for young Henry, the future King of England. Her marriage to Louis is sexually unsatisfying, so she is ripe for Henry's bed. That same night, and for two nights after, the lovers have the "freedom" to satisfy their desire in her bedchamber and pledge to wed.

The first half of the novel, where Eleanor gives birth to ten children in fourteen years concluding with the birth of Prince John, the novel is dominated by their sexual antics and their marital arguments. Indeed, you can't read more than ten pages (often fewer) without a sexual act or some sexual reference. This part of Eleanor's life is neither titillating nor interesting, only tedious. In my opinion, Weir's sex-driven Eleanor only serves to trivialize her because sex is what drives Eleanor and ultimately what drives this half of the novel, without sufficiently exploring Eleanor's other qualities, real or imagined. Worse is that many, if not most, of Henry's and Eleanor's conversations occur in their bedchamber. Assuming Eleanor has tasks, duties, and pleasures outside of her castles, I would like to have seen more of the action and dialogue occurring outside their private chamber.

And then there's the inclusion of Eleanor's sister, Petronilla, who joins the royal household as companion to Eleanor on her marriage. Yet Petronilla hardly gets a mention until fourteen years later at the birth of Prince John, (supposedly after serving as the queen's companion all this time), where we are for some reason treated to her point of view for a paragraph or two, and then she promptly dies of drink! This character, who had the potential to play an important and intimate role beside the queen, is never fully realized and begs the reader to ask why she is included at all.

After the birth of Prince John, weary (finally!) from childbearing, unhappy with Henry's multiple infidelities, Eleanor distances herself from him - and the book begins to breathe! Suddenly, the dialogue is less awkward and slightly less melodramatic, the plot has a stronger historical foundation and is less sex-driven, and Eleanor and Henry become a little more nuanced as they separate, age, and come together, while their children fight and betray their father. Miss Weir handles the time of Eleanor's imprisonment skillfully enough, managing to tell the story of their turbulent marriage against a background fraught with familial conflict that criss-cross two countries. This half is better. It is good. If the first half had been, at the very least, its equal, I might have given "The Captive Queen" three stars.(less)

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Aug 05, 2011 Gaeta1 rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, off-with-their-heads, read-2011, what-the-hell-was-this, idiot-heroine-flagging, tiresome-gratuitous-sex-advisory, audiobooks

So, is there anything worse than a long slog in summer in an un-airconditioned car on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with nothing to listen to? Why, yes, there is--having nothing else on offer save this overripe travesty by Alison Weir. By the end of the first clumsily written paragraph I knew I was in trouble, but it was the beyond-ridiculous innuendo-laden conversation the impatient love-birds exchange within earshot of King Louis (within the first few pages!) that really clued me in that I was in...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plantegent-fiction

A very fun read.

Weir examines the very earthy relationship Eleanor and Henry had - the book is just about their marriage, so most of the events around the 2nd and 3rd crusade are skipped over, but the book is long enough as is.

Its a little awkward when occasionally Character A will say to Character B "let me tell you all about Event X that is common knowledge in the 12th century but very unknown in the 21st."

But still, a lot of the events are made very real with a real sense of how and why th...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, history

I love Alison Weir but I have to say, her fiction did *not* do it for me. This was the first novel I have read from her...I think she would do best to stick with straight up historical/scholarly research and biographies. About a chapter in, I found myself wondering what Harlequin romance I just stepped into. And yes, I totally understand that Eleanor and Henry had a passionate, combustible romance that eventually collapsed. But really, every other page had these cliched, overwrought descriptions...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Brittany B. marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-authors, 2nd_chance, historical-england, historical-fiction, biographical, too-depressing

DNF: not really the author's fault.
too depressing to read about another "great man" who is utterly unfaithful.

I LOVE Alison Weir's historical fiction. I love it!! First the author writes nonfiction biographies of important historical characters. Her nonfiction work is amazing, but way too detailed and scholarly for my objective: enjoyment. So when Weir writes a novel, she really "knows" her characters.

I can't blame the author for what these characters do, as they were real people. But I hate...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Alison Weir is the historical fiction queen! Instead of learning facts from a book about history, you get to see what emotional struggle the Queen went through. You get to know her secrets, her thoughts, what she really thought about what went on at court, or what her husband did, or how he treated their children. And as the book progressed you felt as though you were Eleanor of Aquataine. I was enraged by Henry when he didn't treat his children and wife fairly. I...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished Captive Queen last night. What a book! What a queen! I’ve been a fan of Eleanor of Aquitaine for a long, long time. I read E.L. Konigsburg’s A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver” many years ago and have read it many times since. Amy Kelly’s Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings has been on my shelf for many years and I have dipped into it several times. Maybe the time has come to actually read it through. I will be re-reading Konigsburg soon, certainly. I was pleased to read that W...more I finished Captive Queen last night. What a book! What a queen! I’ve been a fan of Eleanor of Aquitaine for a long, long time. I read E.L. Konigsburg’s A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver” many years ago and have read it many times since. Amy Kelly’s Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings has been on my shelf for many years and I have dipped into it several times. Maybe the time has come to actually read it through. I will be re-reading Konigsburg soon, certainly. I was pleased to read that Weir also is a fan of The Lion in Winter, the great film featuring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn . She writes that the William Goldman screenplay was her inspiration for much of the dialogue in her book.
Alison Weir is a historian and in an Author’s Note at the end of Captive Queen, she writes that while researching Eleanor’s life for her biography, Eleanor of Aquitaine, she wished for a way to fill in the gaps in Eleanor’s life. She realized that a historical novel would be the answer. Captive Queen is told from the viewpoint of Eleanor, so we are told what she is thinking and feeling during her eventful life. Obviously, this is pure fiction, but since Weir is a historian, the reader can feel certain that this is fiction based on history.
Weir is an amazing storyteller, so much so, that the 475 pages of this novel seemed to fly by. Even knowing Eleanor’s story as well as I do, I found myself captivated by this re-telling. A genealogical chart of each family is included, as well as a map of Europe showing the Angevin empire and I referred to them frequently. It would be impossible to write a short account of Eleanor’s amazing life. She was married to two kings and the mother of two more. She did things that no other 12th Century woman would have dreamed of doing. She traveled to the Holy Lands; she arranged her divorce from the French King Louis and almost immediate marriage to Henry FitzEmpress. Her story is connected to many other major players of her time, Thomas Becket, the Empress Matilda, and of course, her sons, Richard Lionheart and John Lackland.
All-in-all this is a wonderful novel and an excellent history. I highly recommend it to anyone familiar with Eleanor. For anyone who does not know Eleanor, you are in for a treat.
(less)

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Feb 04, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I really enjoyed this book. I came to it only because it was on a kindle I recently acquired and I thought I would give the book a try. I have a love of British history but beyond the movie A Lion in Winter (which I have always loved) I have never really read much about Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II and their contentious relationship.

The Captive Queen starts off when Eleanor is still married to King Louis of France and just on the cusp of meeting the young Henry II for the first time. The sp...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-culture, european-non-eng-culture, historial-fiction

I think this is a fair addition to the shelves for anyone interested in reading more on any of the "characters" of this time. It offers lots of detail and is certainly less dry then some mire academic studies, but the perspective is very focused, the portrait of eleanor/henry etc fairly narrow and the messages - eleanor and henry are fascinated by each other but are fundamentally at odds, eleanor longs for independent power in a world where that is not the norm, the recurrent themes of eleanor b...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Michelle Feist rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gave-up-on

I don't think I have ever stopped reading a book so quickly before, and the only reason I got as far as I did was because I was stuck on the busride to swimming lessons with my class, and needed something to do to pass the time! I kept hoping if I continued reading it would begin to get better, as I was interested in finding out more about the passionate yet volatile relationship between King Henry the II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
The first quality that annoyed me about this book was that it re...more I don't think I have ever stopped reading a book so quickly before, and the only reason I got as far as I did was because I was stuck on the busride to swimming lessons with my class, and needed something to do to pass the time! I kept hoping if I continued reading it would begin to get better, as I was interested in finding out more about the passionate yet volatile relationship between King Henry the II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
The first quality that annoyed me about this book was that it read sort of like a steamy medieval Harlequin romance. I have no problem with intimate scenes in novels, but the historical novels I have previously read expressed the scenes with language that indicated passion, etc. but didn't sound so 20th-century smutty. I almost snorted out loud a couple times at the ridiculous phrases!
Which leads me to my second criticism - the language was almost too contemporary with medieval characters using modern day slang like "So...you're hot for the queen, huh?" I highly doubt noblemen of the day used words like "hot for" to describe lusting after a woman! It completely destroyed any ability to take the novel seriously - and it certainly didn't transport the reader back to medieval Europe.
The last issue I had with this book is the tendency of the author to spell out everything for the reader, often using her characters to directly verbalize the things that a good author would allow the reader to infer, or would at least connect the dots more subtlely for the reader. Within their first moments alone, Henry and Eleanor don't just talk like new lovers, but also expound on how fortunate it would be for Henry to marry her and that would make him the most powerful man in Europe, because she is the heiress to lands here, there and everywhere etc, - which not only sounds too "explanatory" for a sophisticated novel, but also doesn't seem like credible dialogue between 2 people who have just spent themselves in the throes of passion. Way to much telling instead of showing.
I was deeply disappointed in this novel as I had heard so many good things about the writing of Alison Weir. Perhaps her actual historical writing (about the Wars of the Roses and the Princes in the Tower) is better because she wouldn't have to add in stupid dialogue and depth-less characterization. So in all, I would say to avoid this book (unless you want some cheap laughs at the cheesy love scenes - ha! ha!).(less)

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Aug 17, 2011 Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the 2nd book by this author that I have enjoyed. She is formerly a biographer, and I truly appreciate her attention to historical detail. She comments in her afterward that although this is still definitely a book of historical FICTION (due to the fact that the primary sources available from that time are so scarce) that she feels that she is in a good place to "fill in" some of the missing details with her perspective on the period and intensive research.

As far as the story, it is a sad...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nonfiction biographer turned sometimes-historical fiction writer Alison Weir returns with her latest fiction offering: Captive Queen, a novel of the cunning (and frequently fictionalized) Eleanor of Aquitane. Though Weir chronicled Eleanor's life in a previous non-fiction book, Captive Queen gave her the opportunity to dive into the woman's fascinating life and paint a picture of a medivel woman's world, but for some reason Weir just didn't deliver.

The novel opens fairly well into Eleanor's life...more Nonfiction biographer turned sometimes-historical fiction writer Alison Weir returns with her latest fiction offering: Captive Queen, a novel of the cunning (and frequently fictionalized) Eleanor of Aquitane. Though Weir chronicled Eleanor's life in a previous non-fiction book, Captive Queen gave her the opportunity to dive into the woman's fascinating life and paint a picture of a medivel woman's world, but for some reason Weir just didn't deliver.

The novel opens fairly well into Eleanor's life after she was married to King Louis of France and borne him two children. Unfortunately, Eleanor isn't satisfied with her marriage to Louis and senses ambition among a young man of the court named Henry who is descended from the English royal family, as well as the Plantagenet family. After securing an annulment, she marries Henry, whom she supports in his war to take the English crown and becomes Queen of England.

Though it sounds like Eleanor was a compelling woman who led a fascinating life, Weir manages to talk about all of these exciting events while keeping them unexciting. The way she writes about them makes it feel like all of the action takes place in the background and is shrouded in fog-a kind of sensual, sex-crazed fog. That's basically what this book is about: sex. Eleanor is portrayed as a sex-crazed woman who cares little about anything else beside pleasures of the flesh.

The entire novel is packed with far too many over-written sex scenes -so much so that it was nearly impossible to read (where was the plot?). The writing even feels infer to Innocent Traitor and The Lady Elizabeth. It's like Weir just sat down and wrote the draft one day and never edited it before it was published.

I'm a big fan of Weir's previous fiction novels, I really am, and I tried to ignore all of the negative reviews out there about this book but sadly, Captive Queen is as disappointing as others have said. I would not recommend this one unless you're planning to read something as trashy as a Harlequin novel. (less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Elisabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I somehow felt like this book could have been really really good, and just...wasn't. I have to admit to being surprised that this is not Ms. Weir's first novel, because it really felt that way. I have to wonder if it was over-edited by someone else, as there were times when it felt like it was written by 2 different people--there were some bits that were really great, and other passages where it was like "are you kidding me?" And, at the great risk of sounding like a prude, there was just too mu...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Caroline rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: alison-weir, two-star, eleanor-of-aquitaine, historical-fiction, medieval-fiction

I'm going to say right off the bat that I have mixed feelings on Alison Weir. On the one hand, her biographies range from good to "Hold on, what." Her credentials are... debatable. I can't really judge, as she's done a lot of her research... But lacks the degree, and that troubles me whenever I'm reading one of her non-fiction books. On a scale of Retha Warnicke to Antonia Fraser, she's somewhere in between. The bias always shows through--oh, gee, I wonder if she favors Anne Boleyn or Catherine...more I'm going to say right off the bat that I have mixed feelings on Alison Weir. On the one hand, her biographies range from good to "Hold on, what." Her credentials are... debatable. I can't really judge, as she's done a lot of her research... But lacks the degree, and that troubles me whenever I'm reading one of her non-fiction books. On a scale of Retha Warnicke to Antonia Fraser, she's somewhere in between. The bias always shows through--oh, gee, I wonder if she favors Anne Boleyn or Catherine of Aragon--and she tends to cash in on scandalous rumors, as seen in her book about the fall of Queen Anne. However, she can write, and I enjoyed "The Lady Elizabeth" as a guilty pleasure. She knows about the period, and makes sure to play to that cardinal rule of giving an author's note that explains the authenticity of the information. So she dodges that pet peeve.

I don't know why "Captive Queen" was so difficult to enjoy. After reading "The Lady Elizabeth", I wasn't expecting incredible accuracy or revolutionary storytelling. But this... It read like a bodice-ripper so much of the time. Don't get me wrong; I'm not a book snob, and am very open to bodice-rippers. However, I dislike it when books hide behind one image when they're actually another, which is what "Captive Queen" is guilty of. Another problem is that Eleanor of Aquitaine really deserves better than to spend most of her book worrying about her husband and whether or not they're having sex. Yes, she had affairs, and yes, she was sexually voracious. If you know anything about Eleanor, you're aware of that. However, Weir knows that there is more to her and she doesn't show it. It's not incredibly offensive, as it was in "The Borgia Bride"--it's irritating.

What about Eleanor's strategy, her confidence? What about her control in the relationship, rather than Henry's? There was something around an eleven year age difference between the two, in Eleanor's advantage. Surely she lent wisdom and had something of a controlling factor at first. Henry wasn't nearly as motivated to take the throne until he hooked up with Eleanor. Why didn't Weir exploit that? What could have been a novel about a defiant and courageous woman turns Eleanor into a sexy battered wife. (She also suffers from historical fiction heroine syndrome, again: so beautiful, even when she's in her sixties in an age without cosmetics or anti-aging remedies.)

I also felt that, in a third-person, multi-perspective novel, Weir could have spent less time on Eleanor's more mundane thoughts and Henry's sexual adventuries, and more on the development of their sons. Where was Richard's conflict, for instance, over his sexuality? We don't know.

It's not that the book is terrible. It's just... not enough, and far less than what the author is capable of.(less)

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Jun 07, 2011 Bat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me start by saying this is not a book for everyone.

Being familiar with Ms Weir's previous novels, both the historical and the historical fiction, "Captive Queen" takes on the subject of a woman who lived a very interesting life. Trying to condense everything that happened to Eleanor of Aquitaine and keep it interesting was a very large task.

This is a fictional account, using what knowledge there is from surviving reports of the actual period of Eleanor's life, but that still leaves gaps. The...more Let me start by saying this is not a book for everyone.

Being familiar with Ms Weir's previous novels, both the historical and the historical fiction, "Captive Queen" takes on the subject of a woman who lived a very interesting life. Trying to condense everything that happened to Eleanor of Aquitaine and keep it interesting was a very large task.

This is a fictional account, using what knowledge there is from surviving reports of the actual period of Eleanor's life, but that still leaves gaps. The author even says so at the end of the book. Instead of being sensationalist and basing things on conjecture and rumors (much like the "historical" novels by Philippa Gregory) Ms Weir does her best to fill the gaps with events/emotions/ideals that fit and keep well within what *might* have happened.

I came to this book knowing virtually nothing about Eleanor of Aquitaine or Henry II. In some ways that made this novel very riveting for me. At other times the pace crawled so slowly that even though I wanted to know what was going to happen I ended up having to put it down and walk away for a while before continuing. There was a lot to cover in terms of subject matter, when you're trying to account for the 37 years of marriage and all that went on during them.

Yes, there's a lot of sexual scenes in this book. At first it was rather overwhelming but that was what truly bound Eleanor and Henry from the first: their lust for one another. The sex scenes were pretty tame (especially compared to Philippa Gregory's books) and their inclusion was important to truly understand their union.

As I said, this book is not for everyone. I would suggest either of Ms Weir's other two historical fiction novels, "Innocent Traitor" or "Lady Elizabeth", to start with to see if you enjoy Ms Weir's take on historical persons. "Captive Queen" could very much overwhelm you, especially if you're not remotely familiar with the subject matter/historical period and its sheer size (nearly 500 pages in paperback) can at times feel like it will never end.

I enjoyed the book. Eleanor of Aquitaine was certainly one of those rare women in history that held her own in a world of men. Even when she was subjected to imprisonment by her own husband, it did not kill her spirit. Her story, along with the story of Henry II and their children, made me more interested in reading other books about the long line of English kings. I'm most familiar with the Tudors but have increasingly begun to branch out to those that came before them.

If I had to chose between Ms Weir and Philippa Gregory, I would easily go with Ms Weir, as she seems to be more intuitive when it comes to historical fiction and doesn't rely on unfounded claptrap and sensationalism. (less)

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Mar 15, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I almost think of Alison Weir's fiction as interchangeable with Philippa Gregory, which I'm not sure is a great thing. Weir wrote a biography on Eleanor of Aquitaine, so I have to think that most of the history is correct here. It's well-written, though it glosses over her early life and first marriage to focus on her relationship with Henry, which was the key relationship in her life.

Their marriage and life was fascinating to me; she was an incredible woman at a time when it wasn't easy to be...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, favourite

This took me way longer than usual to read because I was so ill last month and concentrating my eyes on a book was the last thing that I could handle most of the time but when I was feeling well again and got back to reading it I devoured the remaining chapters. In all honesty I'm probably a little biased towards loving this book because I think Alison Weir is a fantastic writer to begin with and I really love novels about monarchs, I'm just such a sucker for them and it's pretty easy to suck me...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Paula Hebert rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

this is a very well done biographical novel of eleanor of aquataine, she of the lion in winter, and her unproductive marriage to louis of france, and then her tempestuous and passionate life with henry the second, to whom she bore eleven children. it's a wonderful explanation of how marriage and children were more power and politics than family, and family turned against family in their grasp for the most of both. what a horrible way to have lived, no matter how much wealth you had. henry was no...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Johanna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the perfect book to read when you are recovering from surgery and are a little drugged up on post-surgery painkillers and can't read anything terribly heavy or serious. As I was in that very situation, I enjoyed the book muchly, and my state allowed me to forgive several grievances I would have had with the book otherwise....such as: the egregious use of modern terms and slang; the gratuitious, badly-written sex scenes; the modern way people acted and talked in the book and the disregard...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Kate Lawrence rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Ever since my teens, one of my favorite kinds of brain candy has been novels about notable figures in English history. It still is, and Weir's new novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine is the genre at its best. Weir is a rare species of literary animal: someone who can write biography and historical fiction equally well. She states in her author note that because many readers come to history through historical fiction, she feels a responsibility to stick as close to the facts as she can. "You can't s...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd say this is really about a 3.5, and I was very torn about whether to go high or low with it, but I ultimately decided to go low for a few reasons. First, while I have no doubt that Weir knows her stuff (she did write a Eleanor biography, after all), she chose to go the rumor-mongering route with her fictional account. The story that Eleanor slept with Geoffrey of Anjou was a new one to me, and all I could initially say was "Ewwww", although in hindsight I can logically admit that if given th...more I'd say this is really about a 3.5, and I was very torn about whether to go high or low with it, but I ultimately decided to go low for a few reasons. First, while I have no doubt that Weir knows her stuff (she did write a Eleanor biography, after all), she chose to go the rumor-mongering route with her fictional account. The story that Eleanor slept with Geoffrey of Anjou was a new one to me, and all I could initially say was "Ewwww", although in hindsight I can logically admit that if given the opportunity, Geoffrey was by all accounts quite the lover, and there's no way she could have known she'd be meeting his hot son a few years down the road. But to confirm that she did in fact have an affair with her uncle in Antioch (a double ewwwww, really) is just going lowest common denominator. Throw in with that the story that Henry did, in fact, make his son's betrothed, the French princess Alys, his mistress, plus having Eleanor worry that Richard is having a homosexual relationship with Phillip, and you lose points in my book. Sharon Kay Penman took the high road with her books, acknowledging in her author notes that there is no historical proof to verify any of those rumors.

My second reason to go low is that, while Weir is an accomplished author of nonfiction, her fictional narrative tended to be a bit stilted and frequently dry. Granted, part of that is that she's cramming a very long, historically turbulent lifetime into a single book, so there's a lot of condensing that has to happen. Penman's on her fourth book of it, and still not finished, though she, of course, is covering more than just Eleanor. But the Beckett years dragged on interminably (honestly, they did in Penman's book, too, and I'm sure they really seemed to for the people who lived it, but it's so much of the same back and forth to what we all know will be the final outcome...I would have appreciated it being condensed a bit more in this format). I also wasn't too keen on the appearance of Rosamud's ghost and Eleanor's prophetic dream of the young Hnry's death. It's supernatural elements like that, presented as though they really happened vs just that a character perceived them to happen (more so the ghost than the dream), that soured me on Phillipa Gregory's last 3-4 books.

So, if this were the only Eleanor book I'd ever read, I may have rated it higher, and goodness knows I've read waaaay worse, but I can't help my own preferences of how I want the story to go, in light of limited historical references. She said she shows substance to the rumors in her biography, which admittedly I haven't read, so maybe I'll change my mind someday.(less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Jinny (SkyInk.net) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: historical fiction fans, drama fans

Shelves: england, france, historical, drama

4.5 stars, rounded up!

This is my second Alison Weir book. I loved her first one, Innocent Traitor, on Lady Jane Grey and was very excited to read more of her works. Captive Queen is about Eleanor of Aquitaine, who, despite my limited knowledge on her, is a favourite Queen of mine from history. This book has its flaws, but I thought overall it was quite well done and I was pretty addicted to reading it. The book starts off a bit slow, but builds up increasingly. By the middle of the book, I could...more 4.5 stars, rounded up!

This is my second Alison Weir book. I loved her first one, Innocent Traitor, on Lady Jane Grey and was very excited to read more of her works. Captive Queen is about Eleanor of Aquitaine, who, despite my limited knowledge on her, is a favourite Queen of mine from history. This book has its flaws, but I thought overall it was quite well done and I was pretty addicted to reading it. The book starts off a bit slow, but builds up increasingly. By the middle of the book, I couldn’t put it down at all.

Captive Queen begins when Eleanor is almost thirty years old, beginning with her failure of a marriage to King Louis of France. Eleanor is a beautiful, headstrong Queen with a high sex drive; unfortunately, her husband is so pious that Eleanor practically needs to beg him to come to bed with her, for the sake of an heir at least. When Eleanor lays her eyes on young Henry of Anjou (future King Henry of England), eleven years her junior, she is instantly attracted — and so is he. Daringly, Eleanor arranges for her marriage to Louis to become annulled and before anyone can say anything, she is wed to Henry. Their relationship is extremely passionate, as Henry shares the same sexual appetite as her and together, they eventually come to have eight children.

However, as the years go on, Eleanor and Henry’s relationship begins to break down. Though they can’t get enough of one another in the bedroom, outside they are butting heads politically over land and over their children. Finding out about Henry’s faithlessness also drives the wedge deeper between them. When Eleanor’s sons revolt against their father, Eleanor can’t help but side with her sons, a decision that will cost her her freedom.

As I mentioned earlier, the book begins a bit on the slow side. I still liked it, but it wasn’t anything too impressive. I read some reviews where people were unhappy with how much sex Eleanor and Henry had in the book, but that didn’t bother me one bit. I mean, they were both known to be quite into sex, it’s kind of hard to leave that out. However, I do agree that the beginning of the book seemed to be overly dominated with sex scenes and sexual-related scenes and the like. I guess it just drove home how much of Eleanor and Henry’s relationship was built upon pure, unrestrained lust — and unfortunately, lust doesn’t last.

What I loved was reading about Eleanor and Henry’s relationship dissolving. In some ways, this book isn’t really about just Eleanor, but rather, Eleanor and Henry. They couldn’t agree on so many things outside of the bedroom. Henry wanted things one way, Eleanor wanted things another way. Eleanor, who was quite an intelligent woman herself, resented the fact that Henry technically had control of her lands as her husband, even though none of her vassals liked Henry. She would try to persuade Henry to let her handle her own vassals since they like her more, but Henry is too prideful, too “manly” to let a woman handle his affairs. Then there was also Becket, Henry’s new BFF, who came between Eleanor and Henry’s relationship even more. She hated that she wasn’t the first person Henry would turn to for advice anymore. When their children grew older, she sided with her sons who felt their father was hogging all the power, which of course, drove Eleanor and Henry apart even more. As morbid as it sounds, I loved reading about their marriage and relationship falling apart. It was exciting! Dramatic!

I loved this book a lot! No, it’s not perfect — I do wish the author focused a bit more on Eleanor’s children, specifically her sons — but it’s a great book on its own. Whether you are knowledgeable about Eleanor’s life or not, I think many people will find this book quite exciting to read.(less)

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Mar 15, 2013 Lola rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let's start with I'm not a prude and continue with this book was a total waste of my time. A) I have (obviously) no problem reading historical fiction, but I don't want to hear about how Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry were constantly going at it like oversexed hamsters. B) I lost count of how many times Henry turned "puce" with anger. C) How often can Eleanor "feel something died this day" before she runs out of things that die inside her?

I finished it because I wanted to see how far Ms. W...more

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Nov 07, 2010 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jennifer (JC-S) by: fionnabhair@bigpond.com

Shelves: librarybooks

‘I am a captive in this marriage.’

This novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), a Queen of both France and England is the subject of Alison Weir’s third historical novel. Ms Weir has previously written a biography of Eleanor (first published in 1999) and I was interested in how she would approach the same subject from a fictional perspective.

Eleanor of Aquitaine had a fascinating life. As the sole heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine, she was married to Louis in 1137 just before he became King Lo...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Ben Babcock rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, british-historical, historical-fiction, owned

Reading this novel, two thoughts were constantly present in the foreground of my mind: (1) wow, there is a lot of sex in this novel; and (2) Twilight fans need to read this.

I'm fascinated by the history of the British monarchy (and hence, by the tangles of consanguinity, the history of all the various European monarchies). I've enjoyed poring over Alison Weir's non-fiction works, although I don't think I've quite read one all the way through. I was happy to learn that she had begun writing ficti...more

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Nov 26, 2010 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: history lovers of henry VIII era

Recommended to Liz by: self

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is story of Eleanor of Aquitane and her struggle with her overbearing/overpowering husband King Henry. She sees Henry for the first time and falls for him immediately. However she is married to King Louis of France. Her marriage is annuled and she marries Henry. They have numerous children together. It is a constant battle for Eleanor to remain in control of her own territories, but Henry won't have it. There is also the struggle for her children to get adequate lands and territories to con...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Vanessa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This was an interesting read. I read

,which is another historical fiction by Allison Weir, last year. I thought that it was a good story, but the writing left quite a bit to be desired. The writing in Captive Queen is so much better! It's hard to believe that it is the same author. I've read quite a bit about Tudor England, but I've never gone any further back in English history than that. This book goes all the way back to Henry II, who was the father of King Richard and King John of "Robin H...more

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