The Queen's War: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine

by Jeanne Mackin

In THE QUEEN'S WAR Jeanne Mackin transports the reader to the royal court of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, at Poitiers. Cast off by her husband, who now shares his bed with his young mistress, Rosamonde, Eleanor presides over her court of love. Aginst a rich tapestry of court intrique, Eleanor's sons go forth to make war against their father, Henry, and Eleanor herself watches and waits, knowing that her safety, her reputation, her very life,is at stake.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1991

About the author

Jeanne Mackin is the author of The Beautiful American and A Lady of Good Family. In addition to several other novels as well as short fiction and creative nonfiction, she is the author of the Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers and co-editor of The Norton Book of Love. She lives with her husband in upstate New York.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This historical novel covers the period around 1173, when Eleanor of Aquitaine was residing in Poitiers and involved in a personal and political struggle with her estranged husband, Henry II of England. Mackin takes up both the larger historical situation, and the adventures of Lucie, a yound woman at Eleanor's court, and Sophia, an educated woman who serves Eleanor as an astrologer. She does a good job of weaving together the disparate story lines. I particularly like the way she portrayed the complexities of Eleanor and Henry's relationship. Mackin's style is straightforward and fairly simple, so it was a nice, easy, and entertaining read.