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Revenge of the Rose: A Medieval Political Novel of Witty Intrigue in the Holy Roman Empire
Welcome to a world of intrigue of the most intriguing kind, where emperors and popes desperately vie for power, even as their subjects and servants engage in behind-the-scenes machinations of their own. The Holy Roman Empire circa 1200 A.D. Impoverished young knight Willem of Dole believed he would spend his life in rural Burgundy, struggling to provide for his widowed mother and younger sister, Lienor. And so it's with surprise—and apprehension—that he obeys a summons to the magnificent court of Konrad, Holy Roman Emperor, whose realm spans half of Europe. Willem's mischievous friend Jouglet, Konrad's favorite minstrel, is no doubt behind it somehow . . . but what's in it for Jouglet? Court life is overwhelming to the idealistic young Willem, who is shocked by the behavior of his fellow knights, for whom chivalry is a mere game. Yet under Jouglet's witty, relentless tutelage, the naïve knight quickly rises in Emperor Konrad's esteem—until suddenly his sister, Lienor, becomes a prospect for the role of Empress. This unexpected elevation of the sibling "nobodies" delights Jouglet, but threatens three powerful—and dangerous—men at the the Emperor's brother, Cardinal Paul, who has in mind a different bride for Konrad; the Emperor's uncle, Alphonse, Count of Burgundy, who would keep secret certain things that only Willem can reveal; and most especially the Emperor's own steward Marcus, who is hopelessly in love with Konrad's cousin Imogen. For if Willem's star keeps rising, Imogen will be betrothed to the knight by royal decree—and Willem's star will surely continue to rise, unless Marcus figures out a way to stop it. But that would entail outscheming clever Jouglet, ablest of schemers. Gossip, secrets, and lies are the fuel of daily life in Konrad's court. As Konrad edges closer to proclaiming Lienor his bride, those around Willem play a perilous game of cat-and-mouse as they attempt to secure their own fortunes, knowing that even the slightest move can shift the playing field entirely. And through it all, Jouglet remains Willem's most maddening yet staunchest ally. But what, really, does Jouglet stand to gain . . . or lose? Transporting the reader to the brilliant, conniving heart of the largest empire of medieval Europe, Revenge of the Rose is a novel rich in irony and tongue-in-cheek wit, and reveals all the grit and color, politics and passion, of court life in the Holy Roman Empire.
468 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
58 people are currently reading
852 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Galland
15 books458 followersNicole Galland writes critically-acclaimed novels in several different genres. She is mostly know for historical fiction, but recently teamed up with Neal Stephenson to write the New York Times bestselling, time-travel-themed The Rise And Fall of D.O.D.O. (HarperCollins, 2017). She'll be releasing its sequel, Master of the Revels, in February of 2021.
Her historical novels (all published by HarperCollins or imprints) include: The Fool's Tale; I, Iago; Revenge of the Rose; Godiva; and Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade. Her debut, The Fool's Tale, was a "Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers" selection.
Nicole has written two contemporary comic novels, Stepdog, and On The Same Page.
With a collective of six other authors (including Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear) Nicole co-authored the Mongoliad Trilogy (published by 47N), and under the pen name E. D. deBirmingham, also wrote the Siege Perilous, a Mongoliad sequel.
Galland is a "Shakespeare nerd" at heart. With actress/director Chelsea McCarthy she is the co-creator of Shakespeare for the Masses at the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse, and writes a tongue-in-cheek column for the Martha's Vineyard Times.
Her historical novels (all published by HarperCollins or imprints) include: The Fool's Tale; I, Iago; Revenge of the Rose; Godiva; and Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade. Her debut, The Fool's Tale, was a "Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers" selection.
Nicole has written two contemporary comic novels, Stepdog, and On The Same Page.
With a collective of six other authors (including Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear) Nicole co-authored the Mongoliad Trilogy (published by 47N), and under the pen name E. D. deBirmingham, also wrote the Siege Perilous, a Mongoliad sequel.
Galland is a "Shakespeare nerd" at heart. With actress/director Chelsea McCarthy she is the co-creator of Shakespeare for the Masses at the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse, and writes a tongue-in-cheek column for the Martha's Vineyard Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
July 2, 2013
The publisher promotes this as one of their titles in the category of "The lighter side of history", which should have warned me. To her credit, the author explains this is not based on real people or events but is a novelization of a real poem/ballad of the time period.
She does try to get historic details right, such as attitudes toward women, clothing, food, etc. So why did I find myself skipping to the end and then tossing it aside in the garbage? It's a rather dull soap opera, with exaggerated and unlikely situations/characters -- the hero is the most skilled fighter in the land despite being wholly self taught? His best friend is the most amusing and educated minstrel in the land just ten years after running away from home as a penniless, wholly uneducated child? The "Rose" of the title is the most beautiful girl in all the land? It's just a fairy tale with a gloss of historical accuracy without real-feeling people at its core.
And, frankly, the endless "what to do now that I know your big secret?" conversations between the hero and his best friend were unutterably boring after the 3rd iteration, much less the 10th.
She does try to get historic details right, such as attitudes toward women, clothing, food, etc. So why did I find myself skipping to the end and then tossing it aside in the garbage? It's a rather dull soap opera, with exaggerated and unlikely situations/characters -- the hero is the most skilled fighter in the land despite being wholly self taught? His best friend is the most amusing and educated minstrel in the land just ten years after running away from home as a penniless, wholly uneducated child? The "Rose" of the title is the most beautiful girl in all the land? It's just a fairy tale with a gloss of historical accuracy without real-feeling people at its core.
And, frankly, the endless "what to do now that I know your big secret?" conversations between the hero and his best friend were unutterably boring after the 3rd iteration, much less the 10th.
August 21, 2012
A nice tale that reminds me a lot of Shakespearean comedies with hidden identities and lots of scheming. I feel is one of Galland's better novels. It's clearly not historical fiction, but it clearly comes from an author who really knows her history and is manipulating it all to create an entertaining story. The main trio in this novel are a brother, sister, and minstrel. The brother, Willem, is a very good knight and a hopelessly clueless and romantic man that finds himself in the emperor's court. The sister, Lienor, is a lovely and intelligent woman who is set to be betrothed to the emperor due to her brother's success in court. Finally, the minstrel, Jouglet, is in my opinion the most interesting character. The minstrel is very good about figuring out people's intentions and manipulating events to see desired outcomes. Jouglet decides to champion Willem and Lienor and help them for reasons no one really knows. Add in an emperor with a religious brother, a lovesick steward, and a nasty uncle. This all leads to lots of scheming, back stabbing, and plotting.
Lots of plot twists and romance really characterize this novel. I really enjoyed the slow revelation of the true motivations of the different players in the novel and the slow fall to a satisfying conclusion. I predicted some of the twists, but not all and there are many to keep you guessing. My criticism is that it is a bit slow like all of Galland's novels but I think the pace worked well in this case because it was a much lighter novel than The Fool's Tale. Also, I found it really hard to believe that one character's identity was never suspected for about a decade. However, I liked the book enough to be willing to overlook that flaw.
Lots of plot twists and romance really characterize this novel. I really enjoyed the slow revelation of the true motivations of the different players in the novel and the slow fall to a satisfying conclusion. I predicted some of the twists, but not all and there are many to keep you guessing. My criticism is that it is a bit slow like all of Galland's novels but I think the pace worked well in this case because it was a much lighter novel than The Fool's Tale. Also, I found it really hard to believe that one character's identity was never suspected for about a decade. However, I liked the book enough to be willing to overlook that flaw.
August 24, 2009
Inspired by a thirteenth-century poem called “Roman de la Rose,” “Revenge of the Rose” envelops readers in a thrilling tale of courtly love, political intrigue, and cunning wit. The minstrel Jouglet is a riveting character whose schemes and quick-mind made me laugh out loud, while the main characters of Willem and Lienor provide an irresistible combination of the idealistic knight trying (too hard) to protect his spirited sister from the ways of the world. Galland weaves their stories into an incredibly well-developed, unpredictable plot that will keep you guessing until the very last page. And though the novel feels like historical fiction, I was surprised to learn in the author’s notes that the court of Emperor Konrad – where much of the story takes place – did not exist, nor did the personalities and politics around him. As an avid historical fiction reader this revelation truly delighted me, and revealed the depth of Galland’s talent. Combining her vivid imagination with a profound knowledge of history she was able to create an entirely new world, filled with characters you wish really existed.
December 31, 2015
I'm incredibly susceptible to buying historical fiction without knowing anything about it. In this case, it didn't work out for me. This novel is set in the 12th century Holy Roman Empire, and focuses on Willem, a young knight, Willem's beautiful sister, and Willem's best friend Jouglet, the emperor's personal musician. The writing was bland, the characters shallow, and the plot was much closer to "these are some dumb deus ex machina coincidences" than "wow, how neatly it all ties together!", which presumably is what the author was going for. But my biggest problem with the book involves a major spoiler, so I'm going to put it behind a cut:
So, in summary: not recommended.
So, in summary: not recommended.
April 29, 2014
I enjoyed this, though not as much as I, Iago, the last book of Galland’s that I read. A tale of courtly love, mistaken identity, revenge, class prejudice, and sexual politics set in the 13th century court of Holy Roman Emperor, there are lots of intriguing (and mostly quite unexpected) plot twists and characters who are quite sympathetic, if not entirely believable at times. (I do wish, for instance, that all the good guys weren’t so astonishingly gorgeous, that their character flaws (as seen by their contemporaries) were not all calculated to make them even more likeable to a modern audience, or that the court outsiders were not always naïve to the point of seeming rather stupid.) A fun diversion, but nothing I’m going to be thinking about in the days to come. The ending kind of bugged me, too.
July 9, 2009
I had every intention of giving this book 4 stars until I finished it. Despite significant weaknesses in the narrative, for some reason I just found the story very entertaining, and it does have sufficient twists to hold an avid reader's interests. The denouement and ending, however, just seemed far too pat and abrupt and I was unhappy with the simplistic finale. It had promised to be much more noteworthy and ended up just being okay.
October 14, 2012
Glad I only paid $2 for it. Pretty bad writing, and also should not have been labeled "historical" fiction, because the only thing really "historical" about it is that it was set 800 years ago. Basically, if you're looking for a smutty book, with characters who are *incredibly* stupid and dense, you've found it. The only reason I give it three stars is that Galland had some rather clever turns of phrase that actually made me laugh out loud.
April 28, 2013
A solid 3.5 star read; if you like historical fiction laced with romance, you will like this book. Set in the Holy Roman Empire of the 13th century, it has a variety of colorful characters (knights, minstrels, damsels in distress) and a mid-story plot twist that took me totally by surprise. Combine all this with a satisfying ending in which true love triumphs and the evil-doers get their just rewards, and you have all you need for a really enjoyable story.
July 30, 2008
'Revenge of the Rose' is clever and fun, with mistaken-identity plot twists straight out of Shakespeare's comedies. But it's not anywhere near as scrupulously authentic as 'The Fool's Tale,' so it suffers by comparison.
June 14, 2023
Characters: 10, although overall this didn't stay with me as strongly as Crossed, the characters make this novel shine. Each is individual, has autonomy, their choices and actions all affect nuances of the story, and I could describe them to someone else easily. I think I could safely say Jouglet is the main character, but this story wouldn't be what it is without Willem, Erec, Lienor, Konrad, Nicholas, Paul, Alphonse, and Jeanette. Not one of them was redundant or unnecessary.
Atmosphere: 9, both the physical setting and the emotional setting were well described without detracting from the pacing at all. The political atmosphere in the court was nicely played, with the connections being revealed at appropriate times and in dramatically appropriate ways. There were moments I was genuinely tense with fear that something awful was going to happen to one of the characters I loved. And the complications were both delightfully entertaining and nerve-wracking, because I genuinely felt caught up in the story.
Writing: 9, Nicole Galland is an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is smooth and seamless, even though each character's voice has a distinctive quality to it. The dialogue-to-action ratio is well balanced. And there aren't any tropey "didn't know I was holding my breath" bits or moments where one character suddenly has ESP for a bit of plot convenience.
Plot: 9, I commented to a penpal (hi, Chelsea!) that it felt a bit lighter than A Fool's Tale and Crossed, and read more like a medieval epic poem. Which it turns out was entirely by design, as in the Afterword the author says this book was inspired by Jean Renart's Romance of the Rose. Aspects of the tale were like something Chaucer would've written- cheeky, heartfelt, frustrating, and frightening all at once.
Intrigue: 8, a few places the plot floundered a teensy bit and it took a handful of pages for me to get drawn in again. Were I not in the midst of a ton of life juggling (what with moving, job hunting, psychiatry appointments, new medications, selling my stuff, etc.) I'm pretty sure I'd have read it in 4-5 days, not 14.
Logic: 10, no action or statement by any of the characters threw me out of the story or contradicted their established desires and fears. The closest I could come to questioning logic is just wondering why Jeanette was so willing to help. But her actions didn't contradict her words.
Enjoyment: 10, I loved it and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, stories of friendship, clever female characters, the art of courtly love, and complex villains/heroes.
Atmosphere: 9, both the physical setting and the emotional setting were well described without detracting from the pacing at all. The political atmosphere in the court was nicely played, with the connections being revealed at appropriate times and in dramatically appropriate ways. There were moments I was genuinely tense with fear that something awful was going to happen to one of the characters I loved. And the complications were both delightfully entertaining and nerve-wracking, because I genuinely felt caught up in the story.
Writing: 9, Nicole Galland is an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is smooth and seamless, even though each character's voice has a distinctive quality to it. The dialogue-to-action ratio is well balanced. And there aren't any tropey "didn't know I was holding my breath" bits or moments where one character suddenly has ESP for a bit of plot convenience.
Plot: 9, I commented to a penpal (hi, Chelsea!) that it felt a bit lighter than A Fool's Tale and Crossed, and read more like a medieval epic poem. Which it turns out was entirely by design, as in the Afterword the author says this book was inspired by Jean Renart's Romance of the Rose. Aspects of the tale were like something Chaucer would've written- cheeky, heartfelt, frustrating, and frightening all at once.
Intrigue: 8, a few places the plot floundered a teensy bit and it took a handful of pages for me to get drawn in again. Were I not in the midst of a ton of life juggling (what with moving, job hunting, psychiatry appointments, new medications, selling my stuff, etc.) I'm pretty sure I'd have read it in 4-5 days, not 14.
Logic: 10, no action or statement by any of the characters threw me out of the story or contradicted their established desires and fears. The closest I could come to questioning logic is just wondering why Jeanette was so willing to help. But her actions didn't contradict her words.
Enjoyment: 10, I loved it and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, stories of friendship, clever female characters, the art of courtly love, and complex villains/heroes.
February 18, 2022
Dość przyjemnie się czytało. Pomijając kilka fragmentów, obraz średniowiecznego dworu jest tu całkiem realistyczny (w sensie raczej jakiegoś popularnego wyobrażenia). Choć nie jest zgodny z historią. Rzeczywiście poemat "Roman de la Rose", który był inspiracją dla autorki okazał się w przypadku tej fabuły przydatny. Cała intryga wydaje się dobrze przemyślana. W niektórych momentach czułam lekkie zażenowanie, ale nie wpłynęło to na ogólny odbiór książki. Nie podobały mi się niektóre rozwiązania, takie nieco banalne. Szczególnie te, które były przy końcu. Jednak czytało się przyjemnie, podobały mi się postaci, ich opisy i przede wszystkim różne charaktery.
September 22, 2021
This was such a witty and engaging read! I felt that the author gave just enough detail to immerse me in the world without wearing the research too much. Sometimes historical novels can get bogged down and start to sound like a history text book, but that's not the case with this one. The plot was juicy and had good tension between conservative and progressive characters. I could picture this comedy on the stage for sure.
May 28, 2018
This is a historical novel full of interesting characters, courtly intrigue, and plot twists galore. After a bit of a slow start (while we are gradually introduced to the main players) the action soon picks up and before you know it things are barrelling along at a cracking pace. Highly recommended!
March 22, 2018
When I first picked this up, I thought I wouldn’t make it through the book. The misogyny was overwhelming. I kept reading. Then it got weird, and then it got good - really good. If you pick it up, stick with it.
October 13, 2018
Although
Although I enjoy historical accuracy...
While this book was not from the standpoint of the characters, alas it was in thrusting the reader in the time of the Middle Ages.
Although I enjoy historical accuracy...
While this book was not from the standpoint of the characters, alas it was in thrusting the reader in the time of the Middle Ages.
September 9, 2017
Excellent story, well told.
January 26, 2018
Fun read with so many plot twists it will keep your head spinning!
March 9, 2018
Not my favorite by this author. Pretty good but it took a while to get immersed enough into the story to want to finish it.
August 28, 2018
An entertaining romp!
Loved this story! Written with knowledge of the period to make it believable without being constrained by actual historical facts.
Loved this story! Written with knowledge of the period to make it believable without being constrained by actual historical facts.
March 14, 2020
Ending was abrupt and predictable, but it kept me engaged just to see if my guess was right.
July 13, 2020
Okay read!
Read
March 7, 2022Couldn’t get into this. Didn’t gel with the writing style and couldn’t really understand the purpose or sense of the alternate history it was set in.
September 7, 2025
Slow to get going, but I did enjoy how everything came together in the end.
October 28, 2025
I enjoyed this book: good characters, plot and time frame. Don't read it expecting history but well done.
January 29, 2013
This is a tale of courtly love, political intrigue, and the politics of power in the court of the Holy Roman emperor in the thirteenth century. Galland does something unusual in the category of historical fiction. She picks a time and place, but nothing specific in history. And then she creates a complex and fictional world and uses it as a backdrop for completely fictional characters. (is that still historical fiction? If not, I don't know how to categorize it.) Historical purists might find that distasteful. I found it amusing and engaging. I like historical fiction, but I really get tired of all the wars. I just want to spend some time with the people. And Galland has such interesting people. She brings characters alive to play their roles in a rather Shakespearean fashion. She has to be a Shakespeare fan. She has his witty, bawdy, and ironic sense of humor. This book made me laugh.
A young knight and his beautiful sister have been cheated out of their inheritance by a wicked uncle. But all is not lost. The knight has a friend at the court of the Emperor. His friend is a fool, literally. You wouldn't think that the court jester would have the power to impact much of anything. But the wily Jouglet soon has the knight and his sister (complete unknowns) rising in the court...much to the dismay of the other courtiers.
I doubt that the characters of that time actually spouted such witty dialogue as they do in Galland's book. But you just don't care. Her characters are delightful, her plot complex and interesting, and I love her sense of humor. This is a satirical view of courtly love at its best. It's a fun read.
A young knight and his beautiful sister have been cheated out of their inheritance by a wicked uncle. But all is not lost. The knight has a friend at the court of the Emperor. His friend is a fool, literally. You wouldn't think that the court jester would have the power to impact much of anything. But the wily Jouglet soon has the knight and his sister (complete unknowns) rising in the court...much to the dismay of the other courtiers.
I doubt that the characters of that time actually spouted such witty dialogue as they do in Galland's book. But you just don't care. Her characters are delightful, her plot complex and interesting, and I love her sense of humor. This is a satirical view of courtly love at its best. It's a fun read.
February 27, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. If you take it for what it is, a fairy tale crossed with a Shakespearean comedy set in a somewhat real world, it's a good story. It is not a true-to-life historical fiction. It's not even based off of or around known monarchs, nobles, or kingdoms. I don't know enough about the time period to account for whether every detail given was correct, but I can say I heard little from my very sensitive BS meter that tells me when something doesn't seem to fit in the world of a story.
However, I did gag a bit at the sensationalist title, both before and after reading the book. The author explains it is in tribute to an original story written in the Middle Ages, which I intend to look up, but really, the title has so little to do with the story that it's overly-dramatic tone isn't justified.
I read the author's The Fool's Tale right before this and I can see a definite style, of people grappling with complicated and twisted histories, plots with a distinctly Shakespearean flavor (tragedy for that story, comedy for this), and settings liberally crossed between fairy tale and reality.
As I said in my review of The Fool's Tale, I find this a refreshing approach to historical fiction to break up the endless Tudors and Marie Antoinettes. However, I'd probably recommend spacing out the books instead of binging on this one author as I could see the style getting a bit belabored if taken in large doses. Given some time between, I look forward to reading everything else the author has written.
However, I did gag a bit at the sensationalist title, both before and after reading the book. The author explains it is in tribute to an original story written in the Middle Ages, which I intend to look up, but really, the title has so little to do with the story that it's overly-dramatic tone isn't justified.
I read the author's The Fool's Tale right before this and I can see a definite style, of people grappling with complicated and twisted histories, plots with a distinctly Shakespearean flavor (tragedy for that story, comedy for this), and settings liberally crossed between fairy tale and reality.
As I said in my review of The Fool's Tale, I find this a refreshing approach to historical fiction to break up the endless Tudors and Marie Antoinettes. However, I'd probably recommend spacing out the books instead of binging on this one author as I could see the style getting a bit belabored if taken in large doses. Given some time between, I look forward to reading everything else the author has written.
December 7, 2012
I quite enjoyed this!
It reminded me a bit of a more adult version of Jane Yolen's 'Queen's Own Fool,' which I read recently. It's likely less historically accurate, but I found the characters to be wonderfully vivid (if not quite 'believable.') This is historical fiction for readers who want a well-crafted, entertaining story. It won't hold up if you're nitpicky about "did that really happen," but it's got internal consistency.
Set in 13th-century Burgundy, the story involves a naive knight from a small town - and his friend, a traveling minstrel who happens to have the king's ear, and a privileged position at court. The minstrel, Jouglet, schemes to bring the knight, Willem of Dole, to the king's attention, and even aims to convince the king to marry Willem's sister. But what are Jouglet's real motivations?
Galland does a nice job of contrasting the ideals of 'courtly love' with the not-so-idealistic behaviors of the people of the court, all while crafting an absorbing story with plenty of romance and mystery.
I picked this up because of the Neal Stephenson cover blurb. The writing bears zero resemblance to anything Neal Stephenson has ever published, but I'm not sorry I read it!
It reminded me a bit of a more adult version of Jane Yolen's 'Queen's Own Fool,' which I read recently. It's likely less historically accurate, but I found the characters to be wonderfully vivid (if not quite 'believable.') This is historical fiction for readers who want a well-crafted, entertaining story. It won't hold up if you're nitpicky about "did that really happen," but it's got internal consistency.
Set in 13th-century Burgundy, the story involves a naive knight from a small town - and his friend, a traveling minstrel who happens to have the king's ear, and a privileged position at court. The minstrel, Jouglet, schemes to bring the knight, Willem of Dole, to the king's attention, and even aims to convince the king to marry Willem's sister. But what are Jouglet's real motivations?
Galland does a nice job of contrasting the ideals of 'courtly love' with the not-so-idealistic behaviors of the people of the court, all while crafting an absorbing story with plenty of romance and mystery.
I picked this up because of the Neal Stephenson cover blurb. The writing bears zero resemblance to anything Neal Stephenson has ever published, but I'm not sorry I read it!
May 3, 2012
Revenge of the Rose is one of my favorite medieval novels. Poor Willem of Dole and his beautiful, yet defiant sister, Lienor were robbed of their birthrights by a wicked uncle, but the wily and witty Jouglet, a fool in Holy Roman Emperor Konrad’s court, conspires to help Willem gain favor and his titles too. Not only does Willem rise in the court, but soon eyes fall upon Lienor as a prospect for Konrad’s bride. Needless to say, there are many in Konrad’s court who aren’t happy to see these two “unknowns” rise from obscurity and take such powerful positions. Plots, vicious rumors, and betrayal abound, setting a quick pace for the novel. Galland’s well-written witty dialogue, romance, and schemes transport the reader to Emperor Konrad’s opulent, yet treacherous 13th century court and keep the reader wanting more. Galland masterfully crafts this medieval tale and I not only recommend it to fans of the genre, but to authors looking to improve their skills in writing dialogue, as well as those wanting to create vivid and accurate medieval settings.
Written by Andrea Cefalo, author of The Fairytale Keeper series
http://www.andreacefalo.com
Written by Andrea Cefalo, author of The Fairytale Keeper series
http://www.andreacefalo.com
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews