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Harlot Queen
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Isabella of France was proud to be wed to the handsome Edward II of England, but her joy soon turned to rancor, for Piers Gaveston, an egotistical and mercenary courtier, usurped her husband's bed. No woman could compete with her beauty, but another man? What could she do at the age of fourteen? Wait, only wait. And so she waited, nursing her anger, rejection, and disgust.
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Paperback, 384 pages
Published
November 30th 2011
by Tempus
(first published 1970)
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Royal Family Dysfunction
I had no idea about Isabella the 'She Wolf' of France. I found this history fascinating and I struggled to stay away from WikiPedia until I was done with the book. I didn't want to know what happened before I read Hilda Lewis' version of events.
Someone who is familiar with the facts might have a very different opinion but I thought the story was engaging and well written and never overly dramatic.
Some of the details were a bit grotesques, many times I felt lucky to be bor ...more
I had no idea about Isabella the 'She Wolf' of France. I found this history fascinating and I struggled to stay away from WikiPedia until I was done with the book. I didn't want to know what happened before I read Hilda Lewis' version of events.
Someone who is familiar with the facts might have a very different opinion but I thought the story was engaging and well written and never overly dramatic.
Some of the details were a bit grotesques, many times I felt lucky to be bor ...more
Harlot Queen follows the life of Isabella of France, who married Edward II of England in 1308. Unfortunately, their marriage was a failure from the start, mainly because of Edward's "favourites", young and ambitious men who stole the king's affections - and even lots of money and jewelry. After years of injustices and bitterness, Isabella decides to take her revenge... but at what cost?
Isabella of France is, in my opinion, one of the most enigmatic and interesting historical figures. She had to ...more
Isabella of France is, in my opinion, one of the most enigmatic and interesting historical figures. She had to ...more
I've always been fascinated with Isabella of France, sometimes known as the She-Wolf. The Isabella here was every inch the ruthless queen, yet it's hard to not feel sorry for her considering her husband Edward II's shabby treatment of her. Still, she lost a great deal of sympathy once Mortimer entered the scene. Talk about heroine hijacking on an epic scale. However, her behavior does make sense.
What made this an interesting read was there were no real heroes or villains (save Mortimer and the ...more
What made this an interesting read was there were no real heroes or villains (save Mortimer and the ...more
Lewis' portrayal of Isabella was probably the most ruthless of all the fiction I've read on this subject, but I just loved it. As bloodthirsty as Isabella became over time, you still couldn't help but have empathy for her. It was made very plain she was seeking revenge for the indignities brought from Gaveston and then the Despensers. The author demonstrated great character development - you really see the gradual shift from a child eager to love and please to a woman grown bitter, scorned by he
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Let me state for the record that this book is nowhere near as exciting as the title would suggest.
With that out of the way, it's an interesting account of the life and times of Queen Isabella, wife of Edward II. The author *really* wants us to know that Isabella was very hard done to by Edward - his "favourites" or rather, his lovers (who were male, so you can imagine the scandal at the time) usurped Isabella's place as wife, queen and mother repeatedly. This appears to have turned her into a r ...more
With that out of the way, it's an interesting account of the life and times of Queen Isabella, wife of Edward II. The author *really* wants us to know that Isabella was very hard done to by Edward - his "favourites" or rather, his lovers (who were male, so you can imagine the scandal at the time) usurped Isabella's place as wife, queen and mother repeatedly. This appears to have turned her into a r ...more
Not knowing much about this time period, I went in pretty blind except for a vague recollection that something bad was going to happen to everyone – which turned out to be right.
Because it covers the entire life of Queen Isabella, it’s understandable that it drags at points. My interest throughout was a series of hills and valleys – sometimes I was riveted to the page, others I was boredly skimming through list of lords as they endlessly whined.
I always enjoy a good fiction story based on real life events. This one did not let me down. It is the story of Isabelle of Castile and Edward II. She was mad for him when they were betrothed, but my how things change. The author stuck to the story I have always read in regards to Edward and Isabelle's life.....until the end. Aw, for that you need to read the book. It is a great telling of the she-wolf and her place in English history.
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Loved it. This has given me new genre to exhaust.. historical romance here I come.
The "Harlot Queen" of the title (which is, one might argue, overstating things a little) is Isabella the Fair, wife of Edward II and generally remembered for, fed up with her indifferent husband and the blatant favouritism he displayed towards his male lovers, taking a lover of her own (one Roger Mortimer, an equally unpleasant and power-hungry character whom she broke out of prison), essentially invading her own country, deposing her husband, having him thrown into prison and quite probably mur
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I love historical fiction but I really struggled with Harlot Queen and was only able to read one chapter at a time. Disappointingly, I found it slower than the slowest snail in a slow snail competition; I positively crawled through it and felt like I deserved a medal for getting to the end.
The story revolves around Isabella of France who at 9 years old was betrothed to Edward II of England. She crosses the channel with dreams of love and finds a man who has no interest in her. It sadly reminded ...more
The story revolves around Isabella of France who at 9 years old was betrothed to Edward II of England. She crosses the channel with dreams of love and finds a man who has no interest in her. It sadly reminded ...more
Well-written story based on accurate historical data. I didn’t know I would be reading about a timeline of England when around Bruce of Scotland raged against England. Not surprisingly, however, you start to realize the plot of Hollywood movie “Braveheart” is historically fictitious. Very-touching story unfolded in the novel within historical events. Good description of each characters, all in all worth reading novel
A rather eye-opening read. I had no idea until reading this book about the rumors swirling around Edward II. Another reviewer mentioned having empathy for Isabel, and I agree. Warning: this book will make the Isabel in Braveheart unbelievable.
Good story but strange writing style.
the writing didn't make me interested in the characters
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couldn't be bothered finishing this
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c1970. This book certainly portrays a different side to Isabella of France. I found that there was, at times, a strange cadence to some of the paragraphs. I can't say I enjoyed the read that much but it is certainly not the normal saccharine fare. But what he didn't understand - and doesn'y understand - is that people laugh only when the needle pricks others; when it pricks themselves it isn't so funny.
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This book started off interesting and exciting but started o seriously drag from about half way. Whilst the events described were different, they felt the same and I began to find it repetitious. I love historical novels and I knew nothing about Isabella but the book could have been half the length and still adequately told the story.
This book started off very well indeed, but it got a bit dull about halfway through and never really recovered the initial level of excitement. I'm glad that I read it, though, because it was an intriguing analysis of Isabella's character. The style of the writing was consistent, and it had clearly been well researched.
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I really enjoyed the first part of the book, I thought it was very well written, unfortunately once she got rid of the first fancyman I felt the book started to drag. Which was a shame, it sort of picked up near the end but not enought to redeem itself.
Книгата е интересна. Заслужава си парите - като качество е много добре изпипана!
Found it a bit heavy-going. Fascinating story but somehow never got into the characters. Still, finished it & might read another one of hers someday
A really enjoyable story about Isabella of France and her marriage to Edward II. I couldn't put the book down and really likes the storyline.
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Got about 1/2 way through and kinda lost interest - returned to the library without finishing. Another time, maybe in the summer for a beach read.
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Hilda Winifred Lewis (née Maizels, 1896-1974) was a British writer.
She wrote a noted children's book, The Ship that Flew (1939) which concerns Norse mythology and time travel. It was republished in the Oxford Children's Modern Classics series in 1998. Her three YA books, including the well-received The Gentle Falcon, are available for Kindle and iBooks.
Several of her historical novels, e.g. I am M ...more
She wrote a noted children's book, The Ship that Flew (1939) which concerns Norse mythology and time travel. It was republished in the Oxford Children's Modern Classics series in 1998. Her three YA books, including the well-received The Gentle Falcon, are available for Kindle and iBooks.
Several of her historical novels, e.g. I am M ...more
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