I think it would have been a better book with 100 pages or so of sexual details just left out; it got tiresome. I hadn't read a historical fiction in quite awhile and I enjoyed the detail and slow pace. ( )

This novel was my first encounter with Eleanor of Aquitaine in anything other than some broad European history classes in high school and college and with Elizabeth Chadwick, an author whose attention to detail made these historical figures come to life for me. I devoured this 500-page book in less than two partial days: the storytelling was that compelling. Although I have long been a fan of historical novels, I have confined most of my reading in that genre to novels from the 18th century onward. It is only recently that I began to read novels from earlier eras. I was skeptical that a story set in medieval times would hold my interest, so I was pleasantly surprised at how effortlessly I was drawn into this 12th century world, due largely to Ms. Chadwick's meticulous research and plain, but rich, writing style. I am so looking forward to starting the second book in this trilogy, The Winger Crown. ( )

Very easy to read, engaging historical fiction. ( )

Really enjoyed this first book in a trilogy on Eleanor of Aquitaine. ( )

Elizabeth Chadwick has become one of my favorite authors. She knows how to take dry historical facts and weave them into tantalizing historical fiction stories. The stories flow never becoming dry or boring and always wanting the reader to read just one more page. ( )

Whelp I managed to finish this first novel in the trilogy. It was not very good. I'm a huge Eleanor of Aquitaine fan but not of this authors writing style.
I felt the novel had too many romance elements and felt the characters didn't think, speak or behave in period appropriate ways. In the afterword I'm impressed at the research and author's sources, just wish she's referenced them a bit more in her writing. It also appears she uses some form of supernatural resources to research 'Akashic records'. I about died laughing at that.
I love supernatural elements as plotlines to stories but sorry Chadwick you are not reaching through some supernatural force to nake contact with the long dead. Good grief.
I'll probably finish the trilogy and not read another book by this author. ( )

lizabeth Chadwick's The Summer Queen tells the story of young Alienor (who will be called Eleanor from now on, because my spellcheck prefers it), from her childhood with her sister Petronella in Aquitaine, through her marriage to Louis of France, the birth of their two daughters, and finally their divorce, and her remarriage. The novel retells historical events, adding personalities to historical characters. I'm not sure how much was embellished for the book -- the actual events are pretty dramatic by themselves. (When I read historical novels, I'm really a history hobbyist, not a serious scholar, so as long as characters aren't using technology that hasn't been invented yet, or traveling across Europe at unreasonable speeds for horseback, I'm happy.)

My full review: Historical Drama in 'The Summer Queen' ( )

Review can be found here -
http://nofeet.booklikes.com/post/2375508/the-summer-queen-eleanor-of-aquitane-1-... ( )

It's okay.

This book is very different in style of writing. It's okay, but not my favorite. Aelinor had to put up with a lot of issues in her young life. Her husband started out to be a man who loved her. But as time progressed, he became increasingly difficult to respect. He mirrors more of his mother and trusts his advisors too much. His blatant disregard for his wife is sad and disgusting. No wonder she wanted her marriage annulled. All in all, I think the story is interesting, but I don't think that this series is intriguing enough for me to continue. ( )

Hmm. A very rich and detailed story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, from childhood through her marriage to Louis, her marriage to Henry, and his ascending to the English throne. However, it didn't really work for me - the beginning is very teen angst, then she grows up a bit and we get a (very detailed) view of her marriage dissolving on every level. Politics and sex (in that order) draw her to Henry - and both of them are determined to be the one in charge in this marriage, which foreshadows what I know of her later life. The author explains in an afterword that very little is really known of Eleanor, so she (like every other biographer of Eleanor) chose the details she liked from what's known and surmised and made a narrative out of them. I was wondering throughout how accurate all this stuff was - lots and lots of details, many of which wouldn't have been recorded if she lived in modern times and had paparazzi following her around, let alone back then. So - not particularly an accurate record of Eleanor's life, and a detailed account of many unpleasant events (some of which were probably entirely fictional). Not something I really enjoy. I don't think I'll read the other two in the trilogy. I have pointed them out to my mom, though - she's interested in Eleanor and has a higher tolerance for depressing than I do. ( )

I think it would have been a better book with 100 pages or so of sexual details just left out; it got tiresome. I hadn't read a historical fiction in quite awhile and I enjoyed the detail and slow pace. ( )

Born into a life of wealth and privilege, young Alienor of Aquitaine is destined for greatness. However when her father dies prematurely the 13 year becomes the heiress to a vast fortune and is married off to Louis of France. Louis was destined for the Church but the death of his brother meant that he became King of France, however Louis is influenced by ascetic churchmen and this leads to conflict in his marriage to Alienor. Growing to dislike one another the two struggle with their marriage.

The story of Eleanor of Aquitaine is very well-known and has been told many times both as fact and fiction. However her early life is less well covered on the fictional front and in the first book of a planned trilogy Chadwick seeks to address this. In common with most medieval marriages the marriage of Louis and Alienor was dynastic move rather than a love match and, as often is the case, in an age where divorce was unheard of the getout was annulment. The excuse given was consanguinity but given that all the royal houses intermarried this was impossible to avoid. Louis wanted a pious, compliant wife to give him sons, Alienor was too passionate and quite probably his intellectual superior. Whilst much of this book is complete fiction it is backed up by strong research therefore the known facts are not messed with and the day to day life of Alienor is pretty accurate. It is only the emotional parts and the dialogue that are pure fiction. Whilst Chadwick is a writer who does play to the very romanticised end of historical fiction she is a strong writer with a good ear for dialogue and that is what makes this a very readable book. ( )

Ever since I saw Katharine Hepburn as Alienor in “Lion in Winter”, I liked the character so much. That’s why this story intrigued me. I wanted to know what made this woman tick and I had faith in this author to take me on a journey of that discovery. What I didn’t count on was how emotional that journey would be.

The book opens with a thirteen year old Alienor as she sends her father on his way to a pilgramige, but what she doesn’t know is that he’s gravely ill. The conversation her father has with her as he is about to leave is so poignant and touching. He tells her that she is now in charge as his heir and she takes this to heart.

The story is chock full of many historical events and I loved reading about them as much as I loved reading about Alienor.

To follow this girl as she becomes a woman was such a treat and I highly recommend you pick it up.

This is thoroughly researched story and it shows. We follow Alienor’s life from 1137 to 1154, from her becoming Duchess of Aquitaine through her marriage to Louis VII, the future King of France and ending with her second marriage to Henry II of England.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
( )

A historical novel of Eleanor (or, more accurately, Alienor) of Aquitaine. The book covers around a 20-year period: from Alienor's girlhood, through her marriage to Louis VI, the annulment of that marriage, and her second marriage, to Henry Plantagenet.

The events presented seem to follow upon known history pretty well, with no more than the expected amount of embellishment for a historical novel. It did turn me off, however, that in the Afterword, rather than simply stating which events were known and which were added for dramatic effect, the author credits 'Akashic research.' Uh, no. That's called "imagination." I have no problem with using your imagination when writing historical fiction, but there's quite a lot of woo-woo on her website where she talks about this. What she describes is creative visualization - but she seems to think she's having 'true visions of the past.' Hmm.

That aside, the book itself is free of woo. It's not bad; you can definitely learn some history from this. I actually felt that it might have erred a bit too much on the side of 'getting in all the facts' rather than creating a dramatic plot. It's written in short chapters illustrating significant events and turning points throughout the 20 years; and the transitions can be quite abrupt, giving the book as a whole a very choppy feel.

Also, although much is made of Alienor's conviction that she is born to power and educated to rule in her own right, there's also a great deal of time devoted to her unhappy marriage, failure to bear Louis an heir, and a lot of bad sex. Although this focus may very well be wholly accurate, I wanted more of her plotting and consolidating her power. There's some of that - but I'm guessing that more will be forthcoming in the two more planned books in this fictionalized biography. (It ends a bit abruptly, with a 'more to come' note...)

Recommended for fans of historical fiction about women of the Middle Ages, and medieval enthusiasts in general.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC. As always, my opinions are my own. ( )

Chadwick has another winner here. I know there are multiple fictional accounts of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s life out there; the author even makes a comment to that effect in her author’s notes. Yet, in Chadwick’s hands, I was experiencing and falling in love with this historical figure all over again.

The world building and historical details Chadwick incorporates is something else. The reader doesn't just read the novel; they experience it. I could feel the warm sun of vibrant Aquitaine, taste the sandy Holy Land grit in my teeth, and hear the bells of Notre Dame in medieval Paris. Few authors can achieve the skill at setting the scene that Elizabeth Chadwick has, and this novel is just another example of how high she sets the bar.

I was spellbound by this account of Eleanor’s life. Chadwick achieved a very delicate balance of the intimately personal with the epic of medieval politics and the Second Crusade. Every individual in story has their own personality, even the minor characters like Eleanor’s uncle and her daughters. Characters whose guts I grew to hate even shown in their characterizations and depth.

Then, of course, there’s the star of the book, Eleanor herself. I loved seeing this vivacious and intelligent woman come to life in circumstances that were less than ideal. She handles the situations that arise in her life with a skill not many could manage, given similar circumstances. Yet, there are also times where her youth or personal urges show through as well. Just another example of Chadwick’s excellent characterization at work.

This is just another great work to point to when illustrating Chadwick’s power as an author. Her characters shine with personality, her story enthralls, and her historical research is illustrated in the small details. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of this trilogy even though I know it won’t be a happy story, anyone familiar with Eleanor’s life history will know that. Yet, I know in Chadwick’s hands, it’ll be a dramatic telling any way the story goes. ( )

This is the first volume of the author's trilogy of novels on Eleanor of Aquitaine. It seems inevitable that the author should tackle this subject as Eleanor's life is so popular a theme for writers of Medieval historical fiction - and with good reason, as it was a life filled with such incident and drama that it could easily read like a novelist's creation. This does not disappoint and is as colourful and readable as her other works. I wouldn't put this quite on a par with The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion, but this is very good. ( )

The Summer Queen tells the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine from the time she was betrothed to Louis VII of France at the age of 13 until the beginning of her marriage of Henry II of England and becoming Queen of England.

I have read other historical fiction concerning Eleanor, so I did know some tidbits of her life going into the book. However, Elizabeth Chadwick has done some extensive research into Eleanor's life and found that, like much of women from the Medieval time period, little is actually know and much is guesswork. digging into the Akashic records, a few new facts are thrown into this story. Along with that, this will be a three part series and we are only looking at a smaller chunk of Eleanor's life. This to me is a great, so much historical fiction tries to fit an entire person't life into one book and it is overwhelming. For such a strong character as Eleanor, a series seems fitting.

Eleanor is definitely painted as a strong woman of the time in this book. By whatever means she can, intelligence, sex or manipulation, Eleanor tries her hardest to live her life as she wants within the societal boundaries of the time. For me, it was really interesting to see Eleanor's views of the men in her life and how each of them influenced her. She tended to take away the positive traits from men and negative traits from women. There is also good view into the Medieval time period including tumultuous politics, wars, religious overbearing, and attempts to capture a wife.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

...a woman of her time!

Alienor of Aquitane. She fascinates! Shakespeare wrote about her. Down through the ages she has been shrouded with the allure and rich patina of poetic legend. One of the strong women of history, she is, as Chadwick so elegantly stated in her author's note, ' a woman of her time doing her best within the boundaries of what society would permit...she was nothing if not resilient.'
Elizabeth Chadwick once again delivers a 'tour de force' with this work about Alienor's early days, her marriage to Louis VII of France and her subsequent marriage to Henry Plantagenet. The story of her family, her girlhood cut short in marriage, her sister Petronella's behaviour, and her hopes for herself dashed. All quicken on the page and the reading flows smoothly, with a heartening intensity. The force of the characters in this page of history are brought alive. They are fascinating and perceivable. I laughed with her, was aghast with her, was angered and dismayed. Yet Alienor's rises above it all.
I am impressed by the weight and depth of Chadwick's research. A mammoth task that has richly increased the interplay of fact and fiction.
Chadwick stated that 'drawing Alienor from out of the shadows has ultimately been one of [her] most rewarding experiences of [her] writing career.'
I certainly found it a rewarding read!

A NetGalley ARC ( )

I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Chadwick's writing so when I learned her next project was a trilogy about Eleanor of Aquitaine I was thrilled. I patiently waited 'til I could get my hands on it and then I read it in a day and a half. It was everything I knew it would be and now I can't wait for the next installment.

The Summer Queen covers her life from just before her father's death until shortly after her marriage to Henry of Anjou. I am presuming in this review that anyone choosing to read this book knows the basics of Eleanor's life as so much as been written about her. The main focus of this book is her life with Louis VII of France. She was an intelligent woman now married to a stick in the mud who was surrounded by advisers that resented anyone influencing the King, even his wife.

Eleanor tried to make her marriage work as the novel progresses but Louis was so caught up in his religious fervor and she was so looked down upon by those advisers that their relations soon soured. She was lambasted for not conceiving an heir but she went into the marriage at 13 years old! Couple that with Louis thinking relations were just about sinful and you can imagine.

What makes this book sing is Ms. Chadwick's magical way of transporting her readers back into the time of her characters. The writing pulls you into time and place in such a way that you can almost feel the fabrics, smell the perfumes, taste the foods. There are very few writers who transport me like this and I know when I pick up one of Ms. Chadwick's books I will be in for a treat. Once I do I find them hard to put down. Her characterizations are spot on and she does her research. There are the familiar stories about Eleanor but there are other tidbits that I hadn't known before. There is an excellent author's note at the end which I always appreciate.

If you love Eleanor of Aquitaine you will love The Summer Queen. ( )