Beloved Enemy: The Passions of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Ellen Jones
Chronicles the turbulent lives of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Brisk, cogent and bristling with engaging characters, this sequel to The Fatal Crown follows the wily Eleanor of Aquitaine through 32 tumultuous years. Set between 1130 and 1162, Jones's new saga is pure romance, with a crusade to the Holy Land, civil war in England and devious political machinations used as colorful yet secondary background. Indulged, raised with pageantry and splendor, the fiery Eleanor becomes at age 15 heiress to the rich duchy of Aquitaine, and reluctantly marries Louis VII (a huge, harmless rabbit), the pallid, deeply pious French prince who ascends to the throne of France the day after the wedding. But the strong-minded Eleanor still has ideas of her own. (If you do not care for the way things are, change them, counseled her equally independent grandmother.) After a divorce is granted because there is no heir to the throne, Eleanor marries the lusty Henry of Anjou, soon to become England's monarch, and the two give birth to a stormy yet fruitful dynasty that will bring prosperity to a land torn by civil war and rampant corruption. Some fascinating historical personages strut across the pages: the hostile Abbe Suger; Henry's formidable mother, Maud; Bellebelle, Henry's compliant mistress; and Thomas a Becket, the shrewd and ambitious chancellor who is about to become Archbishop of Canterbury. Loose ends deftly left untied point to yet another intriguing sequel. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Jones revisits the medieval England she portrayed in Fatal Crown (S. & S., 1991), but this time her characters are the familiar Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II. Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, 15-year-old Eleanor longs for romance and shared power with her husband. Her disastrous marriage to the monkish Louis of France is dissolved for failure to produce an heir. Eleanor then marries Henry, Duke of Normandy, 11 years her junior but her equal in ambition and passion. Their early years are marked by a growing family and empire as Eleanor bears six children and Henry becomes Count of Anjou and King of England. A sequel is likely since Eleanor and Henry do not become the enemies of the title until their sons are grown. Jones focuses here on the personal relationship between Henry and Eleanor rather than the political events of the day, and her work is distinguished from James Goldman's classic A Lion in Winter (LJ 12/1/66) by its focus on Eleanor's early years. Recommended for general collections of historical fiction. Mary Ann Parker, California Dept. of Water Resources Law Lib., Sacramento Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews In her second novel of historical fiction, Jones (The Fatal Crown, 1990) continues her prurient tale of scandal and succession among medieval European royalty. This time, her subject is the torrid romance of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England. When Eleanor's mother and brother die suddenly in 1130, Eleanor becomes heir to the large and wealthy duchy of Aquitaine. Her father, William, never remarries, and at 15, Eleanor inherits his lands along with their rebellious vassals. She marries Prince Louis of France to protect herself and her beloved Aquitaine from greedy and ambitious lords, but the marriage is a disaster. Eleanor is, after all, a lusty daughter of Aquitaine, and Louis (later Saint Louis) was raised to be a monk. Eleanor is miserable in France, but it is only after she learns the pleasures of the flesh from her uncle, Raymond of Antioch, that she determines to leave Louis. Their marriage is annulled and Eleanor immediately marries Henry, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, and soon-to-be King of England. Though her new marriage is again one of convenience, Eleanor finds something with Henry she never had with Louis--great sex. Their passion for each other is insatiable and Eleanor gives Henry heir after heir. They are both too willful not to clash often, however, and when Eleanor discovers the existence of Henry's longtime mistress, Bellebelle, she and Henry become estranged. Ultimately, Bellebelle gets herself to a nunnery and Eleanor triumphs, but at the same time realizes that she cannot allow herself to be dominated by Henry. The book ends as it began--with Eleanor returning to Aquitaine, the seat of her power and source of her strength. Even Jones's simplistic treatment cannot completely ruin one of history's finest love stories--a fact that elevates this book to a cut above the average dime-store romance. -- Copyright 1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Overview
Title: Beloved Enemy: The Passions of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Ellen Jones
Author: Ellen Jones
Book Cover Type:
Pages: 576
Language: ENG- English
Condition
Shelf wear. dj worn.
Publisher
Publishers: Simon & Schuster
Location:
Year: 1994
Pages:
Illustrators
Edition
First edition
Dimensions
6.75 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
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