Kinx's Book Nook: Throwback Thursday (17): Eleanor of Aquitaine

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Throwback Thursday (17): Eleanor of Aquitaine


Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books.
It’s the nature of book blogging to focus mainly on new releases, but there are thousands of great books out there that haven’t seen the “New Releases” shelf in years. We hope to be able to bring attention to some older titles that may not be at the top of the current bestseller list, but still deserve a spot in your To-Be-Read pile.
You don’t have to be a book blogger to participate! You can put up a Throwback Thursday post on your non-bookish blog; or if you don’t have a blog at all, just use the comments to tell us about a book you remember fondly.
My Throwback Thursday:

Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Alison Weir
Originally released in 1999

Synopsis

Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in Europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the Middle Ages. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, Eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. In the beautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of this truly exceptional woman, and provides new insights into her intimate world. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, Weir captures the woman - and the queen - in all her glory. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificent past era.

Eleanor, in my opinion, is the most amazing woman in world history. She was the Queen of France AND of England. She had incredible influence in world politics. Plus she led several rebellions against her own husband, Henry II. I read this biography a long time ago but it remains one of my favorites. Alison Weir's biographies read like historical fiction and are so much fun to read. 


3 comments:

  1. Cool - I don't know much about Eleanor of Aquitaine, but she sounds like a real bad-ass! =) I love good biographies, will have to check this one out!

    -Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit
    My Throwback Thursday

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  2. I remember my mother reading this book a few years back, when she was on a biography kick. I also remember being interested in her when I started reading Jean Plaidy's historical fiction. If she hadn't been the person she was, history would certainly have been different! :)

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  3. I love Weir's biographies! Eleanor was totally bad ass wasn't she?? Another gal I love reading about is Catherine the Great. She was something else

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