Book Review: Eleanor The Firebrand Queen by Helen Rayson-Hill

 

 Eleanor of Aquitaine is a historical figure famous for many things and with certain cultural relevance up until these days. She was first Queen of France and then Queen of England (though no regnant royalty, more a consort wife) but she was Duchess of Aquitaine on her own right.

This book by Helen Rayson-Hill depicts a young Eleanor from when she is schooled to be the ruler of Aquitaine as the older child of the Duke of Aquitaine to the years when she gets married to King Louis VII of France. Then the troubled years as a consort wife of the French King, who takes on a Crusade to Holy Land and the struggles Eleanor faces with a complicated arranged marriage where a male heir would not come. An annulment leads to Eleanor marrying the son of the Duke of Normandy, heir to the English throne, and how things change for her.

I enjoyed reading this book from Eleanor's POV, in first person, I felt truly as hearing her voice taking us as readers by the hand through her personal life, and letting us learn more about her motivations, as well as her struggles and doubts. The author makes a really good work portraying the nuances of her personality and how her decisions, as controversial they could be, paved her future. She was a strong, educated woman in a world where women were supposed to breed and comply, nothing less. Having a strong-headed lady taking ownership and focused on learning and the well-being of her vassals was frowned upon.

It is also interesting to read about a world where geopolitical divisions were different than what we know them now, and how this region, Aquitaine, played an important factor years later during the War of Hundred Years.

As this book closes on her becoming Queen of England and leaving the door open to sequels covering the rest of her story as wife and mother of English kings. Since Rayson-Hill mentioned she was inspired on writing about this queen from "The Lion in Winter" - where an older version of Eleanor was portrayed by Katharine Hepburn - I can imagine that more books on the subject might be on the cards, and I will definitely be looking forward to read them.

Eleanor The Firebrand Queen by Helen Rayson-Hill was released on March 1st, 2021 both in physical and digital formats. Thank you NetGalley and Helen Rayson-Hill for the ARC!