Skip to main content

Review: "Isabella: Braveheart of France" by Colin Falconer



 Synopsis: 
Isabella is just twelve years old when she marries Edward II of England. For the young princess it is love at first sight - but Edward has a terrible secret that threatens to tear their marriage - and England apart.

Who is Piers Gaveston - and why is his presence in the king’s court about to plunge England into civil war?

The young queen believes in the love songs of the troubadours and her own exalted destiny - but she finds reality very different. As she grows to a woman in the deadly maelstrom of Edward’s court, she must decide between her husband, her children, even her life - and one breath-taking gamble that will change the course of history.

Does she submit to a lifetime of solitude and a spiritual death - or seize her destiny and take the throne of England for herself?

This is the story of Isabella, the only woman ever to invade England - and win.

My Thoughts:  My first encounter with Isabella occurred when I watched the movie 'Braveheart' for the first time.  While her character in the movie is almost entirely fictional, I found myself wanting to know more about her.  Though she has been dubbed 'the she-wolf of France', the depiction of her in Isabella: Braveheart of France is much more sympathetic.

Falconer's Isabella is an impressive figure.  She is incredibly intelligent and much better suited to the role of ruler than her husband.  She was not a meek and obedient wife/queen that would have been the norm back then and she has gone down in history because of it.  While I found her to be a very admirable character, she didn't necessarily have an easy life.  All she ever wanted was to love and be loved and that just seemed to elude her.  Her husband was incapable of loving her and Mortimer saw her only as a conquest.  She seemed so lonely and desperate for love and I couldn't help but feel bad for her.

This book is very short but the story is engaging.  The other characters are very well-developed and interesting and I really enjoyed reading about the political climate in England during this period.  This is a great read if you are interested in medieval England.  3 stars.

About the Author: 

 
Born in London, Colin first trialed as a professional football player in England, and was eventually brought to Australia. He went to Sydney and worked in TV and radio and freelanced for many of Australia’s leading newspapers and magazines. He has published over twenty novels and his work has so far been translated into 23 languages.

He travels regularly to research his novels and his quest for authenticity has led him to run with the bulls in Pamplona, pursue tornadoes across Oklahoma and black witches across Mexico, go cage shark diving in South Africa and get tear gassed in a riot in La Paz.

His most recent novels are Silk Road, set in the 13th century, and Stigmata, set against the backdrop of the Albigensian Crusade in Southern France in 1209. He currently lives in Barcelona.

For more information please visit Colin Falconer's blog. You can also find him on Facebook or follow on Twitter.





Check out other stops on the tour here!
Follow the tour on Twitter: #IsabellaTour

Comments

  1. Sounds like an interesting book! I've come to love reading historical books like these. The Other Boleyn Girl really got me hooked, so now I'm trying to find other authors that are similar

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've actually never seen Braveheart. I have seen tiny pieces of it, but never sat down to watch it, so I had no idea that was what this book was about. I do actually have a copy of this book that I haven't had a chance to read yet, but now I'm even more excited for it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review and Giveaway: "Distant Signs" by Anne Richter

Synopsis: Distant Signs is an intimate portrait of two families spanning three generations amidst turbulent political change, behind and beyond the Berlin Wall. In 1960s East Germany, Margret, a professor’s daughter from the city, meets and marries Hans, from a small village in Thuringia. The couple struggle to contend with their different backgrounds, and the emotional scars they bear from childhood in the aftermath of war. As East German history gradually unravels, with collision of the personal and political, their two families’ hidden truths are quietly revealed. An exquisitely written novel with strongly etched characters that stay with you long after the book is finished and an authentic portrayal of family life behind the iron curtain based on personal experience of the author who is East German and was 16 years old at the fall of the Berlin Wall. Why do families repeat destructive patterns of behaviour across generations? Should the personal take precedence over

Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish . This week's topic:  Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most 1.) The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons   2.) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon           If you read my blog at all, you know I love these two books so much!  I am not afraid to suggest them to anyone who I think might enjoy them. 3.) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I was definitely recommending this book left and right when the first movie came out. 4.) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 5.) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin           These are two books that I just recently started recommending but they are books that can appeal to anyone so they are easy picks when someone asks for a recommendation. 6.) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead  - I get a little embarrassed when I recommend this book to people but seriously, just because it has vampires does not mean it is like Twilight. 7.) The Giver by Lois

Book Blog Hop (11)

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books .  It's a way to meet other bloggers and check out some cool new blogs. This week's question is:  "Highlight one book you have received this week that you can't wait to dig into!" Okay, I have a confession to make.  I have been so busy this week that I have not had time to get any new books.  I have several waiting for me at the library but I won't be able to pick them up until this weekend.  : ( Did you all get any exciting new books this week?