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The Last Queen: A Novel
written by C.W. Gortner
Studio : Ballantine Books
by Ballantine Books
Release Date : 2008-07-29
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Released : 2008-07-29
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780345501844
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 29 reviews)
List Price : $25.00
Our Price : $14.22
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Product Description |
Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C. W. Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.
The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is born amid her parents’ ruthless struggle to unify their kingdom, bearing witness to the fall of Granada and Columbus’s discoveries. At the age of sixteen, she is sent to wed Philip, the archduke of Flanders, as part of her parents’ strategy to strengthen Spain, just as her youngest sister, Catherine of Aragon, is sent to England to become the first wife of Henry VIII.
Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her handsome young husband, the sole heir to the Habsburg Empire. At first she is content with her children and her life in Flanders. But when tragedy strikes and she inherits the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, her intelligence and pride used as weapons against her, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it could cost her everything.
With brilliant, lyrical prose, novelist and historian C. W. Gortner conjures Juana through her own words, taking the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England. The Last Queen brings to life all the grandeur and drama of an incomparable era, and the singular humanity of this courageous, passionate princess whose fight to claim her birthright captivated the world. |
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Beautifully crafted |
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Gortner's book is excellent, and he unfolds this enormous story with incredible pacing. By the end, I felt so attached to this queen, and horrified that she had endured these endless layers of betrayal. Gortner's queen will stay in my mind for a long time. |
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From S. Krishna's Books |
The Last Queen is one of those books I had heard a lot about from other bloggers. It received very good reviews everywhere I looked, so I went ahead and added it to my TBR list since I am a huge fan of historical fiction. However, I kept putting off reading it because of those rave reviews - I figured it would be somewhat of a disappointment. I am happy to say that I was completely wrong - The Last Queen is a captivating read that I didn't want to put down.
I loved the character of Juana. Being the daughter of Queen Isabella of Spain, you can expect her to be a strong woman; however, I was horrified at what she was forced to endure at the hands of those she loved, as well as inspired by her strength and courage. However, she wasn't perfect; for one thing, she was incredibly stubborn. She admits more than once in the book that part of her situation was of her own making. She is resolute and stands by her decisions. She also tended to trust people too much and perhaps think too well of them. As a result, she didn't know who she could put her faith in. However, these character defects are not criticisms on my part; instead, they make the character come alive and make her seem real. Like any other person, she has flaws; through them, though, her strength still shines.
I didn't know anything about Juana La Loca before reading this book. I was captured by the exquisite detail and the picture that Gortner painted. He also presents a very interesting view of her history, one that I am more than willing to accept. Was she actually mad, or was it a by-product of how she was treated? Gortner seems to stick by the view that she was a manic depressive, something I can completely believe.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Queen, as I believe any fan of historical fiction would. It is well-written, sharp, clear, and completely engrossing. I can't wait to see what C.W. Gortner writes next; I think he has won himself a fan for life.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 |
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Will the real Joan the Mad please stand up??? |
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I respect a person's right to disagree with me regarding anything and everything and I never put forth an argument; however, I find it incredulous when people presume to know the real person behind the persona, as if though they were lifelong friends. No matter how erudite a person is regarding a particular historical figure, no one can be so bold as to profess knowing first hand their true psychological makeup, especially when the person in question died four and half centuries ago. Let's be honest, no one in this world really knows anyone else, and so why take on this personal familiarity with someone whom you never even met? J.N.W. Bos "Joan" states "...but this autobiography just didn't feel like the real Juana La Loca." Whom does he suppose the real Juana La Loca was? Is he in possession of her memoirs? Confessions? Firstly, it isn't an autobiography, as Juana of Castile did not write it herself and secondly, even if he meant biography (which, no doubt, he did), it isn't one either. It is a historical novel and I believe it's a well known fact that in this particular genre, writers take certain liberties especially with the protagonists' inner monologues. They simply have no choice but to do so, as no one who knew them personally is alive to offer any first hand insight and if there were, even then it's all conjecture. I found this a fun, exciting and, ultimately, very interesting novel about a historical figure who has pretty much been reduced to a caricature; that of a woman driven to madness by love, passion and power. Here we get a far more well rounded portrait a strong woman who due to her sex was born to be dominated by the men in her life yet whose unfailing love of country and sense of duty nearly tore asunder the world around her. C.W. Gortner might not be the most poetic novelist being published these days, but what he lacks in baroque narrative and philosophical meditations, he more than makes up for with a wonderful sense of time and place, great attention to detail and a story that never once lags in it's intensity and all around appeal. I thought it was a pretty great novel about a woman who deserves to be better known. Whether it's the real Juana of Castile, no one will ever know, but in Mr. Gortner's capable hands, she is a fascinating and multi-faceted person who never lacked for incredible circumstances. |
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A mesmerizing introduction to Juana la Loca |
The Tudors of England have enjoyed surging popularity in the past year, with a hit Showtime series and Philippa Gregory's acclaimed historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which was adapted to the big screen last winter. But few people know about Juana of Spain, also known as Juana la Loca, sister to Henry VIII's first wife Katherine of Aragon. In The Last Queen, C.W. Gortner proves that Juana's story is just as complex and captivating as that of her more famous younger sister.
The novel opens in 1492 when Juana is 13 years old. Her parents, Ferdinand and Isabella, have just conquered Grananda, ending 300 years of Moorish rule. Juana has never known life apart from the crusades and her parents' all-consuming dedication to uniting Spain and expelling the Moors. Ferdinand and Isabella passed their passion and fierce nationalism on to at least one of their four daughters: from childhood, Juana harbored an intense loyalty to her native land.
In 15th century Europe, royal children were betrothed in marriage not for love, but to facilitate political alliances. Juana was no exception. Her parents arranged a marriage between Juana and Philip the Fair, Hapsburg heir and archduke of Flanders.
Initially resistant to the marriage, Juana eventually fell in love with Philip and resigned herself to life in Flanders, outside her beloved Spain. But everything changed when, through a succession of family deaths, Juana became direct heir to the Spanish throne; she suddenly saw an ambitious, calculating, even cruel side of her dashing husband.
Chaos ensued. The life Juana had built in Flanders crumbled as everyone around her scrambled to exploit any and every possible political advantage. Her husband was influenced by deceitful, unscrupulous advisors. Her parents put political objectives before family. Church officials were corrupt, and often the most politically ambitious men around. The Spanish nobles who had long resented the power held by Ferdinand and Isabella were determined to wrest it from Juana as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
Juana was anguished by the mistrust she felt toward her husband and parents. She missed her children, all of whom she was separated from at various points in time. She was driven by an underlying loyalty to Spain that compelled her to accept unthinkable risk in order to claim her rightful place as its queen.
The diverse cast of characters in this novel - both heroes and villains - is well developed, sure to evoke a mixture of compassion, admiration, and ire in the reader. Historical figures come alive, and relationships and alliances between various 15th century European monarchs are illuminated.
Gortner sets his story firmly in its historical context, giving the reader a clear sense of a time when adultery was a given and wives were expected to turn their heads, political ambition was paramount, and strong independent women risked being branded as crazy (in Spanish, loca.)
The plot pacing is perfect. Gortner covers considerable territory, without rushing or overwhelming his reader, providing just the right amount of historical background, and fleshing it out with romance, family drama and political intrigue.
Outside of Spain, she might be a relatively obscure historical figure, but by the end of this novel, Juana la Loca seems incredibly real, a person full of conflicting passions and loyalties with a compelling story to tell.
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Engrossing Historical Novel of Spain |
Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain spent a lifetime winning their country back from the Moors. They finally succeeded in 1492 with the fall of Granada. They would use their four daughters to cement alliances with other European countries in order to obtain peace for themselves and their people.
Juana of Castile is like any other princess of the time, bound up in duty to her family and her country. At sixteen she is married to Philip, the Archduke of Flanders. It is difficult for her to leave the land of her birth but she never gives a thought to being an heir to the Spanish throne. She has both a brother and an older sister who will come before her. As she departs for Flanders she never expects to set foot in Spain again.
At first things in Flanders go well. Philip is handsome and Juana is surprised to find herself happy in her new life. She feels pampered and loved, she gives birth to two children and grows used to the luxury of her life as an Archduchess. It is a far cry from the austerity that the royalty of Spain believes in. In her happiness she allows herself to forget the lessons of her parents and her childhood.
When tragedy strikes repeatedly in Spain, killing in quick succession Juana's brother, older sister and baby nephew, Juana is suddenly the heir to the Spanish throne. She becomes the pawn in every power scheme for the crown and is betrayed by nearly every man that she has ever known and loved. They will stop at nothing. They accuse her of madness in order to show her inability to rule in her own right. The oldest trick in the book, used to wrest power from women down through the ages. She uses all her wits to fight them, will it be enough to save her throne?
With the great number of historical novels written about British royalty lately, I was happy to immerse myself in a story whose history I knew little about. Mr. Gortner does a wonderful job bringing sixteenth century Europe to life and explaining the convoluted politics of the time. I fell in love with Juana of Castile, who was as trapped in her life as any prisoner in a cell, though she fought valiantly to escape it. It is the wrenching story of a strong woman who had to face tremendous obstacles.
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