A review by thecaledonianrose
Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir

5.0

Unlike most of Weir's other books, Captive Queen is a work of historical fiction in light of the limited information available regarding Eleanor of Aquitaine's life. Weir clearly makes the most of what she was able to secure, but does not flinch away from the confession that this novel very clearly is fictional. Nevertheless, based on what I've been able to learn of Eleanor, the speculation Weir cleverly converts to the fictional makes sense, retains plausibility, and doesn't strain suspension of disbelief, unlike more than a few other HF publications! Weir is also careful to couch some of it as gossip, rumour, whisper campaigns, or straight-out calumny which - in my mind - validates her integrity as a historical writer, rather than undermines it.

The recounting of the long-standing rivalries between Henry's and Eleanor's sons, along with the numerous betrayals of the father by the sons, is given greater detail than I'd known before, along with the reasons behind it, not the least of which was Henry's refusal to relinquish an acre of land or a shred of power to his sons. This refusal costs him dearly in terms of his family's love and trust, as does his incessant refusal to accept his personal responsibility that first created, then maintained the festering wound of the Angevins. For a majority of the novel, I did not find Henry a sympathetic creature, and even towards the end, pity for his situation and what he'd become not only as a King but a man did not render him any more likable. That's not to say that Eleanor was an angel - she was not, equally culpable of poor choices, ill-informed decisions, and a decided lack of emotional control. In far too many ways, it took both Henry and Eleanor failing as human beings to cause their rift, aided by sociopolitical standards at the time.

I admit it - I talk about being able to handle life in the 12th century, but I'm far too accustomed to the preponderance of freedom availed by women across nearly every aspect of life to ever truly succeed as Eleanor did. She, like Empress Matilda, forged the path for other women to come, but railing against the restrictions imposed on women simply because they were women was neither an easy task nor one well supported by other women. Reading the expectations inflicted by society on the upper echelon of women was occasionally irritating to me - in some regards, a woman of wealth and high social/political status endured far fewer rights and freedoms than a peasant or serf. Learning to navigate around those barriers was a recurring theme for Eleanor, in which Weir makes it plain that she didn't always succeed, and if she did, there was a high price to be paid.

The book is rather lengthy but that is due to the rich amount of detailed geographical information, as well as the societal differences between the peoples residing in southwest France and those of the north - not only geography, weather, and architecture, but food, drink, clothing, music, standards of behavior, the observation of holidays, perceptions, prejudices, etc. These are the details that Weir skillfully employ to keep the fiction well within the bounds of credible, and made the book all the more enjoyable to me. Without a thorough picture of the world as it existed in the 12th century, the lives of the Angevins would come across as stale, rather than human to me.

For this reason, fiction or otherwise, I definitely recommend Captive Queen and look forward to reading the next Alison Weir book in my pile.