The Young Lion

House of Plantagenet #1

by Blanche d'Alpuget

The first novel in a compelling series about the House of
Plantagenet, the mightiest royal dynasty in English history.

To seize England's throne, he had to marry the most dangerous woman in Europe.

Returning from the Crusades with her pious husband, Louis of France, the beautiful French Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, starts a dangerous affair with Geoffrey, Duke of Normandy. Geoffrey’s secret intent is to make her his spy in the French court where the struggle for dominance between Normandy, France and England plays out. But what begins in
cool calculation becomes a passionate affair. Despite this, Geoffrey remains committed to a covert goal: to see his young warrior son, Henry, seize the English throne.

Saving his father from discovery and execution by the French, Henry falls foul of Eleanor – and madly in love with her Byzantine maid. Should he become King of England, this dazzling girl will never be acceptable as his consort. These intertwined relationships – heated, forbidden and perilous – are the heart of a vivid story of ambition, vengeance and dynastic intrigue.and political intrigue set in the glorious flowering of troubadour culture, mysticism and learning that is 12th century France.


‘Blanche d’Alpuget … has a remarkable ear for the passions and cravings of her characters. Her narrative is so fresh and energetic you will swear she’s bringing us a first-hand account. This is a writer who has returned to fiction with a boldness and vigour that mirrors the Young Lion himself …’
Stephanie Dowrick

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Fiction, Medieval, British Literature, Royalty

480 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Blanche d’Alpuget has returned to fiction with the publication of ‘The Young Lion’, the first novel in a compelling new series about the House of Plantagenet, the mightiest royal dynasty in English history.

An acclaimed novelist, biographer and essayist Blanche has won numerous literary awards including the prestigious Australasian Prize for Commonwealth Literature in 1987. Her previous novels include Monkeys in the Dark (1980); Turtle Beach (1981) which won the Age book award in 1981; Winter in Jerusalem (1986) and White Eye (1993). Turtle Beach became a successful feature film in 1992 and all her novels have been translated into other languages. Her non-fiction books include Mediator: a biography of Sir Richard Kirby (1977) and Robert J Hawke: a biography (1982). Her essays include Lust (1993) and On Longing (2008).

Reviews

[RitaSkeeter · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Bob's missus and I'm not sure I'll read any more. Clunky and unclear phrasing that can require re-reads to understand it is matched with poor characterisation. Eustace was either flinging himself around screeching like a banshee of else Henry and Geoffrey were either sitting around giggling or having a regular sob. Women were relegated to being whores and mothers and the author did not allow them to deviate from those roles. Sexual scenes were often unnecessarily crude.

On top of that were supernatural elements that don't, in my view, belong in a novel purporting to be a serious historical novel. Henry speaking telepathically with horses and highlanders was out of step with the novel.

Despite all that I possibly would have given the book 2 stars, I did finish it after all. However I deducted 1 star due to the author perpetuating myths relating to sexual assault - namely, that women enjoy rape. "At first he was disgusted he had to rape his wife to give her pleasure. But he was a reflective young man, and on consideration he felt the kind of compassion extended to a person born blind, or imbecile". That's just one of the many little gems of a similar nature.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘A young Lion steps forth from his den.’

This is the first of a projected quartet of novels about the Plantagenet dynasty, and opens as the king and queen of France, Louis VII and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine return from the Crusades in 1149. Unhappy in her marriage to the monkish Louis, Eleanor begins an affair with Geoffrey le Bel, Duke of Normandy. Geoffrey wants a spy in the French court and sees Eleanor as ideally placed to assist. Although Geoffrey and Eleanor’s affair becomes passionate, Geoffrey is clearly focussed on his main objective: to see his son Henry become King of England.

‘She’s stolen more than my heart. She may steal everything I’ve worked for. Or she may be the key to our triumph.’

Henry meets Eleanor in interesting circumstances, and falls in love with her Byzantine maid Xena. Alas, Xena would not be a suitable queen of England. And Eleanor is keen to divorce Louis, and she’ll have to marry again. Could it be Geoffrey? Or will it be Henry?

‘The man who would soon be king smiled at his wife.’

This novel is full of intrigue, passion, politics, power, sex and vengeance. It’s romance in an historical setting and I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t come to it with my own (somewhat different) views of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry. In my view the fictional Xena plays too large a role in the lives of both Eleanor and Henry, and while this adds to the atmosphere it detracts from the story. On the other hand, I did enjoy meeting Ms d’Alpuget’s Thomas Becket. There’s an increasing amount of fiction about Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry and whether you like this account may well depend on your own view of the characters involved. Despite my reservations about the depiction of Eleanor and her (possible if not likely) affair with Geoffrey le Bel, I’m interested enough in Ms d’Alpuget’s depiction of Henry to read the second novel once it’s published.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the historical detail combined with the easy to read fictional style of this book. I especially liked the acute awareness of how much 'politics' formed what we now think of simply as 'history'. Maybe I read too much fantasy, but the telepathy didn't worry me - people's beliefs were different then and even now some people believe things I find irrational, but it doesn't stop me being interested in what they are doing.

[Daniele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice overview over the XII century
I really enjoyed this first book about all that could happen amongst France, England and Normandie. The writer goes into a lot of details of all the families involved enriching the plot and the pleasure of the listener. Colin Morgan was again superb in his narration changing tone, voice and tempo when needed. I hope he'll narrate more books for us.

[Philip Peters · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to starting this book: a fan of good historical fiction, I great expectations of a book by someone who, according to the author's bio at the start, "has won numerous literary awards". Maybe she has, but this wouldn't be in the running for any of them. It is confusing and poorly structured, and has improbable characters, like the 8- year-old boy who speaks 10 languages.

But its great failing is the author's attempt to use mystical nonsense to move the plot along. There are visions and hallucinations with a bizarre Scottish flavour which seem to have no basis in reality, unless Blanche is suggesting the local haggis has been spiked with some local hallucinogenic herb.

Not worth wasting your time on unless you want a mediocre fantasy novel that includes some historical figures.

[Keely · Rating 2 out of 5]

These reviews cover the whole series as a whole, so please be aware of spoilers as I am binging them.

I am surprised I didn't find this in my historical binge earlier this year. This is a fun series, in the way watching reality tv is fun. It's switch off your brain and enjoy the ride of these fools.

It's characters are very one note and cliche. Very cut out cardboard. The characters don't feel real and are very childish. At one point a character says to another "You're being mean to me." Like a literal child. And it happens over and over again, the characters sound like children on a play ground. "You don't love me! You love my brother more!" While having an tantrum. The characters are so dramatic too and just do certain things without the novel suggesting why they are doing this thing. Like cruelty for no reasons. Nothing is paid towards how being royal and being part of a court would have a lot of effect on language and how open they would be to each other. These people wouldn't speak this way, especially to a King. The characters have the depth of a puddle. Beckett is written as one of the most pathetic characters I've ever come across so I wouldn't read this if you are a Beckett fan. Like so pathetic it makes you cringe. And his delusions is ridiculous.

But I find myself enjoying the series neverless. It's fun and I am interested in seeing the way the author interprets what comes next and the author approaches certain things very differently. Some of them I've never seen taken in that light before. Like some of the things that happen are so random and pulled from nowhere. It's also a lot more gay than I have read before which I found interesting and different. A lot of novels skirt around it or take different interpretation, but this book is loud and proud and really leans into it. So yeah, I'm not sure I would reccomend it, especially if you like historical accuracy, though it's not completely deviod of facts and while not going extremely far in the realm of unbelievability, it does very much cross the line a lot of the time. But I am enjoying it neverless as a fun, ridiculous series. Colin Morgan narrating the audiobooks helps too.

CW for this paragraph: SA, DV [This happens in books 4/5]

I don't understand why the Clifford family needed to be violent. That was just needless. And then he pushes his daughter to rape the king. Like wtf? why? How did she think that would go down well? She seems to have a brain so I don't know why she thought that was a good idea. Then she gets screwed over again when she enters the church. Like they abuse her for no reason.

Random things that happens that made me think wth and made this series a wild ride

[ ] Erasmus being the father of Eleanors first son. He wasn't even born for another 250ish years after Eleanors death. Like why? And how random? Why him? Why not some other person who actually existed in that time period? He then has a death that is nothing like his actual death.
[ ] All the stuff about merlins and magic.
[ ] Richard the Lionheart feeling so betrayed that his mother has a bit on the side that he screams betrayal and vows never to marry. She's your mom, why do you care so much?
[ ] Magical Caves.
[ ] The "daily milking"
[ ] People breaking into sobbing hysterics at a moments notice. It goes from 0-100 in a single sentence.
[ ] People talking to ghosts in front of other people and no one thinks they are mad.
[ ] Eleanor and Henry never really loved each other.
[ ] Henry, the younger king, being a spoilt brat and an entitled child. "You don't love me" He screams as he has a tantrum like a child.
[ ] For some reason, Richard The Lionheart is cruel to animals for fun.
[ ] Wtf was with Rosalind and that church thing? Why would they flog her? It was so needless. And why did they keep calling her Stephen? Like yeah, I get it might have something to do with Beckett, but why are they calling random ladies Stephen? Why can't they keep their names?
[ ] There is a Bear who is friends with "the merlin".
[ ] And the "Knight" Richard who does Henry dirty work, is so annoying and I don't understand his character. He is dramatic and makes things worse. Like causes so much trouble. By the end, everytime he spoke, I wanted him to die. He became more annoying with every book. He was interesting in the first and second book, but after that, eugh.



Also, while I know the kings doctors would happily look at anything that comes out of the King. The parts about his daily "milking" were just too much and crossed the line. In all my readings, I have yet to find one aspect of historical accuracy for this. What is daily milking you may ask? Basically, Henry gets a handjob/blow job at least once in the morning, sometimes two or three, by a lady called the milking maid, who obvs has soft hands as occasionally, his doctors watch. The author calls it "daily milking" and it made me feel icky everytime it came up, which is a lot. I don't understand why the author included this. And I'm surprised Henry ever got Eleanor pregnant. Not only does he get "milked" at least once a day, he also sleeps with any lady he wants on the daily. I'm surprised there were any sperm left. I just don't understand it. I don't blame Rosalind for being horrified when she accidentally catches the King being milked, I certainly would be. And now I can never look at the word milked again. I just don't understand it. It was so needless. It doesn't add to the book and it certainly doesn't feel historically accurate so if that was the reason, it failed. I just don't expect this kind of thing in this kind of book. If it was another genre, then wahay, get dirty. But this series? nah. "The doctor ordered extra milkings" Ick. "Henry refused to leave the room until he had been milked"

So yeah, a lot of problems and weird stuff in this series. But I enjoyed it the same way I enjoy reality TV. But I don't think I would reccomend it, especially as there is other choices if you want Plantagenet fiction.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I expected to, not being an avid reader of historical fiction. The first book in the Birth of the Plantagenets series this title starts the tale of the Plantagenet dynasty focusing on a young Henry II and the family machinations that set him on a course to win back the English throne Set in the 12th century the setting is predominantly Flanders, France and with forays into England.
The audio performance was engaging and entertaining.

[Pat K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this historical work on audiobook. Very good narrator. This is the first in a series of 5 books.

The story is set in England and France in 1100s. It is a telling of the story of King Louis VII of France, Eleanore of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England. The writing is full of rich historical details without being overwhelmed with flowery descriptions.
I will definitely listen to more in the series.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a patch on Margaret George or even Phillipa Gregory. Blithly posing that the young Henry can telepathically communicate with horses and expecting this historical novel to be taken seriously seems a stretch to far. If it's the first in a series of four, I won't be bothering with the next three.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was ok. There were some sections that didn’t really grab me.

[Clare Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have said there are parts of this book where the author writes very well and gives life to the story. Unfortunately there are more parts that are disjointed, awkward and inconsistent. I had a problem with regular inconsistencies such as Henry describing how he enjoyed licking Eleanor's arsehole when he assaulted her but then later on a sentence where he spies someone sticking their finger in a duck turd and licking it which disgusts him. I'm just not sure there is much difference between the two actions so his reactions to the second seemed odd. Took me ages to finish but I plodded through

[Melissa Xavier · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few times I almost put this book down due to the lack of clarity. When it would start to draw me in, it would loose me again. Some parts of this book was very rushed. I ended up getting through it and found it more compelling towards the end.

The characters were interesting but I definitely grew to dislike Elenor and Henry for their choices and behaviours. Clearly they were born to be assholes. I would have liked to see more about Henry's brother and that is what I will look forward to seeing in the next book/s.

[Barbara Phi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book at a level but it's also irritating. It's well written the story is fascinating and she weaves a great yarn involving the intricacies of several courts in France and England. Her characterisations are strong, and she societal and historical context is well crafted. I did wonder at the necessity for such a focus on sexual practices, but I guess novels need some titillation?

[Ioanna S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard it on audio - and although the narration was great - I thought the story was missing coherence and there were too many elements that felt too improbable. It would have done better as a shorter story and with a bit more character development (only Henry faired well in this).

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent a lot of time searching the internet for more details about the various characters. It was a very interesting read and I learnt quite a lot along the way about the interactions between France (King Louis) and Normandy and then England and also Scotland

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this period in history and will be looking out for her other books

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audio book, read by Colin Morgan, is excellent. I’ll be continuing with the series in the future.

[Natalie Woodbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

For most parts an engrossing and imaginative retelling of how Henry Plantagenet became Henry II of England. However, the ending felt rushed and some parts glossed over and characters forgotten.

[Bialey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of an eye opener, not the hero generally portrayed, in fact a nasty piece of work

[Kerryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first novel I’ve read from author Blanche d’Alpuget. Suffice to say I struggled with her writing style so greatly that I began to do research on her other books and was surprised to find she’s an award winning writer….

I found her syntax to be disjointed and clumsy, and the constant shifting in character point of views became frustrating, confusing and interrupted my reading flow as I found myself having to re-read paragraphs to establish what was going on.

The supernatural element of Henry’s telepathic powers, especially with horses, felt out of place and unnecessary in an historical fiction novel. And don’t even get me started on the male protagonists constantly crying over the most inane things!

My other major concern was the complete lack of substance to the female characters; and I certainly did not appreciate the author’s insinuation that women enjoy rape.

Despite all of the above I persisted through to the end and was happy to put this book down. As I bought both book 1 and 2 of this series at the same time, I fear I may need to just soldier on through the second and then drop them both off at my local op shop so as they no longer take up room on my already crammed book case. Sorry Blanche, but a relatively disappointing venture in to historical fiction.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a stronger editor, this book could have been great. It felt more like I was reading the penultimate draft, rather than the finished thing. I had no problem with the sex or violence, but found the telepathy thing a little distracting and gratuitous. The biggest problem I found was the constant shifting of point of view. In almost every chapter there was a moment when I had to go, 'hang on, that doesn't make sense, let me back track and see if I can find whose point of view I'm in.' But it was an intriguing story, relatively well told, which almost makes it more frustrating than if it had been complete rubbish. I'll read The Lion Rampant.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. D'Alpuget's style is frenetic and she head-hops all over the place. I often had to back track a few sentences to work out who was saying/thinking/feeling what, which makes for frustrating reading. This book doesn't even come close to the brilliance of Sharon Penman's epic tomes on Henry & Eleanor and the Plantagenets, or reach the same depths as Margaret George or Sandra Worth. I found the supernatural elements (telepathy) annoying and out of place, and characterisation was flat and at times felt contrived. There are apparently three others to come in this series; not sure of I will bother. Shame.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I realise that English is not Blanche's first language, but what was the editor thinking?

If butterflies could write a story, this is how I would imagine it. With a flitter, flutter occasionally past, sometime present tense all used in the one page from a different POV and no clear way of discerning who. This book was hard to read due to lack of structure, what a book this could have been if it was in skilled hands. I loved the storyline and had to read it till the end and that is why I gave it 2 stars. I think it would have made more sense if butterflies had written it.

[Holly Kelly-Quick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read quite a few books based on Elinor so it’s interesting to have another point of view alongside male main characters.

[Debbi Skeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect with this author's take on Henry and Eleanor. It's definitely different to any other book I've read on them, but that just makes you wonder more about how accurately history is portrayed with so few personsl records there were back then. I enjoyed reading a different take on these, the early years of the young Lion.

[Sherryl Caulfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I can appreciated comments already posted on the rapidly changing points of view in this book, which I did find confusing and the telepathic aspects, which did distract from the believability of this story, it did hold my interest. There were some passages that were beautifully written and I liked the relationship Henry had with his half-brother Guilliam and his father.

[Claire Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifty shades of historical fiction! While I would never cite an historical novel in an academic essay, I do enjoy reading them to get more general knowledge of history. This book however I didn't really feel like I got that from. What I got was soft porn. I didn't have the same problem with syntax that other reviewers have mentioned, but the book really wasn't what I was after.

[Jodie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am very disappointed in this book. I realise it is fiction, but the lack of basic research and the ignorance of some actual known facts diminishes the books credibility. I could write paragraphs on the faults in this along with the average writing, but easiest to say I won't be reading anymore of the series.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. For mean, it read more like a schoolgirl romance novel which is a real shame because it's obvious she's gone to a lot of trouble with research on the period, but her writing style just left me cold.

[Sophia · Rating 2 out of 5]

If like me you think to start the year of reading some historical fiction this is not the book. I know the book was set 1000 years ago however it just keep upsetting my feminist sensibilities. The fantasy elements were odd and Aelbad was just to unbelievable.