What do you think?
Rate this book
The Queen's Choice
France, 1399: The Duke of Brittany is dead and his widow, Joanna of Navarre, has inherited control of their land - a testament to her intellect, integrity and political prowess.
Then comes an unprecedented proposal from Henry IV, King of England. The price of becoming his Queen? Abandoning her homeland, leaving her children and sacrificing her independence.
Henry’s hold on the crown is unsteady and war is brewing. With the constant threat of rebellion, Henry will trust no-one – not even his new Queen. Crossing the channel is a dangerous prospect. But the union between Joanna and Henry would bring the chance of a vital alliance between two proud states – if they will allow it.
One question. Two paths. A choice that will make history.
Then comes an unprecedented proposal from Henry IV, King of England. The price of becoming his Queen? Abandoning her homeland, leaving her children and sacrificing her independence.
Henry’s hold on the crown is unsteady and war is brewing. With the constant threat of rebellion, Henry will trust no-one – not even his new Queen. Crossing the channel is a dangerous prospect. But the union between Joanna and Henry would bring the chance of a vital alliance between two proud states – if they will allow it.
One question. Two paths. A choice that will make history.
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2016
124 people are currently reading
1559 people want to read
About the author
Anne O'Brien
66 books776 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
My home is in the Welsh Marches, although much of my early life was spent in Yorkshire, most recently in the East Riding.Ann O'Brien The Marches is a remote region of England, surrounded by echoes from the past. Hereford is close with its famous Mappa Mundi and chained library.So is Shrewsbury, and also Ludlow with its splendid castle and its connections with our Plantagenet and Tudor kings. With my husband, I live in an eighteenth century timber framed cottage, which itself must have seen much history over two hundred years.
I have always enjoyed the appeal of History.I taught the subject with enthusiasm but it became my ambition to write historical romances. My first novel, The Runaway Heiress, was published by Mills and Boon in 2004.
This first book was a Regency Romance in the great tradition of Georgette Heyer - who has not admired her skill and delicate touch for the period? I have drawn on my interest in the Stuart century to write about the English Civil War and Restoration England of Charles II. Living in the Marches however I soon discovered the wealth of atmosphere and legend in this isolated part of England from medieval times. It was not long before I was encouraged to create a medieval romance inConquering Knight, Captive Lady.
When not writing, I have a large rambling garden where George and I grow organic vegetables and soft fruit - or perhaps I should admit that he grows them whilst I pick and cook them. We have a wild garden, an orchard, a formal pond and herbaceous flower borders. We share it all with rabbits and pheasants, frogs and goldfinches, hedgehogs and buzzards. It is a beautiful place. When we first settled into our cottage I planted a herb garden on a Tudor pattern with stone pathways and clipped box hedges. From this I developed my interest in herbs and their uses.
Nicholas Culpeper's The Complete Herbal, a fascinating resource to a historical novelist first published in 1649, has become essential bedside reading. As a result the use of herbs in medicine and witchcraft, for both good and ill, has appeared in some of my novels.
For pure relaxation I enjoy yoga as well as singing with a local Choral Society. Watercolour painting allows me to simply sit and appreciate the landscape and the flowers in my garden, when my mind is busy constructing my next plot.
My home is in the Welsh Marches, although much of my early life was spent in Yorkshire, most recently in the East Riding.Ann O'Brien The Marches is a remote region of England, surrounded by echoes from the past. Hereford is close with its famous Mappa Mundi and chained library.So is Shrewsbury, and also Ludlow with its splendid castle and its connections with our Plantagenet and Tudor kings. With my husband, I live in an eighteenth century timber framed cottage, which itself must have seen much history over two hundred years.
I have always enjoyed the appeal of History.I taught the subject with enthusiasm but it became my ambition to write historical romances. My first novel, The Runaway Heiress, was published by Mills and Boon in 2004.
This first book was a Regency Romance in the great tradition of Georgette Heyer - who has not admired her skill and delicate touch for the period? I have drawn on my interest in the Stuart century to write about the English Civil War and Restoration England of Charles II. Living in the Marches however I soon discovered the wealth of atmosphere and legend in this isolated part of England from medieval times. It was not long before I was encouraged to create a medieval romance inConquering Knight, Captive Lady.
When not writing, I have a large rambling garden where George and I grow organic vegetables and soft fruit - or perhaps I should admit that he grows them whilst I pick and cook them. We have a wild garden, an orchard, a formal pond and herbaceous flower borders. We share it all with rabbits and pheasants, frogs and goldfinches, hedgehogs and buzzards. It is a beautiful place. When we first settled into our cottage I planted a herb garden on a Tudor pattern with stone pathways and clipped box hedges. From this I developed my interest in herbs and their uses.
Nicholas Culpeper's The Complete Herbal, a fascinating resource to a historical novelist first published in 1649, has become essential bedside reading. As a result the use of herbs in medicine and witchcraft, for both good and ill, has appeared in some of my novels.
For pure relaxation I enjoy yoga as well as singing with a local Choral Society. Watercolour painting allows me to simply sit and appreciate the landscape and the flowers in my garden, when my mind is busy constructing my next plot.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
October 16, 2016
Joanna of Navarre is not a popular choice as subject in straight history or HF. If she was anything like the character imagined by Anne O'Brien, it's no wonder; not a very likable character. Poor old Henry IV, no matter what he did, he was blamed for it. Nobody really wanted Richard II to remain as king but it seems no-one wanted Henry IV either - and he wasn't such a bad old stick, just very hamstrung by circumstance. I break with populist feeling over Henry V - I think he was pretty dire - but I have a softish spot for Henry IV. So, if Joanna was as unhelpful, high handed and arrogant as she comes across in this tale, he was truly beset on all sides. As Ms O'Brien would have it, even after she realised he was in trouble, Joanna carried on being mulish, self-centred and sulky. And this is portrayed as a love match! I'd say this book was too heavy on the romance and not enough on the history - except there seems to be little romance either.
I suspect there is not a great deal of recorded information about Joanna so Ms O'Brien had to make it up. That being the case - did she have to make her so slappable?
Edit: Thinking overnight and want to add that Henry V was not just dire he was cynically amoral. Why is it that we look back at the various monarchs and say 'he was strong' (vis Edward I or Henry V for instance) and 'he was weak' (vis Edward II, Henry VI for instance). We don't look for justice, care of the common weal, excellent lawmaking - we look for ruthless, controlling machismo and interpret it as 'strength'. Sad reflection on enduring human values, no?
I suspect there is not a great deal of recorded information about Joanna so Ms O'Brien had to make it up. That being the case - did she have to make her so slappable?
Edit: Thinking overnight and want to add that Henry V was not just dire he was cynically amoral. Why is it that we look back at the various monarchs and say 'he was strong' (vis Edward I or Henry V for instance) and 'he was weak' (vis Edward II, Henry VI for instance). We don't look for justice, care of the common weal, excellent lawmaking - we look for ruthless, controlling machismo and interpret it as 'strength'. Sad reflection on enduring human values, no?
January 21, 2016
Some queens of England are much better known and have been written about much more often than others; I think it’s fair to say that Joanna of Navarre is not one of them. As Henry IV’s second wife, Joanna (or Joan as she is sometimes known), doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention as far as historical fiction is concerned. Anne O’Brien’s new novel, The Queen’s Choice, is the first book I’ve read with Joanna as the main character.
As the novel opens in 1396, Joanna is the wife of John, Duke of Brittany. While she doesn’t love her husband, who is much older than herself, they have had several children together and their marriage is not an unhappy one. To the court of Brittany comes Henry Bolingbroke, having been banished from England by his cousin Richard II, and Joanna is given a brief taste of the love and passion which has so far been missing from her life.
Three years later, things have changed. Henry has returned to England, taken the crown from Richard and imprisoned him in Pontefract Castle, while Joanna herself is now a widow and acting as regent of Brittany on behalf of her young son. When Henry sends one of his men, Thomas de Camoys, to approach Joanna about the possibility of a marriage alliance, she must make the difficult decision to leave her sons and her regency behind and come to England as Henry’s queen.
I won’t say much more about the plot, because I’m sure future readers will prefer to watch the rest of Joanna’s story unfold for themselves. What I will say is that the marriage between Joanna and Henry takes place fairly early in the novel; after this, the focus is on their attempts to make their relationship work – which is not always an easy task! Although their marriage is portrayed as a love match (it seems that there could be some historical evidence to support this), they are both proud people and a lack of communication sometimes causes misunderstandings. After Henry’s death in 1413, Joanna’s life takes a more dramatic turn during the reign of her stepson, Henry V.
I knew almost nothing about Joanna of Navarre before reading this book, but what little I did know was negative. It seems that she was greatly disliked by the English people because of her strong connections with France and Brittany at a time when hostilities between England and France were ever present. Her unpopularity and how she felt about it is covered in the novel – and sometimes her pride and unwillingness to take advice are frustrating – but Joanna is also given lots of good qualities and I liked her overall. There were times when I felt she reacted to certain situations in the way I would expect a modern day woman to react rather than a medieval one, but otherwise I thought she was a believable and strongly drawn character.
I may have had very little prior knowledge of Joanna, but I didn’t know much about Henry IV either and it was good to have the opportunity to learn more about him from this book. Henry only ruled England for fourteen years but his reign was an unsettled one: as well as the threat from overseas, he faced rebellions in Wales and in Northumberland, and rumours surrounding the death of his cousin Richard II, said to have been starved to death in captivity. Although The Queen’s Choice is set several decades before the conflict we know as the Wars of the Roses, we can see how it has its beginnings here, with tensions between rival branches of the family of the late King Edward III (Henry’s claim to the throne coming through the Lancaster line).
This is the third book I’ve read by O’Brien – the other two are The Forbidden Queen (the story of Katherine of Valois) and The King’s Sister (Elizabeth of Lancaster) – and I have enjoyed them all. I’ll look forward to finding out who will be the subject of her next novel.
As the novel opens in 1396, Joanna is the wife of John, Duke of Brittany. While she doesn’t love her husband, who is much older than herself, they have had several children together and their marriage is not an unhappy one. To the court of Brittany comes Henry Bolingbroke, having been banished from England by his cousin Richard II, and Joanna is given a brief taste of the love and passion which has so far been missing from her life.
Three years later, things have changed. Henry has returned to England, taken the crown from Richard and imprisoned him in Pontefract Castle, while Joanna herself is now a widow and acting as regent of Brittany on behalf of her young son. When Henry sends one of his men, Thomas de Camoys, to approach Joanna about the possibility of a marriage alliance, she must make the difficult decision to leave her sons and her regency behind and come to England as Henry’s queen.
I won’t say much more about the plot, because I’m sure future readers will prefer to watch the rest of Joanna’s story unfold for themselves. What I will say is that the marriage between Joanna and Henry takes place fairly early in the novel; after this, the focus is on their attempts to make their relationship work – which is not always an easy task! Although their marriage is portrayed as a love match (it seems that there could be some historical evidence to support this), they are both proud people and a lack of communication sometimes causes misunderstandings. After Henry’s death in 1413, Joanna’s life takes a more dramatic turn during the reign of her stepson, Henry V.
I knew almost nothing about Joanna of Navarre before reading this book, but what little I did know was negative. It seems that she was greatly disliked by the English people because of her strong connections with France and Brittany at a time when hostilities between England and France were ever present. Her unpopularity and how she felt about it is covered in the novel – and sometimes her pride and unwillingness to take advice are frustrating – but Joanna is also given lots of good qualities and I liked her overall. There were times when I felt she reacted to certain situations in the way I would expect a modern day woman to react rather than a medieval one, but otherwise I thought she was a believable and strongly drawn character.
I may have had very little prior knowledge of Joanna, but I didn’t know much about Henry IV either and it was good to have the opportunity to learn more about him from this book. Henry only ruled England for fourteen years but his reign was an unsettled one: as well as the threat from overseas, he faced rebellions in Wales and in Northumberland, and rumours surrounding the death of his cousin Richard II, said to have been starved to death in captivity. Although The Queen’s Choice is set several decades before the conflict we know as the Wars of the Roses, we can see how it has its beginnings here, with tensions between rival branches of the family of the late King Edward III (Henry’s claim to the throne coming through the Lancaster line).
This is the third book I’ve read by O’Brien – the other two are The Forbidden Queen (the story of Katherine of Valois) and The King’s Sister (Elizabeth of Lancaster) – and I have enjoyed them all. I’ll look forward to finding out who will be the subject of her next novel.
December 27, 2016
It’s 1399. When Joanna of Navarre’s husband dies she gets to rule over Brittany temporarily until her oldest son is grown up. She has a luxurious life and is an influential woman. Her husband always liked the English and because of him Joanna meets Henry IV, the man who’s going to be king of England. They have a connection and he asks her to be his wife. Joanna would become queen of England if she accepts, but she has to give up a lot if she decides to marry Henry. She would have to leave her home, her country and family behind and also her influence. It’s a difficult choice to make, especially since she has no idea what lies ahead.
Joanna of Navarre has to make a difficult choice. She has to leave everything she knows behind to move to England if she wants to marry king Henry IV. In 1399 kings are quickly succeeding each other. There’s always a war going on and life at the court is pretty uncertain. That’s the climate in which Joanna has to live her life. She’s strong, she’s courageous and she’s stubborn. She and Henry have that in common, which makes them an intriguing pair. I love how brave Joanna is. Her best feature is that she can admit it when she makes a mistake. I liked that a lot about her. She’s an amazing main character for a book and I enjoyed reading about her life very much.
I greatly admire how Anne O’Brien writes about influential women from the past. She makes them come to life very well and her stories are always interesting. She also has a beautiful and expressive writing style. Her stories are impressive and they manage to captivate me from beginning to end. Joanna doesn’t have an easy character and sometimes she makes things difficult for herself. It was fascinating to read about her inner battles. I think Anne O’Brien wrote about her in such a brilliant way. The story is fantastic and the proud character of Joanna makes an admirable heroine. I highly recommend this book.
Joanna of Navarre has to make a difficult choice. She has to leave everything she knows behind to move to England if she wants to marry king Henry IV. In 1399 kings are quickly succeeding each other. There’s always a war going on and life at the court is pretty uncertain. That’s the climate in which Joanna has to live her life. She’s strong, she’s courageous and she’s stubborn. She and Henry have that in common, which makes them an intriguing pair. I love how brave Joanna is. Her best feature is that she can admit it when she makes a mistake. I liked that a lot about her. She’s an amazing main character for a book and I enjoyed reading about her life very much.
I greatly admire how Anne O’Brien writes about influential women from the past. She makes them come to life very well and her stories are always interesting. She also has a beautiful and expressive writing style. Her stories are impressive and they manage to captivate me from beginning to end. Joanna doesn’t have an easy character and sometimes she makes things difficult for herself. It was fascinating to read about her inner battles. I think Anne O’Brien wrote about her in such a brilliant way. The story is fantastic and the proud character of Joanna makes an admirable heroine. I highly recommend this book.
January 17, 2016
Review originally published here: http://girlwithherheadinabook.co.uk/2...
Joanna of Navarre is one of our more forgotten queens – as Henry IV’s second wife, she bore no children and thus seemed to drop out of the historical radar. The only thing I knew about her before I read this book was that her stepson had accused her of trying to kill him after the death of his father and had her imprisoned for several years. Despite the tendency for authors of historical fiction to be drawn to ‘feisty’ women (I hate that word, it’s only ever applied to women and it’s so patronising), making Joanna of Navarre likeable is no easy task.
The novel picks up with Joanna companionably married to her first husband, the Duke of Brittany. Having borne the necessary heirs, theirs is a relationship of amicable convenience and at more than twenty years Joanna’s senior, the Duke is more of a mentor figure than a lover. According to chronicles, a friendship sprung up between Joanna and Henry during his exile abroad at the pleasure of Richard II and this is what the author picks up on here. O’Brien depicts the dutiful Joanna as a woman glimpsing at the possibilities of passion – adultery is firmly off the cards but there is a spikiness to her interactions with Henry that mean that the reader knows almost before she does that there is a spark between the two.
I remember hearing an interview with a writer of Mills and Boon stories who explained that she tended to either make her heroine a virgin or as near to it as possible, to emphasise the drama of her discovery of physical pleasure at the hands of the romantic hero. This is a notable pattern in much of historical romance too. Joanna makes much of the physical pleasure she experiences with Henry when they are finally united – it is this which has chiefly drawn her to him. Joanna left her position as Regent for her son, her position amongst her children – all of it – to move to a foreign land. She actually gave it all up for a man.
In our ‘post-feminist world (we most definitely do still need feminism), it is interesting to read of a woman embracing passion over work. All too often authors of historical fiction attempt to transplant contemporary feminist mores into a world that had yet to understand them but here the reverse is almost true. Certainly if I heard of a friend who was about to abandon her children, leave her job and move to a different country, I would at the very least encourage her to have a good think before she did so. Yet that is what Joanna did, she upped sticks and she left – and when she got there, she became one of England’s most unpopular queens due to her lavish spending and habits of hiring only her fellow expatriates.
Another way in which The Queen’s Choice breaks the mold is the way in which O’Brien embraces the fact that Joanna’s life did not turn out as she might have planned. I had previously noted that one of her earlier novels, The Virgin Widow dodges the fact that its central character and her child died young and what became of her husband. There is none of the same footwork with this novel. Joanna and Henry had no children of their own, many of her offspring with her late husband died young, her stepchildren were not fond of her. Her marriage to Henry was marred by difficulties in communication and political disagreements – their love was true but the times were not. Henry dies young and leave her to make her own way – ‘there is so much death.’ Joanna transparently does not make things easy for herself, being unprepared for what her choice has given her – a life subordinate to Henry.
As her step-son turns against her, Joanna becomes bitter and angry with her lot, her reduced circumstances as she is imprisoned, ignored, set up as a traitor. Her own lack of personal popularity means that she has few to fight her corner and her furious tirades are understandable but do not make her any softer of a character. The finest moment of the novel comes however when Joanna’s long-standing friend persuades her that since she cannot change her circumstance, her best option is to accept them. To make peace with her self and those around her. To me, I found this message startlingly beautiful – it is so easy for authors to create iconoclastic Mary Sues who challenge the status quo and win back what is their due but here, Anne O’Brien draws out a less anachronistic and far more believable other option.
Women had few choices in the medieval world – Joanna’s choice might be seen as an unfortunate one, but it only becomes less so by her own attitude towards it. There must have been scores upon scores of medieval women in her situation – betrayed by a system that robbed them of their wealth, their rights – even the rights over their own bodies. They could not rebel. The odds were never in their favour. In those situations, the only choice left is to go easy on yourself. It is not a joyous ending – those all too often did not fit – but it is a positive one, to emphasise that even for a strong woman like Joanna, this limited life did not have to be one of misery if she chose not to let it be.
Joanna of Navarre is one of our more forgotten queens – as Henry IV’s second wife, she bore no children and thus seemed to drop out of the historical radar. The only thing I knew about her before I read this book was that her stepson had accused her of trying to kill him after the death of his father and had her imprisoned for several years. Despite the tendency for authors of historical fiction to be drawn to ‘feisty’ women (I hate that word, it’s only ever applied to women and it’s so patronising), making Joanna of Navarre likeable is no easy task.
The novel picks up with Joanna companionably married to her first husband, the Duke of Brittany. Having borne the necessary heirs, theirs is a relationship of amicable convenience and at more than twenty years Joanna’s senior, the Duke is more of a mentor figure than a lover. According to chronicles, a friendship sprung up between Joanna and Henry during his exile abroad at the pleasure of Richard II and this is what the author picks up on here. O’Brien depicts the dutiful Joanna as a woman glimpsing at the possibilities of passion – adultery is firmly off the cards but there is a spikiness to her interactions with Henry that mean that the reader knows almost before she does that there is a spark between the two.
I remember hearing an interview with a writer of Mills and Boon stories who explained that she tended to either make her heroine a virgin or as near to it as possible, to emphasise the drama of her discovery of physical pleasure at the hands of the romantic hero. This is a notable pattern in much of historical romance too. Joanna makes much of the physical pleasure she experiences with Henry when they are finally united – it is this which has chiefly drawn her to him. Joanna left her position as Regent for her son, her position amongst her children – all of it – to move to a foreign land. She actually gave it all up for a man.
In our ‘post-feminist world (we most definitely do still need feminism), it is interesting to read of a woman embracing passion over work. All too often authors of historical fiction attempt to transplant contemporary feminist mores into a world that had yet to understand them but here the reverse is almost true. Certainly if I heard of a friend who was about to abandon her children, leave her job and move to a different country, I would at the very least encourage her to have a good think before she did so. Yet that is what Joanna did, she upped sticks and she left – and when she got there, she became one of England’s most unpopular queens due to her lavish spending and habits of hiring only her fellow expatriates.
Another way in which The Queen’s Choice breaks the mold is the way in which O’Brien embraces the fact that Joanna’s life did not turn out as she might have planned. I had previously noted that one of her earlier novels, The Virgin Widow dodges the fact that its central character and her child died young and what became of her husband. There is none of the same footwork with this novel. Joanna and Henry had no children of their own, many of her offspring with her late husband died young, her stepchildren were not fond of her. Her marriage to Henry was marred by difficulties in communication and political disagreements – their love was true but the times were not. Henry dies young and leave her to make her own way – ‘there is so much death.’ Joanna transparently does not make things easy for herself, being unprepared for what her choice has given her – a life subordinate to Henry.
As her step-son turns against her, Joanna becomes bitter and angry with her lot, her reduced circumstances as she is imprisoned, ignored, set up as a traitor. Her own lack of personal popularity means that she has few to fight her corner and her furious tirades are understandable but do not make her any softer of a character. The finest moment of the novel comes however when Joanna’s long-standing friend persuades her that since she cannot change her circumstance, her best option is to accept them. To make peace with her self and those around her. To me, I found this message startlingly beautiful – it is so easy for authors to create iconoclastic Mary Sues who challenge the status quo and win back what is their due but here, Anne O’Brien draws out a less anachronistic and far more believable other option.
Women had few choices in the medieval world – Joanna’s choice might be seen as an unfortunate one, but it only becomes less so by her own attitude towards it. There must have been scores upon scores of medieval women in her situation – betrayed by a system that robbed them of their wealth, their rights – even the rights over their own bodies. They could not rebel. The odds were never in their favour. In those situations, the only choice left is to go easy on yourself. It is not a joyous ending – those all too often did not fit – but it is a positive one, to emphasise that even for a strong woman like Joanna, this limited life did not have to be one of misery if she chose not to let it be.
July 13, 2017
This is one dynamic book. Anne O'Brien's The Queen's Choice I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. Now that I am back from Italy (last night), I finished this "gripping" book this morning, and Joanna of Navarre, 2nd wife of Henry IV of England, is quite a fascinating figure. She led an intriguing life for a Medieval woman, duchess, queen. This is a difficult book to put down. Beautifully done, Ms. O'Brien. 4 1/2 stars.
July 26, 2017
Received through GoodReads First Reads - thank you.
Having read historical novels and non-fiction for years I was pleased to receive this. I knew of Joanna of Navarre but little if anything of her life. So I was looking forward to being informed of Joanna the woman and her relationship to the historical background of her time.
But I was disappointed on a number of points. Anything of historic interest happens off page - we are told what's happened rather than witnessing it for ourselves. We see life only from Joanna's point of view, messengers or letters bring news. There is a political naivety about her. Her feelings are stretched out and everything seems to be a big drama to her.
There is something lacking in the writing. It doesn't flow. Joanna makes a reference or statement to an event or person, but then we are given the background of that event - it jars rather than following on. When she is told she is to lose her Breton servants when she is the English Queen, although she is outraged we, as readers, don't feel for her because we've not seen any closeness with them. They are, with the exception of two of her women, anonymous to us. O'Brien misses an opportunity here to create a more human side of Joanna.
It's a romance of Joanna and Henry IV of England but not until he is ill and dying does the romance become real and touching.
The tag-line is somewhat misleading - I was expecting heart-rending decisions throughout the book about the painful decision of leaving her children, but again readers are only shown rather shadowy named children, and although she is able to bring her daughters to England she has very little to do with them.
I would like to read more by Anne O'Brien - I'm sure she's published better novels than this. The problem with writing about Joanna of Navarre is that we actually know very little about her.
Having read historical novels and non-fiction for years I was pleased to receive this. I knew of Joanna of Navarre but little if anything of her life. So I was looking forward to being informed of Joanna the woman and her relationship to the historical background of her time.
But I was disappointed on a number of points. Anything of historic interest happens off page - we are told what's happened rather than witnessing it for ourselves. We see life only from Joanna's point of view, messengers or letters bring news. There is a political naivety about her. Her feelings are stretched out and everything seems to be a big drama to her.
There is something lacking in the writing. It doesn't flow. Joanna makes a reference or statement to an event or person, but then we are given the background of that event - it jars rather than following on. When she is told she is to lose her Breton servants when she is the English Queen, although she is outraged we, as readers, don't feel for her because we've not seen any closeness with them. They are, with the exception of two of her women, anonymous to us. O'Brien misses an opportunity here to create a more human side of Joanna.
It's a romance of Joanna and Henry IV of England but not until he is ill and dying does the romance become real and touching.
The tag-line is somewhat misleading - I was expecting heart-rending decisions throughout the book about the painful decision of leaving her children, but again readers are only shown rather shadowy named children, and although she is able to bring her daughters to England she has very little to do with them.
I would like to read more by Anne O'Brien - I'm sure she's published better novels than this. The problem with writing about Joanna of Navarre is that we actually know very little about her.
December 31, 2015
Joanna of Navarre is not someone who has leapt to mind in the past as to be honest a lot of attention is always given to the men that wear the crown and not the women they are married to. It was interesting to read about her life, although I know some artistic licence is used but when it is written so compellingly it's worth the reading. It's a hefty tome at 549 pages, but if you are a book addict like myself it won't be a problem.
Henry IV and Joanna of Navarre is written as a love match between the two, but the story as a whole is much more than that. It tells of Henry's insecurities as a King who meets opposition on every front because of deposing Richard II. His decision to marry a French bride was not popular too considering the hostilities between England and France at the time. You have to wonder if it was indeed a love match because Joanna left most of her children behind to cross the sea and marry a king with little or no benefit to herself or her husband to be.
Their marriage is littered with insecurities and concealment and others who would depose the new king. At times, Joanna does come off a little "whiney" at her lot in life. But she seems to gather true strength when she has to battle through life alone. The book charts her marriage to an older husband who subsequently dies and her journey to England to be with Henry as his wife and Queen of England. She gives up much to be with him. Her role is much more uncertain once Henry dies and she is once again a widow.
The attention to detail and feeling of being in the period is felt through the words and love of the history of the author. I have read several other Anne O'Brien books and they are always a good read
Henry IV and Joanna of Navarre is written as a love match between the two, but the story as a whole is much more than that. It tells of Henry's insecurities as a King who meets opposition on every front because of deposing Richard II. His decision to marry a French bride was not popular too considering the hostilities between England and France at the time. You have to wonder if it was indeed a love match because Joanna left most of her children behind to cross the sea and marry a king with little or no benefit to herself or her husband to be.
Their marriage is littered with insecurities and concealment and others who would depose the new king. At times, Joanna does come off a little "whiney" at her lot in life. But she seems to gather true strength when she has to battle through life alone. The book charts her marriage to an older husband who subsequently dies and her journey to England to be with Henry as his wife and Queen of England. She gives up much to be with him. Her role is much more uncertain once Henry dies and she is once again a widow.
The attention to detail and feeling of being in the period is felt through the words and love of the history of the author. I have read several other Anne O'Brien books and they are always a good read
June 30, 2018
I was very disappointed by The Queen's Choice. There's a reason I read historical fiction rather than history textbooks - I like to see the parts that fall between the lines, the emotions, the thoughts, the day to day actions even if they are authorial supposition. From O'Brien's work, I expected a read that would be easy and probably a bit romantic. Not a serious read, but a fun one.
I didn't get it. The Queen's Choice takes a potentially fascinating character - a woman with a lot of power during a time in which women had precious little - and portrays her as self-centred and dull. We skip months and years with little to note the passing and only really see Joanna when Henry is present or she is wishing for his presence, as if she only existed in his sphere of influence. Surely she had thoughts and did things when he wasn't there? Not every action in a novel has to be momentous. We should have seen her talking to her ladies or writing letters, having visitors, missing her children... Anything to add some meat to the bones.
The characterisation is flat and events are vague. On starting The Queen's Choice, I was excited to get to know a character I'd never even heard of. I don't know Joanna of Navarre any better now. This book is not recommended.
I didn't get it. The Queen's Choice takes a potentially fascinating character - a woman with a lot of power during a time in which women had precious little - and portrays her as self-centred and dull. We skip months and years with little to note the passing and only really see Joanna when Henry is present or she is wishing for his presence, as if she only existed in his sphere of influence. Surely she had thoughts and did things when he wasn't there? Not every action in a novel has to be momentous. We should have seen her talking to her ladies or writing letters, having visitors, missing her children... Anything to add some meat to the bones.
The characterisation is flat and events are vague. On starting The Queen's Choice, I was excited to get to know a character I'd never even heard of. I don't know Joanna of Navarre any better now. This book is not recommended.
December 23, 2015
The relatively unknown story of Henry IV's Queen - more romance than history but nevertheless entertaining.
August 15, 2021
I was very much looking forward to this book as I had just finished reading Queen of the North and this book would be looking at the flip side - from King Henry IV and Queen Joanna vs the Percy's. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Like Queen of the North, it took a bit to get into the book but I felt that the events happened and you are told of them - rather than experiencing them with Joanna. You do not get to become engaged with really any characters other than her husband, the King, and a few others. Her decision to leave her sons and move to England to wed Henry had to have some kind of emotional impact on her, but you wouldn't know it. History states that Joanna was greedy and stingy and also accepted bribes but yet barely touched on this. The book just didn't flow for me and I really couldn't connect with her or Henry. It was just okay for me.
June 28, 2018
This was the worst I've read from this author. Joanna had moments when I liked her but way more moments when I thought she was an unlikable shrew. Quiet honestly, she picked two of the dullest, most unlikable characters in history to write about. Tolerable but not good. I wouldn't read it again. Narration was good.
2.5
2.5
May 2, 2016
Having now read – and enjoyed – many of O’Brien’s novels, I have come to see the pattern governing the pages. Each of her novels has extraordinary emotion and character depth, yet can have somewhat lacking plots in regard to both content and tension. Given the topics that O’Brien tackles – War, familial clashes, politics, love, religion – there is surprisingly little substance to the plots.
‘The Queen’s Choice’ was an excellent example of this. There were wars abound, families torn apart and political balances in the wind. Yet the majority of this great tome focused on Joanna whining about Henry not trusting her, or talking to her. That she did not understand these new English politics, yet nor did she really try. Wars were covered in the barest of paragraphs as a nod to the historical context, but the deep emotion and tension that could have been developed and weaved into the relationship between Joanna and Henry were non-existent.
I suppose that as a historian I pick up these novels to read about the whole historical period as much as I do for the romance. O’Brien has clearly researched the whole period so that she can accurately place events and yet she does not deploy them in any substantial way. Joanna spent the times Henry was at war complaining that she was tense awaiting news or that she had been left at home again despite her expertise, but I wanted to know how much the war took out of Henry. When he came back from the massacre of men that he knew and trusted, how did he treat Joanna? Like a jewel to be protected at all costs? Use these events to really strengthen the bond, not to start another argument which has been repeated constantly throughout the novel.
I have also found that O’Brien tries to paint her leading Royals as strong women and intimidating Queen’s. Unfortunately I have often found that her writing of them sometimes lets this imagery down. Joanna was no exception to this really, though she was certainly better than others. Supposedly Joanna was a great ruler in her own right, with power and experience at her back to help her passage from Breton Duchess to England’s Queen. Yet she was so naïve and obtuse. Foreign policy was clearly a dark cloud above not only Joanna’s head but it clearly threatened Henry’s position as King. Yet she had a distinct blindness to such policy and politic; an inability to see that the household of Breton’s surrounding her created a tension in the English court. In many situations Joanna’s stubborn-mindedness also undermined her supposed intellect. It was quite frustrating to read. Again, Joanna seemed more concerned with furs and dresses than the very real threats, and events, surrounding her husband and their position as King and Queen. How did Henry feel having to tell his love that she must dismiss her loyal servants? Did he feel devastated to break her heart? Did he hate the council for their intrusion of his marital bliss? I wouldn't know, because all I saw was Joanna whining about it and not taking Henry’s emotions into any real account.
The tag-line for this novel was "Her children or her crown". It was a little more than that, her children, family, power and status, or her deep passion and love for Henry? An incredible choice and one that I was desperate to read, especially given O'Brien's wonderful talent for creating character emotion. Yet, that choice was made in the first 160 pages of the novel. It was over before I had even really registered the issues. There was very little emotion involved, and the whole situation was forgotten rather quickly. Joanna did indeed feel pangs of emotion at the loss of her children, but they seemed to be thrown into the plot at random intervals instead of being woven into her development and persona.
I do not think that I have yet read an Anne O'Brien novel without sobbing through at least a third of it, and 'The Queen's Choice' was no exception. O'Brien writes and captures the most intense of romances and relationships and can beautifully craft them so that as a reader, you live and share the emotions of those within the pages. But maybe I want a little more substance from these novels now as well. Some depth of plot to weave into the emotion and romance.
‘The Queen’s Choice’ was an excellent example of this. There were wars abound, families torn apart and political balances in the wind. Yet the majority of this great tome focused on Joanna whining about Henry not trusting her, or talking to her. That she did not understand these new English politics, yet nor did she really try. Wars were covered in the barest of paragraphs as a nod to the historical context, but the deep emotion and tension that could have been developed and weaved into the relationship between Joanna and Henry were non-existent.
I suppose that as a historian I pick up these novels to read about the whole historical period as much as I do for the romance. O’Brien has clearly researched the whole period so that she can accurately place events and yet she does not deploy them in any substantial way. Joanna spent the times Henry was at war complaining that she was tense awaiting news or that she had been left at home again despite her expertise, but I wanted to know how much the war took out of Henry. When he came back from the massacre of men that he knew and trusted, how did he treat Joanna? Like a jewel to be protected at all costs? Use these events to really strengthen the bond, not to start another argument which has been repeated constantly throughout the novel.
I have also found that O’Brien tries to paint her leading Royals as strong women and intimidating Queen’s. Unfortunately I have often found that her writing of them sometimes lets this imagery down. Joanna was no exception to this really, though she was certainly better than others. Supposedly Joanna was a great ruler in her own right, with power and experience at her back to help her passage from Breton Duchess to England’s Queen. Yet she was so naïve and obtuse. Foreign policy was clearly a dark cloud above not only Joanna’s head but it clearly threatened Henry’s position as King. Yet she had a distinct blindness to such policy and politic; an inability to see that the household of Breton’s surrounding her created a tension in the English court. In many situations Joanna’s stubborn-mindedness also undermined her supposed intellect. It was quite frustrating to read. Again, Joanna seemed more concerned with furs and dresses than the very real threats, and events, surrounding her husband and their position as King and Queen. How did Henry feel having to tell his love that she must dismiss her loyal servants? Did he feel devastated to break her heart? Did he hate the council for their intrusion of his marital bliss? I wouldn't know, because all I saw was Joanna whining about it and not taking Henry’s emotions into any real account.
The tag-line for this novel was "Her children or her crown". It was a little more than that, her children, family, power and status, or her deep passion and love for Henry? An incredible choice and one that I was desperate to read, especially given O'Brien's wonderful talent for creating character emotion. Yet, that choice was made in the first 160 pages of the novel. It was over before I had even really registered the issues. There was very little emotion involved, and the whole situation was forgotten rather quickly. Joanna did indeed feel pangs of emotion at the loss of her children, but they seemed to be thrown into the plot at random intervals instead of being woven into her development and persona.
I do not think that I have yet read an Anne O'Brien novel without sobbing through at least a third of it, and 'The Queen's Choice' was no exception. O'Brien writes and captures the most intense of romances and relationships and can beautifully craft them so that as a reader, you live and share the emotions of those within the pages. But maybe I want a little more substance from these novels now as well. Some depth of plot to weave into the emotion and romance.
February 23, 2022
Ugh. There were some good scenes at the beginning and i thought I would like it, I missed si much medieval/renaissance royal court stories, but this was not what I was expecting.
The white room syndrome, the pacing, and the fact that the author gived us the romance before the angst and then totally killed the romance were some of the aspects why I really disliked this.
The white room syndrome, the pacing, and the fact that the author gived us the romance before the angst and then totally killed the romance were some of the aspects why I really disliked this.
January 23, 2022
Picked it up, found it quite hard to get into, put it down & tied again a few months later.
Different frame of mind and i couldnt put it down!
Thoroughly enjoyed it
Different frame of mind and i couldnt put it down!
Thoroughly enjoyed it
June 22, 2017
If I had realised that this book was HR rather than HF then I'd probably have straight passed over it but unfortunately for me I didn't.
Anne O'Brien just can not shake off her Mills and Boon roots and the result is some truly tragic writing. She also has this awful habit of repeating the same descriptive text every 20 pages or so and it seems that none of the characters can ever have a conversation without "tilting their chin" at the other party.
To be fair she doesn't make up her version of history in the way that many HF authors do these days but as the history is so scant in this novel it hardly makes it praiseworthy.
Such a shame as I was so looking forward to this novel about one of our lesser known Queens.
Anne O'Brien just can not shake off her Mills and Boon roots and the result is some truly tragic writing. She also has this awful habit of repeating the same descriptive text every 20 pages or so and it seems that none of the characters can ever have a conversation without "tilting their chin" at the other party.
To be fair she doesn't make up her version of history in the way that many HF authors do these days but as the history is so scant in this novel it hardly makes it praiseworthy.
Such a shame as I was so looking forward to this novel about one of our lesser known Queens.
November 22, 2015
Can't say much as this is not published until January 2016, What I can say, is it is excellent, romance, scandal. backstabbing , politics, and witchcraft. strong, outspoken women, heroic men. What's not to like??
July 16, 2016
I honestly couldn't decide whether to give this book a two or three star rating. On one hand it gets marks for the subject and tugging at the hero-worship of Henry V. On the other hand, it's lacking in writing skill. Basically, I've read better and I've read worse.
March 30, 2018
I libri di Anna O’Brien sono sempre una garanzia; viene definita la regina del romanzo storico, e non mi sento di dissentire da questa affermazione.
I suoi personaggi sono sempre ben caratterizzati e possiedono una notevole profondità; l’autrice si diverte a tratteggiare le vicende di donne che hanno avuto ruoli molto importanti nel panorama storico, facendo sentire il lettore al centro della racconto e coinvolgendolo nel profondo.
Il personaggio di maggior rilievo, a mio parere, è sicuramente quello della regina Giovanna, che si distingue dagli altri per l’attenzione che l’autrice riserva alla descrizione del suo personaggio.
Notiamo che la regina è profondamente combattuta tra quello che le suggerisce la mente, e quello che vorrebbe il suo cuore. Nonostante questo conflitto rimane sempre molto consapevole del suo ruolo di monarca, senza mai scadere in sentimentalismi che non le competono.
Altro personaggio interessante è quello del Monarca Enrico, che è passato alla storia come l’usurpatore del trono, e quello che darà inizio ai precedenti della guerra delle due rose; il suo personaggio è molto particolare e complesso, anche lui è profondamente legato al suo ruolo e mostra tutte le sfaccettature del logoramento causate dal potere e dal possesso.
Nonostante tutto il romanzo è godibile, anche se con due protagonisti così importanti e sfaccettati i personaggi secondari vengono oscurati di conseguenza.
Mi sento di consigliarlo a tutte quelle persone interessate alla storia inglese e alle vicende che precedono la guerra delle due rose.
I suoi personaggi sono sempre ben caratterizzati e possiedono una notevole profondità; l’autrice si diverte a tratteggiare le vicende di donne che hanno avuto ruoli molto importanti nel panorama storico, facendo sentire il lettore al centro della racconto e coinvolgendolo nel profondo.
Il personaggio di maggior rilievo, a mio parere, è sicuramente quello della regina Giovanna, che si distingue dagli altri per l’attenzione che l’autrice riserva alla descrizione del suo personaggio.
Notiamo che la regina è profondamente combattuta tra quello che le suggerisce la mente, e quello che vorrebbe il suo cuore. Nonostante questo conflitto rimane sempre molto consapevole del suo ruolo di monarca, senza mai scadere in sentimentalismi che non le competono.
Altro personaggio interessante è quello del Monarca Enrico, che è passato alla storia come l’usurpatore del trono, e quello che darà inizio ai precedenti della guerra delle due rose; il suo personaggio è molto particolare e complesso, anche lui è profondamente legato al suo ruolo e mostra tutte le sfaccettature del logoramento causate dal potere e dal possesso.
Nonostante tutto il romanzo è godibile, anche se con due protagonisti così importanti e sfaccettati i personaggi secondari vengono oscurati di conseguenza.
Mi sento di consigliarlo a tutte quelle persone interessate alla storia inglese e alle vicende che precedono la guerra delle due rose.
August 8, 2022
An interesting book about Joanna of Navarre who married Henry IV of England. Written in the first person, she tells of her life when she comes to England to marry him. From this story you are lead to believe this marriage was a love match but of course that cannot be proven. She did leave most of her children and the strong position she had of being Regent in Burgundy to come to England. Perhaps becoming a Queen attracted her more but from this account the marriage doesn't appear to have been plain sailing. There were numerous factions taking place in England at this time and Henry was always going soldiering to defend his kingship and sort out his adversaries. Joanna, who had held high office previously in Burgundy, could not understand why she wasn't allowed onto the political scene in England and couldn't understand that she was resented due to her French family connections. Unfortunately, there aren't enough books written about the Queens of England and their place in history but this book tries to tell the story of one of whom we know little. The situation that Henry IV found himself in when he deposed Richard II wasn't an easy one and this story does bring this to your attention, together with the political upheavals that ensued. For Joanna, when Henry died she was imprisoned by Henry V, the great hero of Agincourt, who wanted to seize her marriage dower and properties to enable his own marriage to Catherine of Valois. C'est la vie!
June 4, 2019
The Queens choice
Anne O'Brien
Kindle version
Read June 2019
Until I read this novel I had never heard if Joanna (Queen Joan) of Navarre and Brittany, daughter of Charles II of Navarre. She was regent to her son and heir following the death of her first husband John Duke of Brittany.
Joanna is portrayed as a strong and confident character. She made the decision of her life to abandon her family and powerful position in France
for the love of an English King Henry IV who wooed her by proxy via
a loyal knight and friend Thomas who became a loyal and trusted friend and confidante,
This is a well told story, you feel as if you are living in the day with the way
in which Anne describes the characters and their way of life.
I did find it moved a little slow through the first few chapters then as the
story unfolded it proved to move at a fast pace and turned out to be a real
page turner.
I have read all of Anne O'Briens previous books and found this one like her
others very well written and thoroughly researched.
Looking forward to reading Queen of the North next.
Anne O'Brien
Kindle version
Read June 2019
Until I read this novel I had never heard if Joanna (Queen Joan) of Navarre and Brittany, daughter of Charles II of Navarre. She was regent to her son and heir following the death of her first husband John Duke of Brittany.
Joanna is portrayed as a strong and confident character. She made the decision of her life to abandon her family and powerful position in France
for the love of an English King Henry IV who wooed her by proxy via
a loyal knight and friend Thomas who became a loyal and trusted friend and confidante,
This is a well told story, you feel as if you are living in the day with the way
in which Anne describes the characters and their way of life.
I did find it moved a little slow through the first few chapters then as the
story unfolded it proved to move at a fast pace and turned out to be a real
page turner.
I have read all of Anne O'Briens previous books and found this one like her
others very well written and thoroughly researched.
Looking forward to reading Queen of the North next.
June 27, 2024
Anne O'Brien has deftly crafted a narrative for the long forgotten Joan of Navarre that traverses the difficulty lent to existing as a medieval woman- regardless of rank. Family histories are expertly weaved throughout the story, both lending to the political unrest of the early 15th century and the motivations that underpin actions of our main characters.
In a time in which the men are the victors and so write their histories, Joan (Joanna) is portrayed by O'Brien as the shrewd and intelligent woman she was not necessarily permitted to be. A masterclass in both history and fiction, Joanne's voice shines through as a testament to the will of the real figure. Never once is the tumult that surrounds Joanna the primary focus, but the backdrop to the life and personality of a woman that is worth remembering.
As a work of fiction, a historical addition and as message that needs to be championed, The Queen's Choice is a 5 star all round.
In a time in which the men are the victors and so write their histories, Joan (Joanna) is portrayed by O'Brien as the shrewd and intelligent woman she was not necessarily permitted to be. A masterclass in both history and fiction, Joanne's voice shines through as a testament to the will of the real figure. Never once is the tumult that surrounds Joanna the primary focus, but the backdrop to the life and personality of a woman that is worth remembering.
As a work of fiction, a historical addition and as message that needs to be championed, The Queen's Choice is a 5 star all round.
August 25, 2020
I didn't quite manage to finish this book before it had to be returned to the on-line library but I read most of it. Queen Joanna (another forgotten queen) was married to King Henry IV and really made a bad choice in marrying him. Her time at the English court was difficult as she was not accepted as a foreigner and she didn't seem to have much inclination to adapt to her new surroundings. Her new husband, who had wooed her relentlessly until she agreed to marry him, was cold and distant and wasn't interested in her opinions. A rather sad story of an uninspiring queen.
May 12, 2021
3.5
Oserei definirlo più introspettivo che storico, dato che il contesto o il lettore lo conosce a grandi linee o si attacca. La protagonista assoluta è Giovanna di Navarra, che l'autrice ci propone come fiera, intelligente e orgogliosa, a tratti quasi capricciosa. Un bel personaggio, molto vivo. La trama è risicata, dato che gli avvenimenti diretti sono pochi, ci si concentra più sulla storia d'amore e sugli intrighi di palazzo (personalmente, avrei preferito più intrighi). Lo stile piano, alla lunga, l'ho trovato un po' pesantuccio.
Oserei definirlo più introspettivo che storico, dato che il contesto o il lettore lo conosce a grandi linee o si attacca. La protagonista assoluta è Giovanna di Navarra, che l'autrice ci propone come fiera, intelligente e orgogliosa, a tratti quasi capricciosa. Un bel personaggio, molto vivo. La trama è risicata, dato che gli avvenimenti diretti sono pochi, ci si concentra più sulla storia d'amore e sugli intrighi di palazzo (personalmente, avrei preferito più intrighi). Lo stile piano, alla lunga, l'ho trovato un po' pesantuccio.
May 14, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
This is well written but I did not like it.
Primarily because I thought it was more along the lines of Philippa Gregory but really this was more Julia Quinn.
I can tolerate romance but only very specific types and this wasn't one of those types.
This just doesn't work for me.
I read this months ago at the hospital. My phone battery was low so I grabbed a paperback from the hospital library. I read half there and rented from scribd the audiobook to finish when I got home.
It was an easy read and the book did tip my interest in this time period.
This is well written but I did not like it.
Primarily because I thought it was more along the lines of Philippa Gregory but really this was more Julia Quinn.
I can tolerate romance but only very specific types and this wasn't one of those types.
This just doesn't work for me.
I read this months ago at the hospital. My phone battery was low so I grabbed a paperback from the hospital library. I read half there and rented from scribd the audiobook to finish when I got home.
It was an easy read and the book did tip my interest in this time period.
February 11, 2024
I felt as though I couldn’t justify rating higher than a 3 because the plot just wasn’t particularly interesting, it was generally pretty uneventful (I know its based on true life so there’s only so much you could do with it) but strangely I did still find the book fairly enjoyable. Medieval fiction can be difficult to follow and relate to but I didn’t feel that this was the case here, I liked the writing style and felt fairly invested in learning about Joanna and how her story ended even though she wasn’t the most likeable character.
March 21, 2018
At times I struggled to keep on with it, but it was enjoyable and really poignant in the end, really moving. This book is so filled with eloquently articulated thought by someone who has truly experienced life in all its highs and lows, and the sensation it gives you is a powerful one. It reeks of experience! I’m not a massive fan of historical fiction, which might be why I found it tough at points, but it was an amazing book of this genre. So if you like historical, I definitely recommend.
February 8, 2021
Giovanna di Navarra. L'autrice non è riuscita a renderla simpatica. È permalosa, pignola e troppo orgogliosa per poter entrare nelle grazie del lettore. La scrittura è scorrevole e per niente noiosa, ma la mancanza di romanticismo rende la lettura abbastanza pesante considerando il carattere della protagonista. Fatta bene la parte storica. Peccato il non aver troppo approfondito il personaggio di Enrico IV.
August 1, 2023
This novel had its moments. The beginning and the end were good but the middle dragged on.
Story of Joanne of Navarre, daughter of a King, sister of a King, wife of the Duke of Brittany and then Queen of England.
Lots of trials and tribulations.
Lots of heartache.
Somewhat in style of Phillipa Gregory's historical novels focussing on Queens and their stories rather than Kings. But not as good as Gregory.
Story of Joanne of Navarre, daughter of a King, sister of a King, wife of the Duke of Brittany and then Queen of England.
Lots of trials and tribulations.
Lots of heartache.
Somewhat in style of Phillipa Gregory's historical novels focussing on Queens and their stories rather than Kings. But not as good as Gregory.
May 27, 2025
This book is about Joan of Navarre, queen consort of Henry IV, king of England.
I have to admit that she is not a likeable character. Many times I felt like throwing the book across the room, because of her absurd stubbornness and pride.
Most of the time, I felt bad for her husband.
However, the book is nicely written, so much so that I was able to finish the book, even when I was not enjoying seeing things from her perspective (since it is written in first-person).
Overall, a nice book.
I have to admit that she is not a likeable character. Many times I felt like throwing the book across the room, because of her absurd stubbornness and pride.
Most of the time, I felt bad for her husband.
However, the book is nicely written, so much so that I was able to finish the book, even when I was not enjoying seeing things from her perspective (since it is written in first-person).
Overall, a nice book.
February 4, 2017
A period of history I know little about. It was good to learn about a new period. I found the main character dislike-able and self absorbed, no wonder she was unpopular. Not as good as Phillipa Gregory in terms of depth of understanding of the character or complexity of issues. The decision to leave her children for the crown was over simplified and skipped over.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews