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Devil's Consort (2011)

by Anne O'Brien(Favorite Author)

3.81 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0778304272 (ISBN13: 9780778304272)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Mira

review 1: This is the first book I have read by this author. Her style is easy to read and what I would call light in spite of being historical fiction. Unfortunately I found the story dull, overly long and I wonder how historically accurate it is. The central character is forced to marry the King of France who is more interested in becoming a monk than a husband. She is not easy to empathise with and all her thoughts are explained repeatedly thus ignoring the 'show don't tell' age-old advice for writers. I would recommend this for readers who usually read light fiction but want to try a non-contemporary story without having to think too much.
review 2: A lot of novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine focus upon her tumultous marriage to Henry II, yet in this novel the focus i... mores upon Eleanor's first marriage to King Louis of France and her subsequent pursuit of an annulment. It gave great insight into who Eleanor was as a person and why she made the decisions she made. She wasn't portrayed as a promiscuous woman as she so often is, nor was she portrayed as selfish. She was truly unhappy with Louis and sought to escape from a life of perpetual boredom in a court where woman were not considered consequential.The author's portrayal of King Louis was interesting and at times I found myself as frustrated with him as Eleanor's character was. It was easy to see why Eleanor desired an annulment. Louis cared more for the Church than he did for being King, and more for his priests than he did for his wife. As fiery a woman as Eleanor was she must have been disenchanted with her life, even if she was Queen of France. For a woman brought up in the 'Court of Love' it must have been torment.I loved the initial meetings beween Eleanor and Henry. There seemed to be an undercurrent that drew them to one another, without either one truly knowing why. Neither one of them questioned it, but rather felt as though they were meant to be together. Together their empire was substantial and they became a very influential couple. Although the novel did not encompass this time of their life, the author did hint towards greater things for the pair.This novel ends with Eleanor's coronation as Queen of England, at a time when the relationship between her and Henry was still a positive one. I think the author chose a good place to end the novel, as it was nice to see Eleanor in a position of consequence where she was actually respected for who she was. By this point in this novel you definitely feel as though Eleanor deserved it. less

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