Bonnie

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile - C.W. Gortner My rating: 3 of 5 starsA copy of The Queen's Vow was provided to me by Random House for review purposes.C.W. Gortner is well known for his historical fiction novels and I have been interested in reading his works for many years. This being my first one, I was impressed. His detailing of Isabella is almost sedulous with how painstaking it is. While he painted an extremely detailed portrait of Isabella, I'm not positive he painted her as accurately as she is known for being.Isabella I of Castile was never expected to amount to anything yet she became known for greatness. Her struggle to claim her true right to the throne after her brother died at an early age is the initial focus of this novel. It also showcases first-hand the initial meeting of Isabella and her future-husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon. Isabella is known for being a strong, independent queen who was able to reorganize governments and unburden the kingdom of debts that had been crushing for all citizens. She is also well known for her unwavering faith and while we saw moments of faith, I think the focus on her infatuation with a boy she knew for two days is a bit off-base. It's also unfounded in history as her and her husband did not meet until they were married. The Queen's Vow focuses heavily on their initial meeting and their subsequent separation after which Isabella pines over him because she's unable to communicate with him. I've found this to be a common trend with many historical fiction novels (the emphasis on the romance aspect whether it being grounded in history or not) and I can say it often leaves me disappointed. This is especially true when the main character is telling the story of a strong woman in a time when women were constantly impeded. What I also found disconcerting was her disassociation from the corruption and decay that was happening around her. While all this chaos was happening around her she sat silently, biting her tongue and digging her nails in her hands to maintain composure. While I believe this to be done as further proof of her unwavering faith, it actually made her to be a very bland and boring character.While I wasn't completely impressed with the representation of Isabella, I was for the most part pleased with the writing style of Gortner and his attention to detail. It's clear that he researches his topics extensively, I just hope that he doesn't take too much artistic license in all of his stories.

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