Like
most sisters, Marguerite and Eleanor were rivals. They were also queens.
The
girls were raised together at the 13th Century court of their father,
Count of Provence, the girl must pay their dues, as all young girls must, they
are soon married to rival kings but they are never truly parted.
Patient,
flawless, quiet Marguerite, the oldest of the Count’s four daughters who is always
use to being the first to do anything, becomes Queen of France. Her husband
Louis IX is young and beautiful and he is considered to be the greatest monarch
of his age but he is also a religious extremist who denies himself of all
pleasure – including the love and affection that his young wife desperately
craves.
Zealous,
determined and stubborn Eleanor, the second daughter of the Count’s four
daughters and who is always in her sister’s shadow, becomes Queen of England.
He husband Henry III is neither young nor handsome but Eleanor discovers that
he is a great man – showering her with love and affection – however he is a
very bad king.
As
the girls’ lives take their different paths, each girl must face her own demons
– Marguerite the lack of love from her husband and her overbearing
mother-in-law Blanche of Castile, and Eleanor the hostility of her husband’s
court and his weak hold on their country. Even though these two sister, these
two queens are separated by an ocean they continue to play an integral part of each
other’s lives through their letters. As the years pass, the sisters learn to
set aside their rivalry and soon learn that the trait they find exceedingly
annoying in each other is exactly what they need to survive – Marguerite borrows
Eleanor’s fiery fortitude in an attempt to win back her husband’s love and
affection and Eleanor adopts her sister’s calm demeanour and sets aside her
pride in order to repair her marriage with Henry after a political clash.
The
Sister Queens spans twenty years and an array of countries – from the splendid
courts of France and England down into the Holy Land of Egypt and Jerusalem on
Crusade. Sibling rivalry, family, politics, love and lust are all woven into an
amazing story about two Queens who were sisters above everything else.
☆☆☆☆½
I
absolutely adored this book! It was a fully engaging novel and remarkably relatable – I could totally imagine these two sisters carrying out a
relationship through letters throughout their lives as rival queens. I was
swept up in the stories of the Savoy sisters from the get go, even the lesser
known sisters Sanchia and Beatrice. Each sister had very unique personalities
that were richly developed throughout the story. While the sisters were
different in temperament and life challenges, they were both so fascinating and
lovable, although I have to say that I preferred Marguerite to Eleanor, just
slightly. It was a very enjoyable read and at time very difficult to put down.
Ms.
Perinot is a solid writer with the ability to create characters that have a
life-like, jump off the page quality about them. Not only were the sisters
beautifully developed but their husbands, Louis IX of France and Henry III of
England, as well as Louis’ (wicked) mother Blanche of Castile, were all equally
amazing. The story was beautifully written as well – the dialogue appeared to
be written effortlessly as it flowed in a natural way, it never felt forced or
fake. I especially enjoyed the letters that opened each chapter between the sisters;
it felt as if the reader was getting an intimate look into the inner workings
of the girls’ minds.
My
only complaint about the book was that it ended too soon . . . I would have
loved for it to have covered the rest of the sisters’ reigns! I would strongly
recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction and especially
to those of you out there who have a sister – I saw so much of my sister’s and
my relationship in these pages (I saw myself being Marguerite and my sister as
Eleanor) and I was able to reflect upon our own relationship. This was an
amazing debut novel from Ms. Perinot and I look forward to reading her future
works.
~*~ I won this book from http://www.passagestothepast.com/ ~*~
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