The Last Queen

Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time In his stunning new novel, C W Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is born amid her parents ruthless struggle to unify their kingdom, bearing witness to the fall of Granada and Columbus s discoveries At the age of sixteen, she is sent to wed Philip, the archduke of Flanders, as part of her parents strategy to strengthen Spain, just as her youngest sister, Catherine of Aragon, is sent to England to become the first wife of Henry VIII Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her handsome young husband, the sole heir to the Habsburg Empire At first she is content with her children and her life in Flanders But when tragedy strikes and she inherits the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe Besieged by foes on all sides, her intelligence and pride used as weapons against her, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it could cost her everything.With brilliant, lyrical prose, novelist and historian C W Gortner conjures Juana through her own words, taking the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England The Last Queen brings to life all the grandeur and drama of an incomparable era, and the singular humanity of this courageous, passionate princess whose fight to claim her birthright captivated the world. Free Read The Last Queen [ author ] C.W. Gortner [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr Some readers shy away from male authors writing historical fiction because men sometimes gloss over or are otherwise indifferent to the plight of women in history Such readers should give Gortner a second look because he approaches women s history with sensitivity, appreciation and respect The story of Queen Joanna of Castille is a heartbreaking tale of abuse and political manipulation Like herfamous sister, Katherine of Aragon, Joanna showed remarkable tenacity and strength of will in Some readers shy away from male authors writing historical fiction because men sometimes gloss over or are otherwise indifferent to the plight of women in history Such readers should give Gortner a second look because he approaches women s history with sensitivity, app...The last Queen a Novel by C.W Gortner tells the moving tale of Juana la Loca the madShe was if nothing else an extraordinary figure for her timeI love Historical Fiction but am not a fan of novels about the English Throne and was delighted when I came across this Novel which brings to life Juana of Castile, the third child of Que...I have come to the conclusion after reading this novel that to be a women born into royalty, up until present times, was a curse rather than a privilege Women were used as pawns in a human chess match I lost many hours of sleep reading hoping that something, anything, would go in Juana s favor note I forced myself not to use Google to see h...If you re an Anglophile, or enjoy biographies of queens, you undoubtedly know the story of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII s first wife Catherine s sister was Juana of Castile, known in Spain as Juana la Loca C.W Gortner could have called his historical novel, The Last Queen, the lost queen or the forgotten queen As he says in the outstanding commentary on...The only thing I knew about Isabella of Spain was that she financed Christopher Columbus voyage and her daughter, Catherine, was King Henry VIII s wife I did not know anything about another daughter, Juana, until I read this book That being said, Gortner wrote a different and intriguing view of Juana He gave her power, passion, and strength in this novel since her madness has often been disputed I also enjoyed learning about the time period, the monarchies, the politics and the ruthlessne The only thing I knew about Isabella of Spain was that she financed Christopher Columbus voyage and her daughter, Catherine, was King Henry VIII s wife I did not know anything about another daughter, Juana, until I read this book That being said, Gortner wrote a different and intriguing view of Juana He gave her power, passion, and strength in this novel since her madness has often been disputed I also enjoyed learning about the time period, the monarchies, the politics an...C.W Gortner has one of theinteresting literary platforms I ve ever seen for a historical fiction writer, particularly a male one he takes the maligned women of history and gives them a sympathetic makeover Not to say he merely takes a historical villainess and paints her white he seeks merely to uncover and understand His subject here is Juana the Mad, the famous daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain who trailed all...I went back and forth on whether this was a two or three star rating for me The beginning of the book is nicely written drawing the reader into the story as seen through the eyes of a very young Juana The middle however started to become much too modernized for my personal taste I felt like the author s writing was too forced and just didn t flow well Some of the thoughts attributed to Juana were just too contrived and what I felt would have been unrealistic for a Queen of that time period.A I went back and forth...Book Synopsis Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country s throne, has been for centuries and enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth Was she the berefet widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time In his stunning new novel, C.W Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.The third Book Synopsis Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country s throne, has been for centuries and enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth Was she the berefet widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time In his stunning new novel, C.W Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is ...Review follows laterI liked this I think this is my first C.W Gortner book and I look forward to readingI loved the history in this, especially about Spain I found that part fascinating I think this queen had a particularly sad life Her life was such a fight with battle after battle I found that I felt frustrated for her And I liked the different take on this one, making her less of a mad woman, like other books I ve read have portrayed her This one seemed less like she was crazy The Mad label w I liked this I think this is my first ...

• English
• 16 June 2018
C.W. Gortner
• Hardcover
• 368 pages
• 0345501845
• C.W. Gortner
• The Last Queen