The Winter Crown

This past Sunday I finished reading “The Winter Crown,” by Elizabeth Chadwick which is the second book in the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy. In this second installment in the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy it focuses on Henry II and Eleanor’s marriage starting off bright and having many heirs to the throne, to Eleanor being imprisoned due to her supporting her sons rebellion against Henry.

Pros & Cons

The second book in the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy was actually a little bit more exciting than the first book. It’s more exciting in my opinion because we get to see Eleanor’s marriage to Henry II and the exciting bit that happened after annulling her marriage to Louis. We also see how it quickly soured. I also enjoyed reading about some of the new historical figures that came into the story like Isabelle De Warren and her romance with Hamelin, Henry’s bastard brother. William Marshal is an interesting knight and I want to read Chadwicks William Marshal books (really anything of hers) in the future.  I also liked seeing how Richard who eventually will become King Richard The Lion Heart, became Eleanor’s favorite son without her making it obvious to the other children that Richard was her favorite. Eleanor loved all her children but Richard was her favorite. There wasn’t much I disliked. It seemed that the marriage soured too quickly in the beginning despite them being lovable and being in the bedroom a lot. I would have figured the marriage would have started souring after the birth of John. Then again Henry did become a difficult and controlling figure to live with.

Overall

I enjoyed the second book better than the first book. The first book was great don’t get me wrong, but the first book I felt dragged on compared to the second book. I think the first and the second book could have been one book if things in the first book were condensed a bit. Nevertheless I enjoyed both books. I am reading book 3 “The Autumn Throne,” where Eleanor will eventually be released from prison once Henry dies to her final years with her children and grandchildren and her eventual death. If you enjoy history and historical fiction The Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy is a trilogy to check out.