The Last Queen

Juana of Castile was the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit the throne, and her turbulent life is excellent fodder for this provocative and well-crafted historical novel. Marguerite Gavin superbly reads Juana's first-person account, starting with her parents' conquest of Granada in 1492. Gavin tells Juana's story in a carefully controlled and subtly elegant tone that makes the listener wonder whether "Juana la Loca" was truly mad or the victim of political machinations. Gavin richly portrays Juana's spectacular ambivalence toward her husband: her fear of an arranged marriage to a foreign stranger, her growing physical passion for her handsome prince, her gradual loathing of his deceit and lust for power, and her devotion to his corpse after his death. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

April 14, 2008
The 1492 conquest of Granada makes for high adventure and royal intrigue in this second sparkling historical from Gortner (The Secret Lion
). Spanish Princess Juana, 13, watches as her parents, King Fernando and Queen Isabel, unite Spain, vanquish Moors and marry their children off to foreign kingdoms for favorable alliances: Princess Catalina becomes first wife to Henry VIII; Princess Juana, who narrates, is shipped off to marry Philip of Flanders, heir to the Hapsburg Empire. Although Juana balks at leaving Spain for the north and a husband she has never met, their instant chemistry soon turns to love. Years and children later, Juana unexpectedly becomes next in line to the Spanish crown and must carefully navigate every step of the journey from Flanders to Spain, fearful of alienating husband or parents or both. Emotional and political tensions soar as Juana’s loyalties are tested to their limits. Disturbing royal secrets and court manipulations wickedly twist this enthralling story, brilliantly told.