The Secret Eleanor

July 1, 2010
The always reliable Holland turns her attention to the ever-intriguing Eleanor of Aquitaine in this solid fictional biography of the consummate woman-behind-the-man. We meet the young Eleanor as the wife of Louis VII of France; however, this relationship is not enough to satisfy her feverishly grand ambitions. When she meets Henry DAnjou at her husbands court, sparks fly and the stage is set for one of the most remarkable unions in the annals of medieval history. Their passionate affair evolves into an elaborate game of cat and mouse as Eleanor, determined to win her freedom from Louis at any price while assisting Henry in securing his tenuous claim to the English throne, will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Readers familiar with the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine will enjoy the intriguing backstory Holland dishes out with a practiced hand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)