The Queen's Daughter

by Susan Coventry

Overview

Joan's mother is Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most beautiful woman in the world. Her father is Henry II, the king of England and a renowned military leader. She loves them both—so what is she to do when she's forced to choose between them? As her parents' arguments grow ever more vicious, Joan begins to feel like a political pawn.

When her parents marry her off to the king of Sicily, Joan finds herself stuck with a man ten years her senior. She doesn't love her husband, and she can't quite forget her childhood crush, the handsome Lord Raymond.

As Joan grows up, she begins to understand that her parents' worldview is warped by their political ambitions, and hers, in turn, has been warped by theirs. Is it too late to figure out whom to trust? And, more importantly, whom to love?
The Queen's Daughter is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429948517
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	06/08/2010
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	588 KB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Susan Coventry is a physician living in Kentucky with her husband and two children. The Queen's Daughter, her debut novel, is the product of her addiction to historical fiction, her fascination with the Middle Ages, and her urge to do something creative.

Susan Coventry is a wife, mother, and pediatric pathologist. She is now living in Louisville, Kentucky, but says she'll always be a Jersey girl at heart.

Editorial Reviews

"A great debut...a good introduction to the fascinationg lives of this incredible family."       

— The Historical Novel Review

                       

"Historical fiction about British royalty, set in the twelfth century no less, is unusual, and for that reason alone, this first novel is a solid choice…the settings are vividly imagined, and readers will champion Joan in her search for love." —Booklist

"...an impressive first effort and an interesting story." —Kirkus Review

 

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up—This coming-of-age novel is set against the backdrop of 12th-century Europe. King Henry II of England is at war with France's King Louis VII, who happens to be supported by Henry's eldest sons. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, gives lessons on politics and what it means to be a queen to their daughter Joan. Despite her notorious parents, this is Joan's story. Coventry does a thorough job of developing the princess's character as she grows from a naive child of seven at the start of the novel into a woman in her 30s who has full knowledge of the world around her. Readers are privy to Joan's thoughts about love for two parents who hate one another, her fear of becoming a child bride in an arranged marriage to the king of Sicily, and her uncertainty about how to please him. Throughout her many years of childless marriage to William, she holds feelings of adoration for the philandering Lord Raymond, Count of Toulouse. By the time they meet again, Joan is no shrinking violet, and she is finally able to fulfill all of her duties as a wife and strong female leader of her people. The battle scenes of the Crusades are necessary to the development of the plot and are thankfully short. Fans of historical fiction, and especially historical romance, will devour this volume.—Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY

School Library Journal

This debut novel telling the story of a real medieval princess illuminates the lives of the rich and powerful and reveals the virtual imprisonment of wealthy women in an era that many romanticize. Joan was the daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England, sister to Richard the Lionheart and wife of William the Good of Sicily. She tries in vain to be a good wife, and after William's death she goes on crusade with her brother. Although Coventry follows the history of Joan as well as it is known, she necessarily imagines much of her subject's life for the novel. The author handles characterizations quite well; Joan, especially, but also Richard, William and other interesting figures appear lively and true. An appealing historical-romance novel, however, may be as imprisoned as Joan in the details presented, even for medieval-history buffs. The author seems to be writing two books: Joan's story and a fact-by-fact history of the internecine wars involving the Plantagenet family. Nevertheless, it's an impressive first effort and an interesting story. (Historical fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews