Thoughts on The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner

Title: The Last Queen

Author: C. W. Gortner
ISBN-10: 0345501845
ISBN-13: 978-0345501844
Publication Date: 2006
Acquired by Me: Bookstore Purchase




Description Courtesy of Goodreads:

“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.”

My Thoughts

To put it mildly, I have been completely blown away by The Last Queen. It is incredible. It was one of those…I just couldn’t put it down…type of books. I thank my lucky stars that I followed the recommendation of several book bloggers for this read.

For those of us who love historical fiction, particularly involving The Royals, there is nothing more satisfying than delving into their most intimate moments of life. Seeing the world as it appeared to them during their lifetime. Experiencing their relationships with others. Falling in and out of love alongside them. Marveling at the role they played in history.

C. W. Gortner brings to the table all I could have ever asked for, and then some, with his fiction-loosely based on fact-account of Juana The Mad. He has a remarkable ability to spin a tale. Gortner depicts Juana as a strong woman, trying to follow in the footsteps of her mother, the infamous Queen Isabel of Spain. As typical of a woman’s destiny in her time, Juana’s life is truly controlled by the men in her life, particularly (but not restricted to) her husband and her father. She is betrayed and used as a pawn time and time again…thus, a woman scorned must be mad, right? That’s how Gortner portrays her madness, a figment of her enemies’ imagination? A concoction? I’m not sure if I buy this premise in its entirety. I think there are plenty other historical accounts that support the idea that Juana did suffer from some form of mental illness. But, as I am not an expert, I defer to Gortner’s account---primarily because I really enjoy his story so much that I want Juana to be the biggest victim she can possibly be. It makes The Last Queen all the more tragic in my eyes.

The saddest part of Juana’s story is that she really was locked up by her father--the first man she ever loved, and the last one to betray her. I feel for her in that respect. The betrayal she must have felt is unimaginable. Juana’s story will stay with me for some time. I hope that forms some type of compliment to Gortner as a thank you for his writing. I cannot express how much I would encourage others to read this book. Without a doubt, I look forward to his next book.

The thoughts expressed in this post are solely based on my personal opinion and have not been influenced by any other entity or being. Use of my statements may not be reproduced without permission from me, the author of The My Eclectic Reads Blog.