Chrissie's Reviews > The Last Queen

AFTER READING: Wow, another 5 star book. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! First let me mention that the status updates are wrong. There are 428 pages in this book! Now, I will try and summarize a teeny bit why I loved it, and let me say I am hooked, bait, line and sinker; I have to read more about the royal history. It is not fluff and swooning love affairs, and banquets and fancy clothing. At least not in this book. It is about what motivates people. All of us - both the common and the royal classes. Both today and yesterday. It is about family ties, mother/daughter relationships, the demands we place on those loved ones whom are strong versus those who are less so. It is about how men and women and how, although we are equal, perhaps do not see things the same way. Of course there are always exceptions. When one has lived in different countries, as I have, you recognize different cultural characteristics. Of course not all French are so and Belgians so, Americans so and Swedes so, but you do see some general tendencies. The same can be said about women versus men and how they look on life issues. And this book talks about Spanish versus Hapsburg cultural characteristics. I found this very relevant to life here in Belgium. I understand Belgians a teeny bit better because their history has molded who they are today. This book was terribly exciting. As it neared the end, I thought OK, now it is over and then in the second to the last chapter, wow you will be blown away! I write in my books. I wrote OMG dozens of times in just chapter 32, the second to the last chapter of the book. VERY EXCITING. This queen Juana is called Juana the Mad. You will truly understand why. One more thing, which is very important, the book ends with a clear explanation of what is fact and what is fiction. For me this is essential. This is a superb author. Thank you C W Gortner for doing this, and thank you for the map! And GooodReads, thank you for bring this book to my attention. It has opened up a whole new genre to me. I was worried that I might not appreciate the book b/c I am kind of distracted by our new puppy, Oscar. Not at all!

Can somebody recommend a good book about Charles V, Juana's son, head of the Holy Roman Empire? I am looking for undry nonfiction or moving but correct historical fiction.


BEFORE READING:Having read Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree by Tariq Ali a while ago, I wanted to learn more. In the book by Ali, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain threw out the Moors and sent Columbus to America. They had a daughter named Juana, and Gortner's book is about her. Catherine of Aragon, who was the first wife of the notorious Henry VIII, is Juana's sister. Juana and her husband Philip the Fair will raise their son ro become Charles V, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. Reading about royal European families is a totally new area for me! I hope I am not engulfed with petty descriptions of clothes and balls and all that stuff. Charles V played a significant role in Sarah Dinant's book entitled In the Company of the Courtesan, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am relying on Gortner's good writing skills in the hope that I will be spared fluff! Cross your fingers for me; too much fluff and I might throw out all attempts to tackle European royalty.