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Title: The Dragon and the Jewel by Virginia Henley ISBN: 0-440-20624-3 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 03 November, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.17 (29 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: favorite by V Henley, second favorite romance EVER
Comment: I received this book as a gift from a college roommate and I have read it over and over. It is one of my all-time favorites. And since I read this first Henley book, I have built a collection of about 11 of her novels. Simon de Montfort is my dream hero, and the most romantic leading man ever. He sees what he wants and he takes it!
My only warning is this, if you love Simon and Eleanor, DON'T read THE MARRIAGE PRIZE. They are here as an older couple and it is heartbreaking. I also highly recommend DREAM LOVER by V. Henley. There is a little bit of violence but if you love Simon de Montfort, you will also love Sean O'toole.
Nobody writes romances as well as Virginia Henley.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Love Story For The Ages & Excellent Historical Fiction!
Comment: Virginia Henley brings 13th century England to life with this historical novel about Princess Eleanor Plantagenet, daughter of King John and sister to King Henry III, and her warrior hero husband Simon de Montfort.
Married at age 10 and widowed by age 16, Eleanor swore a vow of chastity to the Church. She didn't figure on someone like Simon de Montfort, a disinherited aristocratic Frenchman who become an English earl, entering her life. Swept away by their passionate love for each other they risked the wrath of King and Church to wed.
Ms. Henley, an award-winning author, tells a tale filled with conflict, treachery, betrayal, pageantry and true love with such skill that the reader truly gets a picture of life in medieval England and a look into one of history's most intense romances. A great read that is hard to put down.
JANA
Rating: 3
Summary: Romance? Yes. History? Please...
Comment: I liked the book well enough (even though I agree with a previous critic that Henley gives us all the reasons for feminism), but the reviews here that hailed the book as a store of historical facts raised my eyebrows. I happen to know a few things of the period, and glaring mistakes just jumped out of the text at me.
Those who consider the book educational might like to ponder this:
1) One has to be both very cynical and uninformed to refer to Simon de Montfort the Elder's exploits in the south of France as "brutal but effective." The man was guilty of some of the worst war crimes in medieval history, for starters, but efficient he was not. He left the place in a state of a vicious civil war, which he was effectively losing by the time he died.
However, his death was a momentous event for France and England, which had its own interests in the region -- so I find it laughable that the two royal princes would need 13 years and Simon the Younger to tell them the news.
2) Language is another thing. First, Eleanor was sure to know French -- it was the language the court spoke exclusively -- but it is highly doubtful that she, and Simon, spoke any English. English did not become the court language until Edward III, a good century after.
The cursing contest was nice... except that the curses should have been the other way around. Unlike us, medieval people were far more offended by any curse implying God than any physical profanity. So the little aristo girl was in fact much more coarse in her swearing than the "saucy wench".
There are lots of small lapses, factual-wise, but the first of the ones I listed really stung me, while the second was very indicative of Henley's general failing -- the tend to over-modernize the reactions and behavior of her characters. So if you think of nothing but romance, this is good; if you want history, I suggest -- no, not a grain, a full pound of salt.
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Title: The Falcon and the Flower by Virginia Henley ISBN: 0440204291 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 05 August, 1989 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Raven and the Rose by Virginia Henley ISBN: 044017161X Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 June, 1987 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Hawk and the Dove by Virginia Henley ISBN: 0440201446 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 August, 1988 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Pirate and the Pagan by Virginia Henley ISBN: 0440206235 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Tempted by Virginia Henley ISBN: 0440206251 Publisher: Island Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 1993 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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