I’m very happy to be part of The Last Queen Virtual Book Tour. I know I’ve told you before that when I was a kid I was fascinated by the story of Juana La Loca but thanks to the rich novel by C.W. Gortner, The Last Queen, I was finally able to get a bit more history, see the story in a different perspective and just be transported to another time. So I hope you’ll enjoy reading a bit more about the book.
“I was thirteen years old when my parents conquered Granada. It was 1492, the year of miracles, when three hundred years of Moorish supremacy fell to the might of our armies, and the fractured kingdoms of Spain were united at last.”
And, so the young Juana, daughter of Queen Isabella of Spain, begins recounting her tale. The story unfolds with the young woman witnessing her parents triumph over the Moors and through her sensitive eyes the reader sees the beauty of Granada and how Juana starts to understand about the love for a country and ideals.
As she grows up she learns about the duty that awaits her and her siblings. Their marriages are meant as business arrangements to strengthen Spain and its power above other European nations and Juana’s destiny is bound to Philip the Handsome of Flanders so at sixteen she is sent to him. Philip was heir to the Habsburg Empire and Juana’s parents hoped that this alliance would once and for all give Spain a greater advantage over France.
Although Juana at first resisted going to Flanders when she meets Philip both will find themselves filled with passion and longing for the other. It seems that this will actually be a happy marriage but Juana has many enemies, one being Philip’s most trusted advisor. Just as Juana works to try and get Philip to support Spain, Philip is increasingly finding himself leaning toward the French.
There are scandals, betrayals and a battle for power across countries and families. The novel brings to life the story of an often misunderstood queen. What it also made me realize was just how much power was above all else as often Juana went years without seeing her children. No matter a person’s wishes but if they were born into royalty their duty was to the throne.
I throughly enjoyed this novel and although I knew the “ending” in a way as I’d heard some about Juana of Castile I was still racing to read the end I was so caught up in the story. I hope you’ll keep this book on your radar for when you are in the mood for a fascinating historical tale.
You can also visit C.W. Gortner’s website to find out more about the book or read his blog and please stop by at the other tour stops for author interviews, guests posts and more reviews.
Now, because I couldn’t resist, I’ll leave you with this photo I took when I visited Granada in 1996. It was my first trip to Europe. One of my friends and I traveled through Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada. I have lots of great memories and thanks to this book I just had to pull out my scrapbook and revisit all over again.
“Seek not paradise! It is here – it is here!” ~Arab poet on Granada
The reviews on this book have been excellent! I will keep it on my radar for sure. And I love your picture. How cool!
I so want to read this – I’ve been following the tour on and off. Juana seems to be the one powerful woman whose bad reputation has set in my mind as fact, for some reason (probably because I never did any Spanish history after A levels). I’m so looking forward to being proved wrong about her by a historian writing great fiction.
I loved this book and I have 2 copies up for grabs in case any of your readers want to throw their hats in.
This was one of the best books I’ve read this year. I wish I could go to Spain…that would be a great trip
I also read this book. It’s one of the best pieces of historical fiction I’ve ever read; and considering this genre is my favorite that says a lot. You can read my review if you’re interested. It can be found here: http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2009/05/last-queen-by-cw-gortner-book-review.html
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful picture and your thoughts on this book.
Cheryl
Beautiful picture! Paradise is Here!
I have a Guest Post from the author and a link to my own review up on my blog which the Awesome Author post can be found here at The Burton Review. Also listed are links to all the tour stops for the Book Tour.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Thanks for hosting C.W. today and wow, what a picture! I know it holds fond memories for you!
What a great picture to add to the review!
Hi Everyone – Thanks for stopping in and thanks to those of you who left links for your reviews – can’t wait to check them out! 🙂
i’ve heard such good things about this one, great review 😉
wow! great post. I do want to read this. And Barcelona/Spain is on my top 3 cities list of places I hope to visit someday.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for sharing the pic. I dream of taking a long trip to Europe some day.
I’m reading this now and really enjoying it. I skimmed over your review but I’ll be back when I finish the book 🙂 Glad to hear that you enjoyed it though!
I also really loved this book. Great picture!
Thank you for the wonderful review: I’m very honored that the book inspired you to re-visit your trip. Granada is so beautiful, and that’s a great picture that captures the city’s uniqueness.
I’ve read lots of good reviews on this book! And thanks so much for sharing the pic with us! It’s beautiful! 🙂
I have this but I just haven’t had a chance to pick it up so far. It sounds like a good story though I don’t know anything about the people in it.
I’ve read lots of good reviews for this one too, and have had it on my wish list since last year when I first heard about it. And thanks for sharing the picture!