(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I’ve read a few historical-fiction books to date and I found this one a fairly entertaining read, though I struggled a bit with the constant switching between first person and third person.
I only know bits and pieces about historical figures, but I recognised a number of those used in the book. I did feel some sympathy towards some of the characters and I felt the author did a good job of showing how different the time then was to how it is now.
One of the things that I felt was really showcased well in this book was the fact that women were really considered unequal to men. I also empathised with Alicia’s unequal marriage… but I did struggle somewhat to believe in Eble’s feelings towards her. I didn’t feel enough time was spent on their relationship forming.
I had more sympathy towards the women in this book than the men. Even John (who was interesting at first) kind of lost my sympathy as the book went on.
It was interesting to see the historical figures from the outside perspective. I was particularly intrigued by Queen Isabella. I know she’s often portrayed as quite an evil person, but I felt there was a bit less of that here.
I did think there was a bit too much skipping over time. It felt like years passed by in a matter of seconds.
This book was quick and easy to read, but I would have preferred it to stick either with first or third person. I’d probably check out other books by this author in the future and I think I’ll pass this book on to my sister to read at a later date.
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