Four Queens

The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe

By: Nancy Goldstone

Narrated by: Josephine Bailey

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 13th century, a time of chivalry and crusades, poetry, knights, and monarchs, comes the story of the four beautiful daughters of the count of Provence, whose brilliant marriages made them the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily.

From a cultured childhood in Provence, each sister was propelled into a world marked by shifting alliances, intrigue, and subterfuge: Marguerite, the eldest, whose resolution and spirit would be tested by the cold splendor of the Palais du Roi in Paris; Eleanor, whose soaring political aspirations would provoke her kingdom to civil war; Sanchia, the neglected wife of the richest man in England, who bought himself the crown of Germany; and Beatrice, whose desire for sovereignty was so acute that she risked her life to earn her place at the royal table.

Four Queens shatters the myth that women were helpless pawns in a society that celebrated physical prowess and masculine intellect. A riveting historical saga for fans of Alison Weir and Antonia Fraser.

©2007 Nancy Goldstone (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"Fascinating." (Booklist)
"On Goldstone's...rich, beautifully woven tapestry, medieval Europe springs to vivid life....This is a fresh, eminently enjoyable history." (Publishers Weekly)

Not a Historical Romance

If you are looking for a light read about historic females this is not the book for you. If you are interested in detailed history, then you are on the right track. I am of the later, but still found all of the character’s lives hard to follow, especially since it is an audible book, not a written book, which I personally find easier to absorb. Nevertheless this is a very interesting time of history and affords the reader a real sense of the complexity of that time in European history. I am enriched by reading it.

Light, medieval history

I disagree with the more negative review, but I understand exactly what the reviewer means. This book is a light medieval history and like many histories the information is cobbled together a bit. It does seems disjointed because the story rotates among the sisters, and it's not in a perfect chronology, though it is _generally_ chronological. It's a good book but it's a more challenging listen than something like a historical romance. Two-thirds in, I was a little tired of it. BUT, if you don't know anything about these sisters and like medieval history, you will find the book fascinating.

Enlightening

A scholarly but readable account of Eleanor, Marguerite, Sanchia, and Beatrice of Provence. These four incredible, strong, and influential women helped define Europe during the thirteenth century. My favorite medieval time period is the fourteenth century. Reading this work gave me much greater insight into the events that helped shape the fourteenth century and the curious relationship between England and France.

Not Well Organized

This book did not seem very well organized and the story was not told in chronoligical order. It was as if someone was stringing together bits of histrorical facts from different sources. One chapter tells of the death of one of the women and in the next chapter it is related that she spent the Christmas season with the family in France. I give the narrator credit for for doing a good job with the material she had to work with. I don't know how I managed to listen to the entire book.

Meh...

Dull
Love the period. Don't know why I didn't like this.
Too convoluted. Wasn't sure what was going on and didn't care.

Vastly disappointing

I had just finished Rival Queens and was so impressed with the story and narration I bought Four Queens. The entire book seemed to be about the husbands and their battles. The narration was without feeling whereas in Rival Queens even the footnotes were interesting. I will not be buying another by this author.