Rating: 
Summary: By The Wrath Of God
Review: The full title of this book is Eleanor of Aquitaine: By The Wrath Of God, Queen Of England (or at least that's the title of the copy I bought in England)....some books are worth reading just for the brilliance of the title.....to me this is THE classic work on Eleanor, it's so good I did something I rarely do.....I got my copy signed. Weir begins with simple detail that enhances her narrative.....I knew this was going to be a great book when she took the time to differentiate names, she's still the only Eleanor author to make sure we knew that Eleanor herself would have used Alienore, not Eleanor. The hope Weir articulated in her preface that the book would emerge as credible and balanced, stripped of myths and misunderstandings is the heart of why I cherish this one above all the other Eleanor writings.....it is largely a successful effort at what Weir herself calls "more like a....detective work than a conventional historical biography." An absolutely wonderful work.....and very much appreciated.Here's an example of how Weir works her magic: The historical facts surrounding Eleanor's marriage to Henry are nicely presented with a minimum of speculation. For example, Weir says only "Eleanor sent envoys to Henry, asking him to come at once and marry her; this was not necessarily a proposal, ....for it is possible that the couple had already agreed to marry." And even in this speculation she cites Gervase of Canterbury. The entire text runs like this.....facts predominate, speculation is limited to where Weir's opinion as a researcher well-embedded in the sources of the period has a value. Although I'm primarily an Eleanor fan, this book inspired me to read the rest of Weir's works, and she has done an excellent job on Henry VIII, Elizabeth, the Two Princes, and the Wars of the Roses......so now I guess I'm an Alison fan too. She has produced some of the most enjoyable reading of the past decade for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's Eleanor?
Review: I'm 150 pages into this 350-or-so page biography, and I have to admit that it is enjoyable. Ms. Weir gives us vivid descriptions of Acquitaine, France, England, King Louis, King Henry, Thomas Becket, the Crusades, and life in King Henry's court. The book is obviously thoroughly researched and it is well written, which makes it a good read. So, why only 3 stars (actually, I'd give it 3.5 stars)? Well, it is billed as a biography of Eleanor, but for whole stretches of the book, the titular character is forgotten. Thus, we get an eight-page description of Henry's court and castles, of which four paragraphs are devoted to Eleanor, and they only to note that she lived in somewhat better conditions then the rest of Henry's court. Similarly, we learn much about Louis' and Henry's temperments and personalities, but the description of Eleanor's personality is limited to 1 and 1/2 pages of excerpts of poems from that time. We learn absolutely nothing of Eleanor's childhood, and little about what she was doing when she was Queen of France (aside from attending the crusades and cheating on her husband). This absence of information is understandable, as Ms. Weir notes that little information about Eleanor survives from the time she lived. However, one is left wondering why, then, is Eleanor the subject of this book? It might more properly be called "Europe in the Time of Eleanor," focusing as it does on the people and places that surrounded the famous queen, and not actually on the queen herself. Bottom line is that this is a well-written and absorbing book about the history of France and England, but readers seeking primarily insight into Eleanor of Acquitaine will be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Weir Wonder Woman!
Review: Author Weir is a master (mistress?!) of biographies, especially when her subject is a woman. Eleanor comes vividly to life, although the text does occasionally get bogged down from its story-telling pace by overlong descriptive passages. Nonetheless, the drama and history comes alive and we leave this rich reading experience more enlightened and enthralled by history then ever before!
Rating:
Summary: The Biography of a Mighty Woman
Review: Eleanor of Aquitaine's descendants probably number in the thousands today. They each can be proud of this book's coverage of their ancestor. Portrayed by Katherine Hepburn in 'The Lion in Winter', she has gone down in history as one of the great mothers of the world. Her life's choices affected British and world history until the present day. This biography is the best to date, but she will be studied by many more historians in the future. Recommended for any public or private library.
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Summary: The way history should be written
Review: As a history teacher, I commend Ms Weir on writing a history that reads like a novel, after all, history is a story well told. I completely disagree with the person who said they were disappointed, then talks about them being amoral scum..etc. The family is part of the person, and the way the parents raise the children is part of the story. As a teacher I know this to be true. At least 90% of the troubles we have with errant children can be traced right back to the parent and the home, or lack of home, situation. I guess this person completely overlooked the references to that throughout the book, especially the part on Richard NOT being a homosexual. I suggest this person go back, reread, and try to understand the role the parent plays. The children are a reflection of the parents, and in this case they are all a bunch of scum, at least at some time in their lives. I hope other authors learn how to write history from this author.
Rating:
Summary: The best of Eleanor to date
Review: Having been cast as Eleanor of Aquitaine in a production of James Goldman's The Lion In Winter, I went straight to the most recent biographies to do my research, which of course started with Weir's book. Although another reviewer accurately points out that much of Eleanor's biography is also that of Henry II and her sons, and although this is disappointing, I believe that it is possible that not much survives of Eleanor's discrete history, outside of her signature on the laws and edicts she authored. That being said, I found Alison Weir's biography the most factual while still being accessible and not overburdened with historical insignificances. Eleanor was a mighty woman, much deserving of respect and accolade in her own right: she made four kings and wrote laws that still affect the world today. Ms. Weir's biography manages to strip away the wheat from the chaff, while still allowing for the "possible" vagaries of historical or legendary inaccuracies which enhance our appreciation or understanding of Eleanor's endurance in a world that valued women only as property. Weir also manages to convey, as does Goldman, the deep and tempestuous relationship which Eleanor had with Henry and her sons, no small part of her character. This is an excellent work for anyone interested in Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine and, by the Grace of God, Queen of England. Let's hope someone in future will build upon Weir's work, if such can be done, and discover even more of Eleanor's unique and fascinating personal history.
Rating:
Summary: Good scholarship; dull reading.
Review: Weir's goal here is to strip away the legends and give us "just the facts" of Eleanor's life, insofar as they can be determined today. Unfortunately, there is so little available in terms of primary sources that the book becomes far more about the men surrounding Eleanor than the woman herself. And what a pack of selfish, violent, amoral scum they are! After a while, the ever-shifting loyalties, alliances, betrayals, scandals, rumors, etc., etc., become so drearily repetitious, it was almost impossible for me to remain focussed. Nevertheless, Eleanor does emerge as a remarkable woman, far and away the finest ruler of her time, when she was occasionally allowed to do so. In her position, I would have "taken the veil" long before she did, leaving the monstrous society in which she lived to rot.
Rating:
Summary: Ok General Overview
Review: I agree with what another reviewer said--where is Eleanor? In the chapters dealing with her marriage to Henry, which covers about one-third of the book (or more), there are several pages and even a whole chapter or two were Eleanor isn't even mentioned, the majority of that part of her life isn't about her, it's about her husband and sons. Which was rather disappointing seeing as how that was almost half her life. Other than her disappearance in a lot of places, the book is alright.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting story...but where is Eleanor?
Review: I've read all of Ms. Weir's books, and have enjoyed them all. This book gives a fascinating overview of Eleanor's times, and the men in her life, but doesn't reveal a great deal about Eleanor herself (this is not Weir's fault; the events of this work unfolded some eight centuries ago, and time has obscured much.) Nevertheless, I recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: A masterful biography of an incomparable Queen
Review: ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE is Alison Weir's superior biography of the dynamic, indomitable,12th century Duchess of Aquitaine, Eleanor, who became the wife of King Louis VII and Queen of France, and subsequently the consort of King Henry II and Queen of England. The excellence of Weir's book stems not only from her clear prose, but also from her use of contemporary (12th and 13th century) sources, rather than later writers, upon which to build her narrative. By default, her work contains considerably more biographical information about kings Louis VII, Henry II, Richard I (the Lionheart, of England) and John I (of England) than Eleanor herself, but that isn't the author's fault. Writers of the period were more concerned about the doings of kings than those of their queens, the latter being traditionally considered not much more than the incubators for male heirs to the throne. However, because of her reliance on contemporary sources, Alison is able to effectively argue against such present-day notions as Richard the Lionheart's presumed homosexuality and Queen Eleanor's rumored murder of Henry II's mistress, Rosamund de Clifford ("Fair Rosamund"). One of the volume's especially helpful features is a series of eight tables that illustrate the genealogies of the French Capetian kings, the English Plantagenet kings, the Dukes of Aquitaine, and the House of Anjou during the period, plus the relationship of Eleanor to all of them. These tables are of immense value in keeping the players straight. There's also a (disappointingly) short section of photographs. In the back of the book, there's a 4-page interview with the author in which she makes favorable comments about the 1960s films BECKET and THE LION IN WINTER, both starring Peter O'Toole as King Henry II. She observes that both are "legitimate treatments of their subjects, if not in the letter, certainly in the spirit." I found this personally gratifying since the latter film, ostensibly depicting the infighting between Henry, Eleanor and their three sons (Richard, Geoffrey, and John) at Henry's Christmas court at his castle of Chinon in 1183, is my all-time favorite movie about the all-time dysfunctional family. Not only was Eleanor the consort and Queen of two kings, and the mother of two more (Richard and John), but she also gave birth to two queens, Eleanor of Castille and Joanna of Sicily, and numbered among her direct descendents all English kings to the year 1485, plus several other non-English kings and queens, the odd saint or two, and one Holy Roman Emperor. Her life and accomplishments, even while living in the shadow of the great Henry II, make other female British rulers, e.g. Elizabeth I, Victoria, and Margaret Thatcher, seem like shrinking violets in comparison. Occasionally, one is presented with the question, "If given the chance, what one great person in history would you invite over for dinner?" My choice would be Eleanor of Aquitaine, a source of endless fascination.
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