Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner

User avatar
EC2
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3661
Joined: August 2008
Location: Nottingham UK
Contact:

Post by EC2 » Sat May 30th, 2009, 7:45 pm

Just finished this one and enjoyed it very much C.W.
I thought it was a pacey page turner and I definitely preferred it over the last Philippa Gregory I read - not that it's a contest, but I just wanted you to know. :D I knew nothing about this area and part of history - apart from recognising Catherine of Aragon. It certainly led me to want to know more about the period and read the facts for myself and that's always a sign of engaging historical fiction. Useful to have the bibliography on the back. My mum's coming over for tea tomorrow and my DIL, so it'll be a toss up who gets it to read next in the family! I think you wrote female viewpoint very well. Are there an historical novels about Fernando and Isabella? Would you ever fancy writing a prequel? I found them almost as fascinating as Juana. Did her father call her 'Madrecita?' or was that author's licence?
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

User avatar
MLE (Emily Cotton)
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3566
Joined: August 2008
Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
Location: California Bay Area

Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Sun May 31st, 2009, 12:53 am

Yes, Ferdinand di call Juana 'Madrecita'. Lots of documentation there -- those Spanish wrote copiously and saved their letters!

User avatar
Misfit
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Sun May 31st, 2009, 1:52 am

There's been some chit-chat over at goodreads about a trilogy Plaidy did on Ferdinand and Isabella. I don't know the specifics, but maybe someone else does?
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

User avatar
Tanzanite
Bibliophile
Posts: 1963
Joined: August 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tanzanite » Sun May 31st, 2009, 2:32 am

The three books are:

Castile for Isabella
Spain for the Sovereigns
Daughters of Spain

They were recently reissued in the UK (and one of the them has a baby on the cover). I recently read Castile for Isabella and enjoyed it.

User avatar
cw gortner
Bibliophile
Posts: 1288
Joined: September 2008
Location: San Francisco,CA
Contact:

Post by cw gortner » Sun May 31st, 2009, 6:11 am

[quote=""EC2""]Just finished this one and enjoyed it very much C.W.
I thought it was a pacey page turner and I definitely preferred it over the last Philippa Gregory I read - not that it's a contest, but I just wanted you to know. :D I knew nothing about this area and part of history - apart from recognising Catherine of Aragon. It certainly led me to want to know more about the period and read the facts for myself and that's always a sign of engaging historical fiction. Useful to have the bibliography on the back. My mum's coming over for tea tomorrow and my DIL, so it'll be a toss up who gets it to read next in the family! I think you wrote female viewpoint very well. Are there an historical novels about Fernando and Isabella? Would you ever fancy writing a prequel? I found them almost as fascinating as Juana. Did her father call her 'Madrecita?' or was that author's licence?[/quote]

Hight praise, indeed, coming from you! ;) It means a lot to me. Thank you! I'm delighted the bibliography proved useful; unfortunately, some of those books are hard to find. The only historical novels on Isabel and Ferdinand in English that I know of is the Plaidy trilogy, Schoovner's The Queen's Cross and Norah Loft's Crown of Aloes. There are a few in Spanish, but all are quite dated. I think they're due for a new look; actually I have a proposal for a book on Isabel of Castile with my agent, and a few chapters already done. I plunged into a prequel after finishing the first version of The Last Queen, years ago. Now, I'm hoping to write it after the current one I've started, though you never know: my editor might want one over the other.

Yes, Fernando did call Juana 'madrecita', much to Isabel's consternation.

I'm so glad you liked it! I was worried . . . :o I hope whoever gets it next enjoys it, too.
Last edited by cw gortner on Sun May 31st, 2009, 6:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
THE QUEEN'S VOW available on June 12, 2012!
THE TUDOR SECRET, Book I in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI
THE LAST QUEEN


www.cwgortner.com

User avatar
Carine
Compulsive Reader
Posts: 675
Joined: September 2008
Currently reading: Jonkvrouw - Jean-Claude Van Ryckeghem
Interest in HF: I love history
Favourite HF book: Can't pin that down to only 1 :-)
Preferred HF: Medieval, Tudor and Ancient Egyptian
Location: Ghent, Belgium
Contact:

Post by Carine » Sun May 31st, 2009, 5:57 pm

C.W., I just started The Last Queen yesterday, I'm now only about page 70 so far but I'm really enjoying it very much ! Great story and very well written !!

User avatar
cw gortner
Bibliophile
Posts: 1288
Joined: September 2008
Location: San Francisco,CA
Contact:

Post by cw gortner » Mon June 1st, 2009, 6:53 pm

Thank you, Carine! I hope you enjoy it :)
THE QUEEN'S VOW available on June 12, 2012!
THE TUDOR SECRET, Book I in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI
THE LAST QUEEN


www.cwgortner.com

User avatar
Carine
Compulsive Reader
Posts: 675
Joined: September 2008
Currently reading: Jonkvrouw - Jean-Claude Van Ryckeghem
Interest in HF: I love history
Favourite HF book: Can't pin that down to only 1 :-)
Preferred HF: Medieval, Tudor and Ancient Egyptian
Location: Ghent, Belgium
Contact:

Post by Carine » Tue June 2nd, 2009, 5:40 am

Yesterday I was surfing the internet for Juana and what I didn't know was that in 2001 a movie has been made about her !

Click herefor info on IMDB

and here is a trailer of the film on YouTube

User avatar
zsigandr
Avid Reader
Posts: 444
Joined: April 2009
Location: Ontario, Canada

Post by zsigandr » Tue June 2nd, 2009, 9:55 am

I picked up a copy of The Last Queen from my library last month and loved it!

It was definitely a page turner and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Prior to reading this novel, I too, knew little about Juana. The only child of Isabel and Ferdinand that I heard much about was Katherine of Aragon, so for me it was not only entertaining but educational!

Anyone who hasn't read it, should!
Andrea

User avatar
cw gortner
Bibliophile
Posts: 1288
Joined: September 2008
Location: San Francisco,CA
Contact:

Post by cw gortner » Thu June 4th, 2009, 10:51 pm

Thank you, Andrea!! :)
THE QUEEN'S VOW available on June 12, 2012!
THE TUDOR SECRET, Book I in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI
THE LAST QUEEN


www.cwgortner.com

Post Reply

Return to “By Author's Last Name G-L”