PDF Books World offers free eBooks on fiction, non-fiction, academic, textbooks and children's categories for download online in high quality PDF format.
Publisher :Ballantine Books Release Date :2011-04-19 ISBN :0345511883 Pages :529 pages Rating :4.3/5 (455 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Captive Queen by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Captive Queen written by Alison Weir and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2011-04-19 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: Nearing her thirtieth birthday, Eleanor of Aquitaine has spent the past dozen frustrating years as wife to the pious King Louis VII of France. But when Henry of Anjou, the young and dynamic future king of England, arrives at the French court, he and the seductive Eleanor experience a mutual passion powerful enough to ignite the world. Indeed, after the annulment of Eleanor’s marriage to Louis and her remarriage to Henry, the union of this royal couple creates a vast empire that stretches from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees—and marks the beginning of the celebrated Plantagenet dynasty. But Henry and Eleanor’s marriage, charged with physical heat, begins a fiery downward spiral marred by power struggles and bitter betrayals. Amid the rivalries and infidelities, the couple’s rebellious sons grow impatient for power, and the scene is set for a vicious and tragic conflict that will threaten to engulf them all.
Publisher :Random House Books Release Date :2010 ISBN :9781846572081 Pages :5 pages Rating :4.5/5 (72 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review The Eagle and the Lion by Alison Weir:
Download or read book The Eagle and the Lion written by Alison Weir and published by Random House Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: It's 1152 and a beautiful woman of 30 is riding southwards through what is now France, leaving behind her crown, her two young daughters and a shattered marriage to Louis of France. This woman is Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, and her sole purpose now is to return to her vast duchy and marry the man she loves, Henry Plantagenet.
Publisher :Ballantine Books Release Date :2001-04-03 ISBN :9780345434876 Pages :486 pages Rating :4.4/5 (348 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Eleanor of Aquitaine written by Alison Weir and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2001-04-03 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: In this beautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of a truly exceptional woman and provides new insights into her intimate world. Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in Europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the Middle Ages. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, Eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, Weir captures the woman—and the queen—in all her glory. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificent past era.
Publisher :Random House Release Date :2011-08-04 ISBN :1446457737 Pages :992 pages Rating :4.4/5 (464 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review The Captive Queen and Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir:
Download or read book The Captive Queen and Eleanor of Aquitaine written by Alison Weir and published by Random House. This book was released on 2011-08-04 with total page 992 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: A special bundle of one fiction and one non-fiction title from bestselling historian Alison Weir, both exploring the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The Captive Queen: It is the year 1152 and a beautiful woman of thirty, attended by only a small armed escort, is riding southwards through what is now France, leaving behind her crown, her two young daughters and a shattered marriage to Louis of France, who had been more like a monk than a king, and certainly not much of a lover. This woman is Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, and her sole purpose now is to return to her vast duchy and marry the man she loves, Henry Plantagenet, a man destined for greatness as King of England. Theirs is a union founded on lust which will create a great empire stretching from the wilds of Scotland to the Pyrenees. It will also create the devil's brood of Plantagenets - including Richard Cœur de Lion and King John - and the most notoriously vicious marriage in history. Eleanor of Aquitaine: Wife of Louis VII of France and subsequently of Henry II of England and mother of Richard the Lionheart, Eleanor played a prominent part in the politics of the 12th century. In her biography, Alison Weir brings all the colour and ever-present dangers of Eleanor's world to life, filling the text with absorbing background detail and revelatory contemporary anecdotes. The result is a fresh and thoughtful perspective on the energetic 82 years of life of a determined and ambitious woman living with the sexism, excesses and violence of a society in which the word of a single man could condemn thousands to be put to death.
Publisher :Jonathan Cape Release Date :1999-09-30 ISBN :9780224049382 Pages : pages Rating :4.0/5 (493 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Eleanor of Aquitaine written by Alison Weir and published by Jonathan Cape. This book was released on 1999-09-30 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis:
Publisher :Bloomsbury Publishing Release Date :2014-09-25 ISBN :1441146032 Pages :224 pages Rating :4.4/5 (411 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Inventing Eleanor by Michael R. Evans:
Download or read book Inventing Eleanor written by Michael R. Evans and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-09-25 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124-1204), queen of France and England and mother of two kings, has often been described as one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages. Yet her real achievements have been embellished--and even obscured--by myths that have grown up over eight centuries. This process began in her own lifetime, as chroniclers reported rumours of her scandalous conduct on crusade, and has continued ever since. She has been variously viewed as an adulterous queen, a monstrous mother and a jealous murderess, but also as a patron of literature, champion of courtly love and proto-feminist defender of women's rights. Inventing Eleanor interrogates the myths that have grown up around the figure of Eleanor of Aquitaine and investigates how and why historians and artists have invented an Eleanor who is very different from the 12th-century queen. The book first considers the medieval primary sources and then proceeds to trace the post-medieval development of the image of Eleanor, from demonic queen to feminist icon, in historiography and the broader culture.
Publisher :Random House Release Date :2011-02-28 ISBN :1446455890 Pages :528 pages Rating :4.4/5 (464 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review The Captive Queen by Alison Weir:
Download or read book The Captive Queen written by Alison Weir and published by Random House. This book was released on 2011-02-28 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: It is the year 1152, and a beautiful woman rides through France, fleeing her crown, her two young daughters and a shattered marriage. Her husband, Louis of France has been more monk than monarch, and certainly not a lover. Now Eleanor of Aquitaine has one sole purpose: to return to her duchy and marry the man she loves, Henry Plantagenet, destined for greatness as King of England. It will be a union founded on lust, renowned as one of the most vicious marriages in history, and it will go on to forge a great empire and a devilish brood. This is a story of the making of nations, and of passionate conflicts: between Henry II and Thomas Becket; between Eleanor and Henry's formidable mother Matilda; between father and sons, as Henry's children take up arms against him - and finally between Henry and Eleanor herself.
Publisher :Vintage Release Date :2005 ISBN : Pages :548 pages Rating :4.3/5 (91 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Isabella by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Isabella written by Alison Weir and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2005 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis:
Publisher :Random House Digital, Inc. Release Date :2005 ISBN : Pages :554 pages Rating :4.3/5 (91 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Queen Isabella by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Queen Isabella written by Alison Weir and published by Random House Digital, Inc.. This book was released on 2005 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: The acclaimed historian and bestselling author of "Eleanor of Aquitaine" turns her expert eye on the dark reign of another notorious and charismatic medieval monarch, Queen Isabella of France.
Publisher :American Library Association Release Date :2014-09 ISBN :083891165X Pages :352 pages Rating :4.8/5 (389 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Historical Fiction by Jennifer S. Baker:
Download or read book The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Historical Fiction written by Jennifer S. Baker and published by American Library Association. This book was released on 2014-09 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: Whether set in ancient Egypt, Feudal Japan, the Victorian Age, or Civil War-era America, historical fiction places readers squarely at the center of fascinating times and places, making it one of the most popular genres in contemporary publishing. The definitive resource for librarians and other book professionals, this guideProvides an overview of historical fiction’s roots, highlighting foundational classics, and explores the genre in terms of its scope and styleCovers the latest and most popular authors and titlesDiscusses appeal characteristics and shows how librarians can use a reader's favorite qualities to make suggestionsIncludes lists of recommendations, with a compendium of print and web-based resourcesOffers marketing tips for getting the word out to readersEmphasizing an appreciation of historical fiction in its many forms and focusing on what fans enjoy, this guide provides a fresh take on a durable genre.
Publisher :Vintage Release Date :2001 ISBN : Pages :680 pages Rating :4.3/5 (91 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Henry VIII by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Henry VIII written by Alison Weir and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2001 with total page 680 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: A detailed study written by a popular Tudor historian that sets a personal biography of Henry VIII against the cultural, social and political background of his court (with a rich supporting cast of courtiers, ministers, nobles and commoners) and the splendour of his many palaces.
Publisher :Open Road + Grove/Atlantic Release Date :2007-12-01 ISBN :0802198759 Pages :676 pages Rating :4.8/5 (21 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir:
Download or read book The Six Wives of Henry VIII written by Alison Weir and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2007-12-01 with total page 676 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: A “brilliantly written and meticulously researched” biography of royal family life during England’s second Tudor monarch (San Francisco Chronicle). Either annulled, executed, died in childbirth, or widowed, these were the well-known fates of the six queens during the tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of Henry VIII of England from 1509 to 1547. But in this “exquisite treatment, sure to become a classic” (Booklist), they take on more fully realized flesh and blood than ever before. Katherine of Aragon emerges as a staunch though misguided woman of principle; Anne Boleyn, an ambitious adventuress with a penchant for vengeance; Jane Seymour, a strong-minded matriarch in the making; Anne of Cleves, a good-natured woman who jumped at the chance of independence; Katherine Howard, an empty-headed wanton; and Katherine Parr, a warm-blooded bluestocking who survived King Henry to marry a fourth time. “Combin[ing] the accessibility of a popular history with the highest standards of a scholarly thesis”, Alison Weir draws on the entire labyrinth of Tudor history, employing every known archive—early biographies, letters, memoirs, account books, and diplomatic reports—to bring vividly to life the fates of the six queens, the machinations of the monarch they married and the myriad and ceaselessly plotting courtiers in their intimate circle (The Detroit News). In this extraordinary work of sound and brilliant scholarship, “at last we have the truth about Henry VIII’s wives” (Evening Standard).
Publisher :Ballantine Books Release Date :2008-11-04 ISBN :0345495365 Pages :514 pages Rating :4.3/5 (454 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir:
Download or read book The Lady Elizabeth written by Alison Weir and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2008-11-04 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A masterful novel exploring the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen, from acclaimed historian Alison Weir “Engrossing . . . Weir marries conjecture with what is known about the life of Elizabeth I from childhood to coronation, and it makes for ripping good reading.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as “Lady Princess” and now call her “the Lady Elizabeth.” Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her. What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy. The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier she is imprisoned in the Tower of London—and fears she will also meet her mother’s grisly end. Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, “Bloody” Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth’s resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen. Alison Weir uses her deft talents as historian and novelist to exquisitely and suspensefully play out the conflicts between family, politics, religion, and conscience that came to define an age. Sweeping in scope, The Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time—an orphaned girl haunted by the shadow of the axe, an independent spirit who must use her cunning and wits for her very survival, and a future queen whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness.
Publisher :Doubleday Canada Release Date :2015-02-10 ISBN :0385667124 Pages :0 pages Rating :4.3/5 (856 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review The Marriage Game by Alison Weir:
Download or read book The Marriage Game written by Alison Weir and published by Doubleday Canada. This book was released on 2015-02-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: The new novel from the New York Times bestselling historian Alison Weir tells the story of one of history's most scandalous love affairs: the romance between the new, young "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I and her handsome married courtier, Lord Robert Dudley. He is her dashing Master of Horse. She is the 25-year-old newly crowned English Queen, a title she holds only because there is no male heir to inherit it. Yet in spite of her tenuous hold on the throne, young Queen Elizabeth begins a flagrant flirtation with the handsome but married Lord Robert, taking long unchaperoned horseback rides with him and constantly having him at her side. Many believe them to be lovers, and over time the rumors grow that Elizabeth is no virgin at all, and that she has secretly borne Lord Robert's child. When Robert's wife is found dead, lying at the bottom of a staircase with her neck broken, there is universal shock followed by accusations of murder. Picking up where Alison Weir's bestselling novel to date, The Lady Elizabeth, left off (but standing completely alone), The Marriage Game tells the dramatic story of the "Virgin Queen's" reign, framed by Elizabeth's long and tumultuous relationship with Lord Robert. Did they or didn't they? Rivers of ink have been spilled in determining the answer to this burning historical question, and you can be sure Alison Weir has strong opinions about Elizabeth's questionable virginity, based on a lifetime of research. But fiction gives her a free hand to explore this intriguing love affair in its every colourful detail, and the resulting novel is one of her best.
Publisher :Ballantine Books Release Date :2002-10-29 ISBN :9780345437082 Pages :676 pages Rating :4.4/5 (37 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Henry VIII by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Henry VIII written by Alison Weir and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2002-10-29 with total page 676 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: For fans of Wolf Hall, Alison Weir’s New York Times bestselling biography of Henry VIII brilliantly brings to life the king, the court, and the fascinating men and women who vied for its pleasures and rewards. “WEIR’S BOOK OUTSHINES ALL PREVIOUS STUDIES OF HENRY. Beautifully written, exhaustive in its research, it is a gem. . . . She succeeds masterfully in making Henry and his six wives . . . come alive for the reader.”—Philadelphia Inquirer Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent–and dangerous–courts in Renaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed, personal biography of this charismatic monarch been set against the cultural, social, and political background of his glittering court. Now Alison Weir, author of the finest royal chronicles of our time, brings to vibrant life the turbulent, complex figure of the King. Packed with colorful description, meticulous in historical detail, rich in pageantry, intrigue, passion, and luxury, Weir brilliantly renders King Henry VIII, his court, and the fascinating men and women who vied for its pleasures and rewards. The result is an absolutely spellbinding read.
Publisher :Random House Release Date :2014-08-01 ISBN :0099546477 Pages :579 pages Rating :4.0/5 (995 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Elizabeth of York written by Alison Weir and published by Random House. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 579 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: Britain's foremost female historian reveals the true story of this key figure in the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor dynasty who began life a princess, spent her youth as a bastard fugitive, but who finally married the first Tudor king and was the mother of Henry VIII. Elizabeth of York would have ruled England, but for the fact that she was a woman. The eldest daughter of Edward IV, at seventeen she was relegated from pampered princess to bastard fugitive, but the probable murders of her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, left Elizabeth heiress to the royal House of York, and in 1486, Henry VII, first sovereign of the House of Tudor, married her, thus uniting the red and white roses of Lancaster and York. Elizabeth is an enigma. She had schemed to marry Richard III, the man who had deposed and probably killed her brothers, and it is likely that she then intrigued to put Henry Tudor on the throne. Yet after marriage, a picture emerges of a model consort, mild, pious, generous and fruitful. It has been said that Elizabeth was distrusted and kept in subjection by Henry VII and her formidable mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort, but contemporary evidence shows that Elizabeth was, in fact, influential, and may have been involved at the highest level in one of the most controversial mysteries of the age. Alison Weir builds an intriguing portrait of this beloved queen, placing her in the context of the magnificent, ceremonious, often brutal, world she inhabited, and revealing the woman behind the myth, showing that differing historical perceptions of Elizabeth can be reconciled.
Publisher :National Geographic Books Release Date :2017-05-02 ISBN :1101966505 Pages :0 pages Rating :4.1/5 (19 users) GO BOOK!
Summary Book Review Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen by Alison Weir:
Download or read book Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen written by Alison Weir and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book Synopsis: Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir takes on what no fiction writer has done before: creating a dramatic six-book series in which each novel covers one of King Henry VIII’s wives. In this captivating opening volume, Weir brings to life the tumultuous tale of Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s first, devoted, and “true” queen. A princess of Spain, Catalina is only sixteen years old when she sets foot on the shores of England. The youngest daughter of the powerful monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catalina is a coveted prize for a royal marriage—and Arthur, Prince of Wales, and heir to the English throne, has won her hand. But tragedy strikes and Catalina, now Princess Katherine, is betrothed to the future Henry VIII. She must wait for his coming-of-age, an ordeal that tests her resolve, casts doubt on her trusted confidantes, and turns her into a virtual prisoner. Katherine’s patience is rewarded when she becomes Queen of England. The affection between Katherine and Henry is genuine, but forces beyond her control threaten to rend her marriage, and indeed the nation, apart. Henry has fallen under the spell of Katherine’s maid of honor, Anne Boleyn. Now Katherine must be prepared to fight, to the end if God wills it, for her faith, her legitimacy, and her heart. Praise for Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen “Alison Weir starts off her fictional series about the wives of Henry VIII with a nuanced portrayal of Katherine of Aragon.”—The Christian Science Monitor “Weir is excellent on the little details that bring a world to life.”—The Guardian “As always, Weir demonstrates a keen eye for crafting dramatic scenes of beautiful, accurate detail, instilling in the reader a vivid sense of being there. . . . If this greatly impressive inaugural installment is any indication, Tudor lovers have much to look forward to.”—Booklist (starred review) “Vividly detailed . . . Weir brings considerable expertise to her fictional retelling of the life of Katherine of Aragon. . . . [The author] portrays her sympathetically as both credulous and steely.”—Kirkus Reviews “An illuminating and engaging portrait of ‘the true queen.’”—Historical Novels Review “[Weir’s] fresh approach to Henry’s first wife [is] a wonderful place to start for those unfamiliar with Katherine’s story. Weir’s portrayal is far from that of a weak, victimized woman, but one of a courageous, strong, devoted queen fighting for her life and rights. An easy, quick read to begin the series.”—RT Book Reviews “In this first novel of the Six Tudor Queens series, Alison Weir dazzlingly brings Katherine of Aragon to life. Based on extensive new research, it is a portrayal that shatters the many myths about Henry VIII’s long-suffering first wife. Far from being the one-dimensional victim of history, she emerges as a charismatic, indomitable, and courageous heroine whose story never fails to enthrall.”—Tracy Borman, author of Thomas Cromwell “Yet again, Alison Weir has managed to intertwine profound historical knowledge with huge emotional intelligence, to compose a work that throws light on an endlessly fascinating figure. But her real gift in all of this is making it feel so fresh and alive.”—Charles Spencer, author of Killers of the King