Four Queens

Four Queens--Nancy Goldstone

Summary--Set against the backdrop of the thirteenth century, a time of chivalry and crusades, poetry, knights and monarchs, comes the story of four provocative sisters who rose from near obscurity to become the most coveted and powerful women in Europe. The brilliant marriages of Marguerite, Eleanor, Sanchia, and Beatrice the beautiful daughters of the count of Provence, made them the queens of France, England, Germany and Sicily.  (copied from the front flap)

Pro's-- The politics and tightrope walking presented in this book were fascinating. Being nobility/royalty is not all it's cracked up to be. These four sisters had to be highly diplomatic towards nobility in their own country, foreign powers, their husbands and sometimes even each other. I can't say that I would ever wish to be in their places but reading about it as an outsider several hundred years later was intriguing. At least in the beginning the book reads like a novel and kept me constantly curious about what would happen next.

Con's-- I felt like this book dragged out a little too long. The author is a good writer but not good enough for me to read every word of a 308 page book. She could have shortened things a little and kept me from skimming the last third.

If you like history, primarily, mid-evil history you will probably enjoy this book.

Four stars. Ages 15 and up. (nothing a younger person should not read but the content is a little hard to grasp for some.)