The Summer Queen cover art

The Summer Queen

Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy, Book 1

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The Summer Queen

By: Elizabeth Chadwick
Narrated by: Katie Scarfe
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Summary

Eleanor of Aquitaine.

A loving mother. A betrayed wife. A queen beyond compare.

Eleanor of Aquitaine's story is legendary. She is an icon who has fascinated readers for over 800 years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive - until now. Based on the most up-to-date research, best-selling novelist Elizabeth Chadwick brings Eleanor's magnificent story to life, as never before.

Young, vibrant, privileged, Eleanor's future is golden as the heiress to wealthy Aquitaine. But when her beloved father dies suddenly in the summer of 1137, her childhood ends abruptly. Forced to marry the young prince Louis of France, Eleanor is still struggling to adjust to her new role when Louis' father dies and they become King and Queen of France. Leaving everything behind, the vivacious Eleanor must face the complex and faction-riddled French court. She is only 13.

Overflowing with scandal, politics, sex, triumphs and tragedies, The Summer Queen is the first novel in a stunning trilogy from award-winning and much-loved author Elizabeth Chadwick

©2013 Elizabeth Chadwick (P)2013 Hachette Audio Fiction Historical Fiction Royalty
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Critic Reviews

"An author who makes history come gloriously alive." (The Times)

"Meticulous research and strong storytelling." (Woman & Home)

"A sumptuous ride." (Toby Clements, Daily Telegraph)

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i adore historical novels and this one does not disappoint. i am looking forward to the next read inthe series.

lovely strong female lead

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History made story. I enjoyed this book and having read non-fiction about Eleanor this was close to fact. The narrator captured the youth of the Duchess and carried the male voices well too. Thank you.

A believable Eleanor

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I enjoyed the story and the narrator was great, it must be difficult to write about a period in time that does not have much information to help with narrative but the author did a great job of bringing a very interesting woman to life.

Bringing history to life

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Loved it. Beautifully written and excellent audio reading. I look forward to the next two in the series.

Exceptional

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loved all of it. Very easy to listen too. A jolly good explanation by author at end of how and why she depicted Eleanor as she did.

History at its most entertaining

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