LIVING THE HISTORY: THE SUMMER QUEEN: Behind the scenes 9: The Research Books.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

THE SUMMER QUEEN: Behind the scenes 9: The Research Books.

I have a huge library of research books. You can see some of them here - it needs updating with more when I have an hour to spare! My Reference Books

On my Behind the Scenes post today though, I want to post just a few of the research books I used in writing THE SUMMER QUEEN. I hope you'll enjoy them!

REFERENCE BOOKS USED IN THE RESEARCHING THE SUMMER QUEEN - Not in any order of preference. Marked with 3 stars are the most interesting and/or useful, then 2, then 1. Bools marked with a question mark are ones I would advise the reader to use with caution and check up on the facts via more reliable sources. The more question marks, the more caution required!

*** 'Travel Diary of the 2nd Crusade as
far as Antioch. Primary source

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3 comments:

Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik said...: I know it's a little bit out of date now, but Regine Pernoud's biography was my first book on Eleanor. It was then when I "met" the Young King for the first time ;-)

I would love to read one of the books about Abbot Suger. Are they good ones?; 7:52 pm
Elizabeth Chadwick said...: Hi Kasia,

Yes, the Lindy Grant book on this post is excellent on Suger.; 9:44 am
Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik said...: Hi Elizabeth!

I have just finished The Summer Queen. The Mount Cadmos scene has been absolutely my favourite,tension after the massacre being almost tangible.

There is one thing that has caught my attention, namely the ship in which Henry and Eleanor crossed to England in December 1154. I have always thought that "esnecca" was the ship's name, not a certain type of ships used in the 12th century. I can't recall now, but it must have been Marion Meade who wrote the name starting with the capital "E", which made the ship sound as if it had been Henry and Eleanor's private vessel called "Esnecca". I would be grateful for any additional information.

Thank you,

Kasia; 1:27 pm

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

" Wow! I feel like someone used to watching movies in black and white but has just seen the first one in technicolor! " A personal letter from a reader.

"The Winter Crown ...will, I have no doubt, become the definitive fictional account of this remarkable woman.' ..." I’ve read a fair few fictional depictions of Henry II over the years and I must say that his portrait in The Winter Crown has the most authentic feel of them all."
Kate Atherton, author of For Winters Night blog.

"Eeanor’s life story has been told many times over in historical novels but rarely with such insight, emotional intensity and page-turning readability." Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Evening Post.

"In the world of the arts, the Black Legend and the Golden Myth still hold sway, as seen in novels, such as Alison Weir's, which seek to portray both the scandalous, adulterous queen of legend and the powerful female ruler. Historians may shake their heads at the perpetuation of such myths, but many historical novelists such as Sharon Kay Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick are seeking to apply modern scholarship to their fiction, and consequently avoid the most egregious of the legends that surround Eleanor."

Professor Michael R. Evans in Inventing Eleanor - Bloomsbury Academic.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE SUMMER QUEEN

"What I loved about this novel, and I have felt this way about all of Elizabeth’s novels that I have read, is that she does not pander to stereotypes or write scandal for the sake of it. The historical Eleanor is defamed beyond belief- a whore chasing anything in trousers, a woman who committed incest with her uncle, a woman who was ‘ahead of her time’, and so on. Elizabeth’s Alienor is none of these things. She is treated fairly, as a woman of her own time, written in a believable way. Elizabeth does not go for scandal because she does not need to- the writing in this novel makes that very clear. Her scene setting is lovely, her character development top notch, and the book is a compulsive page turner. I couldn’t put it down." Sarah Bell

."The Summer Queen is a fabulous novel based on the most up-to-date and meticulous research. This is historical fiction at its best and I loved every page of it." Kate Atherton, blogger.

"I have read just about everything I can about Eleanor and enjoyed both biographical and fictional accounts of her life but I must say that your creation of Eleanor is the most compelling." Reader from Australia

"I loved the story; I loved the way the author wrote Alienor as a woman of her times instead of a thoroughly modern independent woman, or a slut in chase of anything in pants. As with all Chadwick novels, there's also the added plus of being sucked into another century with the sights, smells and sounds that wrap up a darn-near perfect reading experience. I couldn't put it down, and very sorry I'm going to have to wait for the next installment. Reader from the USA

"Meticulous research and strong storytelling." Woman & Home
"A rich and compelling read. " Candis Magazine

"I often see the expressions, `fleshing out the history' and `making it real', and they more than apply here...the main aspect that made me keep turning the pages and burning the midnight oil? The things that I didn't know about Alienor.." Reader from Australia

"Chadwick has succeeded where many other novelists have failed by giving us not just the legend but the very human young woman – intelligent, determined, witty and sexy." Pam Norfolk. Lancashire Evening Post.