Ralph V. Turner

Oh goodness. Three stars is generous, but two would be too little. Turner is, at times, clearly a talented writer who is passionate about his subject. This passion does not overwhelm him as it has many other writers on Eleanor; he sticks to the evidence (however little there is), as part of the purpose of this book is to right the exaggerations and misinterpretations of the past. As a historian I was drawn to this biography of Eleanor for that reason; and as a historian I understand that we are taught that 'more is more' when it comes to writing, but there really needs to be a change in mindset in the profession. This book could have been a good 50 pages shorter had it been more concise. Time and again I wanted to put the book down and not continue; I've had it out of the library off and on since late July. Certain sections I sped through, but others dragged for repitition of information over and over ... If you're a French medievalist or other serious scholar of Eleanor or one of her husbands or sons, I definitely recommend reading this. If not, definitely pass.… (mehr)