Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Woman For All Seasons
Comment: How captivated I was with "Power of a Woman"!
I found the ruthless nature of the twelfth century shocking, wrought
with not only loveless, but murderous marriages! I understood that
alliances (marriages) were the crucial scaffolding on which the survival
of a clan depended, but I did not realize that royal issue became
betrothed as infants, and that the female of the match went to live with
future in-laws in order to be more completely absorbed into the social
intricacies of that clan. Simply, the toddler was held hostage in the
face of present and future intrigues. Shocking indeed.
What particularly fascinated me in this telling saga of noble, military
and religious life during the Middle Ages was the description of how
Eleanor developed her own spin on Chivalrous Love. What a creative way
of compromising three conflicting demands: an individual's yearning for
love and intimate recognition, the passionate and artful culture of
courtship and restraint, and the absolute necessity of loveless,
politically-sanctioned marriage.
I enjoyed the book immensely, and am astonished that the author was able
to write from inside such a particular, feminine persona as Eleanor of
Aquitaine. I was immediately hijacked by the voice of Eleanor, and
became a willing victim of her extraordinary prowess. What a dame!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Deeper View
Comment: Robert Fripp's novel/faux memoir has much more multi-layered depth than any of the dozen or more Eleanor books I've read. The characters are richer, the stories and themes have many more angles, and the Eleanor who saw more and aimed higher than the powerful people she played with, really comes through at age 80. It's not the most 'pop' or easy of the books, but it's the richest in its vision, much of it coming from Fripp's journalistic rigour as a former CBC series producer for "The Fifth Estate". He sees very far, in many directions--as did Eleanor.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Historically Accurate And Exciting in Wealth Of Detail
Comment: "Power Of A Woman" is gripping in its wealth of detail. It makes me feel like I am in the midst of all the action. Of all the books I have read, this is the only one that makes me experience what it must have felt like to have lived during those troublesome and exciting times. Such a wonderful and exciting book! "Power Of A Woman" is more than just a book, it bring the people to life in a fresh, new way and contains a wealth of exciting information on its people and the times in which they lived. I highly recommened it to all who want a historically accurate book!
Lady Shirley Cassidy
Dublin, Ireland
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Comment: "Power of a Woman" brings us an "autobiography" of Eleanor of Aquitaine that is accessible and entertaining! Eleanor was Medieval Europe's most interesting woman. In an age when women were considered a necessary evil, and expected to bear sons and be quiet, she defied tradition. She married two of the most powerful men in Europe, and birthed several more. She went on Crusade. She ruled vast territories. She created a definition of love that survives to this day. Telling her story in Eleanor's voice, Robert Fripp shows us Medieval Europe through her eyes: Crusades, wars, enmities, alliances, eternal subterfuge. Fripp's vision brings the very stones and glass of cathedrals and castles to life. History becomes a tapestry which Eleanor works, stitch by stitch. At eighty-one, she hasn't much time. We feel her urgency, the ache in her knees, the chill in her bones. Will she finish before she dies? Her sorrow of lost love, lost children, lost time is as real as the triumphs of her extraordinary life. Eleanor emerges as a woman of great wisdom, dearly won. A real woman, with a strong sense of her place in this life and the next. What a great read! This is so gripping. I got so totally caught up in this story one night that I woke up with images of Eleanor in my mind, and Kate Hepburn's voice in my ear. I love this story."
Customer Rating:
Summary: An inspiration for all ages and times!
Comment: Reading this book aloud to my legally blind companion was
immensely fun and educational. We gained many details of Eleanor of Aquitaine's life which I feel other biographers missed, especially her deeply personal feelings around Thomas Beckett. We are brought to ponder Eleanor's emotions in many various contexts. I loved how [the author
explains] her relationship with Richard the Lion. And all so vividly expressed from the mouth of a very wise and passionate woman!
Through diligent research, and artful pen, Robert Fripp brings
Eleanor of Aquitaine to life. I am absolutely amazed at his stunning ability to know the heart of a woman.
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