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The Spellbinders

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

1299 AD. In the shadow of Canterbury Cathedral's spires, a fateful encounter brings together Edward, teenage heir to the English throne, and a darkly handsome soldier from Gascony, Piers Gaveston. Youthful infatuation gives way to a bond more powerful than any attempt at keeping them apart. Edward and Piers enter a pact of sworn brotherhood. A decade later, Edward's spirited new Queen, twelve-year-old Isabella of France, quickly becomes smitten as much with her royal consort as with his dashing lover. But the power-hungry Earls resent Gaveston's monopoly of royal favour and his defiant self-assurance. Political intrigue mounts and the Earl of Lancaster has Gaveston murdered, leaving Edward devastated and thirsting for revenge. A debut novel, a historical epic with its foundation in the story of England's most infamous homosexual prince, will captivate readers.

"Readers seeking tales of gay historical figures will be very pleased with this fully developed tale." - Publishers Weekly

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    • Kirkus

      February 15, 2019
      Zanghellini (The Sexual Constitution of Political Authority, 2015) imagines the personal life and loves of English King Edward II in this work of historical fiction.In 1308, 12-year-old Queen Isabella of France comes to England to marry its king, Edward II. However, on the night of the wedding, Edward--a decade her senior--assures her that he won't consummate the marriage until she's an adult. Isabella then meets the king's best friend, Sir Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall. The two men have a friendship that makes other nobles at the English court whisper. "My husband the King is always quite full of life, from what I can judge," Isabella observes, "but never so much as when he's with the Earl." Edward met Piers, the dashing son of a Gascon banneret, when the former was only 15. He succeeded to the throne with Piers as his lover and closest adviser, although the relationship--and the power it grants Piers--draws the ire of Edward's earls. They scheme to banish Piers, but when the king thwarts their wishes, they find a more permanent, and deadly, solution. In the aftermath of Piers' murder, his memory--perhaps even his ghost--haunts Edward, who must find a way to rule a country that doesn't understand him. Zanghellini writes in a deliberative, detailed prose style throughout that illuminates the historical record while also imbuing his characters with agency and urgency: "He didn't try to explain to her that sinking to the bottom of the sea, clutching Piers to his heart, seemed far more desirable to him than any number of alternative fates likely to await them if Lancaster and the others had their way." Although some readers may find the central relationship of the novel to be a bit too idealized, the author also creates a complex, engrossing character in Isabella, who serves to ground the narrative; her observations give readers a clear window into the life of an unusual medieval monarch. Overall, the book should please aficionados of historical fiction--particularly those who are interested in the things that history books usually leave out.An expansive, immersive look at Edward II.

      COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • English

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