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The Last Queen: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: C.w. Gortner
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $12.50
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Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 54161
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345501845
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780345501844
ASIN: 0345501845
Publication Date: July 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C. W. Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.
The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is born amid her parents’ ruthless struggle to unify their kingdom, bearing witness to the fall of Granada and Columbus’s discoveries. At the age of sixteen, she is sent to wed Philip, the archduke of Flanders, as part of her parents’ strategy to strengthen Spain, just as her youngest sister, Catherine of Aragon, is sent to England to become the first wife of Henry VIII.
Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her handsome young husband, the sole heir to the Habsburg Empire. At first she is content with her children and her life in Flanders. But when tragedy strikes and she inherits the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, her intelligence and pride used as weapons against her, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it could cost her everything.
With brilliant, lyrical prose, novelist and historian C. W. Gortner conjures Juana through her own words, taking the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England. The Last Queen brings to life all the grandeur and drama of an incomparable era, and the singular humanity of this courageous, passionate princess whose fight to claim her birthright captivated the world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 A haunting portrait of a Spanish queen July 10, 2006
Paula L. Fener
33 out of 36 found this review helpful
I've now read the new version of this novel, which was sold to Random House in a two-book deal. Not only has the author finally gotten recognition for his efforts, but the new scenes and edit have refined and smoothed whatever rough edges this book once had. C.W. Gortner writes with eloquence and style; he turns his masterful pen to Renaissance Spain and conjures a diverse and complex land recently united by the Catholic monarchs, Isabel and Fernando. Spain is unfortunately not explored nearly as much as it should be by historical fiction novelists and Gortner brings it to life through the eyes of Juana la Loca, arguably the most beautiful and certainly most enigmatic of the Catholic monarchs' four daughters. Known to history as the Mad Queen and the older sister of Katherine of Aragon (Henry VIII's first wife) Juana has often been neglected as a figure in her own right. This novel restores her to her proper place - and what a dramatic place it is! Through vivid prose and an intense feeling for emotional characterization, Juana tells us her story - from her arranged and ultimately tormenting marriage to the Hapsburg Emperor's son Philip to their lethal struggle for the throne of Spain, which Juana inherits through tragedy. Incredible characters like Queen Isabel, wily Fernando of Aragon, as well Henry VII of England and Louis of France, make memorable appearances; Isabel in particular is a compelling combination of steel and sacrifice. But it is the courageous, amazingly young, and very human Juana who dominates the story, and the secrets she reveals are startling and unexpected. A sumptuous feast for the senses, this novel exemplifies the best of historical fiction - accurate and yet daring in its approach, respectful of the facts but focused on the human elements; you are captured by Juana's story until the very end, when you find yourself both awestruck and haunted by this queen who truly has been forgotten by most of the world until now.
"You may think me mad. But I am still the Infanta of Castile and the heiress of this realm." October 28, 2006
Luan Gaines (Dana Point, CA USA)
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
In the pivotal years of Spanish rule, when Isabel and Fernando reign with an iron religious fist, Juana of Castile is wed to Philip of Flanders, with no expectation of fulfilling a more ambitious role than that of wife and mother. But affairs of state are dictated by expediency and Juana becomes a pawn of both her mother's political machinations and Philip's ambitions, the Archduke driven by his personal demons. Juana, a sensual young woman, falls desperately in love with her handsome, if unfaithful husband, the first years of their marriage spent in a whirl of passion. Devastated by Philip's casual infidelity, Juana is brought back to earth by the harsh realities of her existence, her wifely advice restricted by the overweening influence of Philip's advisors.
Juana's line bears a terrible legacy: madness. She has seen her grandmother held captive for years by Isabel's order. Juana realizes that someday her own fate may be the same if she attempts to circumvent her mother's plans. After a series of family deaths, the Spanish throne is suddenly thrust upon Juana, with Philip as her royal consort. But Philip's alliance with France, Spain's arch enemy, places the Infanta at the center of a powerful struggle between her mother's plans for the throne and Philip's increasing hostility, a scheming nobility and a well-founded mistrust of those who would hold the power for themselves. At the heart of the novel is whether "Juana La Loca" is truly mad or driven to distraction by those who would twist her future into their ends.
Well-researched and written with a fine sensibility for the period, The Last Queen is a significant novel, one that reaches beyond the sensationalism of a crazy queen, a view of history from the perspective of a female heir to the throne in a patriarchal society too long chafed by Isabel's rule and determined to thwart Juana's. Never knowing who to trust, Juana is betrayed on all sides, finally the victim of powerful men who literally lock her away from the throne. Gortner's dramatic novel gives weight to an argument that the title "Juana La Loca" becomes a convenient label for a much-maligned woman ill-prepared to stem the tide of history. Albeit fiction, this account is a fascinating foray into that dark world of 15th century power and politics and one woman's youthful passion, disillusion and reckoning with a terrible fate. Luan Gaines/2006.
 The Last Queen November 25, 2006
MVH (Spokane, WA USA)
9 out of 19 found this review helpful
I cannot believe other reviewers gave this book 5 stars. The writing sounds like a high school paper, and although the author claims to have researched and written this book over five years, it seems shallow and completely devoid of any passion toward the subject. It is obvious to me that this book about a woman was written by a man. Written in the first person, the thoughts and ideas are not feminine in nature -- rather, they sound like a very pedestrian translation of a man's thoughts of how a woman might sound. This book has no historical relevance at all, and I felt there was no credibility in the story -- not because the author did not know the story, but because it is so poorly written. A waste of time and money -- do NOT buy this book if you are actually interested in learning something about Queen Juana of Spain.
A Different Perspective of Juana La Loca October 5, 2006
Jean A. Taggart (San Francisco, CA)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
I usually avoid historical novels; too many of them turn out to be thinly disguised romance novels or exaggerated accounts disguised as history. Further, they are often poorly written.
That said, I have become a new fan of at least one historical novelist, C.W. Gortner after reading his recently published "The Last Queen," Juana of Spain, also known as Juana La Loca. A friend, who knows my bias, insisted I at least look at her copy. With the first paragraph, starting with, "Midnight has become my favorite hour," I was hooked. Not only is Gortner an exceptionaly gifted writer, he obviously has meticuously researched his subject. He knows his history, not only of Spain, but the machinations and betrayals of royalty which led up to Juanas's imprisonment for madness. Her life did indeed include tragedy and could have led to madness but we are left with an interesting question as to how mad she actually was. Gortner has brilliantly connected actual dots of history into an absorbing and believable story of an unforgettable woman.
I found the book to be a page turner, couldn't put it down, and actually finished it at 2:30AM.I now look forward to his forthcoming fictionalized history of another, often misunderstood,fascinating woman, Catherine d'Medici.
Passionate and uncompromising August 1, 2006
Linda Dolan (San Francisco, CA)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
From the opening line: "Midnight has become my favorite hour," you know you are in the hands of a master storyteller, one who has turned the tables on popular history to present an erudite and compassionate view of one of history's most difficult personages.
Known as the Mad Queen, in her own words Juana of Castile tells the story of her life, and what a life it is - filled with passion, intrigue, and terrifying betrayal. To my relief, I found Juana to be neither self-pitying nor morbid. In her candor and wit, Juana demonstrates a singular humanity that highlights the ruthlessness of her 16th century world. She is a brave and decisive woman, far removed from the "victim" that she has so often been portrayed. Readers who known about her from films like "Mad Love" will be intrigued by Gortner's deft handling of her mental state, and surprised by her own secret admissions.
This is a refreshingly vivid and well crafted example of historical fiction that does not compromise, from a writer who obviously cares both for his subject and for the intelligence of his readers.
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