Originally reviewed here.Okay, all you lovers of Grave Mercy. Listen up. I think this book is for you. I first read THE CANTERBURY PAPERS about six years ago, though it was originally published back in 2003. This is Judith Koll Healey's first novel, though she was a previously published poet and author of short fiction. It was the cover that caught my eye in the bookstore. When I picked it up and read that it took place during the 12th century and involved the crafty Eleanor of Aquintaine and the Knights Templar, I knew I would be reading it. But when it had to go and have one of those sink-your-fingers-in matte covers, I just went ahead and purchased it on the spot. Behold my susceptibility to pretty, tactile covers, for it is great. I love anything to do with the Plantagenets, and this one piqued my curiosity double because it is set after much of the traditional drama. It helps that the protagonist is a real-life "forgotten princess" and that Ms. Healey gets to play around with the historical possibilities inherent in her choice of character. I have always loved historical fiction, and I find myself returning to it again and again when I'm in need of some good mental engagement and a visit with figures I've studied and been fascinated by for years. Princess Alais Capet of France thought the nightmare was over. When her long-standing betrothal to Richard the Lionheart was abruptly severed by his ever-scheming mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alais was devastated and bewildered. Now a middle-aged spinster, she has grown used to living alone at her brother's court, to the idea that she will never marry. Then an unexpected missive arrives from Eleanor. It includes an imperious demand from the imprisoned queen. Alais is to retrieve Eleanor's letters to Thomas Becket from their hiding place in the Canterbury Cathedral. She is to deliver them to Eleanor before they are discovered and threaten the throne of England itself. In exchange, Eleanor promises to divulge certain information about a family member Alais thought long gone. Unable to ignore the potential goldmine, Alais embarks on the dangerous quest and stumbles across a string of murders, the devious King John, as well as the famed Knights Templar on a mission of their own. Caught up once again in the endless machinations of the Plantagenet family, Alais risks abduction and death to find what she once lost and discover if her future will be one worth living after all.It's wonderful to read about such a mature character. As a girl, Alais became a pawn in a much larger game of thrones. In the intervening years, she retreated from the pain of the past into a numbing and solitary life. When the larger-than-life Plantagenets attempt to use her as a pawn in their game once more, they are all somewhat surprised to find she has grown up in the intervening years, and she will not be the docile girl they knew. I became thoroughly enamored with Alais very shortly into this absorbing novel. The hand she was initially dealt played out very poorly. She's reached a stage in her life where she believes this is as good as it gets. But her response to one last adventure is such a rewarding one. I was equally caught up in the overarching mystery itself and in Alais' personal path toward fulfillment and revival. Healey's treatment of the period and her filling in of the gaps where Alais Capet is concerned is excellent. The writing is even and smooth, the characterization subtle and full of depth. To the outward eye, Alais is taciturn and reserved. But to the privileged reader, she is a keen and wry observer of the misalliances and foibles of each of the royals swirling around her. She is so easy to sympathize with, and it is her compelling blend of vulnerability and steel that kept me at her side for the duration. It is also what earns her the loyalty of a certain character who proves integral to the conclusion of the mystery and Alais' personal journey. There is a lovely, quite romance here between mature adults. And I sat back and just let myself enjoy the way Healey leisurely wove it into the story. All in all, an intelligent and engrossing read about one of my favorite historical periods and one I have enjoyed returning to for its richness and its winsome protagonist.
“This plot is ridiculous.” I was about a third of the way through The Canterbury Papers when I uttered those critical words to my husband. Eleanor of Aquitaine wanted Alais, the French princess who used to be betrothed to her son Richard, to travel to Canterbury and obtain some secret letters hidden in the altar near Thomas Becket’s tomb. In return, the princesse Alais would receive some information about a mysterious child that had long been presumed dead. “Why?” I kept asking myself. “Why in the world would Eleanor want the French princess to go all the way across the English Channel on such an errand, when it would obviously be so much easier to send a servant, or a knight, or at least someone who was already in England?” Little did I suspect that the author intended to answer that very question later on in the novel.As Alais pursues her journey to Canterbury, she runs into many implausible characters and situations. Averroes, the famous Muslim scholar, is staying at an inn on the seacoast in France and seems very interested in the large jewel pendant that Alais wears. She also meets up with her uncle Robert, the Duke of Orleans, who shows a similar interest in the necklace. Even though her room is ransacked, she keeps the jewel safe and makes her way to Canterbury. There, she discovers that the abbot is away on a journey; she must apply for permission to visit Becket’s altar to the acting prior, William of Caen.This William, an orphan of obscure parentage, was fostered in the house of the former King Henry during the same years that Alais also lived there. Alais and the English princes had despised William because he was good and obedient and much better at his lessons than they were. But now it seems that William has become a well-respected church leader. As prior, he warns Alais to stay away from Becket’s altar, and then forbids her to hold an all-night vigil there. Apparently, he knows something about the mysterious letters.As any daring heroine would do, Alais finds a way to thwart William’s commands and search for the letters. While she is in the cathedral, King John and his knights show up. They capture Alais and drag her away to Old Sarum, the tower where Eleanor of Aquitaine had been imprisoned for so many years. Why does John want to imprison Alais? He feels sure that she knows the whereabouts of the mysterious child (that Eleanor had alluded to), a bastard son of Henry II whom the Templars are plotting to put on the English throne as a replacement for avaricious John. Like Herod, John is seeking the child so that he may destroy him and protect his position.At this point I was halfway into the book, and although the plot continued to be ridiculous, I stopped caring that it was ridiculous because I actually had become engaged with the characters. A daring rescue saves Alais from the hands of John, and we find that William of Caen may not be the simple churchman he purports to be. Eleanor’s true intentions in sending Alais to England are revealed, the value behind Alais’ jewel pendant is disclosed, and we discover the real identity of the mysterious child.If you’re looking for historical fiction, this book set during John Lackland’s reign is probably not the book for you. But if you’re looking for a good adventure story, this one is a pleasant romp through the twelfth century with a decent romance and fairly well-drawn characters. Three out of five stars, by my estimation.
What do You think about The Canterbury Papers (2005)?
I'm a big Eleanor of Aquitaine fan* and was intrigued to read a story about the younger generation, the children of Eleanor, Henry, and Louis. In the end, though, I felt this book was undermined by a thousand cuts of historical inaccuracy. The 12th century characters keeps breaking into 20th century high-school French; they bathe all the time and dress in fabrics that weren't available until hundreds of years later; they nosh on salad and dab their lips with white-linen "serviettes." The main character has a hobby of sketching, as if people would have allowed sheets of parchment to be casually drawn on out of boredom--by a woman.If you can ignore this kind of thing, this is a three-star effort, with a plot somewhat reminiscent of The Other Boleyn Girl.*There should be a word for us. Eleanoristas?
—Emily
I first picked this book up because I'm fascinated by any story that has anything remotely to do with the story surrounding Eleanor of Aquitaine and her family. However, when I first started this book, I wasn't so sure I was going to like it. It seemed calculated and obvious. The further I got into it, however, the more I began to enjoy it, and I found I was having a difficult time putting it down.It's much in the same genre of books as The Other Boleyn Girl, where the protagonist is a relatively minor historical character about whom little is actually known, set among an array of other far more famous historical characters. This story revolves around Alaïs, the younger daughter of King Louis VII of France's second wife, who is sent to England to live with Eleanor and Henry II and is betrothed to their son Richard (later known as "The Lion Heart"). However, the story takes place long after both Henry and Richard are dead, and much, if not all, of the story is pure fabrication.While it's true that at times, the plot is fairly obvious and foreshadowing is used a little too heavily, I still rather enjoyed this book. It portrayed strong women in a time when most women were not (and when it was not exactly a favorable trait), and there was a nice mix of mystery, action, and romance.
—Elizabeth
A very interesting book on that delves into the story of Alais Capet who lives amid great disappointments in her life. Formerly the wife-to-be of Richard the Lionheart, then the mistress of Henry II, Alais is living unwed, mourning a dead son from Henry II with little hope for her future happiness. A letter from Eleanor of Aquitaine arrives and her life changes....A really fun read since I love the history of this era, and love that the author, Judith Koll Healey, chose Alais Capet as her main character.
—Gordon Ehler
