The Revolt Of The Eaglets (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
The Revolt of the Eaglets is a direct sequel to Jean Plaidy's The Plantagenet Prelude. This 1977 entry was part of her never-ending quest to fictionalize each and every aspect of British history. This novel picks up just after the end of the last one. Thomas a Becket has just been murdered and the marriage of King Henry and Queen Eleanor has fallen apart.Whereas the previous book was very much Eleanor's story, the Revolt of the Eaglet's is told mostly from Henry's perspective, although various chapters are told from the eyes of other characters from Eleanor, to young Henry, to King Louis of France. Even Berengaria gets a chapter, though this seems to be more of setting up things to come than anything to do with this book.The prose is straightforward, perhaps a little too straightforward. Many chapters run along the lines of this happened, then this happened, and this is how Henry felt about it. Then this happened. There is quite a bit of repetition. Repetition can be an effective literary technique, but in this instance I found it a bit tiresome. How many times can Henry wish for loving sons? How many times can someone call King Louis a monk? The same points are hit over and over again with the regularity of a hammer.None of the characters are all that likable, which is somewhat unusual for this author, I find. Her usual tactic is to pick something that the historical personage did NOT get, and make that the one thing they long for above all else, thus creating sympathy. For example, the historical Queen Adelaide did not have any living children. In Plaidy's Victoria in the Wings, what the character of Queen Adelaide wishes for more than anything else is to be a mother. She is doomed by history to be forever unfulfilled.In this instance, King Henry longs for loving sons above all else, and gets rebels instead. This, however, does not make him sympathetic. Henry continues to be, in Plaidy's depiction, a despicable human being. He is selfish, self-centered, seduces a child, and is really, really whiny. Eleanor is also annoying, but since she spends most of the novel in captivity, her negative traits don't register as much. King Louis continues to be the most likable character. He tries so hard to be a good man and a good king, yet it is never really successful. The cumulative effect is kind of unpleasant.Nevertheless, this is good read for those seeking a straightforward, matter-of-fact fictional version of early Plantagenet history.
King Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Acquitaine are my favorite King and Queen to read about. And this book was a very enjoyable read. King Henry II was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his royal grandfather. The King, had mistresses, this put him at odds with his headstrong, opinionated, wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Once she discovered his unfaithfulness and realized that it had taken place right under her very nose, and that he brought a bastard son to her nursery, she had nothing good to say about him. As part of her revenge, she created the tension between the King and their sons. She aggravated Henry so much, and set out to fight with her sons against him, that he finally held her in captivity. The book is action packed, full of battles between father and sons. I found the book a bit sad....you feel that Henry, as he is advancing in age, is just looking for the love. He really does not have that, certainly there is no love from his queen or his sons. No one seems to be able to understand or wants to understand him. And he dies a very broken man. I recommend this book for fans of history....it is a good lesson about King Henry II and his power hungry sons, his vengeful wife Eleanor and his great rule. They were all just selfish and power hungry, this twelfth century family was a family at war with itself.
What do You think about The Revolt Of The Eaglets (2007)?
Plategenet Saga 21133 - 1189 (H) 1122 - 1204 (E)tEnglandtHenry II & Eleanor of AcqutainetA chronicle of the family of King Henry II of England and his Queen, Eleanor of Acquitaine, and their four sons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John.
—Nicole
I have read the entire Plaidy Plantagenet series. If you know nothing about this royal dynasty and wish an overview of everything that led up to the War of the Roses, this is fairly historically accurate. However, the writing is wooden and conversation tends to fall into what I call the "Yo varlet what now" category. Things like: Prince Richard: "We must go." Prince John: "Yes, we must go." Prince Richard. "Summon the guards." Prince John: "Guards" Then in the next scene they are somewhere miles away. Huh, why were the conversation for summoning the guard when you don't tell us anything about the trip. Similaarly, there can be great detail about some fairly irrelevant item such as a pice of clothing. Why? Did the author suddenly go "oh ya, I'm writing a novel so there needs to be detail and not just a list of events that are historically verifiable." If you have read some of what I consider the very best historical fiction for the Plantegenet period, like Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick, and Susan Higgenbottom, these will read like outlines for a real novel. I usually do not write such negative reviews but turned to Plaidy to fill in some gaps among the more written about monarchs. What a disappoinment. These are short quick reads if that is what you are after.
—Nelda Pearson
