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100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews
I absolutely love historical fiction and read a lot of it; I love to learn history this way. I also enjoy reading science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller and non-fiction science.
The Agincourt Bride
The Agincourt Bride tells the story of Catherine de Valois from her birth through her marriage to King Henry V of England. Told through the eyes of Catherine's faithful nurse turned Keeper of the Robes, Mette, her story is recreated with a caring and knowledgeable tone that only one so close to Catherine could have.
I do love history written from a women's perspective and learning about women in history that I didn't know a lot about. The Agincourt Bride fulfilled both of these for me, so needless to say, I enjoyed this book. I very much liked that this was written from Mette's perspective. This gave me a deep sense of caring and compassion for Catherine as well as an older and outside voice in order to narrate what happening when Catherine is only an infant as well as give Catherine knowledge from outside the court's walls.
It was interesting to learn about Catherine's life as a child, how she and her siblings were essentially neglected. This is where Mette's character is the most intriguing, to learn about the other side of courtly life and the ins and outs of the nursery. Another captivating character is Catherine's father, the Mad King, Charles VI. Catherine's first encounter with her father is when he is raving about being made of glass; however, this does not seem to tarnish Catherine's view of him forever and she even helps him through his delusions later in life. As Catherine grew and matured it would have been nice to know a little more of her own feelings about what was happening to her as she is used over and over as a political pawn. We get to know some of this through letters that Catherine has written but were never sent; however the point of view is from Mette's perspective throughout.
A great start to learning more about Catherine de Valois. I'll be reading about the rest of her life in the next installment, The Tudor Bride soon.
This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.
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