Castile for Isabella

by Jean Plaidy

Book Overview

«Recuerda siempre que si tu hermanastro Enrique muriera sin dejar herederos, tu hermanito Alfonso ser a rey de Castilla; y si Alfonso muriera sin dejar descendencia, t , Isabel, ser as reina de... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0330238302
• ISBN13: 9780330238304
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Macmillan
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Plaidy is always worth your time

This novel begins with the focus on the childhood of Isabella and her grooming for a crown, and ends when she finally manages to obtain the throne of Castile. As with most books dealing with crowns and disunity, there were several opposing forces at work trying to achieve their own status or prominence via their proximity to the crown, which was the plot for the book. Isabella stays true to herself and her upbringing and does not let others persuade her into an otherwise unhealthy alliance with anyone but her betrothed, Ferdinand. What was interesting were the characters surrounding Isabella, and the myriad of unworthy people prying their way into Isabella's life. She has an unstable mother, a younger brother who is docile and loving, and an older brother who is King of Castile but who is pretty much useless in all ways. Plaidy stays the course in this novel and is not as gripping as some of her other novels, yet Isabella as a young girl is not all that extraordinary, yet rather pious (her nickname is Isabella the Catholic). The character of Isabella is that of practically a saint, and her main focus is her betrothal and her vision of the alliance of Castile and Aragon. It will be interesting to see how Ferdinand and Isabella strategize for power both in state matters and marriage with the next novel of the trilogy.