Queen Without a Country

by Rachel Bard

Book Overview

As 25 year old Berengaria of Navarre journeys on a ship bound for Sicily, little does she know what adventures and trials lie before her. She must face an indifferent husband, a domineering... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0971033382
• ISBN13: 9780971033382
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Literary Network
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

A Masterful Historical Novel

Richard I of England's charisma reaches out and grabs us 800 years later. He is the epitome of the chivalrous medieval knight. But Richard's behavior toward his wife, Queen Berengaria, reveals a cold, callus aspect of his personality. From casual reading I have noticed that many accounts of Richard's life mention that he married Berengaria, daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre on May 12, 1191 in Cyprus. However, some biographers do not mention the marriage at all! Many state that the marriage was never consummated. Aside from the marriage, Berengaria is rarely mentioned in connection with Richard. With this meager knowledge, I was eager to read Queen Without a County. Who was this woman? Why did she have such a weird name? What became of her after her marriage? Rachel Bard has done a masterful job with this difficult subject. Facts are scarce. But she sticks to those at her disposal. There is a love interest Bard admits may not have occurred. But she believes the little evidence available indicates that it might have happened. Because of the lack of information, to do justice to the subject, Bard was compelled to write a novel, not a history. Using her imagination in conjunction with the facts, she creates a warm, injured, patient woman who overcomes incredible obstacles. Bard's Berengaria is not a 21st century woman wearing long dresses and strange headgear. Berengaria is woman of the Middle Ages. She has medieval interests: doing embroidery; copying manuscripts from Arabic into Latin; building a monastery. Berengaria has medieval morals (e.g., she worries about when to cover her hair) and a medieval concept of herself as a woman. A 21st century woman would not put up with kind of abuse to which Berengaria was subjected. Berengaria patiently put up with it for years and blamed herself as much as Richard. Most historians seem to agree that Richard was at fault for Berengaria's problems. Some believe Richard was a womanizer and that no single woman could hold his interest. Most writers, however, seem to believe that Richard was gay. He was simply not sexually interested in his beautiful wife. Because Richard was not interested in her, it seems that the rest of his world scarcely gave her a glance. Because of that, history is not interested in her. The different perspective on Richard Lionheart will intrigue those interested in this period.

Berengaria Bares All ~ or ~ I'll Navarre Go Hungry Again

The author Bard (aptly named!) has crafted an ingenious combination of historic fact and valid conjecture into a novel that tells the story of an important and practically forgotten Basque woman. Thanks to Bard's efforts, Berengaria has escaped being a figure lost in history, and has risen out of the mists of obsolescence into the light of historic fiction.Berengaria deserves this study. Her husband, Richard the Lionhearted, is certainly well known. Yet virtually nothing is known about his wife, nor the country she came from. How many of us can say they feel well-informed about Navarre and/or the Basques? And of those of you that have raised your hand, how many of you can say you know anything about Berengaria? If your hand isn't still up, buy and read this book. Even if your hand is up, do the same.Well done, bard Bard! What's next? I can't wait!

This book will surprise you!

I can only honestly judge a book once I've finished it. And this one is a winner. There are no unfinished storylines nor unresolved issues in this story. Bard did her research well, and managed to bring history alive. The author was apt at weaving a particularly intriguing story among a myriad of historical facts. Most important of all, the writing is clean, her words very well chosen. For me, the topper was the sense of humor in the writing.Example:"Fortunately the city looked calm. No arrows were flying over the walls." Hmmm, READ THIS BOOK YOU'LL LOVE IT!

Bard has redefined historical fiction!

I am a huge fan of historical novels. Unfortunately I am often disappointed by writers who drone on and on about historical facts, and don't exhibit one ounce of creative talent. Rachel Bard's Queen Without A Country was captivating. I absolutely could not put it down until I read through the entire book in one sitting. For me, Bard has redefined historical fiction and I will forever use her book as a guide to judge the rest by.

Queen Without A Country

Kings and queens of past times usually seem so remote, but Berengaria comes across as a genuine person that I felt I might have known. I could feel her joy and her trepidation, and sympathize with her heartbreaking rejections. The book convincingly portrays life in medieval France among those of high degree. "Queen Without a Country" held my interest from beginning to end.