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Couldn’t get into this. Didn’t gel with the writing style and couldn’t really understand the purpose or sense of the alternate history it was set in.
I had every intention of giving this book 4 stars until I finished it. Despite significant weaknesses in the narrative, for some reason I just found the story very entertaining, and it does have sufficient twists to hold an avid reader's interests. The denouement and ending, however, just seemed far too pat and abrupt and I was unhappy with the simplistic finale. It had promised to be much more noteworthy and ended up just being okay.
Glad I only paid $2 for it. Pretty bad writing, and also should not have been labeled "historical" fiction, because the only thing really "historical" about it is that it was set 800 years ago. Basically, if you're looking for a smutty book, with characters who are *incredibly* stupid and dense, you've found it. The only reason I give it three stars is that Galland had some rather clever turns of phrase that actually made me laugh out loud.
Not my favorite by this author. Pretty good but it took a while to get immersed enough into the story to want to finish it.
The publisher promotes this as one of their titles in the category of "The lighter side of history", which should have warned me. To her credit, the author explains this is not based on real people or events but is a novelization of a real poem/ballad of the time period. She does try to get historic details right, such as attitudes toward women, clothing, food, etc. So why did I find myself skipping to the end and then tossing it aside in the garbage? It's a rather dull soap opera, with exaggera...
A solid 3.5 star read; if you like historical fiction laced with romance, you will like this book. Set in the Holy Roman Empire of the 13th century, it has a variety of colorful characters (knights, minstrels, damsels in distress) and a mid-story plot twist that took me totally by surprise. Combine all this with a satisfying ending in which true love triumphs and the evil-doers get their just rewards, and you have all you need for a really enjoyable story.
Fun read with so many plot twists it will keep your head spinning!
Inspired by a thirteenth-century poem called “Roman de la Rose,” “Revenge of the Rose” envelops readers in a thrilling tale of courtly love, political intrigue, and cunning wit. The minstrel Jouglet is a riveting character whose schemes and quick-mind made me laugh out loud, while the main characters of Willem and Lienor provide an irresistible combination of the idealistic knight trying (too hard) to protect his spirited sister from the ways of the world. Galland weaves their stories into an in...
I'm incredibly susceptible to buying historical fiction without knowing anything about it. In this case, it didn't work out for me. This novel is set in the 12th century Holy Roman Empire, and focuses on Willem, a young knight, Willem's beautiful sister, and Willem's best friend Jouglet, the emperor's personal musician. The writing was bland, the characters shallow, and the plot was much closer to "these are some dumb deus ex machina coincidences" than "wow, how neatly it all ties together!", wh...
'Revenge of the Rose' is clever and fun, with mistaken-identity plot twists straight out of Shakespeare's comedies. But it's not anywhere near as scrupulously authentic as 'The Fool's Tale,' so it suffers by comparison.
This is a historical novel full of interesting characters, courtly intrigue, and plot twists galore. After a bit of a slow start (while we are gradually introduced to the main players) the action soon picks up and before you know it things are barrelling along at a cracking pace. Highly recommended!
AlthoughAlthough I enjoy historical accuracy...While this book was not from the standpoint of the characters, alas it was in thrusting the reader in the time of the Middle Ages.
Okay read!
A nice tale that reminds me a lot of Shakespearean comedies with hidden identities and lots of scheming. I feel is one of Galland's better novels. It's clearly not historical fiction, but it clearly comes from an author who really knows her history and is manipulating it all to create an entertaining story. The main trio in this novel are a brother, sister, and minstrel. The brother, Willem, is a very good knight and a hopelessly clueless and romantic man that finds himself in the emperor's cour...
I enjoyed this, though not as much as I, Iago, the last book of Galland’s that I read. A tale of courtly love, mistaken identity, revenge, class prejudice, and sexual politics set in the 13th century court of Holy Roman Emperor, there are lots of intriguing (and mostly quite unexpected) plot twists and characters who are quite sympathetic, if not entirely believable at times. (I do wish, for instance, that all the good guys weren’t so astonishingly gorgeous, that their character flaws (as seen b...
This was such a witty and engaging read! I felt that the author gave just enough detail to immerse me in the world without wearing the research too much. Sometimes historical novels can get bogged down and start to sound like a history text book, but that's not the case with this one. The plot was juicy and had good tension between conservative and progressive characters. I could picture this comedy on the stage for sure.
When I first picked this up, I thought I wouldn’t make it through the book. The misogyny was overwhelming. I kept reading. Then it got weird, and then it got good - really good. If you pick it up, stick with it.
Excellent story, well told.
Ending was abrupt and predictable, but it kept me engaged just to see if my guess was right.
