Another fascinating book, as historical fiction I don’t know how much is true but I like that it wasn’t that Juana was really loco but that her husband & Father drove her to action and they spread the rumors that she was mad. but all in all I thought she did a pretty good job at the narration although it was uneven at times. ( I meant to write it down at what time but didn’t). I'm glad I bought this book on sale.Īudio production: There were times when Marguerite Gavin’s voice was so breathy that it bothered me and there is one spot in the beginning of the second half where her voice changes completely in tone and volume in the middle of sentence then goes back to how it sounded at the beginning it kind of threw me and think it was some kind of editing gone wrong. Even if this story was totally fiction, then Juana's actions in this book still show her to be unstable, not caring how others are affected by her poorly thought-out escape plans and other ridiculousness.

But if you know even one historical fact about Juana, this book will be a confusing mish-mash.

If you just want to read a fairy tale about a haughty, vain Spanish princess who somehow survives in a world where every man in several countries was a total cad, womanizer, abuser, killer, usurper, or schemer, then this is for you. The cruelty of the men closest to her seems to be invented her as a way to justify Juana's bad behaviors. Her outrageous jealous rants over her husband are well-documented as was her refusal to allow his body to be buried, instead shlepping his rotting course around the country, sleeping with it in fields at night, with her arms around it, oblivious to the stench. She didn't 'go mad with grief' as the author contends, but likely suffered from a genetic psychosis which her grandmother also had. The author chose to leave out the fact that Juana of Castile was insane, only alluding to a 'madness' which was allegedly invented by everyone around her in an effort to take over her throne. Even then, it would be a stretch to find any sympathy for this woman. This would have made a somewhat good story if it weren't based on an actual person.

The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner