• Captive Queen

  • A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine
  • By: Alison Weir
  • Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
  • Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (687 ratings)

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Captive Queen  By  cover art

Captive Queen

By: Alison Weir
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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Publisher's summary

Renowned for her highly acclaimed and best-selling British histories, Alison Weir has in recent years made a major impact on the fiction scene with her novels about Queen Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey. In this latest offering, she imagines the world of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the beautiful 12th-century woman who was queen of France until she abandoned her royal husband for the younger man who would become king of England.

In a relationship based on lust and a mutual desire for great power, Henry II and Eleanor took over the English throne in 1154, thus beginning one of the most influential reigns and tumultuous royal marriages in all of history. In this novel, Weir uses her extensive knowledge to paint a most vivid portrait of this fascinating woman.

©2010 Alison Weir (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A Tudor specialist, popular British historian Weir has ventured, with great success, into the increasingly expansive world of historical fiction…The history itself is inherently dramatic, augmented here by Weir’s usual lush detail, which stimulates rather than detracts from the well-paced narrative.” ( Booklist)

What listeners say about Captive Queen

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Why the Negativity?

I don't understand why everyone is slamming this book. I enjoyed it. The narrator was excellent and the book was accurate. I think because Wier mostly writes nonfiction, most people were expecting this in her novel. I like this one better than 'Innocent Traitor'. For all those who were complaining about the amount of sex in the book, what do you expect? They had nine children (?) including the two sons who died, and Henry was notorious for his mistresses. Family drama, Beckett and her imprisonment all portrayed well, including Richard's rumored homosexuality. I would recommend for any Eleanor fan, this gives a well rounded opinion, showing both her strength and shortcomings. She is still the heroine, so stop your whining.

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94 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It Read Like Living with Queen Eleanor

I loved this book and this is one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever "read". Alison Weir not only has a great ability to tell a beautiful story but to also weave in the true details in a way that make it engaging and wanting to know more about other characters you meet. I was looking up historical accounts of her story and was finding that anything with actual fact, really did happen. The only difference between fact and fiction was the specific dialogue (except for what King Henry said about Thomas Beckett).

I wish my history classes were like this because it was like watching a TV show in my head about all the captivating things this queen and strong woman did in Middle Age England.

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43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I could not stop listening!

Would you listen to Captive Queen again? Why?

Yes, I love historical stories about kings and queens. This was well written and expertly narrated. The story covers not just a romance, but the history and Weirs point of view for the life of a rich and intriguing women living through a male dominated life. Her trials and tribulations were great, but in the end, with the love of her many children, she was able to rise above it all.

What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The emotions and fire of the Queen

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very sad Love story

A wonderful love story that turns to a very sad love lost story. I love the old England history and the Kings & Queens the rule the lands. The narrator does a great job of bring the actors to life and making you feel as if you are there and living the story for yourself. Wonderful!! love it so much.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Such a Disappointment for Weir (and Eleanor) Fans

Like other reviewers, I thought this was like reading a trashy romance at times. It was all sex all the time. Eleanor and Henry's story is so much more than that - did we miss the part where they rule most of Christendom? I'm a big fan of Weir as a historian, and her two other novels were great, so I was very disappointed here. I think the narration was lacking too - you can't have a woman doing a "deep" voice and it be adequate for Henry Fitz Empress. But a man's voice wouldn't have worked for Eleanor telling her own story either. This really should have been a two-voice recording. I hope someone records Sharon Kay Penman's Henry and Eleanor trilogy, it does them more justice. GREAT books.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

DISAPPOINTING.....

Alison Weir seems to be losing her edge. I've always been a fan of her writing but, recently, her books are coming off like romance novels. I love Eleanor of Aquitaine - I know she was a ***ch sometimes but, hey, she was a woman in a man's world! In this book, she is portrayed as flighty and slutty, rather than the woman with a purpose who lived her life like a man. I've purchased every Weir audio book available here but this one just might be my last!

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved it...alot of depth and surprises...

Would you listen to Captive Queen again? Why?

Yes....the narrator had a captivating voice, and the work itself by the author was very good.

What other book might you compare Captive Queen to and why?

"The fatal Queen" by Ellen Jones.... is another book on Eleanor of Aquitaine, with a feminine perspective and well written. Also, in ways Phillipa Gregorys books are similar. But, this book by Allison Weir seemed somehow more mature. You could see the span of girl to mother, to grandmother, to elderly woman in Eleanor of Aquitaine in this book. It wasn't merely focused on romance.

What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Oh I loved her narration so well, she is a great vocal actress, truly talented, she was even able to somehow....change the tone of her voice to reflect the characters aging in the story. The very last chapter actually brought me to tears.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A woman of our times ...trapped in a medieval world...

Any additional comments?

There should be more books like these that focus on all aspects of a person's life from start to finish...it is , as if , you grow with Eleanor....and really step into the life of a queen hundreds of years ago. I love to see her emotional growth, and see the surprising depth of emotional entanglements, this is not a book of flash and quick thrills....its a deeper....intensity. There are lifelong lessons every woman goes through in one way or another covered here. I love Alison Weir for writing this lovely book!!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful Storytelling.

I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who loves stories of European royalty. The author spins this tale with such realism t hat I feel as though I became intimately acquainted with the actual characters of history. I was drawn in so completely that I seemed to be reliving the events of that time. The narrator is superb storyteller . She brings the characters to life with her skilled vocal modulation.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Smutty

I was looking for a good bio of this historical figure and was assaulted in the first chapter by graphic sex. No stars...I want to delete it from my library.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good as the others

Love all the stories I have listened to of Alison Weir. This was as good as the others.

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10 people found this helpful