A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver

Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife to two kings, mother to two others, has been waiting in Heaven a long time — eight centuries, more or less — to be reunited with her second husband, Henry II of England. Finally, the day has come when Henry will be judged for admission. While Eleanor, never a patient woman in life or afterlife, waits, three people, each of whom was close to Eleanor during a time of her life, join her. Their reminiscences do far more than help distract Eleanor — they also paint a rich portrait of an extraordinary woman who was front and center in a remarkable period in history and whose accomplishments have had an important influence on society through the ages.

Laura Hummel <%ISBN%>068984624X - Children's Literature

Eleanor of Aquitaine, not a patient woman, waits in heaven to be reunited with her husband, Henry II of England. They have been separated for eight hundred years, with Henry waiting elsewhere to finally move Up. With her are three friends from Earth who reminisce about the life of one of history's most colorful women. Eleanor marries and divorces the king of France, then weds the English king. She becomes mother to several kings and great grandmother to Saint Louis. She is proud, loves beautiful clothes and trappings and is very far-sighted in her thinking. What a clever way to create an historical biography. Through various voices comes the colorful life of an extraordinary woman who over a period of eighty years influenced the history of medieval Europe. Most wives of the era were considered chattel, yet Eleanor managed to defy both husband and change the court rules for behavior and love. Pen and ink drawings include a historical map and family genealogy. Koningsburg's imaginative work is a timeless treasure to be enjoyed by generations of readers. 2001 (orig. 1973), Aladdin Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster,