The Traitor’s Wife - Susan Higginbotham

The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham is a book about Eleanor, who is the granddaughter to King Edward I, and married to a man of insignificant background. The story moves through King Edward II and the problems he faces throughout his reign.

This is the first book I have read about this time period and I quickly fell into the story. With every dark turn the story took, I was more enthralled. It was not just that I had never read about these people before and I therefore did not know how it would end, but the writing was so captivating I felt as if I was right there with Eleanor.

The battles were being fought in the name of England but it was often unclear who the “bad guys” were because you felt so connected to the man who is not known for serving England very well.

One of the most interesting things I realized when I finished the book was how it opened my eyes to the reality of the workings of the royal family and royalty in general. It was one of those moments when you know you have all the facts but they suddenly all click together into the obvious (okay I had one of Oprah’s “ah ha” moments). I now understand how they can all be related. She was the granddaughter of a king and she became a prisoner, and then a nobody. Royalty doesn’t necessarily stay royal…or wealthy.

We still play this game of politics/royalty, and it is still just as fascinating.

* I read this book before I started my blog but wrote the review right after finishing it. I wanted to get the review up before the end of the year.