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The Queen’s Vow

A Novel of Isabella of Castile

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The Queen’s Vow

Written by: C. W. Gortner
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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About this listen

“No one believed I was destined for greatness.”

So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens - the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a new world. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.

Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There Isabella is thrust into danger when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her - Fernando, prince of Aragon.

As they unite their two realms under “one crown, one country, one faith,” Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts - one that will test all of Isabella’s resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny.

From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and the intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.

C. W. Gortner is the author of the acclaimed historical novels The Last Queen and The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. He holds an MFA in writing with an emphasis on Renaissance studies from the New College of California.

©2012 C. W. Gortner (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Biographical Fiction Fiction Literary Fiction Royalty Destiny King
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What the critics say

“Gortner vividly recreates the turmoil of Isabella’s youth and the striking contrasts of the country she knew…Though The Queen’s Vow doesn’t shy away from the terrible decisions she chooses to make, it reminds us that in the end, Isabella was human, a woman of conviction and strength in a time of upheaval, who forged her destiny despite every odd, to become Spain’s most beloved queen.” (Michelle Moran, internationally best-selling author of The Heretic Queen)
“Gortner pays particular attention to the religious issues Isabella confronted, portraying her as a complex figure…Gortner’s latest historical novel should have strong appeal for historical fiction fans.” ( Library Journal)
“Gortner avoids romanticizing and sentimentalizing and presents a believable account of a woman determined to control her own fate and shape Spain into a great country.” ( Booklist)

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This was a great book! i absolutely adore anything written by this author!

I have already purchased The Last Queen and will be reading it immediately.

As for the narrator, she was very good but sometimes got bored with her voice and interpretations of different characters.

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