Goldstone - Four queens : the Provençal sisters who ruled Europe

Nancy Goldstone has written a wonderful book about four remarkable women. Her passion for history and her gift for telling a rattling good story make this an utterly compelling read. She is clearly a major new talent in the field of historical writing, and I eagerly await her next book. I am proud to be associated with such a fine work.

Alison Weir, author of Queen Isabella and Eleanor of Aquitaine

Four Queens is a densely woven narrative of sibling rivalry, simmering resentments, and thwarted ambitions. Nancy Goldstone has expertly refreshed an oft-told history and made it modern and relevant. Times change but not, it seems, sisterly love.

Dr. Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

Nancy Goldstones wonderful new history is a joy to read on every level. It is witty, the language sparkles and the story line rolls out like a good novel. The hidden history of the influence of women in medieval times is illustrated here as well. The reader will find it hard to put this one down.

Judith Koll Healey, author of The Canterbury Papers

On Goldstones rich, beautifully women tapestry, medieval Europe springs to vivid life. A fresh, eminently enjoyable history that gives women their due as movers and shakers in tumultuous times.

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

To get an idea of Nancy Goldstones book, think of chess, multidimensional chess. Ms. Goldstone is always good on the theatricality of the age. She is alert to the calculation in a silk cloak, the spin in a street hung with tapestries and the collateral in jewels. She steers her readers deftly from court to court, nudging us, like a good hostess, with names and connections as she goes, and lightening the informational load with dry humor.

The Economist

Four Queens is a beautifully written history book that reads like a modern-day adventure novel. Reading about the lives of these four sisters, their husbands and their families is fascinating. Four Queens is expertly researched, well organized and easy to follow. Nancy Goldstone has written an intelligent book about an intriguing family of sisters who shaped the destiny of Europe. Womens history lovers and anyone fascinated with the Middle Ages should add this one to their bookshelves.

Bookreporter.com

All the color and spectacle of court life during the thirteenth century are on display in this vivid account. Deeply researched, the books gives us an appealing, sympathetic portrayal of four sisters who exercised an influence on events that refutes the usual assumption of female powerlessness in medieval Europe.

Theodore K. Rabb, author of The Last Days of the Renaissance

In the thirteenth century, the four daughters of the count of Provence, by beauty, ambition and sagacious marriage, tipped the power politics of medieval Europe. In resurrecting this extraordinary sister act, Nancy Goldstone turns four queens into a royal flush.

R. A. Scotti, author of Basilica: The Splendor and the ScandalBuilding St. Peters

ImpressiveThis was one work of nonfiction I would have been happy to have lingered over longer.

Historical Novels Review

[A] fascinating collective biography.

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