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Book Review: Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen & Giveaway

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Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen, quite simply, is an absolutely fantastic work of historical fiction! Ok, can you tell I loved it? To me, this novel wraps up all I enjoy in historical fiction. I am transported to the 1500’s and get to visit a time in history that I didn’t previously know much about and I also get to enjoy a fantastic story. Lynn Cullen weaves historical facts along with a fictional tale to fill out the story of Juana of Castile in Reign of Madness that will leave you enthralled within it’s pages. Best of all it’s on sale as of today!

Juana of Castile is known in history as being Juana the Mad, but was she really mad or just made out to be for the benefit of others? Everyone who reads historical fiction knows that the politics of the court and the fight for power can get pretty extreme and those in battle will stop at pretty much nothing to get what they want. Was this the case for Juana – yes, I think it was. Juana was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabel of Spain and, as in all royal families, used as a pawn for power when she was married off to a man who had been called Philippe the Handsome, Archduke of Flanders.

Juana is thrown into a world very foreign to her at sixteen years old. Her husband’s people were very much different from her own. When she arrived she didn’t have the big wedding that she expected and should have had; they were just married immediately. Luckily for Juana she became quite infatuated with her husband. At first he was a wonderful husband to her and they were happy but soon enough Juana notices that her husband’s eye has a tendency to wander especially when she becomes pregnant with her first child and it ends up being a girl. What started out as a seemingly good marriage turns bad as Philippe becomes more and more cruel towards Juana.

Juana was never meant to be Queen but after her older siblings and her mother pass away, she is next in line. The greed of her husband becomes very apparent as he wants the crown for himself and will not stop at much to get it. He begins to spread rumors that Juana is unwell; that she is insane. When around people he makes sure to make derogatory comments about her so that is all that people end up remembering. However when Philippe dies after drinking a pitcher of poisoned water, rumors swirl around that it was Juana who did it. While she is finally free from her increasingly violent husband, she is now imprisoned.

And imprisoned she remains for over fifty years. In those years she is also betrayed by her own father, who hungry for power, manages to convince her that she should sign over the crown to him while she gets herself together. The one thing that keeps her going is the hope that she will, once again, see her children and also the hope that the true love of her life – Diego Colon – will come for her.

What I find most disturbing is what I find each time I read historical fiction and that is the lives that the women were forced to live then. Juana was an intelligent and by all accounts a pretty girl. What would her future have held if she had been able to fall in love on her own, marry, and have children? It would likely have turned out much differently. Women were continually used as pawns in royal families and many ended up in disastrous unions such as Juana’s was.

Again, I have to say how much I enjoyed Reign of Madness! I was drawn into the story from the very first page that I read and it was difficult to put this novel down to take care of everything else around me. Many times historical fiction can seem dry and boring but not when it’s Lynn Cullen writing it. She has a way of drawing people into her story and keeping them there with vivid details of history, landscapes, and people. I figured I was in for a treat after reading The Creation of Eve by her but I have to say I loved Reign of Madness even more! For you lovers of historical fiction, Reign of Madness is one you shouldn’t pass up on and those of you who haven’t read a lot of it, this would be a great choice to start with.

I read Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to check out the other tour stops here to see what others think of the novel as well. Make sure to stop by Lynn’s website and you can find her on Facebook as well. Your own copy of Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen to share with my readers. To enter…

  • For 1 entry leave me a comment with an email address to contact you (no email, no entry).
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog. If you already do, thank you, and please let me know in your comment so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word!

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, August 27/11. Good luck to you all!

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
My copy of Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen was received for review from TLC Book Tours and the Publisher.

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Comments

  1. I hear you 🙂 I wanna read it too now because there is just something abour poor Juana

  2. Thank you, Dar, for the fantastic review. What a great way to celebrate Launch Day for the book!

    I loved your point about how difficult it was for royal women in those days. For the most part, they were just breeding mares. That's what makes Juana's mother, Isabel, extraordinary. She actually was in charge much of the time,although that caused her great difficulty in her marriage. I loved poking into just how greatly a woman holding power impacted a royal (or any!) marriage. As for Juana, I think she won in her own way, although she had to sacrifice much.

    Thank you for taking the time to read and review the book. I'm so glad that you liked it!

  3. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but so many of my friends love it, that I feel like I should explore it more. I'd love to be entered in your great giveaway. kathy(at)bermudaonion.net

  6. I looooooooooved this book — it is definitely one of the top five historical novels I've read so far this year (and I've read a lot of hist fic). Everything was so real without feeling archaic, artificial, or overly modern.

  7. I also loved this book and loved Juana. It was so frustrating to me that she had to live such a marginalized life next to Phillipe, and by the end of the book, I was hating all the men in her life. Cullen really did a great job with this story, and I enjoyed it a lot. Glad to hear that you did too! Great review!

  11. This sounds like it has all that I too love in historical fiction!

    Please enter me as well.

    givingreadingachance AT gmail.com

    I am a google reader follower.

  14. If you enjoyed this story, you'll love C.W. Gortner's version The Last Queen! I think this is a fantastic queen to tackle for a historical fiction novel. I'd be interested in checking out Cullen's version.

  17. I've yet to get to the Creation of Eve. This ones sounds like my kind of book as well. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

    nisethusfarATyahooDOTcom

    I am a follower

  18. This book sounds so delicious! I really want to dive into now! Your review was so good. I haven't read a dry historical fiction book yet! Maybe it is just me. This one sounds like a great page turner.

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

  21. I agree! It's a wonderful book. This is my second Lynn Cullen book (The Creation of Eve was also very good.)and won't be my last.

  23. I love historical fiction, and I'm definitely going to put this on my reading list. Great review!
    PMNSL95 at triad dot rr dot com

  33. I love historical fiction and would really love to read this book. I especially like the time period which seems colourful and lively.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

  35. why yes I can tell how much you loved this book! When I first learned about Juana I was blown away. I still can't believe it. Women were treated so badly back then. THnaks for bringing this to my attention and for the contest 🙂
    jennygirl73[at]gmail[dot]com

  39. Thanks for reviewing this title. I hadn't really heard about it until your review. But like you I love historical fiction, especially when it's done right!!!!

  56. I haven't read many historical fiction. I am interested in this one as I am reading a lot of books with women as the lead characters recently.
    pinchbuggies at hotmail dot com

  66. I'd love to read about Juana. I've heard about her and heard about other books about her, but haven't read anything yet. It'd be great to get a sense of the real woman instead of the madwoman I've heard referenced. Lynn Cullen is also a new author for me, but I've heard she's wonderful. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!

    geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

  69. I'm a follower, thanks for the giveaway! I've been curious about this one!

    sidhekist(at)gmail (dot)com

  70. Loved the review. The book sounds very interesting. Please enter me. Thanks!

    Anita Y
    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net