Search - The Canterbury Papers

I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it.

In my opinion, it is very poorly written. The characters are broadly drawn, lacking depth and personality, especially the main character/narrator, Princess Alais of France, who is anachronistic and unsympathetic. The story reads like a bad romance novel filled with "important secrets" that are finally revealed so casually that the reader wonders why so many artificial contrivances were made to keep them hidden- accept that if they weren't there would be no story. The author dresses up the book by throwing in historic facts that have nothing to do with advancing the story or our understanding of the characters, while she does not provide the sort of details of character and atmosphere that make historical fiction such a delight to read.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable historical novel. As a fan of the movie _Lion in Winter_, I found it very interesting to see many of the same characters 20 years later.

Absorbing novel featuring historical characters from the era of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Intrigue, romance, history. This novel has it all.