The Young Lion (Blanche d’Alpuget, HarperCollins, September)

The Tudor family has long been a focus for historical novels, with authors such as Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory and Hilary Mantel flooding the market with Henry VIII and his six wives. Blanche d’Alpuget’s first historical fiction novel therefore comes as a breath of fresh air as she introduces readers to Henry II and the beginning of the House of Plantagenet. d’Alpuget offers readers a well-researched history of her subject, which of course incorporates the required affairs, plots and intrigues that we have come to expect from any historical novel about royalty and life at court. Beginning in 1149, the story follows Henry II’s fight for his inheritance to the English throne and his need to marry the richest (and most beautiful) woman in Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in order to secure it—but only after she is granted a divorce from her husband, King Louis VII of France. This book will appeal to fans of historical novels, particularly about English royalty, and those who have enjoyed books such as The Other Boleyn Girl, The White Queen and A Dangerous Inheritance.

Sanna Nyblad is studying editing and publishing at RMIT and is the co-founder of Possibly the Best Book Club You’ll Ever Join*

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Category: Reviews