Isabella

This compelling story is told in even tones.Weir carefully balances her subject's good points with her bad... Alison Weir succeeds in bringing to life a murky period of history, which has been shrouded in myth and legend.She makes us sympathetic to Isabella's plight, while acknowledging her faults, and helps us to appreciate how a resourceful and intelligent woman managed to cope and even triumph in difficult circumstances, at a time when political power was, with a few notable exceptions, the preserve of men.

Literary Review

This enthralling biography doesn't just correct the calumny of centuries, it provides a beautifully nuanced portrait of a fascinating lady and gives a vivid sense of the riotous realpolitik of medieval times.

Scotsman

This meticulous no-nonsense biography presents a fascinating story complete with puzzles.

Independent on Sunday

An utterly compelling, gripping and believable portrait of a formidable queen.

Lisa Jardine, Washington Post

Brilliant, scholarly, and will be the most definitive study ever published. Congratulations to Jonathan Cape and Alison for a truly outstanding contribution to the study of medieval history.

Paul Doherty

This is history which reads like a novel.Weir writes lucidly, with an eye for the details which bring the period to life.

Christopher Hudson, Daily Mail