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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Ceredo-Kenova Public Library | FPLAIDY JEAN 1906- | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Author Notes
Jean Plaidy was a British writer who wrote under various pen names. Her real name is Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert. She was born in London on September 1, 1906.
Most of the books written as Jean Plaidy are historical romances based on English history featuring historical figures. The first, Beyond the Blue Mountains, was published in 1947. Hibbert also wrote five nonfiction histories and two children's books.
Besides Jean Plaidy, Hibbert wrote under Victoria Holt, Phillipa Carr, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Ellalice Tate, and her maiden name, Eleanor Burford.
Hibbert died on January 18, 1993.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (1)
Kirkus Review
Continuing her rundown on England's Plantagenets, Plaidy now quickly disposes of the 13th century's bad, bad King John and concentrates instead on two tough queens: Isabella, formerly John's queen; and Blanche of Castile, wife of Louis VIII of France and mother of Louis IX. It's Queen Isabella who conveys the happy news of John's death to terrified nine-year-old Henry--who, as Henry III, will quite take to kingship as he matures into an intemperate and wavering ruler. And now Isabella, a lusty beauty, is free to go after the man she passionately loves-Hugh de Lusignan, to whom John in his inspired nastiness had affianced his small daughter, the Princess Joan. So little Joan, after learning to love her future husband, must watch her own mother snatch Hugo away (Joan is shipped to freezing Scotland to marry its king). Meanwhile, in France, another strong lady, Queen Blanche, is likewise widowed and coaches her young son Louis in kingship. And though both cool, wise Blanche and Henry III share the same grandmother, Eleanor of Acquitalne, wars between England and France will occur off and on--while Henry also must face a blither of baronial feuds, rumbles between Church and State, a rash of arranged marriages, and the intrigues of the two canny, mutually loathing queens. (Isabella urges Hugh to conspire against Louis, and that will be her undoing, capped by her unsuccessful attempt to have the king poisoned.) With two relatively unfamiliar heroines to work with--lesser clones of Eleanor of Acquitaine who handily manage their husbands and mold sons into kings--the burden of painting-by-number from a stern historical model seems to have been lifted somewhat; so this is sprightlier fare by far than some of Plaidy's more constrained others. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
