The Falcons Eyes, Francesca Stanfill
The Falcons Eyes, Francesca Stanfill
19 Rating(s)
List: $51.99 | Sale: $36.40
Club: $25.99

The Falcon's Eyes
A Novel

Author: Francesca Stanfill

Narrator: Karen Cass

Unabridged: 29 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 07/05/2022

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

“Stanfill has persuasively re-imagined the Middle Ages, surrounding the legendary Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine with indelible characters in an immersive tale of intrigue, bravery, ruthlessness, and compassion. . . . The Falcon’s Eyes is a dazzling adventure, with riveting twists and turns and a surprising yet deeply satisfying conclusion.""—Sally Bedell Smith, author of Elizabeth the QueenSet in France and England at the end of the twelfth century, the moving story of a spirited, questing young woman, Isabelle, who defies convention to forge a remarkable life, one profoundly influenced by the fabled queen she idolizes and comes to know – Eleanor of AquitaineWillful and outspoken, sixteen-year-old Isabelle yearns to escape her stifling life in provincial twelfth century France. The bane of her mother’s existence, she admires the notorious queen most in her circle abhor: Eleanor of Aquitaine. Isabelle’s arranged marriage to Gerard --- a rich, charismatic lord obsessed with falcons --- seems, at first, to fulfill her longing for adventure. But as Gerard’s controlling nature, and his consuming desire for a male heir, become more apparent, Isabelle, in the spirit of her royal heroine, makes bold, often perilous, decisions which will forever affect her fate.A suspenseful, sweeping tale about marriage, freedom, identity, and motherhood, The Falcon's Eyes brings alive not only a brilliant century and the legendary queen who dominated it, but also the vivid band of complex characters whom the heroine encounters on her journey to selfhood: noblewomen, nuns, servants, falconers, and courtiers. The various settings — Château Ravinour, Fontevraud Abbey, and Queen Eleanor’s exiled court in England — are depicted as memorably as those who inhabit them. The story pulses forward as Isabelle confronts one challenge, one danger, after another, until it hurtles to its final, enthralling, page. With the historical understanding of Hillary Mantel and the storytelling gifts of Ken Follett, Francesca Stanfill has created an unforgettable character who, while firmly rooted in her era, is also a woman for all times. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

About Francesca Stanfill

FRANCESCA STANFILL was born in Oxford, England, and grew up in New York City and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Yale University, where her studies included the History of Art and medieval history. Her articles have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine, New York, and Vanity Fair. Her lifelong fascination with the twelfth century and its legendary queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, propelled her to write The Falcon’s Eyes, her third novel. She lives in New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dianne on July 31, 2022

When I finished this book, I needed to mull over what I was thinking. Had I gone with my very first impression, I would have told you that there were many problems with this novel, the 'mystery' was easy to figure out, important secondary characters are lost toward the end, and you don't get involve......more

Goodreads review by Tammy on March 06, 2022

This is an old fashioned, linear historical novel set during the high Middle Ages which follows a young woman who eventually becomes close to Eleanor of Aquataine. It’s overly long but the historical detail is compelling and vivid. It seems to be the first of series. I became weary of eyes filling,......more

Goodreads review by Brenda on June 28, 2022

The cover of this says it’s “a novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine”. It really, really isn’t. So don’t go into the book expecting that. She’s a small side character. This also dragged a lot. Until the very end when there was actually something interesting happening, and it just wrapped up in two pages and......more

Goodreads review by Carole on July 25, 2022

Frustrating when a book infers it is about one thing and then isn't. Supposedly it was a book about Eleanor of Acquitaine and the reason I wanted to read it. Instead it is a tediously overdone work about a young woman who was, for a time, a companion to Eleanor. Of 800 pages very few included even a......more

Goodreads review by Sasha on June 03, 2022

I received an uncorrected proof copy of this novel from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. I really read an 800-page book for it to end on an opening/cliffhanger?!?! Now that I have got that off my chest let's get to the meat of The Falcon's Eyes The Falcon's Eyes is about Isabelle and......more