Category Archives: Spain

Author Interview | C.W. Gortner

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Allie

I am elated to announce an interview with C.W. Gortner here on Hist-Fic Chick! C.W. is the author of The Secret Lion, and his latest, The Last Queen (read my review here). His next novel, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, releases March 25th, 2010. The Last Queen was one of my favorite reads of 2009, and I cannot wait to read more from… Continue reading...

Posted in 15th Century, Author Interviews, C.W. Gortner, Charles V - Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Flanders, Isabella I of Castile, Juana of Castile, Reconquista, Spain | 5 Comments

Review | The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Allie

Read a synopsis of The Last Queen here.ReviewThe Last Queenby C.W. GortnerShe is known through history as Spain’s Mad Queen. But was Juana, daughter of the powerful Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, really as mad as they say? Juana of Castile, also known as Juana “La Loca” for her rumored insanity, lives again through the pages of C.W. Gortner’s beautifully written story… Continue reading...

Posted in 16th Century, Book Reviews, C.W. Gortner, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Flanders, Isabella I of Castile, Juana of Castile, Reconquista, Spain | 16 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays: The Last Queen

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Allie

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by Should Be Reading.Instructions: Grab your current read. Open to a random page, and share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, but be sure not to include any spoilers! Make sure you also include your book’s title and author.Her words came at me like vengeance. “So that you can see that I too

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Posted in C.W. Gortner, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Flanders, Isabella I of Castile, Juana of Castile, Spain, Teaser Tuesdays | 8 Comments

The Alhambra

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Allie

I read The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory a couple of years ago, which is about Katherine of Aragon’s childhood in Spain and her early adulthood in England. I remember really enjoying the vivid descriptions of The Alhambra (literally “Red Castle” in Arabic), which was a stunningly beautiful palace and fortress city built by the Moors in their stronghold city of Granada. Isabella and Ferdinand went on crusade and relaunched… Continue reading...

Posted in Architecture, C.W. Gortner, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Isabella I of Castile, Juana of Castile, Katherine of Aragon, Philippa Gregory, Reconquista, Spain | 15 Comments

The Sunday Salon: Off to Spain I Go

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Allie

I recently finished reading Signora da Vinci by Robin Maxwell, which was a really interesting and imaginative take on Renaissance Florence. I devoured it. You can read my review here!Today I started reading The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner, and it hooked me from the very first page. The Last Queen is about Juana of Castile, known through history as Juana “La Loca,” for her… Continue reading...

Posted in 16th Century, C.W. Gortner, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Flanders, Isabella I of Castile, Juana of Castile, Katherine of Aragon, Reconquista, Spain, The Sunday Salon | 6 Comments