The Revolt by Clara Dupont-Monod - #TuesdayTeaser

Hello and welcome to my occasional Tuesday Teaser blog on this hot and sunny August morning.

I wanted to share this book with you as I am in love with the cover. I know we are not supposed to judge a book by it, quite literally in this instance, or in life in general but how could I possibly pass this cover by and not pick up this book.

So today I am going to give you the first few paragraphs and I am itching to know what you think. Does this make you want to read it? Do you think the cover is as gorgeous as I do?

 

The story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, told through the eyes of her favourite son, Richard Lionheart. In 1173, Eleanor and three of her sons instigate a rebellion to overthrow the English king, her husband Henry Plantagenet. What prompts this revolt? How does a great queen persuade her children to rise up against their father? And how does a son cope with this crushing conflict of loyalties?

*

"In my mother's eyes, I see things that overwhelm me. I see vast conquests, deserted houses, and suits of armour. She carries an anger within herself that condemns me, and forces me to be a better man.

This evening, she comes to us. Her gown caresses the floor. At this moment, we are like the stones in the vaulted ceiling, immobile and breathless. But what petrifies my brothers is not her indifference, for they are used to being ignored, nor the solemnity of the meeting - everything about Eleanor is solemn - no, what transfixes us, at this moment, is her voice. For it is with a soft voice, full of menace, that my mother commands us to overthrow our father.

She says that she has raised us for this task. That she made sure we grew up here, in Aquitaine, and not in England, so we would know the nobility of her lineage. Indeed, is my name not Richard the Lionheart? The time has come for us to assert ourselves. She reminds us that she ordered troubadours to sing legends at our births. One for each child. She tells us that here, where we now stand, where we learned to walk, in this great hall of the palace of Poitiers, the spirit of our great-grandfather is breathing his strength into us. You have heard his poems, she says, and the stories of his exploits. And so, my sons, you are armed. You are fourteen, fifteen and sixteen years old. The time has come.

We know these words. They flow through our veins. Henry, Geoffrey and I will obey, each for our own reasons. But we are bound together by one certainty: Eleanor can be threatened, she can be defied, and even fought. But betrayed, never. And maybe my father knew this, in fact. Maybe he wanted to wound his wife in her very heart. That idea turns our countries to ice. For in that case, what we must engage in is not a matter of personal revenge, but the clash of two monsters ready to fight to the death. And we, their children, will be mere toys between their paws."