Review: Great Prequel/Novella about Blanche of Castile, mother of pious Louis IX
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 9, 2012
White Heart, prequel to Four Sisters, All Queens, is Jones' novella about Blanche of Castile, the notorious B*itch of a mother of Louis IX, who ran France after the death of her husband and put her son on the throne, while managing to wield her political power and strong-arm every man in France. Her history is so infamous that everyone sees her as evil, but Jones' book really shed a new light on Blanche's personality for me, which never occurred to me could have been caused by her absolute need to protect herself and her family in the brutal world being run by men. As women are always scrutinized for indiscretions, which was especially true in the 1200s, she had to have pristine piety. Of course her white heart would win her and her son favor. It wasn't just about favor with God, but about favor with France. She had to stand up to every man vying for what she had. I loved the novella because I liked hearing the viewpoint from Blanche, to hear her innermost thoughts and concerns. I think differently of her now I suppose, in a way. In contemporary times her quest to remain in control and in charge of France, and her son, at all costs would be too ambitious; however, if the alternative is a life in the nunnery because men feel you can do nothing else, how could you not fight for your ultimate freedom even if it is self-serving? It's only my opinion, but of course everyone has reasons for how they act and with Jones' book we get an in-depth look at the emotions behind Blanche. I recommend everyone read White Heart if they are reading Four Sisters, All Queens.  It only takes an hour or two to read.Read the rest on my blog, and a review of full novel, Four Sisters, All Queens, at: [...]