Review: Could Have Been So Much More...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 11, 2012
I read this only after finishingFour Sisters, All Queens. I knew this was a short story, a sort of mini-prequel to the novel, but I was disappointed with how little we're told. I was hoping that we would meet Blanche at a much younger age, maybe right after she first wed Louis, or some time during his reign.Unfortunately we're introduced to her only after her husband's death, when she's trying to secure a smooth transition for her underage son to take the throne, while at the same time dispelling ugly rumors that are going around about herself.While I like what I read, I just didn't feel there was enough there to really bother with. Blanche was such a domineering and unforgettable character in 'Four Sisters...' that I really wanted to know WHY. What was it that made her so cold and bitter? Why did she treat Marguerite with such disdain and refuse to let her take her place as the rightful Queen of France? Why was she so hell-bent on her son Louis and Marguerite not consummating their marriage and producing an heir?Blanche has such an interesting story in her own right that I guess I'm just confused as to why the author bothered with this little short story when a full novel would have been much more entertaining and informative. She did such a great job with 'Four Queens...' that I have no doubt a full length novel about Blanche de Castile written by Ms. Jones would have been just as good.In the end, I WAS able to find the answers to all my questions, but it was Wikipedia that answered them for me...not this novella.