Biographical Biographical Fiction Eleanor Favorites; Royal Favorites; Royal - Great Britain Fiction General Great Britain Great Britain - Courts and courtiers Great Britain - History - Henry II; 1154-1189 Historical Historical Fiction Knights and Knighthood Knights and knighthood - Great Britain Literary Pembroke; William Marshal
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: Sep 1, 2009
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
William Marshal, the younger son of a wealthy family, shows early prowess with a sword and uncommon chivalry, which he puts to good use saving the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Afterward, she makes him arms tutor to her sons, the young princes. Marshal pledges his service to heir Henry and stays with the prince, out of loyalty to Eleanor, throughout Henry's turbulent manhood and rebellion against his father. When Henry dies, Marshal swears loyalty to Henry's brother Richard, putting him at odds with his own brother, who is loyal to Prince John. When Richard leaves on crusade and John conspires to take the crown, Marshal must decide between family and honor. A true historical hero, if little known, William Marshal served under some of England's most famous kings and proved himself again and again throughout the troubled 12th century; Chadwick's novel immerses readers in Marshal's life and times, which should prove intriguing to any fan of historical fiction. The royals, and especially Eleanor, are particularly fascinating characters whom Chadwick employs to great effect. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
The Greatest Knight is a must-read for any lover of history and/or the medieval period. Ms. Chadwick's account drags you right in and sets you down on the dusty, dirt roads alongside her hero and his entourage. (Cholla The Long and Short of It Reviews 20090828)
THE GREATEST KNIGHT was amazing... This book seemed to have a little bit of everything -- suspense, deceit, love, wars, scandals. (Julie Peterson Booking Mama 20090901)
I want to hand it to Elizabeth Chadwick... I found The Greatest Knight a rewarding read (Rike Horstmann All About Romance 20090901)
This is an impeccably written historical fiction novel. The amount of research Chadwick must have put into it is incredible. (Swapna Krishna S. Krishna's Books 20090910)
[V]ivid and interesting... (Ana T. Historical Tapestry 20090910)
The author clearly knows her subject matter and stayed true to it. Her skilled use of historical detail helped bring the world alive in my imagination without slowing the pace. (Debbie White Genre Reviews 20090910)
The Greatest Knight is absolutely packed with the senses. Chadwick also is skilled at writing just the perfect amount of description and interspersing it with dialogue (Nancy Horner Bookfoolery and Babble 20090921)
What makes The Greatest Knight exceptional is the consistently pitch-perfect way in which its medieval characters think, feel and behave. (Margaret Donsbach HistoricalNovels.info 20090928)
I really enjoyed reading the story of a man who tends to be a secondary character but absolutely deserves to have his story told... Everyone who has raved about Elizabeth Chadwick as an author of historical novels is right. (Jessica West Devourer of Books 20091002)
The Greatest Knight provides the kind of "real life" storytelling of times past for which all historical novels should strive. (J.G. Stinson ForeWord 20091119)
Chadwick has done an amazing job of portraying the life of William Marshal. (Tracee Gleichner Review From Here )
Fans of Jean Plaidy, Phillipa Gregory, Sharon Kay Penman will enjoy Elizabeth Chadwick's books. Her historical facts are well researched and her writing draws you into the story. Once you start reading you can't put it down. (Gabrielle Pantera Hollywood Today )
Luckily for all of us, we have an author like Elizabeth Chadwick to raise [William Marshall] back up out of obscurity and give him a dignified place of honor in history! (Aarti Nagaraju Booklust )