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Rating: 
Summary: An Exceptional Overview
Review: "Queen Eleanor" is a well-written, entertaining account of the life of a queen whom I consider to be one of the most interesting and influential people who ever lived. Did you know that she was the mother of King Richard the Lionheart and Prince John Lackland ("the phony king of England"), both of Robin Hood fame? That her marriage with Henry Plantagenet (Henry II) first brought France under English rule? That she established the jury system in England? It's amazing, really.
The only complaints I would have of the book are that it's not as detailed as it could be (which I understand, because it's a children's book and not meant to give you every detail; for that, see "Eleanor and the Four Kings"); and that it over-sympathizes with Eleanor. I should rather say, glosses over her faults, because they *are* mentioned. But after reading this, you'll come away with the correct impression that Eleanor of Aquitaine was indeed a remarkable woman.
Rating:
Summary: Not Enough Detail
Review: Basically, this book was good. But it tended to be simplistic and did not have enough details about Eleanor's personality. It tended to skip over years quickly. However, it did give a good overview of the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Basic Life Of Eleanor
Review: Brooks copyrighted this herself in 1983 and, although there is no useful biographic information, I get the impression she wrote it for the k-12 school library market. The book feels like it is written for an 8th grade audience but with an admirable extent to the vocabulary and historical contexts. Brooks has done a good job on relating geography, medieval culture and art, and history in an enjoyable and informative read.Perhaps I don't understand the prejudices of the school library market, but I do wish that books like this would do some referencing and citations of quoted material to give readers the concept of backing up what is said with authoritative research sources. This is a good solid introductory book on Eleanor. It is comprehensive (unlike so many of the newer Eleanor books that focus on and tend to glamorize only one part of her life). It presents most of the known historical facts and mentions most of the commonly known myths as well (clearly presenting them as unfounded legend). This is a good place to start if you want an overview of Eleanor's life. It's a quick read for adults and a good comprehensive exploration of a medieval life for an elementary or high school student.
Rating:
Summary: Good Basic Life Of Eleanor
Review: Brooks copyrighted this herself in 1983 and, although there is no useful biographic information, I get the impression she wrote it for the k-12 school library market. The book feels like it is written for an 8th grade audience but with an admirable extent to the vocabulary and historical contexts. Brooks has done a good job on relating geography, medieval culture and art, and history in an enjoyable and informative read. Perhaps I don't understand the prejudices of the school library market, but I do wish that books like this would do some referencing and citations of quoted material to give readers the concept of backing up what is said with authoritative research sources. This is a good solid introductory book on Eleanor. It is comprehensive (unlike so many of the newer Eleanor books that focus on and tend to glamorize only one part of her life). It presents most of the known historical facts and mentions most of the commonly known myths as well (clearly presenting them as unfounded legend). This is a good place to start if you want an overview of Eleanor's life. It's a quick read for adults and a good comprehensive exploration of a medieval life for an elementary or high school student.
Rating:
Summary: The Romantisized Version of Eleanor's Story
Review: Eleanor of Aquitaine was the only Queen to rule 2 different countries during her lifetime-- first France, then England. She journeyed to the Holy Land and 'took the cross' in the Second Crusade. She was scorned as a demon by those who would not recognize her self-righteousness. Altogether, this idol was very straightforward for the middle ages, especially for a woman. This book was very well written, although written for children and was not very detailed in areas, especially in talking of her early life before her father's death in Aquitaine, and of the 2nd Crusade. Also, it is way too romantisized; it speaks of her as this perfect Queen, heavenly, and makes light of the fact that she was indeed not thought of generally as a good person. The author gives the impression that everyone thought well of her, except a few notable few. It is very much better as the reading goes on; as when describing her time in England, it is magnificent. A very good read, one of those books to read while sitting around on a rainy weekend, lazily laying on the sofa.
Rating: 
Summary: A quick, delightful read about a fascinating monarch
Review: I recently bought this book for a paper I had to do for school. I had read Polly Schoyer Brooks' book about Joan of Arc last year, and had enjoyed it, so I was hapy to find one on Eleanor of Aqutaine. This book was clear and easy to understand, but explained the fascinating life of Eleanor in detail. Each chapter highlighted a different section of her life, from her childhood in Aqutaine, to her marriages and rules as Queen of France and England, and finally to helping her sons rule as kings of England. I was amazed by her long life in the medieval times. This book is a treasure and one I would read again. I especially enjoyed the references to the King Arthur tales and how Eleanor influenced them as a model for Guinevere!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book!
Review: Queen Eleanor is a women who never gives, even in the last few years of her life. She gave birth to two famous kings, King Richard the Lionhearted and King John Lackland. She was married to King Louis and then to King Henry. The story is very well put together and gave the feeling of being at the place where Eleanor was. The book gave a lot of interesing facts but it told a story as well.
Rating:
Summary: Do Not Miss This
Review: This is a wonderfully written book about one of the most interesting figures in history, Eleanor of Aquatine. From her carefree homeland to dreary England, first and second husbands, Eleanor's charactor shines through every page. I seemed to get to know her as a person, not just some charactor whom the author slaps on a few traits and leaves the "finished product" fuzzy around the edges. Do yourself a favor and buy this book for you, your child, you grandchild, your teacher, your... Well you get the point!!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful presentation
Review: Two Thumbs Up = EXCELLENT!! One Thumb Up = Good Sideways Thumb = OK One Thumb Down = Bad Two Thumbs Down = TERRIBLE!! This book was: Two Thumbs Up Comments: When you think of the average bio you think of DATES DATES AND MORE DATES! And trust me, I cannot STAND DATES! They are too dry and it's not like we're going to remember anyways unless we are overly obsessed freaks. ANYWAYS! To get back to the point: This book was a great presentation of the life of Eleanor of Acquitaine. Why? Well it wasn't too dry. Somehow the author managed to step into Eleanor's character and write from her point of view, yet stay in the third person. It was very detailed. Overall it was an enticing and informative story.
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