Category: Historical Fiction Publisher: Fountain City Publishing
ISBN-10: 0976086743
Pages: 400
Copyright: September 2008
ISBN-13: 9780976086741
Queen’s Cross
“The tale of the beautiful and able young Isabella of Castile… illuminating, swift-moving, and filled with color”
- The New York Times
Accident, or Divine Plan?
A girl’s unlikely inheritance of Spain’s crown and her arranged marriage to a handsome, rash ally opens the door to her greatest dream: a united, powerful, and enduring kingdom.
This is Lawrence Schoonover’s gripping and elegant story of intrigue, hard combat, and the love of a woman for her country, her religion, and her dynamic and flawed partner and husband.
Publication: September 2008
Exciting story of the most important leader in Hispanic history!
Lawrence Schoonover depicts the isolated childhood of royals out of favor, and attempts to prevent their rise to power. They don't all make it, but the pricess of Castile survives and leads Spain to greatness and eventual world power.
Ferdinand, Torquemada, and other important medieval European personalities appear in this story, all based on meticulous research by a master of storytelling.
Students of history, Spanish culture, and lovers of romance and adventure will enjoy this novel.
Despite more than forty years out of print hundreds of libraries around the world still have copies of Schoonover books on their shelves. This newly designed edition is complete and unabridged.
“Picaresque, romantic recreation of history...”- Kirkus Book Reviews
“A real contribution to the history of Spain and the Spanish people...recommended for pubic school and university libraries”- Libra
Excerpt
ISABELLA now found herself a figure of international importance. The memory of Joan of Arc was still fresh in the minds of the older generation of statesmen. Grave gray heads turned thoughtful in many a European chancellery at the prospect of another girl of equal piety, greater beauty and amazing personal magnetism placing herself at the head of an army, uniting a nation. Dispatches were torn open with impatient hands, and candles burned far into the night as sharp intellects scrutinized the latest news from Spain. And many statesmen, especially Louis of France, whose life work was foreign chaos, concluded that she must be murdered, married or warred against if she did in Castile what Joan of Arc had done in France. Meanwhile they watched and waited.
-------------------------------------
“I regret the necessity of this summary procedure.” Ferdinand smiled. “Kindly confess your crimes to the padre here, before I judge you, lest you leave this life with your sins still black on your soul.”
Gordo screamed and began to run. The hangman struck him down from behind with a small hand axe.
“I knew he was a Jew at heart,” Ferdinand said to the priest “He didn’t confess a word.”
The body was exposed in the public market all next day. There was far less disorder in Saragossa after that; and then, having spent his rage in a whirlwind bout of blood and lust, Ferdinand returned to Castile.
If Isabella had been nothing but a farmer’s wife and her husband a mere peasant, all the neighbors for miles around would have been gossiping about her troubles, since nothing is ever quite so fascinating as other people’s private affairs. Since she was queen and Ferdinand king the gossip reached national proportions.
“How will she receive him?” Cabrera asked anxiously. “And do stop crying, Beatriz. I haven’t got any bastard sons up my sleeve!”
“How can I be sure!” Beatriz snapped. Her eyes were swollen and red.
“This isn’t a bit good for the state, you know. As if we were not already disastrously divided! If sovereigns cannot live in unity how can you expect the nation to? Now there will be a Ferdinand-faction and an Isabella-faction, added to all the other factions.”
“Oh no, there won’t! You do not know Isabella. How will she receive him? She will receive him like a queen. That is the only way to curb the brute!”
Professional Reviews
The New York Times
“The tale of the beautiful and able young Isabella of Castile...illuminating, swift-moving, and filled with color”
Saturday Review
“...unfurled in swatches of bright color and sound sentiments, you will like ‘The Queen’s Cross.’"
Chicago Sunday Tribune
“...the narrative puts the meat of living flesh on the dry bones of skeletonized history...Schoonover’s best effort to date.”
Ireland 1947. Seven weeks of relentless snow. Guard Eamon Foley is searching for a missing child.
At Toby Appleyard’s farm, he discovers the kitchen littered with dead cats. And the skeletal remains of a woman. Upstairs, Toby is dead in his bed.
Fourth Book in the Southern Swallow Series finds the Academician Li K'ai-men in exile on Hai-nan Island. China has a new invasion threat. A showdown between ingenuity and technology explodes as the Sung Dynasty tries to preserve itself.
Fourth Book in the Southern Swallow Series finds the Academician Li K'ai-men in exile on Hai-nan Island. China has a new invasion threat. A showdown between ingenuity and technology explodes as the Sung Dynasty tries to preserve itself.
