Kirkus Discoveries
"Conveys emotions and relationships quite poignantly . . . entertaining historical fiction."

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Product Description

In fourteenth-century England, young Eleanor de Clare, favorite niece of King Edward II, is delighted with her marriage to Hugh le Despenser and her appointment to Queen Isabella’s household as a lady-in-waiting. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Eleanor’s beloved uncle is not the king the nobles of the land—or his queen—expected.

Hugh’s unbridled ambition and his intimate relationship with Edward arouse widespread resentment, even as Eleanor remains fiercely loyal to her husband and to her king. But loyalty has its price…

Moving from royal palaces to prison cells, from the battlefield to the bedroom, between hope and despair, treachery and fidelity, hatred and abiding love, The Traitor’s Wife is a tale of an extraordinary woman living in extraordinary times.

A noblewoman pays the price for her loyalty to an unpopular king and her unfaithful husband...conveys emotions and relationships quite poignantly...ultimately, entertaining historical fiction.

-Kirkus Discoveries

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #894736 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 492 pages

From Booklist
A strong woman circumscribed by artificial restrictions imposed on her by her time, her place, and her social standing is a recurrent theme in historical fiction. Higginbotham artfully reworks this theme, fictionalizing the story of Eleanor le Despenser, niece of Edward II and wife of Hugh le Despenser the Younger. As lady-in-waiting to Queen Isabella, Eleanor enjoys her privileged position in the fourteenth-century English court until doubts about her uncle and his seemingly unsavory relationship with her husband begin to creep in. Higginbotham does a superb job of vividly re-creating the royal intrigue and treachery that characterized Edward’s inner circle, while breathing new life into a complex, real-life heroine forced into making decisions that virtually defined the historical destiny of her family. --Margaret Flanagan

Review
"Conveys emotions and relationships quite poignantly . . . entertaining historical fiction." -- Kirkus Discoveries

"[D]ialogue is excellent . . . Higginbotham [brings] these historical figures to life with passion, a wonderful sense of humor, honor, and love." -- Catherine Perkins, Historical Novels Review Online, Autumn 2005

[D]ialogue is excellent . . . Higginbotham [brings] these historical figures to life with passion, a wonderful sense of humor, honor, and love. -- Historical Novels Review Online, Autumn 2005

About the Author
Susan Higginbotham has worked as an editor and an attorney. She grew up in North Carolina and Virginia and now lives in North Carolina with her family.

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Customer Reviews

This is Eleanor le Despenser's story...
Eleanor de Clare, niece to Edward II, marries Hugh le Despenser when the book opens in 1306. Hugh was quite the character - a pirate, knight, knave or confidant of the king at one time or another. Adopting the consensus of most historians, The Traitor's Wife portrays his relationship with Edward II as a homosexual one. It even suggests there may have been sexual relations between Eleanor and the king, which some historians also believe.

This love triangle is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scandals during Edward's reign. In fact, this one doesn't even begin until after the death of Piers Gaveston, also alleged to have had homosexual relations with the king. And then there's the scheming of Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella, who want to reign - and do for a short while - in all but name.

Even after Hugh le Despenser, and a short time later, Edward II, die, Eleanor's life is anything but uneventful. She marries William la Zouche, the man responsible for capturing Hugh. Then she manages to get herself accused of marrying two different men at the same time. As the author later explains in the afterword, the explanation of this event is fictional. But historical records indicate that John de Grey, a knight, challenged the marriage because he believed Eleanor to have been married to him.

In short, the book is jam-packed with scandal - impeccably researched, which makes for some juicy reading. Moreover, the characters are likeable - perhaps except for Mortimer - even when they're misbehaving.

If you like action-packed medieval drama supported by accurate historical details, you'll love this book. Highly recommended.

The Soap Opera That Followed Braveheart
King Edward I invaded Scotland, setting off the events more or less chronicled in the fictional book and movie, Braveheart. Edward's son was far less of a war hawk than his dad. His misadventures became the root of many problems that cropped up in the English king's court during the early 1300's. In essence, Edward II was the Bill Clinton of England: you either hated him for his sexual dalliances or you ignored them and respected him for his better qualities. This book is a fictionalized account of the story, as seen through the eyes of the king's niece, Eleanor le Despenser, who was also married to a pirate who shared his bed with both of them. Susan Higginbotham explains the whole, sordid, convoluted history with a conversational style that keeps the action flowing and the reader turning the page. This is quite an impressive first novel.

An Outstanding Work!!
Susan Higginbotham has taken a very complex time and done a magnificent job in describing it! I love good, fact-based historical fiction, and Susan has done a marvelous job of research and then writing the story of the times of Edward I, Edward II, the De Spencers, et al in such a way that you will NOT want to put this book down! A truly fine job of writing and I hope that we can look forward to more great work from this fine author. Jerry Belew, Llano Texas