Joan (Forgotten Women of History Book 1)

An interesting read about the forgotten ancestor of George Washington and Winston Churchill,However it is sad to see the life of an aristocratic lady of Medieval time have no choice or much right in many aspects.

I liked how she managed to rule so to speak over her lands and take care of everyone. Giving gifts to the serfs at Christmas and just caring for her people and her family.?

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and the historical period outlined in this book is one that interests me. I had high hopes for this book, but it did not really engage me. If I can pin down "why" it is that the author TOLD us too many things about the situations and characters, instead of writing skillfully enough to let those things be revealed through conversations, descriptive passages, the observations of other characters, and other creative writing techniques. Overall for me, the characters and situations did not come to life. I don't think I'm going to look for the next books in this series.

An interesting book about the wife of Roger Mortimer, Joan de Geneville and her life and times. It started off a bit wobbly but improved a great deal. 4 Stars.Joan's early life and how she inherited from her grandparents was quite fascinating to me. Her Grandfather was Justiciar of Ireland, and one of my ancestors was also a Justiciar so I was intrigued. Her early life was a bit quiet but her marriage to Mortimer presumably was happy for many years, producing 12 living children. They were Marcher nobility, something that presumably went to Mortimer's head as he took more and more risks( the author skipped over that a bit)Roger Mortimer's relationship with Queen Isabella and the rising of the Marcher Lords against the King led to his downfall and eventual death. Joan, who had nothing to do with her husband's insurrection, lived in relative comfort after Edward III pardoned her.

The author has written a very good historical novel about a woman who strong and cared Bout her family. I hope that The author will write more about strong women that have been forgotten and buried by history. Many young girls need stories like these to understand d what they could be capable off

It was an interesting story. Usually you see books about her husband . this was well done one review had me turned off but I decdecided to try it and I liked it. Ending seemed a bit rushed. They had at least twelve children together . when did roger begin to wander or was it ambition? A good read strong woman .

Having known about Mortimer's escapades, I was thrilled to get to know more about his loyal and fertile wife. She has been lost in the buzz of the adulterous relationship between Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer. Not anymore! Joan was a wonderful read.

I love reading medieval history, so I picked this up. The writing is a bit simple and inaccurate at times (no carriages in the 13th or 14th century). I did enjoy the story despite these issues.

Bought this for my mother for Christmas and she thoroughly enjoyed it, but then she is very much a history fan and was wanting information on this particular person.

Good

I enjoyed this book telling the story of Joan de Glenville, Baroness Mortimer. Like most strong women in Medieval times, she has been relegated to a foot note in history. She was known as Roger Mortimer’s wife and that seemed all anyone knew apart from the fact she was an extremely rich heiress and gave Mortimer 12 children. It was interesting to see some life breathed into her. Ms. Bailey gave her a story. Joan and Roger must have had some love between them because of all the children they had and the fact that there doesn’t seem to have been many, if any, discretions committed by Roger with other women, until, that is he met Queen Isabella. He did treat Joan abdominally after his triumphant return to England. An enjoyable book.

A nice reading, keep you alert. A good beginning.

Why was the book printed with American spelling throughout.Especially annoying in an historic novel.