Hello lovelies! I am still elbow-deep in research and I wouldn't have it any other way. One of the books I was most looking forward to finally arrived within the last week and it is one I am hoping will be most beneficial in really weeding out fact vs fiction in regards to Eleanor.
"Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the most famous women in medieval history, yet also one of the most inaccessible."
Now, I am still inclined to lean toward the 'exceptional', though I know that train of thought is going to be challenged a lot by this book. I'm cool with that, so long as my girl still gets her due respect. I mean, seriously, she was hauling ass all over England in her twilight years to collect Richard's ransom, which she HAND-DELIVERED HERSELF. And when her beloved Richard was dying, who stopped at nothing to be there with him when he died? Oh, right, HIS MOMMA!
After you've left your First Line below, stop by the blogs of my fellow First-Liners to see what they have waiting for you this week!
Bree - Bibliophile Reviews
Rachel - Bookworm Mama
Heather - Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Beth - Faithfully Bookish
Katie - Fiction Aficionado
Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes
Andi - Radiant Light
Carrie - Reading is my SuperPower
Robin - Robin's Nest
Sydney - Singing Librarian
Kathleen - Kathleen Denly
Happy Reading!
Sarah
She was one amazing woman! Indefatigable!
ReplyDeleteIt just so happens my first line today comes from a novel set at the time when Henry Plantagenet was on the cusp of laying claim to the throne of England: The Unveiling, by Tamara Leigh.
~~Lincolnshire, England, October 1149~~
A nightmare seized him from sleep, turned around his throat, and filled his mouth so full he could not cry out. Desperate for air, he opened his eyes onto a moonless night that denied him the face of his attacker.
Yes! And even if half the stories about her exceptionalism turn out to be myth, she is still amazing.
DeleteHappy Reading!
The Elusive Miss Ellison
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Miller
And the first line is...
St. Hampton Heather
Gloucestershire, England
June 1813
"'Why, Livvie! Whatever are you doing?' Lavina Ellison placed down her gardening trowel, swiped perspiration from her brow, and smiled up at her friend. 'Good Morning, Sophy.'"
Happy reading and happy Friday!
Same to you Heather, thank you for coming by!
DeleteSam wouldn’t lose another kid on his watch.
ReplyDeleteRescue Me by Susan May Warren
It's so good!
Not sure of the context, but the line makes me kind of sad! But after having Eleanor, I could not even watch SVU anymore and those stories were made up too.
DeleteMy first line is from an old book that, although I don't have it's publication date, it was a present in 1908 to someone. "It appears to me, looking back over a past experience, that certain days in one's life stand out prominently as landmarks, when we arrive at some finger-post pointing out the road that we should follow." But my very favorite line is: "The heart knoweth its own bitterness, Phoebe, and it may be that in your place I should fail utterly in patience; but if we will not lie still under His hand, & learn the lesson He would fain teach us, it may be that fresh trials may be sent to humble us." from Uncle Max by Rosa Carey
ReplyDeleteI love discovering old books. I am reminded of the line from National Treasure when Nicholas Cage's character is reading the Declaration of Independence and he comments that "people don't talk like that anymore". I sometimes wish we did!
DeleteMy first line comes from The Divine Romance by Gene Edwards.
ReplyDeleteHe was alone.
It's always kind of fun when the first lines are super short, isn't it?? Happy Reading!
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