Author: Susan Higginbotham
Published by iUniverse
ISBN: 0-595-35959-0

The following review was contributed by Mary Simmons: Click Here To Read Mary's Reviews

In 'The Traitor's Wife: A Novel of the Reign of Edward II' author Susan
Higginbotham follows the life of Eleanor de Clare from the time she marries
Hugh le Despenser in 1306 to her death in 1337. The years in between are full of
challenges, which the title character rises to admirably. She is portrayed as a
loyal, passionate woman who loves her husband, her children and her king. She
will do whatever she can to protect them. Even when her efforts fail and she is
faced with tremendous loss, she meets adversity with courage and faith.

There are many characters in 'The Traitor's Wife,' most of them based on historical
figures who were often named after royalty or relatives and therefore had many
given names in common. This sometimes leads to confusion, but since
Higginbotham had the foresight to include a character list and a disclaimer at
the front of the book, it is easily cleared up.

It is evident that a tremendous amount of research went into the writing of this novel, making the characters and events richer and deeper than if they came solely from the author's
imagination. While reading this book, I found myself constantly reminded of the
fact that these people were real. Higginbotham brings them back to life with
all their foibles and shortcomings as well as their noble qualities. She makes
history come alive and reacquaints us with a time with which we may or may not
be familiar.

I must admit I did not know much about Edward II or the people who
made up his court in the 14th century, but my introduction to it through
Higginbotham's novel has sparked my interest to find out more. This is one of
the reasons why I enjoy the genre of historical fiction - I am able to be
entertained while reading about characters and events that are based on fact. On
this criterion, 'The Traitor's Wife' did not disappoint, although the prose
became somewhat dry at times and I had the feeling of being overwhelmed by the
facts rather than carried along by the emotion behind the events.

The book is a fairly long one - almost 500 pages of small print- and although I am not usually
daunted by lengthy tomes, I need the emotional connection to the characters to
keep me turning the pages to the end. Besides the title character, I can
honestly say I did not have this with any of the others; however my empathy for
Eleanor and the situations she found herself in kept me reading to the
conclusion. Ultimately, 'The Traitor's Wife' is a tale of intrigue, betrayal,
loyalty and passion. It is worth the dry parts to get to the juicy tidbits about
a woman who lived and loved 700 years ago.