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For fans of Maggie O’Farrell, a coming-of-age story and a royal love triangle marked by danger and longing, based on real events in medieval France and England.
Romantic and stubborn, eleven-year-old Isi plans to marry for love and be mistress of her own castle. But life in 1198 is full of threat and a series of tragic events teaches her growing up is hard.
When Isi falls for Hugh, a French nobleman, he consents to marry her, but only for her dowry. She longs for more. Hoping a jealous man will fall in love, she flirts with a king. The flirtation backfires: King John abducts and marries her. Now trapped in cold, warring England with a malicious husband, Isi must hide her yearning for Hugh and find her own power. If she fails, she won’t live to return to her beloved.
Inspired by real historical figures—Isabelle d’Angoulême, Hugh de Lusignan, and King John of Magna Carta fame—Behold the Bird in Flight is set in a period that valued women only for their dowries and childbearing. Isabelle’s story has been mainly erased by men, but the medieval chronicles suggest a woman who developed her own power and wielded it—in court and in bed. And as the woman behind the throne, who’s to say she didn’t influence history?
Genre: Historical
Romantic and stubborn, eleven-year-old Isi plans to marry for love and be mistress of her own castle. But life in 1198 is full of threat and a series of tragic events teaches her growing up is hard.
When Isi falls for Hugh, a French nobleman, he consents to marry her, but only for her dowry. She longs for more. Hoping a jealous man will fall in love, she flirts with a king. The flirtation backfires: King John abducts and marries her. Now trapped in cold, warring England with a malicious husband, Isi must hide her yearning for Hugh and find her own power. If she fails, she won’t live to return to her beloved.
Inspired by real historical figures—Isabelle d’Angoulême, Hugh de Lusignan, and King John of Magna Carta fame—Behold the Bird in Flight is set in a period that valued women only for their dowries and childbearing. Isabelle’s story has been mainly erased by men, but the medieval chronicles suggest a woman who developed her own power and wielded it—in court and in bed. And as the woman behind the throne, who’s to say she didn’t influence history?
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"With a vivid imagination and writing evocative of the era, Terri Lewis transports readers to the royal courts of medieval Europe. Amid a tapestry of political intrigue and forbidden passions, her characters defy the harsh realities of their day to find love against all odds." - Jude Berman
"Immersive and filled with drama, Behold the Bird in Flight takes a forgotten queen and brings her to vivid life. This beautiful novel transports the reader back in time to a remote yet deeply human moment, when war echoes through the stone corridors of medieval castles and love still finds a way." - Carrie Callaghan
"Lewis's in-depth research makes us intimate witnesses to the public and private challenges, machinations, and flawed love of these royals. Perfect for fans of history from the woman's point of view." - Rebecca D'Harlingue
"Terri Lewis's enchanting Behold the Bird in Flight might sound like a fairy tale at first - a medieval queen in her castle, cruel king, lost love - but this tale of Isabelle d'Angoulene is one firmly rooted in history, shining a light on her life as well as the role of women at large. What a brave undertaking this is, and Lewis does not let us down; her gift for intriguing detail and wonderful storytelling will hold the reader captive." - Jill McCorkle
"In Behold the Bird in Flight, Terri Lewis has plucked a woman from the footnotes of history - Isabelle of Angouleme, wife of King John of Magna Carta fame - and created an alluring portrait of a young queen caught in a web of lust, power, and royal politics, all the while conflicted by her own desires and needs. Combining dazzlingly lyrical prose with a complex plot of love gone awry, Lewis immerses the reader in a medieval world sure to enthrall lovers of historical fiction." - Peggy Joque Williams
"Immersive and filled with drama, Behold the Bird in Flight takes a forgotten queen and brings her to vivid life. This beautiful novel transports the reader back in time to a remote yet deeply human moment, when war echoes through the stone corridors of medieval castles and love still finds a way." - Carrie Callaghan
"Lewis's in-depth research makes us intimate witnesses to the public and private challenges, machinations, and flawed love of these royals. Perfect for fans of history from the woman's point of view." - Rebecca D'Harlingue
"Terri Lewis's enchanting Behold the Bird in Flight might sound like a fairy tale at first - a medieval queen in her castle, cruel king, lost love - but this tale of Isabelle d'Angoulene is one firmly rooted in history, shining a light on her life as well as the role of women at large. What a brave undertaking this is, and Lewis does not let us down; her gift for intriguing detail and wonderful storytelling will hold the reader captive." - Jill McCorkle
"In Behold the Bird in Flight, Terri Lewis has plucked a woman from the footnotes of history - Isabelle of Angouleme, wife of King John of Magna Carta fame - and created an alluring portrait of a young queen caught in a web of lust, power, and royal politics, all the while conflicted by her own desires and needs. Combining dazzlingly lyrical prose with a complex plot of love gone awry, Lewis immerses the reader in a medieval world sure to enthrall lovers of historical fiction." - Peggy Joque Williams
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