Catherine Bott (Presenter, the Early Music Show, BBC Radio 3)
“As far as I am qualified to judge, That Other Juana, the sad story of Juana la Loca, has been impeccably researched for this novel, without that research weighing down the depiction of the characters or their reasons for behaving as they do. Juana herself comes over as a passionate, intelligent woman: headstrong and occasionally unable to foresee the consequences of her actions, but in no way the insane virago of tradition. Instead, Linda Carlino presents us with a sympathetic and plausible account of a great injustice, for Juana la Loca was betrayed in turn by her parents, her husband and her son. In this portrait of a shamefully neglected historical figure, That Other Juana is in the mould of Anya Seton’s “Katherine”, and from me, there can be no higher praise.”
Amazon Customer Review
That Other Juana : Queen Juana I of Spain (Juana La Loca), 16 Jun 2009
This is a well-written book, more in the style of a novel than a factual biography, but that in no way detracts from the interesting nature of the subject, the mad Queen Juana of Spain. Indeed, I think the book possibly gives us a greater insight into the era in which Queen Juana lived by providing vivid descriptions of places and events within her life. It also helps to understand the character of Juana a lot more, which is explored with convincing realism and depth. The story illustrates how she was used and manipluated by the people and powerful men around her, in an age when women were not considered the equal of men, and female rulers in particular were thought to be doomed before they started (this was slightly before the time of Queen Elizabeth I. of England). However, one must not forget that this Queen (like her determined sister, Queen Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII. of England) was the daughter of the redoutable Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon.
There are relatively few biographies or novels about this fairly famous Queen, whom history has remembered mainly for her madness. This book certainly provides a fine insight into the woman for both anyone interested in this period of history generally and for someone in search of more detailed information on this particular Queen.
My only query was with the title of the book, which refers to 'That Other Juana', hinting that another Juana exists somewhere, to whom this story does not refer. The title is not satisfactorily resolved in the book, but one assumes that 'That Other Juana' relates to the other side of the mad Queen's character, which has hitherto been little known or explored.
PRESS RELEASE
May 17, 2009
A Busy Spring
County Durham (Barnard Castle) historical fiction author, Linda Carlino, has had a busy few months: publicising and promoting her 16th century Spanish Hapsburg Trilogy: That Other Juana, A Matter of Pride, Wives & Other Women.
She spent the first Saturday of March in Middleton (Durham) at their Big Book Day, (part of World Book Day) where she met many of her readers, signed books and made many new friends - sharing the spotlight with an on-loan facsimile copy of the Lindisfarne Gospels.
May Day Bank Holiday was spent in Scarborough doing the same as the invited guest speaker at the alumni reunion of Wynyard Hall Training College.
Writing proper has begun on her latest historical novel. It's about the illegitimate daughter of one of Spain's most famous historical figures Don Juan of Austria who features prominently in her third book.
Her years of obscurity were abruptly ended by an unexpected visitor, a man whose identity remains a mystery to this day. What we do know is that the quiet life of both her and the convent was gone forever. They were both thrust into the public domain and exposed to the rigorous, harrowing, and sinister investigations, by both the civil authorities and the dreaded Inquisition.
The hard work in publicizing her books is beginning to pay off. Sales on Amazon are increasing all the time and, most satisfying is the increase in the number of libraries acquiring her novels.
To date 64 main library service providers (counties, shires, cities, metropolitan boroughs) representing approximately 200 branch libraries have bought her books – ranging from Angus in the far north of Scotland to Devon and south Wales in the south west and Kent in the south east.
Meanwhile the date of publication of the Portuguese edition of That Other Juana, the first book of the trilogy, has been delayed slightly due to the illness of the translator.
Recently she said about her new career as a writer, “Although demanding, it is probably the most interesting and rewarding of challenges.”
PRESS RELEASE
February 27, 2009
The Accidental Writer
A retired Head Teacher from Barnard Castle, County Durham, Linda Carlino, never intended to become a writer but a six week travelling holiday in Spain twenty years ago transformed her life. It led to studying Spanish seriously, doing a lot of research and making many more trips to Spain; “Well, someone has to do it”. She became hooked on the fascinating characters of their 16th history and their links with England. And then came the dream to write about some of these historical figures.
“The journey from dream to reality, although a great challenge, has been the most rewarding adventure I have ever undertaken.”
Several years of writing and now finally the publication of her family trilogy is complete. The first book, That Other Juana (Queen Juana I of Spain) is a story of obsessive love, uncontrolled passion – and cruel, cynical betrayal. Next, A Matter of Pride (Charles V, HRE), her son, gives a sceptical, irreverent and humorous view of one of Europe’s greatest emperors – allegedly. And finally, Queen Juana’s grandson, Wives and Other Women (Philip II of Spain): the story of Philip seeking a male heir in loveless marriages and consolation with his mistresses.
But the journey is not over by any means.
“My next book will be the story of an illegitimate baby girl who was placed in a convent by Philip II. A lifetime of seclusion and obscurity should have been her lot but it turned out just the opposite. Too interesting to be ignored. I’m hooked again!”