I had a black plague phase growing up (still kind of in it?) and this book was exactly what I didn't know i needed. This debut (that's right, DEBUT) was fantastic! You can see just how much work the author put into immersing us into medieval France and gave us such an amazing, strong FMC to look up to in Eleanore.

Historical fiction at its finest. Set in the 14th century during the black plague, this book gives us a plucky heroine to root for in Eleanore.
Right from the very first pages I was captivated and could not put this book down. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Beautiful historical fiction. I have had a morbid fascination for the bubonic plague era since high school. I wrote a long paper on it for an AP History class. I used the topic again in an undergrad Art History course. I absolutely loved the writing and treatment of the era in this book. The characters are well done. Highly recommend.

The location is in the title, Avignon, taking place during 1347-1348. The main character is Elanore, so the title describes the basics. What it doesn’t describe is she is a twin, and although they are identical they are vastly different people.

Eleanore takes after their mother, who was a healer, herbalist and midwife. The twins are still morning her passing. It wasn’t entirely clear how long ago that was, but probably not too long ago.

Eleanore meets the most famous doctor in Avignon, who is interested in learning more about her herbal remedies. When the plague hits Avignon their world is turned upside down. An absorbing book with good pacing. Excellent debut novel.

What a wonderful book! This book was well written, absorbing and well researched. The storylines kept my interest and it was just amazing to read. I will be recommending this to everyone!

In this fascinating medieval historical fiction novel, readers follow Eleanore (Elea) Blanchet, a skilled herbalist and midwife, in 1347 Provence as the Black Death first arrives in Europe. Having persuaded Pope Clement’s personal physician, Guigo de Chauliac, to take her as an apprentice in a world where being an attention-grabbing woman healer is not a safe position, Elea finds herself honing her skills and learning new techniques during this dangerous time in history. When the scandalous Queen Joanna, pregnant and standing trial for her husband’s murder, arrives in Avignon, Elea finds herself becoming midwife to the queen when the local religious heretics are looking for someone to blame for the plague. With a fascinating, intelligent, and skilled protagonist, readers will see a new side to historical and fictional representations of the Black Death in DeLozier’s new novel, and Elea is a relatable and engaging protagonist rising to meet the challenges in her way. With the historical events interwoven with her personal narrative, DeLozier does a fantastic job combining these different historical events and representing them from Elea’s point of view in incredible detail and with passionate emotion. Brilliantly written and incredibly immersive, this is a fascinating and engrossing new historical fiction novel set in the medieval period.

Eleanore is a passionate and ambitious woman serving her community through one of the deadliest plagues of history. She wants to become a respected physician - not a midwife or herbalist - and that dream is driven by memories of her mother, herself a talented healer. Elea faces many obstacles: she's a woman, she's unmarried, she has no formal training, her mother was accused of witchcraft, and the Black Death is ravaging Europe. Just little things. Most of the book takes things in stride, pragmatic but optimistic just as Eleanore is as she tackles the challenges before her. Her relationships with the people around her provide the support she needs to succeed, but ultimately she forges her own path to happiness despite the tragedy surrounding her. I feel like the story took a dark(er) turn at the end before quickly wrapping it up with a hopeful conclusion; overall the pacing of the story was good, but the end felt a little clunky. Other than that, it was a good book that I enjoyed reading, and I learned a lot about Avignon in the mid-14th century!

Language: Mild
Violence: Moderate
Drugs: None
Sex: Mild

Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier is a captivating historical novel that immerses readers in the life of Eleanore, a strong and determined woman navigating the complexities of 14th-century France. Set against the backdrop of political intrigue, cultural upheaval, and personal conflict, the novel explores Eleanore's resilience and ambition in a turbulent era. DeLozier’s rich, vivid writing brings the historical setting to life, and her well-developed characters add emotional depth to the story. A compelling blend of history and fiction, Eleanore of Avignon will appeal to readers who enjoy historical dramas with strong female leads and intricate plots.

One of my favorite reads of 2024! This was an excellent historical fiction book about a time period I have not read much about. It takes place during the Black Death around 1347. Eleanore (Elea) inherited her talents as an herbalist and midwife from her mother. A chance encounter in the woods with the Pope’s personal physician puts her on a trajectory she could only hope for - training with him to be a physician herself (unheard of as a woman). She then becomes personal midwife to Queen Joanna, an exiled Queen on trial for the murder of her first husband. However, being so close to people in power also puts her in danger from people who want someone to blame for the disease taking so many lives - and who better than Elea, who they claim is a witch? Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Disappointing Debut.

Narrated in the first person by the main character, Eleanore, events in 14th century France are played out against a backdrop of fear, superstition, religious persecution, plague and papal politics.

Even for historical fiction, I was less than invested in the storyline as both it and the character of Eleanore was far from believable, especially for someone who is well read in the medieval universe. The main character just seemed a little too larger than life, taking on roles that only they are capable as there was certainly no-one else in the whole wide world who can. And the plot itself ... bordering on fantasy fiction.

I would probably suggest this is more suited to young adult fiction or for someone with no idea of the historical times in which this is set. I actually hesitated in picking this up for review. I wished I had let it pass by.

I’ve had a crazyyy fall and completely neglected to review this amazing novel by Elizabeth DeLozier, which launched in November and was one of my two favorite historical fiction books of 2024. (The other was Allegra Goodman’s Isola, btw.) Anyway, when I first saw the title of this book, it remined me of Eleanor of Aquitaine, which remined me of A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E.L. Konigsburg, one of my very favorite books from childhood.

Eleanor of Aquitaine is a real historical figure (12th century / wealthy and powerful queen of both France and England) and Eleanore of Avignon is fictional (14th century / midwife and healer of modest means), but both women were well ahead of their time, and struggled to be themselves and pursue the lives they wanted in a world completely dominated by men.

Our fictional Eleanore of Avignon practices the craft of healing, which she learned from her mother. She happens to meet a man who works as the personal physician to the Pope, and he takes her on as an apprentice. She eventually becomes midwife to the Queen, putting her (a young unmarried woman) in a position of notoriety. Suddenly, the Black Death arrives in Europe, bringing death and destruction. The townspeople (one conniving priest in particular) are looking for someone to blame, and given Eleanore’s work as a healer and herbalist (and her mother’s before her), she’s scapegoated as a witch. The ending will keep you turning the pages, and the book as a whole is an amazing read for anyone who loves seeing women’s lives imagined and vividly brought to life, when the history books have well, historically, tried to minimize or erase them.

Can’t wait to read what Elizabeth DeLozier writes next!

Thanks so much to Net Galley and Dutton Books for my review copy! Eleanore of Avignon is out now

Eleanore of Avignon tells the fictional story of Elea, a woman in the 1350s trained in healing and midwifery, who serves in the royal court of Avignon when the Black Death begins to affect Europe. It’s amazing to read in light of the Covid pandemic of 2020-21, and the author’s note is a must read. Highly recommend for historical fiction fans who can tolerate an a plot that is at times bleak and gruesome (it’s the 1300s after all!).

(cw: gruesome medical scenes, medical & birth trauma, ref to stillbirth)

Excellent historical novel set in the 14th century Avignon during the time of the plague. DeLozier's descriptions give the reader an unerring feeling of time and place. Her character development propels the novel forward keeping the action running at a pace that keeps you turning the pages furiously. Wonderful debut novel that will have me looking out for her next one.

Huge thank you to Dutton Books for the ARC!

The reviews for this one are SO good and I can totally see why.

The writing is deep and very well done and the story is written about a time period that you don't often see in modern historical fiction.

I knew when I saw this book took place in the 1300s that I would struggle to feel connected, but surprisingly, it was better than I expected in that regard. As a mostly thriller reader, historical fiction is always something I feel like I need to discipline myself to read and as far as historical fiction books go, this is an amazing one!

While it still struggled to keep me entertained, I know that to be a personal issue and not a reflection of the author!

I absolutely adored Eleanore of Avignon. DeLozier has created a believable, fully fleshed out character in young Eleanore and set her in a credible and perilous situation. The author's research matches with everything I know about the period of the Avignon papacy, but she never lets research get in the way of her fast-moving plot. Realistic characters with believable relationships making their way through a rich, if dangerous period: all one can want in a historical! Brava!

Elizabeth DeLozier has written a gem of a debut book.

It was intriguing to follow MC Eleanore as she develops her healing talent during the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages. First she learns from her midwife mother and then she becomes an apprentice to the Pope’s physician. And let’s not forget Eleanore becoming the midwife to a queen. Another fascinating thing is the auxiliary characters are real people who lived during the times and the author has woven Eleanore’s story alongside them seamlessly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will be happy to read anything that Elizabeth DeLozier writes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the digital ARC.

A fascinating debut novel set in France during the 14th century. The novel brings to light the plight of strong, intelligent women, the Black Plague, and societal prejudices during that tumultuous time.in Europe's' history. A well developed mix of history and compelling storytelling makes this novel a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Publisher for an advanced copy of this novel.

Elizabeth DeLozier's debut novel is a fine example of what the best historical fiction can do...transporting you to another time, allowing you to live vicariously another person's life and educating you on a subject you may know little about. This is the story of Eleanore, a young midwife and healer, who in 1347 becomes the apprentice to the personal physician of Pope Clement during the time of the bubonic plague. An engrossing story filled with well developed characters and enough suspense to keep you turning the pages to see how it all turns out. This one is a 4.5 for me. I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advance readers copy for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Eleanore of Avignon!! This historical fiction novel is set in 14th century France, just as the plague begins to roll through Europe. Eleanor (Elea) is an herbalist and midwife - both very dangerous professions during this time frame. When she meets Guy de Chauliac (Guigo) he recognizes her extraordinary abilities and takes her under his wing, helping her strengthen her skills. As the plague rages on, Elea life is in danger. While she tries to heal a dying nation, she is pursued by a priest who believes her to be a witch.

I thought this story was beautifully researched and brought to life. Not only is this a great story, but it is also quite thought provoking and a reminder that life moves on, but, sadly, nothing really changes.

Wow - this debut author knocks her first book out of the park. The book is about the plague in 1300's France with a healer working with a papal physician to help find ways to ameliorate the conditions of the plague victims. I was drawn into the characters from the first page and the book did not let me go until I got to the final page. This book was extremely well researched and it shows in the writer's use of the information. I enjoyed how she intermixed real and fictional characters to create her story. A powerful book and very highly recommended.

Thank you to Penquin Group Dutton and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in my review are entirely my own.