Podcast Summary: New Books Network – Interview with Lucy Pick on The Queen’s Companion

Host: C.P. Leslie
Guest: Lucy Pick
Date: September 11, 2025

Overview

In this compelling episode of the New Books Network, host C.P. Leslie interviews historian and novelist Lucy Pick about her latest historical fiction novel, The Queen’s Companion (Cuidono Press, 2025). The discussion delves into the lesser-known early life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, focusing on her experiences during the Second Crusade, and is uniquely told through the perspective of the fictional Lady Ode (Haud) of Antioch. Central themes include female friendship, cultural displacement, and the complexities of historical narrative.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Journey from Historian to Novelist

• Lucy Pick’s Motivation for Writing Fiction
  Pick began writing fiction to complement her academic writing and reach a broader audience. Her fiction emerged as a way to explore the human dimension behind historical research.

  "I started writing, I think, as a sort of a companion piece to doing academic writing... because I wanted to tell stories that would get a different kind of audience than an academic audience." (Lucy Pick, 02:46)

2. The Intertwined Stories: Pilgrimage and The Queen’s Companion

• Narrative Connections
  The Queen’s Companion builds off her first novel, Pilgrimage, following the story of young Ode—who appears as a secondary character in Pilgrimage—and imagines her life intersecting with Eleanor of Aquitaine.

  "The first novel and the second novel, they can be read in any order, but they do intersect at a certain point." (Lucy Pick, 03:19)

3. Why Focus on Young Eleanor and Antioch?

• Unexplored Historical Period
  Pick is drawn to the enigmatic “lost year” of Eleanor’s life during the Second Crusade, when Eleanor vanishes from the historical record, presenting fertile ground for imaginative reconstruction.

  "...Eleanor...disappears for a year while on Crusade. So I had this wonderful opportunity to...imagine a period of, oh, nine to ten months about what happened to her." (Lucy Pick, 04:39)

• The Cosmopolitan Character of Antioch in 1148
  Pick describes Antioch as a "cosmopolitan, interesting place" featuring a mix of cultures, religions, and histories.

  "It's this very kind of cosmopolitan, interesting place in 1148, when Eleanor arrives there and meets Ode." (Lucy Pick, 07:06)

4. Female Friendship & Agency

• Unique Focus
  At the novel’s core is the depiction of female friendship that is non-pathological and mutually supportive, informed by Pick’s scholarly work on women’s networks in medieval Spain.

  "I wanted to...write a book about women who kind of grow together and who rely on each other...women of that era relied a lot on other women." (Lucy Pick, 07:22)

5. Constructing Ode’s Backstory

• Dual Timeline Structure
  The narrative weaves between present day travels with Eleanor and Ode’s recounting of her earlier life, gradually revealing the trauma and longing that shape her motivations.

  "She is telling her own story to Eleanor, beginning from her youth, and then the two kind of timelines join up at the end." (Lucy Pick, 09:22)

• Theme of Home and Identity
  Ode’s persistent journey is driven by a longing for home, which over time she learns is as much about relationships as it is about place.

  "Home is not just a place. Home is the people and the relationships that she has." (Lucy Pick, 12:54)

6. Character Insights: Ode’s Family and Eve the Barbary Ape

• Mixed Heritage and Early Loss
  Ode is the “insecurely attached” daughter of a French Crusader and his Armenian wife, leading to an early sense of displacement and self-reliance.

  "Her father was a French crusader...They're very preoccupied with each other...and they're not so preoccupied with Ode." (Lucy Pick, 13:45)

• Eve as Alter Ego and Comic Relief
  The inclusion of Ode’s companion, Eve the Barbary ape, brings both levity and symbolic resonance, mirroring Ode’s journey of self-discovery.

  "Ode's recognition...of what Eve needs in her life parallels Ode's recognition of what Ode needs in Ode's life. So I would call Eve sort of an alter ego in some ways." (Lucy Pick, 14:59)

7. Ode’s Nemesis: Thierry de Gallerin and the Templars

• Thierry, a historical Templar and rival to both Ode and Eleanor, embodies the intersections of spiritual authority and militaristic ambition in the Crusader states.

  "He is a Templar...part monastic, part knightly order of men who both lived religious lives and who fought...Ode also has her own history with him." (Lucy Pick, 19:13)

8. Ode’s Coming of Age and Her Relationships

• Young Ode in Jerusalem and Charles the Good
  Ode’s youthful infatuation with the knight Charles the Good shapes much of her trajectory, providing a chivalric ideal and lesson in maturity as she later navigates disappointment and real friendship.

  "He is the figure who history knows as Charles the Good...her life gets entangled with his...coming to terms with that...is also kind of part of Ode's healing process." (Lucy Pick, 21:51)

• Displacement in Flanders, Rivalry, and Friendship with Edith
  Ode’s arrival in Flanders is marked by culture shock and rivalry with Edith, which transforms into solidarity, particularly after shared loss and hardship.

  "So Ode and Edith are...rivals, except Edith really isn't cut out to be a rival...the relationship that Ode has with Edith, I think, teaches her how to have a relationship with Eleanor." (Lucy Pick, 26:44)

9. The Historical Triangle: Eleanor, Louis VII, and Count Raymond

• The novel explores the possibility—attested in medieval chronicles but controversial among historians—that Eleanor and her uncle Raymond of Antioch had an affair. Pick weighs historical plausibility with creative narrative.

  "There's a medieval story...that Eleanor and Raymond had an affair...From my point of view...I think it's probably plausible...that's the line I took in the novel." (Lucy Pick, 28:39–31:17)

• Pick reflects on her evolving views about Eleanor’s agency and vulnerability in narrative context.

  "As I was working on the book, my view of Eleanor really changed...I realized how young she was...seeing more as Raymond as being more predatory." (Lucy Pick, 31:35)

10. Broader Themes and the Modern Reader

• Relating Past and Present
  Pick hopes readers appreciate both the resonances and distinctions between the medieval world and contemporary issues, especially in the ways women relate to each other and navigate patriarchal contexts.

  "I'd like readers to...see both how the sort of similarities, parallels to our own time...and also the differences..." (Lucy Pick, 32:19)

11. A Glimpse at the Next Book

• Pick’s forthcoming project will center on El Cid’s wife and the legends of the Holy Grail in medieval Spain.

  "It's really about his wife...and it's about the Holy Grail also." (Lucy Pick, 32:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the type of female friendships depicted in literature:

  "When I was trying to find other books that were similar...they're all really...disturbing and toxic...But I wanted to...write a book about women who...rely on each other."
  (Lucy Pick, 07:22–08:20)

• On historical plausibility vs. narrative invention:

  "If we take what historians write about what happened as evidence at all, that's evidence. But we also know that medieval historians...write in ways to favor one character...I think it's probably plausible."
  (Lucy Pick, 30:20–31:17)

• On character development via pets:

  "Pets always kind of humanize a character...but that's interesting. She is, in a sense, an alter ego. I hadn't thought of Ode figuring out what she wants by figuring out what Eve wants."
  (C.P. Leslie, 17:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:46] – Lucy Pick on writing fiction as a historian
• [04:39] – Why focus on Eleanor's "missing year" in Antioch
• [07:22] – Depiction of female friendship and supporting networks
• [09:22] – Explanation of the dual timeline structure
• [12:54] – Ode’s understanding of “home”
• [14:59] – Eve the Barbary ape as alter ego
• [19:13] – Introduction of Thierry de Gallerin and the Templars
• [21:51] – Childhood encounter with Charles the Good
• [26:44] – Dynamic between Ode and Edith
• [28:39–31:17] – The “triangle” story: Eleanor, Raymond, and Louis VII; issues of historical truth and narrative
• [32:19] – Takeaways for readers: Parallels and differences with the present
• [32:59] – Preview of next novel about El Cid’s wife and the Holy Grail

Overall Tone

The interview is engaging, thoughtful, and personable, balancing scholarly insight with the warmth of shared storytelling. Both Pick and Leslie maintain an accessible, occasionally humorous tone, making complex history relatable and the writing process transparent.

Conclusion

This episode offers an in-depth exploration of both the historical context of The Queen’s Companion and Lucy Pick’s creative process. The focus on young Eleanor of Aquitaine, told through the resilient, complex figure of Ode, provides a fresh lens on crusader history and women’s lives in the Middle Ages. With ample attention to the challenges and rewards of blending fact with fiction, the conversation is insightful for both historical fiction enthusiasts and scholars alike.