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The blurb Refugee. Queen. Saint. In eleventh-century Scotland, a young woman strives to fulfill her destiny despite the risks . . . Shipwrecked on the Scottish coast, a young Saxon princess and her family—including the outlawed Edgar of England—ask sanctuary of the warrior-king Malcolm Canmore, who shrewdly sees the political advantage. He promises to aid Edgar and the Saxon cause in return for the hand of Edgar’s sister, Margaret, in marriage. A foreign queen in a strange land, Margaret adapts to life among the barbarian Scots, bears princes, and shapes the fierce warrior Malcolm into a sophisticated ruler. Yet even as the king and queen build a passionate and tempestuous partnership, the Scots distrust her. When her husband brings Eva, a Celtic bard, to court as a hostage for the good behavior of the formidable Lady Macbeth, Margaret expects trouble. Instead, an unlikely friendship grows between the queen and her bard, though one has a wild Celtic nature and the other follows the demanding path of obligation. Torn between old and new loyalties, Eva is bound by a vow to betray the king and his Saxon queen. Soon imprisoned and charged with witchcraft and treason, Eva learns that Queen Margaret—counseled by the furious king and his powerful priests—will decide her fate and that of her kinswoman Lady Macbeth. But can the proud queen forgive such deep treachery? Scotland, 1067, Margaret , her mother and sister are taken ,by ship, to Scotland on the orders of her brother Edgar. This Saxon family are in need of shelter and protection after the death of their father, King Edward. They are given sanctuary by King Malcolm, III, a fierce man who seeks a wife. This is not a match that Margaret desires, but fears this will be her destiny as a dutiful sister to Edgar. Margaret finds herself falling for Malcolm and Scotland after the initial realisation that these people live and behave differently . I was really looking forward to reading this tale about Margaret of Scotland, even though this is a period I know little about. I struggled a little with the connections of all the characters, and could not have done without the Genealogy map at the start of the novel. Susan Fraser King has written a beautiful novel, fitting to the time period, that captures the wild landscape of The Highlands, in a turbulent time religiously and socially for the Scots, Normans and Saxons . A lovely read once I found my way around the 11th Century and genealogy. 4 out of 5 for me! review copy |
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Review - Queen Hereafter - Susan Fraser King
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