Monday, February 14, 2011
THE FOREVER QUEEN by Helen Hollick (✰✰✰✰✰ ♥)
Right. I have a huge stack of library books, due back soon. The Forever Queen, as my Nookbook, is supposed to be my after lights out reading. There was absolutely no way that I was going to read this fantastic novel in short spurts before sleep! In telling the tale of the Anglo Saxon Queen Emma of Normandy with stunning vividity, emotion, and tempo, Helen Hollick has left me wondering one thing: How is it that this woman is buried in the sands of history? Emma was wife of two kings and mother of two more. She was not content to be window dressing or a political pawn, but took an active role as Queen of England, embraced the people as her own, and put their interests before hers. Author Hollick feels that the only reason that we know so little about her, as opposed to say, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is because she lived in an age for which there is not a lot of written history, and what there is didn't feel it important to mention women. Queen Eleanor, on the other hand, came much later and during a time of better record keeping. Now my question is: How long will Helen Hollick take before she publishes the next volume in this epic? In the interim, I will certainly be reading other works from this prodigious talent!
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Hey Care,
ReplyDeleteI clicked over to your blog, because I saw that someone had found my blog through your link--which I didn't know existed. So first, thank you for linking to my blog.
This is the first time I've visited yours, and I have to tell you first that I love the title. It's a lovely blog! I'd like to be able to reciprocate your link, but after two years of blogging, there's still so much I don't know how to do. I kid you not, I'm reading BLOGGING FOR DUMMIES right now. Once I figure out how, I'll be happy to reciprocate.
And now a comment related to this fine book review... I'm wonding what time period it was that Emma was queen? A book like this might not normally be on my radar, but you make it sound like a must read!
Thank-you for the compliment! This blog is a labor of love for me.
ReplyDeleteEmma was queen during the early 11th Century, the Saxon age, not long after Alfred. Even if you are not a great history fan, this book has such a gripping plot line and vivid characters, that I think it would appeal to a number of people.
You don't need a fancy blog, because your content is so good! I would like to do longer, better quality reviews here, and just post quick versions on Shelfari, but lately I have been spending my extra time with my family, so just getting my blog together has taken all my spare time.
Hi Care,
ReplyDeleteThanks for answering my questions, and for the kind words. And, yes, blogging is a total time suck! (But at least I did figure out how to add a blog roll with a link to your site, LOL.)