From towering crags to misted moors and formidable fortresses, Lady Macbeth transports readers to the heart of eleventh-century Scotland, painting a bold, vivid portrait of a woman much maligned by history. Lady Gruadh—Rue—is the last female descendant of Scotland’s most royal line. Married to a powerful northern lord, she is widowed while still carrying his child and forced to marry her … forced to marry her husband’s murderer: a rising warlord named Macbeth. As she encounters danger from Vikings, Saxons, and treacherous Scottish lords, Rue begins to respect the man she once despised. When she learns that Macbeth’s complex ambitions extend beyond the borders of the vast northern region, she realizes that only Macbeth can unite Scotland. But his wife’s royal blood is the key to his ultimate success.
Determined to protect her son and a proud legacy of warrior kings and strong women, Rue invokes the ancient wisdom and secret practices of her female ancestors as she strives to hold her own in a warrior society. Finally, side by side as the last Celtic king and queen of Scotland, she and Macbeth must face the gathering storm brought on by their combined destiny.
This is Lady Macbeth as you’ve never seen her.
more
I loved this retelling of Macbeth from Lady Macbeth’s point of view. She comes alive in this book. The historical backstory is informative and sets up what happens well. I listened to the audiobook and the reader, Wanda McCaddan, was brilliant with the voices and accents.
I loved this book. I read it after reading “Queen Hearafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland,” which I also loved.
Although I have Scottish ancestors, I knew little about Scotland’s history, having only encountered some later history when I read “Mary Queen of Scots” (I don’t remember the author). Historically, Lady Macbeth predates the story of …
I enjoyed reading about this woman in history, especially since I’m a little more familiar with the time period right after her.
The only reading of Macbeth that I ever enjoyed.
I picked up this book on Kindle as research for a historical fiction novel I’m writing soon based in 11th century Scotland. This book took place slightly before my timeline, but I thought the lifestyle descriptions of Scottish people in that era would be useful. Boy was I right! Susan Fraser King is extremely descriptive. I can tell she takes …
As a high school English teacher, I’ve frequently taught Macbeth in Brit lit classes. It was interesting to see an author flesh out the queen as more than a one-sided stereotype.
Liked it a lot. Well written. Interesting story and characters.
I like historical fiction, but only if the subject interests me and if the author has the research at the end of the book. That way I learn something about the time and trials of the period, but I can separate fact(ish) from fiction.
A different view of the Macbeths.
It seemed to be a well researched book and it was fascinating to compare this Lady Macbeth to Shakespeare. Shortly after reading the book I attended a performance of Macbeth and was totally distracted by the the differences.
It was a fun read – interesting idea. Very different take on Lady M than Shakespeare.
The author has done a lot of research for this very realistic book based on real history. The Scottish were a very bellicose people and killing their own relatives was not unusual.
I listened to this on audio and that may be why it was just OK. The narrator had 2 voices, one for men and one for women…unfortunately, they sounded similar. If a group of people were speaking, it was confusing as to who said what just by listening. The story was interesting, Lady Macbeth from childhood, first marriage and child, it’s …
I couldn’t put it down. I always thought Shakespeare gave Lady Macbeth a bad rap.
I really loved this book. It actually inspired me to study up on Scotland’s history and learn more about the historical characters in the book. This is one that I will no doubt read more than once because there are so many details that bear reviewing. Despite the fact that I knew what would happen to Macbeth because of the research I did while …
Not much is really known about Lady Macbeth so the general historical information of what life was like during that time period has to suffice and was interesting .
Historical fiction about a character that got ooor press by Shakespeare
I loved this book. It’s extremely well written and even though it is probably mostly fiction, it still gives the reader a good picture of life in this time period. I would highly recommend it to all readers. Very satisfying.
I enjoy historical fiction… this was a good read!
I knew little of Macbeth and less of his wife but this book made them human.
I really believe Scotland was a miserable place to live in their times!
Almost certain that Lady Macbeth would marry again and have a step daughter
because she needed someone to understand and love her. Good reading!