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I Am The Chosen King (2011)

by Helen Hollick(Favorite Author)

4.13 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

140224066X (ISBN13: 9781402240669)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Sourcebooks Landmark

series

The Saxon Series

review 1: A fantastic account of the last of the Saxon English kings. Edward the Confessor was the last Saxon to complete his regin, and Harold Godwinson was the last Saxon king period.Hollick did a great job bringing these figures to life. I liked how conflicted Harold was about his duties as a nobleman, and later as king. Edward was pathetic and unlikeable, but you also had to feel a little sorry for him for being so completely ill equipped to be a good king. Edyth Swanneck was a wonderfully strong woman and I appreciated how she was written. The history of Saxon England was woven in deftly as well. Reading about the Witan, the fyrd, the thegns and aetheling, all were brought into the story in a way that made it feel like you already knew the information. I like when a historical ... morefiction novel is written in such a way that it's obvious it is well researched but doesn't beat you over the head with it. The death of Harold took me by surprise, but then it made sense that he was NOT, in fact, killed by the arrow to the eye. When we consider that William of Normandy had zero legitimate claim to the English throne, an arrow to the eye of the rightful king would make William's triumph seem like an act of god. It was probably propaganda, comissioned by Bishop Odo in the form of the Bayeux Tapestry, as mentioned in the author's note. Definitely recommended for anyone who loves a good, well researched historical fiction, and anyone who has an interest in Anglo-Saxon England.
review 2: This novel takes lace between 1043 and 1966 A. D. It's manly the story of Harold Godwinson King of England in 1066 and what led up to the Norman conquest of England in 1066.Herein are Dowager Queen Emma of England, a daughter of Richard the Fearless Duke of Normandy, and widow of Ethelred the Unready and Cnut the Great, Kings of England. She and her son Edward the Confessor mutually detest each other. Edward refused to cohabit with his wife Edith, a sister of Harold Godwinson, presumably for religious reasons.Some of my ancestors are killed on stage here: King Harald Hardrada of Norway; King Harold Godwinson of England; Harold's brother Tostig, ex-Earl of Northumbria.William the Bastard (later the Conqueror) Duke of Normandy is also my ancestor, but I don't know if I should be proud of that. He was not really a nice guy. less

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