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The Forever Queen (2010)

by Helen Hollick(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1402240686 (ISBN13: 9781402240683)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Sourcebooks Landmark

series

The Saxon Series

review 1: Wow, this is a long book! But, that being said, I really enjoyed it! Emma of Normandy was someone who I really had no knowledge of. This time period is also a time period in British history about which I know very little. Now, I know that this was a work of fiction, but it has sparked my interest in this time period and Emma, Cnut, and some of the other major characters. Hollick takes Emma and has her as a small, strong girl and grows her through her life into a strong, sometimes ruthless woman. We experience tragedy, pain, friendship, birth, death, and Queenship with Emma. This is a very interesting take on what it might have been like during the time of Queen Emma.
review 2: Fantastic! I was quite impressed with all of this book. I appreciate that it was not ... moreso much a gushy over done, made up romance novel but more of a historical docu-drama of her life. Helen Hollick took the limited details surrounding this somewhat forgotten queen that we hear so little about and wove those details into an excellent story!I wrote the above short review a while ago but wanted to add to it because I am still so impressed with the storytelling of Helen Hollick. I have not read the second book of the series yet, but will get to it soon! After spending an immense amount of time reading quite serious histories, I needed to take a break and read some less intense ones! This was most definitely one of the more serious and intense ones! It is not a feel good, happily ever after love story by any means. If you are looking for that, you will be quite disappointed. What you will find is a story about the grim and gritty realities of a woman's life in those early medieval times. Just because a woman was of noble blood and ended up with a crown- more than one, it did not mean her life was any easier. In fact, in so many ways it was even more difficult. Emma was married first to Æthelred who failed as both a King and a husband, but Emma did do her duty in providing him with not one, but two legitimate heirs. That should have given her some security in those times but unfortunately luck was not with her... or maybe it was? The kingdom is overtaken by Cnut who claims her along with the kingdom. She finally finds love with him only to have him die leaving the kingdom in another battle of who should rule. The story of her life was well documented in this book with more than enough factual information woven into the story to give what I felt it was an excellent representation of the constant hurdles she endured throughout her life that colored and shaped how she viewed her role and her destiny as well as that of her sons. less

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