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. What you will find is a story about the grim and gritty realities of a woman’s life in those early medieval times. If you are looking for that, you will be quite disappointed. It is not a feel good, happily ever after love story by any means. 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 appreciate that it was not so much a gushy over done, made up romance novel but more of a historical docu-drama of her life. I was quite impressed with all of this book. Smarter than history remembers, and stronger than the foreign invaders who threaten England’s shores, Emma risks everything on a gamble that could either fulfill her ambitions and dreams or destroy her completely.Įmma, the Queen of Saxon England, comes to life through the exquisite writing of Helen Hollick, who shows in this epic tale how one of the most compelling and vivid heroines in English history stood tall through a turbulent fifty-year reign of proud determination, tragic despair, and triumph over treachery. When the Danish Vikings, led by Swein Forkbeard and his son, Cnut, cause a maelstrom of chaos, Emma, as Queen, must take control if the Kingdom-and her crown-are to be salvaged.
Not only is Æthelred a failure as King, but his young bride, Emma of Normandy, soon discovers he is even worse as a husband. What kind of woman becomes the wife of two kings, and the mother of two more? It is the first of two books on Emma and her offspring, with the second book being, I am the Chosen King. The Forever Queen: This book is a great depiction and detail of Emma of Normandy, whom little is known about but who is so important in history.
Helen Hollick has two excellent books about the prior events leading up to the battle and the final outcome. I am not going to go into a detailed discussion of the events but I do want to share a few books and such that I have read about the people involved in this history and these events. Without Harald Hardrada’s involvement, Harald Godwinsson King of England at the time might have actually been better prepared and able to win against William of Normandy at the battle of Hastings. In a way, it was a three way battle for the country. The battle leading up to this one involved Harald Hardrada, King of Norway and Denmark at the time who felt he had a valid and rightful claim. 949 years ago today, there was a final battle for England.
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