Lady Macbeth: A Novel Summary and Reviews

Lady Macbeth: A Novel
by Susan Fraser King

Lady Macbeth: A Novel
List Price: $23.95
Our Price: $11.97
You Save: $11.98 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.88 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Susan Fraser King
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-12
ISBN: 0307341747
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Crown

Book Reviews of Lady Macbeth: A Novel

Book Review: A very different tale of Macbeth and his lady than Shakespeare's
Summary: 4 Stars

Lady Gruadh (Rue) is descended from one of two branches of the ancient royal line of Celtic Kings. First married against her wishes to Gilcomgan of Moray, her husband is killed in battle with Macbeth, and the pregnant Rue is married to Macbeth, Rue's pure bloodline giving him a stronger claim to the throne of Scotland. Thus begins an uneasy truce between the two as they eventually make the marriage work and Macbeth schemes to take the reign of Scotland from Duncan. Amidst the plots and treacheries of 11C Scotland, the author also works in plentiful details of Celtic myths and lifestyle as she tells Rue's story in the first person POV.

While I did enjoy this book, along with picking up some knowledge of Scottish history and the "real" Macbeth, I found this book to be very slow paced at times with long periods of inaction and detailed descriptions of every day life. Although I typically don't mind a slower paced book as long as the author can fully immerse me into another century, in this case I felt like I was on the outside looking in. Rue's tale came off to this reader as a bit cold and aloof. I never felt I was a part of the story - just an interested bystander, and that is not where I want to be in a book. I also felt it too short at just over 300 pages, perhaps the characters would be been stronger and had more life if they had been fleshed out more, but that could have been the publisher's decision and not the author. We'll never know.

A reasonably entertaining and educational read about the "real" Macbeth instead of Shakespeare's version, but it's not a book I'm willing to give a five star rating to, nor one I will read more than once. If you're not sure, get it from the library first and then if you love it, buy it. Side note, there is an extensive list of characters with their full names and titles (with pronunciation) along with a glossary at the back of the book. I really wish publishers would either put these at the front of the book or tell the reader it's there in the back for my reference. Four stars.

Literature & Fiction Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Overachiever's Reading List 2008 Part 2: Apr-June
Love in the Time of Cholera (Vintage International) ImageLove in the Time of Cholera (Vintage International)
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Vintage Books; Published: 2007-10-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $14.95
Cranford (Penguin Classics) ImageCranford (Penguin Classics)
by Elizabeth Gaskell
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2008-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.85
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Observations ImageThe Observations
by Jane Harris
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-06-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.85
Price in other shops: $14.00
Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill ImageDuchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill
by Susan Holloway Scott
NAL Trade; Published: 2006-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops: $14.00
Immortality (Perennial Classics) ImageImmortality (Perennial Classics)
by Milan Kundera
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 1999-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Lady and the Unicorn ImageThe Lady and the Unicorn
by Tracy Chevalier
Plume; Published: 2004-12-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.90
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Thistle and the Rose: The Tudor Princesses ImageThe Thistle and the Rose: The Tudor Princesses
by Jean Plaidy
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2004-01-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.80
Price in other shops: $12.95
The Tudor Rose ImageThe Tudor Rose
by Margaret Barnes
Ace; Published: 1981-07-01; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $2.75
Aspects of Love ImageAspects of Love
Hal Leonard Corporation; Published: 1989-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.33
Price in other shops: $16.95
Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (P.S.) ImageSex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (P.S.)
by Eleanor Herman
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.44
Price in other shops: $13.95
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Serpent's Tale ImageThe Serpent's Tale
by Ariana Franklin
Putnam Adult; Published: 2008-01-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.40
Price in other shops: $25.95
Devil's Brood ImageDevil's Brood
by Sharon Kay Penman
Putnam Adult; Published: 2008-10-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.11
Price in other shops: $28.95
Hugh and Bess: A Love Story ImageHugh and Bess: A Love Story
by Susan Higginbotham
Lulu.com; Published: 2007-10-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.75
Price in other shops: $11.95
The Other Queen: A Novel ImageThe Other Queen: A Novel
by Philippa Gregory
Touchstone; Published: 2008-09-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.13
Price in other shops: $25.95
Lady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses ImageLady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses
by Sandra Worth
Berkley Trade; Published: 2008-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.04
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel ImageThe Lady Elizabeth: A Novel
by Alison Weir
Ballantine Books; Published: 2008-04-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.25
Price in other shops: $25.00
The Secret Bride: In The Court of Henry VIII ImageThe Secret Bride: In The Court of Henry VIII
by Diane Haeger
NAL Trade; Published: 2008-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.39
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Sixth Wife: A Novel ImageThe Sixth Wife: A Novel
by Suzannah Dunn
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2008-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.34
Price in other shops: $13.95
People of the Book: A Novel ImagePeople of the Book: A Novel
by Geraldine Brooks
Viking Adult; Published: 2008-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.29
Price in other shops: $25.95
Daughter of York: A Novel ImageDaughter of York: A Novel
by Anne Easter Smith
Touchstone; Published: 2008-02-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.94
Price in other shops: $16.95