Recent Reads {Lady Macbeth}

Lady Macbeth by Susan Fraser King - I genuinely enjoyed this historical novel featuring Lady Macbeth telling her own story. My previous knowledge about Macbeth and his queen was limited to what little I remember from Shakespeare's play, so this novel based on historical evidence (what little there is) of these eleventh-century Scottish monarchs was an eye-opener. King has taken the bits of pieces known about Macbeth, his queen (Gruoch, or Gruadh, shortened in the novel to a nickname - Rue) and her previous marriage, and the other kings of the time, and woven them together with historical information about battles and conflicts and daily life in Scotland at that time. She imagines Gruadh as a strong warrior-princess of Scotland, a leader with her own claim to the High Kingship and her own sorrows and joys and challenges. The story captured my interest early on, and kept me engaged throughout, so that I felt just a bit disappointed that I'd reached the end of the book! I also really appreciated that she told her story in a dignified manner - without stooping to bodice-ripping or anything unnecessary like that. Good book, and I may check into other titles by this author!