E. Knight (1)

What an unusual twist on co-authoring! The story of Boudica's rebellion is told in (mostly) linear time, but from the points of view of several different characters with each installment carrying on the story from a different p.o.v. as told by a different author. Surprisingly, there's not a blatantly lesser section in the lot.

Given how little we know about Boudica, the culture of Celtic Britain, and Druidism, the authors had very little to work with, yet they've created a very plausible show more sociopolitical setting for their novel. The characters are round and believable and often sympathetic. There's not a single uninflected "good guy," which seems appropriate, given the historical roots of the tale and the fact that this is primarily a story of war.

As expected, the subject means that the book gets pretty much all the content warnings. Violence, SA, child abuse, gore, cruelty to humans and animals, homophobia, racism, etc. There are many disturbing scenes and elements, but none are exploitative or unnecessarily detailed or prolonged. If you've somehow gotten this far in life without realizing that humans, even those who are generally decent in other contexts, often do abjectly horrific things to each other in war, this novel will thoroughly correct that oversight. Also, if you don't know the source story, be aware that Boudica revolted against the Roman occupation of Britain after the Roman provincial procurator had her publicly stripped and flogged and allowed Roman soldiers to rape her daughters, so things get ugly pretty quickly in this book and then just stay ugly.

Human nature is actually the most disturbing thing about the book. As in life, there are a few characters who are so thoroughly degenerate and brutal that we feel pretty comfortable hating them and it's a relief when they're taken out of circulation, but the vast majority of the characters are not so easily managed. Nearly every main character, whether Roman or Britton, does things that, to a comfortable 21st-century eye, are terrible. Sometimes they have no choice, but often they make what seems like the best decision in the moment, even if it leads them into committing injustices. And yet every single one has moments in which the reader sees their humanity and feels for them. For a book with seven authors, that's pretty impressive. show less

Given the list of authors involved in writing this novel, I was certain I'd enjoy it, but still it surprised me. I hadn't expected that a collaboration among so many different authors could come together as such a perfect, cohesive whole.

There are six parts, each focusing on a different woman (though one part centers on two women). The women are from diverse backgrounds, ranging from a poor fruit seller to a princess. Each character tells her story in first person, and with a different show more author at the helm of each of these stories, every character has a her own distinct voice.

Every one of these six stories feels as if it could stand on its own, but combined, they tell one complete, unforgettable story. The parts are arranged in chronological order with the first set before the Revolution and the last set during the Terror. Though each part centers on one main character, each part has appearances by most of the other women too. That way, once a characters section has wrapped up, her story may continue. And if the character hasn't been featured yet, the reader has already gotten to know her. This criss crossing of characters was perfectly done and made for a solid, unified whole.

I definitely found some characters more relatable than others, but there was more to relate to here than the women. There were themes that are very relevant today.

I also appreciated the range of emotion in this book. Of course there was horror, but there was also tenderness and love.

I learned a lot reading this, and I appreciated the authors' notes at the end.

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or even books about strong women.

I was fortunate enough to have an ARC to base this review on, but I was so impressed by this novel that I ordered a finished copy. show less

Funny, I wonder if there is a bit of truth in the way the "barbarians" underestimated the Romans by their effete appearance. Sadly, the tribe leaders met with maybe the least impressive, Claudius. Tragically so.

I've always found it odd that the Romans wiped out the Druid practice/religion when they pretty much left all others alone, even encouraging people to build temples in Rome to foreign gods.

Interesting the self-interest on display when the outraged Britons quake under the prospect of show more becoming Roman slaves when they enslave each other with abandon.

Not sure I'll finish this. It's a foregone conclusion and there is a ton of grisly action and cruelty, to be expected with war, but I'll never listen to it again even if I do get through it. Back to Audible it will go.

Ok, I made it through, but skipped over some more gratuitous passages - droning on about curses and battle blows. It strikes me, in the fierce pride of the women in the book, that the only way they can have any agency is to adopt the bloodthirsty violence made the cultural norm by men. Behaving with gentleness, kindness, compassion and compromise are all weak and despised. Why? Because they are the default position of many women? Because they don't result in absolute domination and oppression? Why do we value those qualities in humans over the others? Why are we, and by we I mean the culture as a whole and men in particular, so afraid of that other side to us? Sometimes called the feminine side, but I don't think it's that specific. It's just been nearly completely wiped out of so much of how we think of ourselves and what we consider normal and natural. Sad really. We never learn and it will be the end of us one day. And, sadly, probably all life on earth as we know it. show less

One would think with all of the Tudor books out there that one would have read it all but no - Ms. Knight has found a heroine about whom I knew very little. Lady Katherine Grey was a sister to Lady Jane Grey - the young woman who was queen for 9 days between Edward VI and Mary I. Katherine had royal blood so her life was really lived at the Queen's behest. She couldn't marry without her permission, she really couldn't be free at all. So much for the "fun" of being royal.

Once I started show more reading about this young woman I was totally lost in her life. I felt so badly for her - unable to love who she chose. Much has been written about Elizabeth I's inability to let the women around her find happiness because she herself could not. That left these women with the option of never marrying or taking their chances and defying the Queen. Katherine went the defiance route and she paid for it with imprisonment in the Tower. She was still able to see her husband and she did have two sons while living there but the Queen made sure she would never see her husband again.

It's a very sad story about a woman who just wanted to live a normal life when she was not living in normal times. The book is very well written with a style that makes the time and characters come alive on the page. I found myself thinking of this poor girl for days after I finished the book. I could tell that Ms. Knight really cared for her subject and wanted to due her story justice. The research is evident in the delightful details sprinkled throughout the tale. I've got Ms. Knight's first book on my tablet and I am going to make time in my reading schedule for it as I so enjoyed this one and I know I'll be looking forward to more from her. show less