Title: Shadow on the Crown Series: Emma of Normandy #1
Author: Patricia Bracewell
Published: February 7, 2013
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Page Count: 416
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:A rich tale of power and forbidden love revolving around a young medieval queen In 1002, fifteen--year-old Emma of Normandy crosses the Narrow Sea to wed the much older King Athelred of England, whom she meets for the first time at the church door. Thrust into an unfamiliar and treacherous court, with a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her and a bewitching rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies and secure her status as queen by bearing a son.
Determined to outmaneuver her adversaries, Emma forges alliances with influential men at court and wins the affection of the English people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life.
Emma of Normandy is quite the fascinating woman, and I’ve long admired her strength and intelligence, especially as a woman in the eleventh century. Prior to reading Shadow on the Crown, I’d actually already read a book about Emma, and while it’s been a few years and I don’t remember much, I did enjoy it. I think it’s interesting, then, to juxtapose Patricia Bracewell’s version of events with the other.
Shadow on the Crown covers a fairly short span of years, dealing only with Emma’s marriage to her first husband, Æthelred, and ending with the birth of her first child, Edward. I must admit to being slightly disappointed when the book ended, partly because this was so good and partly because Emma’s relationship with her second husband, Cnut, is far more interesting to me. Alas! (Though perhaps there will be a sequel in the works?)
Obviously, the big issue at stake with this novel was Emma herself. Namely, could Bracewell manage to portray her as both human and a queen, make her appear strong but not stone? I think that, overall, she did. Emma stood up for herself when the time came, and I think that through the course of this text she proved herself worthy of admiration.
I must say, though, that I was really impressed with the set-up for this novel. The story is told via alternating third person perspectives, with the main focus being Emma and her rival, Elgiva. It was nice to have two such strong, determined female characters placed into the historical context, and I also enjoyed having an external (and none too positive) view of Emma herself.
Bracewell’s writing was also done well, simplistic but not childish, informative but not dull. Shadow on the Crown was easy to follow along with and get engaged with, and it certainly wasn’t boring in the least.
Altogether, I think I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I didn’t have a pre-existing version of Emma of Normandy stuck in my head. Patricia Bracewell did an excellent job with her topic, and I really have no complaints anywhere except my preconceived notions and the fact that this book cuts off before Emma truly comes into her own as a queen. Which is why I’m hoping for a sequel of some sort. But, in any case, Shadow on the Crown was quite good, and I look forward to reading more from this author!
