Title: Shadow on the Crown
Author: Patricia Bracewell
Number of Pages: 416
Publisher: Viking Adult
Summary:
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.
Based on real events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Shadow on the Crown introduces readers to a fascinating, overlooked period of history and an unforgettable heroine whose quest to find her place in the world will resonate with modern readers.
Star Rating:
We all loved this book. We gave it 4.5 stars.
Our moderator Brooke, contacted the author and we video-chatted with her for the evening. Her manner was so warm and kind hearted, I think we all loved her instantly. We learned about her process of writing and researching, some of her favorite things in life, and that there are 2 more books to complete this story! Here is a sample of some of the questions and answers from the interview - most answers are paraphrased.
Interview with Patricia Bracewell
Moderator: What is your background?
Patricia: I used to teach high school English, literature and composition. She also raised a family.
Moderator: How did you choose to write about Emma?
Patricia: I think she found me, I saw an online bulletin post that mentioned Emma of Normandy, I had never heard of her. I started doing a little research and I was hooked. I could never find the post again. I guess the universe lined it up.
Moderator: What was your process for researching and writing about Emma?
Patricia: I began by reading general histories of the Anglo–Saxons, the Normans, and the Vikings. From there I progressed to books that dealt specifically with Æthelred II and Emma of Normandy. At the same time I began to research details about the period in academic journals—clothing, weaponry, warfare, land ownership, architecture, trade, roads, ships, horses, food, and much more. I drove through Normandy, visiting Rouen and the abbeys along the Seine. I went to England and followed Emma’s route to Exeter, spent several days in Winchester, took a two week summer course on the Anglo–Saxons at Cambridge, visited the Anglo–Saxon village at West Stow, and watched a reenactment of the Battle of Hastings. What surprised me the most was just how little is left from the eleventh century.
Moderator: Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you outline, brainstorm, or just write?
Patricia: Every author has a good dose of butt glue. I write out scenes, and think in scenes - who is there, who are they, what do they want etc... "Sitting down and facing a blank page is just dreadful."
Moderator: How did you decide to choose several characters viewpoints to write from?
Patricia: Because it was a man's world, I didn't just want someone saying what happened, I wanted people that were experiencing it.
Moderator: One of the themes that emerged throughout the narrative is how little power women had in this society, in which even their brothers could control their fate, and yet Emma is something of a proto–feminist
character. What is it about Emma that enables her to have the power that she does?
Patricia: Women could own land and things at this time in history, but it was still a patriarchal society. Women had to use their power however they could. That usually meant manipulating men. Emma recognizes and accepts her role as a woman in a patriarchal society, but she also recognizes her power as a queen and she understands what alliances she must make in order to fully achieve it. I made the decision to give her the language gift.
Moderator: Emma makes a profound choice, between love and honor. How did you arrive at this decision on her behalf?
Patricia: My function as the author was not so much to choose honor over love on Emma’s behalf, but to put her in a situation where she had to make that choice. It doesn’t appear anywhere in the histories. It is where history ends and storytelling takes over. The Emma that I created, I hope, could not have made any other decision and still have been true to her nature. It is fiction with a tendril of truth.
Moderator: Which character's perspective did you like to write from best?
Patricia: Emma
Moderator: Which character would you choose to go back and live out their life?
Patricia: Emma
Moderator: Can you give us any hints on what happens in the next two books?
Patricia: Book two is written with the same 4 character viewpoints and ten people get killed off. Book three is war, war, war.
Book Club member: Does Ange make an appearance in the second book?
Patricia: Yes! (This sparked a discussion about how she writes her horse scenes and has fellow writers that ride horses read those sections to make sure they are realistic.)
Moderator: What are some things about yourself that may surprise us?
Patricia: I play guitar and sing folk music. I used to sing in a bar - think Carol King.
Moderator: What is one of your guilty pleasures?
Patricia: Listening to mysteries on my MP3 player. I really like Ian Rankin's books.
Moderator: What is your favorite TV show?
Patricia: Vikings, on the History Channel
Moderator: What is one item that you could not live without?
Patricia: Earl Grey Tea
Moderator: What is your favorite book that you have read this year?
Patricia: This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
Moderator: What do you like to do in your leisure time:
Patricia: Play tennis, work in the garden, go for walks, travel
As you can see, we had a wonderful evening visiting with Patricia Bracewell. We would definitely recommend Shadow on the Crown as a book club pick. There are many interesting themes, complex characters and tricky dilemmas to discuss.
Go pick up this book today. You won't be disappointed.
Elizabet
