Book Summary and Reviews of The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick

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Sandra H.

The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick
Most historical novels about British royalty are set later than the early Anglo-Saxon period. This one takes place during the eleventh century and features "Emma," daughter of Richard I of Normandy,whose brother Richard II marries her to King Aethelred II (also known as Aethelred the Unready) who is 20 years older than the 13-year-old Emma in 1017. Emma produces two sons and a daughter for him but lives a wretched life. She is tough, however, and learns how to survive the life fate has given her. When her husband finally dies, she has no choice but to marry Cnut, the Viking invader who eventually rules Norway, Denmark and England. And this is only a third of her remarkable life.

While this fascinating story centers on Emma, it also tells us much about the early history of an often weak and unsettled England during a time when the lives of royalty and the upper classes were often filled with violence and danger while the peasants suffered for the foibles of their leaders. Hollick's characters are fully developed; her descriptions beautifully rendered and the violence of the times--burnings, beheadings, eyes gouged out--described in detail. Yet, the characters also loved and cared for their families and the people they ruled. Helen Hollick helps us understand this violent time while telling a rousing good story of a woman who became the mother of two kings and the great-aunt of William the Conquerer.