Synopses & Reviews
A lively account of the harsh realities of war and politics in this era, the vagaries of political marriage and the thin line between invaders and settlers.”Publishers Weekly Emma, one of Englands most remarkable queens, made her mark on a nation beset by Viking raiders at the end of the Dark Ages. At the center of a triangle of Anglo Saxons, Vikings, and Normans all jostling for control of England, Emma was a political pawn who became an unscrupulous manipulator. Regarded by her contemporaries as a generous Christian patron, an admired regent, and a Machiavellian mother, Emma was, above all, a survivor: hers was a life marked by dramatic reversals of fortune, all of which she overcame.
Harriet O'Brien is a journalist based in London. She has written for the Independent and Condé Nast Traveler, among other publications. This is her second book. Emma, one of England's most remarkable queens, made her mark on a nation beset by Viking raiders at the end of the Dark Ages, a period often neglected by conventional history. At the center of a triangle of Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans all jostling for control of England, Emma was a political pawn who became a power broker and an unscrupulous manipulator. By birth a Norman, Emma spent the majority of her life on English soil. She was married to two kings of England and outlived both; she was twice driven into exile; while mourning the untimely loss of one son, she was devastated by the murder of another; she saw two of her sons crowned; she was stripped of her powers when her eldest son became king; and she eventually retired from public life as a dowager queen whose land and wealth had been restored. Regarded by her contemporaries as a generous Christian patron, a regent admired by her subjects, and a Machiavellian mother, Emma was, above all, a survivor: hers was a life marked by dramatic reversals of fortune. "Harriet O'Brien recreates this intriguing and complex world with skill and imagination."The Telegraph (UK)
"Harriet O'Brien's story is a dramatic one, and her Queen Emma a commanding, shrewd and manipulative figure."The Guardian (UK) "The 11th century was a bloody and a religious epoch, a time when Vikings raided the English coast and interior, when important men had names like Ironside and Blue Tooth and Harefoot . . . To her credit, O'Brien keeps the focus . . . on Emma as she moves from queen to widow to queen to widow to queen mother."Kirkus Reviews "A lively account of the harsh realities of war and politics in this era, the vagaries of political marriage and the thin line between invaders and settlers."Publishers Weekly
Review
A Book Sense Pick in hardcover"Harriet O'Brien recreates this intriguing and complex world with skill and imagination."--Telegraph
"Harriet O'Brien's story is a dramatic one, and her Queen Emma a commanding, shrewd and manipulative figure."--Guardian
Synopsis
"A lively account of the harsh realities of war and politics in this era, the vagaries of political marriage and the thin line between invaders and settlers."--Publishers Weekly Emma, one of England's most remarkable queens, made her mark on a nation beset by Viking raiders at the end of the Dark Ages. At the center of a triangle of Anglo Saxons, Vikings, and Normans all jostling for control of England, Emma was a political pawn who became an unscrupulous manipulator. Regarded by her contemporaries as a generous Christian patron, an admired regent, and a Machiavellian mother, Emma was, above all, a survivor: hers was a life marked by dramatic reversals of fortune, all of which she overcame.
About the Author
Harriet O'Brien is a journalist based in London. She has written for the
Independent and
Condé Nast Traveler, among many other publications.