G907 Book Review of Alvar the kingmaker by Annie Whitehead
Author: Annie Whitehead
ISBN: 978-1-78610-688-9
Publisher: FeedARead.com Publishing
Type of book: 956-983 ME, England, Mercia, Alvar, King Edwy the Fairchild, King Edgar, other kings, church, rivalry, politics, unrequited love, survival, relationships, ruling, life in mid 10th century England/Merica, descendants
Year it was published: 2016
Summary:
The story, based on true events, begins when the king is caught in bed with his wife and her mother, and ends with the murder of another king, a crime attributed to his stepmother, the queen. Central to the story is Alvar, earl of Mercia. Having helped King Edgar to secure the throne, amid great unrest he must fight to clear the queen’s name, bring the country back from the brink of civil war, and stabilise the monarchy for Edgar’s son, Æthelred the Unready. He does this at great personal cost, and his enemies will stop at little: Abbot Dunstan, banished, recalled, and in no mood to forgive. Bishop Oswald, the ambitious foreigner who will let nothing stand in his way. They must not discover Alvar’s secret love for the wife of his deputy, whilst Alvar must keep her safe, and serve and protect the queen, who is in love with him and who harbours a dark secret of her own…
Honoured with an IndieBRAG medallion and a Discovering Diamonds Special Award, this book has also been chosen as a Chill Books honouree and Book of the Month. “Ms Whitehead knows her stuff - A must-read for anyone interested in the early Anglo-Saxon period” – Helen Hollick
Characters:
Main characters include Alvar, numerous kings that he served as well as Kata and her husband and for a brief time, the queen. Alvar is best described as very resourceful, talented and is talented at playing the political intrigues. He also focuses more on survival rather than on personal relationships, and is either in denial about his emotions towards Kata, or else is loyal to her husband, or both I am guessing. Edwy the Fairchild thinks more of pleasure rather than ruling and one gets a sense that people easily control and manipulate him. Edgar is the youngest brother and through political acumen as well as knowledge he eventually becomes a king, and it sounds like he was a really good and talented one at that. Unfortunately the latter kings post King Edgar aren't really covered, but it sounds like they would be really good stories to write. Kata is very similar to Alvar in that she is loyal and seems to struggle between her old and new roots and its easy for the reader to fall in love with her.
Theme:
Good things can come from the bad
Plot:
The story is in third person narrative from Alvar's, Kata's and sometimes the Queen's points of view. Most of the story is told from Alvar;s side. Just like TO BE A QUEEN, the story is detailed and focuses a lot on good and bad moments of life during the late 900s, especially how they make up a person. While TO BE A QUEEN showed maturity of the queen, AEthelflaed, ALVAR THE KINGMAKER showed growth of Alvar, especially when it comes to his personal life. To be honest, I wish I could have read this book soon after TO BE A QUEEN because I imagine that I missed out a lot of hints or jokes on the previous characters. Just like with her previous book, I felt as if I was back in time experiencing life in mid-10th century.
Author Information:
N/A
Opinion:
At long last, I am reviewing ALVAR THE KINGMAKER, another wonderful and delightful tale of mid 10th century England, about a 100 or so more years prior to 1066. Just like TO BE A QUEEN, this book is a wonderful time capsule that gives the reader an intimacy of the period not available elsewhere with a dash of powerful storytelling magic thrown in. While TO BE A QUEEN focused a lot on the Queen of Mercia, AEthelflaed, ALVAR THE KINGMAKER takes the reader behind the throne to Alvar who gained influence and became one of the trusted men of King Edgar. Something else that I really loved is the love story between Alvar and Kata. The scenes, both intimate and epic shine brightly as jewels in the sun, inviting the reader's gaze and attention.
I was given this for a review
5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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