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The Forever Queen (The Saxon Series #1)

by Helen Hollick (Goodreads Author)

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 1,679 ratings · 266 reviews

What kind of woman becomes the wife of two kings, and the mother of two more?

Saxon England, 1002. Not only is Æthelred a failure as King, but his young bride, Emma of Normandy, soon discovers he is even worse as a husband. When the Danish Vikings, led by Swein Forkbeard and his son, Cnut, cause a maelstrom of chaos, Emma, as Queen, must take control if the Kingdom-and

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Paperback, 656 pages

Published December 10th 2010 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published August 5th 2004)

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Jun 30, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-by-of-england, reviewed

I was enjoying this well enough. Emma, as a character, was interesting even if the writing wasn't fantastic. Then I came across this chapter opening:

A pewter sky hung low, brooding over a shrouding mist that sidled along the banks of the River Itchen and clung, wraithlike, to the cluster of alder and ash. Their shapes shifted and moved as the mist slithered through the trunks and oozed across the winter-bare ground; if spring was coming, it was a long way off. No bug showed on branch or bush; n

...more

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Jul 29, 2010 Allie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2010-reads

(4.5 stars?) Oh Emma, what a interesting life you led?! This doorstopper of a books takes place from 1002-1042 primarily in Saxon England but some parts in Denmark and Normandy. No other Queen was wife to two Kings of England and mother to two more! Hollick tells a complex entertaining story of Emma's life.

Married to Aethelred first, Emma is unhappy and I think this is the slowest moving part of the book and I will agree with other reviewers that is a little wordy at times in this section. Howev...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Misfit rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: one-time-read-only, historical-fiction

"A wife of two kings and mother of two more" and thus begins the long and complicated tale story of Emma of Normandy, sent at the age of 13 to marry Aethelred of England who earned the well deserved nickname The Unready, and they have two sons Edward (The Confessor) and Alfred. England is constantly being bedeviled by the Danish Vikings, who come once a year to wreak havoc and demand money, and finally due to Aethelred's incompetence the Danish conquer England and Emma and her family flees in ex...more

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May 27, 2011 Christy English rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually read the US version called THE FOREVER QUEEN. I am now devoted to Emma...what a woman. Thank you Helen Hollick for introducing me to such an amazing person.

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Nov 17, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, historical-fiction, england, 11th-c

The Forever Queen is the story of a powerful woman. Emma grows into this state of being because of all of the things that she has to deal with. As a young girl she is married to King Æthelred – a man who does not treat her well. She gains strength from this and uses it as a catalyst to continually push forward and never back. She is certainly a woman that should be celebrated for her accomplishments and it is certainly a shame that she has almost been forgotten by history.

Typically I hate readin...more The Forever Queen is the story of a powerful woman. Emma grows into this state of being because of all of the things that she has to deal with. As a young girl she is married to King Æthelred – a man who does not treat her well. She gains strength from this and uses it as a catalyst to continually push forward and never back. She is certainly a woman that should be celebrated for her accomplishments and it is certainly a shame that she has almost been forgotten by history.

Typically I hate reading long books because by the time I get to the end, events that happened in the beginning feel like an entirely different book. Also, there is the fact that I feel like I am not making any progress because I am not on a new book. I did not have that feeling with The Forever Queen. I always wanted to keep reading and struggled to put the book down. I stayed up super late on the final night of this book because I was determined to finish it and not have to wait until morning to see how it wrapped up.

There are SO many characters in this book that at times it is hard to keep them straight. Hollick remedies this by providing several useful pages that I referred back to time and again. There is a family tree for Cnut and Emma, a pronunciation guide (Thank You!) and maps of the world they lived in. I would have been totally lost without these references, as this is a time totally foreign to me. Hollick also does a great job of indicating dates and places of events throughout her writing and with the chapter titles. The world that these people lived in just came to life through her writing.

The characters that Hollick has created are superb. Right from the start you can really get into what they are thinking and why they are doing what they do. You also can really see the evolution of character throughout the book – this is most evidenced by the growth of Emma. She also expertly molds your opinions of these characters – a telltale sign of a great author. I went from hating Cnut near the beginning, to finding him one of my favorite characters toward the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I am eagerly looking forward to the follow up.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.(less)

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Feb 15, 2011 Sheree rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2010, reviews

Writers such as Helen Hollick really do breathe life into historical fiction, making it a joy for me to experience this previously little read era. With a lesser writer this could have been a disaster, but Helen Hollick takes a huge cast of characters and a complex, eventful period in history (1002 - 1042) and weaves an enthralling tale backed by meticulous research and insightful, convincing embellishment.

"Emma is the only woman to have been an anointed, crowned and reigning queen to two differ...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this look at Queen Emma of Normandy, Queen of Saxon England. I do not have strong familiarity with pre-Norman Conquest England and I was excited to begin this novel. About a month ago, I read Georgette Heyer's the Conqueror, which tells the story of pre-conquest William of Normandy and his battle for England with Harold Godwineson. A Hollow Crown deals with the generation immediately before William the Conqueror arrives on the scene (indeed towards the end of the novel, a young...more I really enjoyed this look at Queen Emma of Normandy, Queen of Saxon England. I do not have strong familiarity with pre-Norman Conquest England and I was excited to begin this novel. About a month ago, I read Georgette Heyer's the Conqueror, which tells the story of pre-conquest William of Normandy and his battle for England with Harold Godwineson. A Hollow Crown deals with the generation immediately before William the Conqueror arrives on the scene (indeed towards the end of the novel, a young William was tenuously placed as Duke of Normandy and Edward the Confessor was about to become King).

The novel opens up with 13 year old Emma bartered into marriage with the much older King Aethelred. The little I knew of Aethelred stems from his nickname "The Unready" and Anya Seton's depiction of him as a spoiled child in Avalon. Hollick depicts him as a pretty awful individual who earned his nickname as "the Unready" - indecisive, cruel, with little political acumen. Emma absolutely despises Aethelred, who is either abusive towards her or indifferent, depending on his mood. Because of her hatred of her husband, she also dislikes the sons that he fathered - particularly her firstborn son Edward (later "the Confessor"). Initially, Emma hates Edward because he was conceived in rape (I wonder where the author got this from - perhaps out of a desire to explain why Emma was such a cold mother?) and later because Edward is as "ineffectual" as his father.

I intially felt sorry for Emma. However, by the end of the novel I disliked her. Based on my knowledge of history, I knew that she would marry Cnut and forsake her children. However, her actions after Aethelred's death did not fit the characterization that Hollick gave Emma. The Emma of the first half of the novel is a timid wife and impatient mother, an intelligent woman who longed for love and affection. I didn't really understand why Emma decided to marry Cnut, the cruel Viking invador who later became Emma's great love (according to Hollick). Hollick's theory is that Emma loved her crown and would do anything to keep it. I wasn't quite sure, though, why she loved it so much that she would be willing to forsake her children and condemn them to foreign exile and marry Cnut, whom I was pretty sure she thought was a murderous Viking.

Towards the end of the novel, after Harthacnut refuses to come to England to claim his throne, Emma becomes even more odious and self-centered, luring her sons Alfred and Edward to England - and to serious danger - simply because she wants her crown. Then, it seems that Emma barely mourns "ineffectual" Alfred's death, noting that he is as useless as his father. Emma's anger regarding the situation centers on Godwine's abandonment of her - not Godwine's turning her son over to Harold Harefoot and his mother, where Alfred's death was certain.

Hollick seemed unsure of how to present Emma - I felt that Hollick really wanted her readers to like Emma and admire her. Most certainly, Emma was an interesting figure - though not as famous of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Emma's life was as interesting. But Emma's actions and behavior towards her sons are very unlikeable and difficult to understand. While Cnut ended up becoming a great King, at the time she married him, he was anything but honorable. It turned out to be in Emma's self-interest to remain Queen - however, I did not expect the Emma of the first part of the book to be such a purely self-centered actor.

The novel is well written - at 800 pages, it was a page turner for me. I really enjoyed it and plan to read Hollick's novel about Harold Godwineson. I am also interested in learning more about Saxon England. (less)

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Jan 05, 2013 J rated it 3 of 5 stars

GENERIC SPOILER ALERT. I don't hide my reviews, but I don't promote them on any feed, either.

First off, know that this book is a fictional filling in the blanks in the life of a historical figure from Anglo-Saxon England: a Queen Emma.

From this book I learned of the extensive intertwining of Danish Vikings with the Normans, and their further twining into England.

Second, I got a visceral sense of how uncertain life was for individuals with some degree of nobility or royalty. When a new king rose...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Jeanne Dunn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, particularly anything set in England, Scotland, or Ireland, which meant this book had a really good chance of being a winner with me. (That, and I got it at a terrific bargain price for my Kindle!)

Helen Hollick has obviously done her homework; it tells in the details. From the small bits of documentation that have survived since circa 1000 a.d., she has created a rich, accessible, realistic depiction of Queen Emma's world.

I was a little chagrinn...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Laurian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I finished this book last night and putting it down was a bit like how I'm sure I'll feel after I give birth. I mean this book was heavy and carrying it around, even just mentally, was a bit tough. Here were the problems: (1) it spanned a character list that was very difficult to keep track of at time. There were whole chapters where I would have to go back and skim for the name in the last hundred pages to remember who they were. (2) Each little chapter was dense. (3) The book was just tooooooo...more I finished this book last night and putting it down was a bit like how I'm sure I'll feel after I give birth. I mean this book was heavy and carrying it around, even just mentally, was a bit tough. Here were the problems: (1) it spanned a character list that was very difficult to keep track of at time. There were whole chapters where I would have to go back and skim for the name in the last hundred pages to remember who they were. (2) Each little chapter was dense. (3) The book was just tooooooooooooooo long. It spanned about 37 years in which we see the rise and fall of about six people crowned as king and a couple dozen babies being born.

However, I found reading it deeply rewarding. Given how much my mum tried to teach me about British history, I found it disturbing that I knew so little of this woman. She was queen at the age of 13, and managed to maintain her crown across multiple kings. She had many children, and impacted many of the laws that still influence British rule even now.

I also had no idea how much of British heritage is wrapped up in dame/normandy traditions. I heard of the romans, the celts, and the recent immigration issues (that are much like America's), but nothing of just how many people were Danish because of all the viking raiding. Turns out that in the movies when you see the vikings raiding that sometimes they decided to stick around afterwards and make a run at living in England! They then became British and resented the next generation of raiders. So strange to think of this.

Apart from the fact that this book made learning about history, disease, and what it was like to give birth a thousand years ago, I found the characters also enjoyable.

I wish that the book had been divided into 2 or even three books that were split by king. The expansiveness of this book didn't give enough love to the ups and downs of each of each time in Emma's life.

The worst part is realizing that there will be another book that will finish telling the tale of her life after this one! I'm not sure I'll pick it up any time soon. But, I have a feeling that I'll pick it up next time I need just one book to last me many many days.(less)

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Dec 05, 2011 Aprail rated it 1 of 5 stars

English is my first language so I have certain expectations that books written in English might be grammatically correct. The grammatical lapses in the book make reading it jarring. There is also lots of bad writing. For example, some of the more risibly memorable items I read aloud to my husband.."hung like a stone", 'the option of choice', 'a mixture of displeasure'. This book should have had an editor. I remember one sentence "Money gives way to prejudice". I'm pretty sure the author meant "P...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the most satisfying reads I've had in months. Go. Get. This. Book...if you like well-told historical fiction.. If you want at last to fall into the arms of a writer who knows how to lure you into a tale and create women who aren't victims again.

And don't be put off by the period...yes, it isn't those head-chopping Tudors or the silk and satined Georgians but if you know little about early British history you come out of this book with a wider knowledge...and quite a take on Canute, the on...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Phoebe rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Deborah, Cheryl, Lisa

This sweeping tale begins in Canterbury, 1002, with 13-year-old Emma of Normandy about to become the English Queen by marrying Aethelred, a man she despises from the first. Suffering at his hands and living in profound disgust at his inability to lead his country, Emma manages to survive, to watch and listen and learn to be a true queen. Her political astuteness carries her far, as she survives Aethelred and marries the Danish invader, Cnut, finding unexpected love. Hollick does an impressive jo...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Kate Edmondson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book up randomly from Amazon for my Kindle based on the title, cover, and summary of the book, and I was very pleasantly surprised with it. Forever Queen details the life of the little-known Queen Emma, the first queen in England's history to remain queen for 2 successive monarchies and connecting Normandy with Britain. Her first marriage, at the age of 14, with King Aethelred the Unready and King Cnut of Denmark. What most impressed me about the book was the way that various chara...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Amber rated it 4 of 5 stars

With over six hundred and fifty pages, this book chronicles the struggles of Queen Emma "Elgifu" of England. This story goes on for what seems like forever (now I understand the naming of the book FOREVER QUEEN!) and then on the last page you feel like the balls been dropped. It just ends...literally. When you read the brief note from the author following the last chapter you find out that this is a series not a novel! I so taken with interest I am willing to continue reading the next book "I Am...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When 13 year old Emma arrived at the gates of the Canterbury Cathedral to do her duty by her Norman brother, little did she know that she would be marrying England for life. In 1002 the King of England, Æthelred the Unready, entered into an agreement with the Duke of Normandy. Duke Richard would provide England with a much needed alliance against the raiding Northmen while King Æthelred would provide the newly formed Norman duchy with the stability of land and coin. And Emma was the key. She wou...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Gaby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

From sparse historical data, Hollick pieces together the story of Emma, daughter of Richard I of Normandy, just as she has been contracted to marry King Aethelred of England. We follow her life as a young girl matched with an ineffectual and quick tempered husband as she slowly comes into herself. As she makes friends and grows confident, we see the beginnings of a loyal and charismatic leader.

Emma's world is full of violence, political intrigue, war and uncertainty - which makes for a gripping...more

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Nov 04, 2010 Marie Z. Johansen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As most of you who have followed my reviews for any length of time know I am a real European history buff - especially British history. I have to admit, however, that I have never known much about the early history of Britain and very little about Anglo Saxon history. Therefore, I was quite happy to have been given an opportunity to read "The Forever Queen" whose time frame is 1066. Weaving a plot with many diverse characters, warring factions in areas that no longer even exist and a very involv...more As most of you who have followed my reviews for any length of time know I am a real European history buff - especially British history. I have to admit, however, that I have never known much about the early history of Britain and very little about Anglo Saxon history. Therefore, I was quite happy to have been given an opportunity to read "The Forever Queen" whose time frame is 1066. Weaving a plot with many diverse characters, warring factions in areas that no longer even exist and a very involved plot takes great skill and dexterity to to well - the reader, after all, must be able to follow along. Helen Hollick has pulled this technical feat off with adroitness.

The story of "The Forever Queen" recounts the history of Queen Emma, who, although her story is shrouded in a place where the life of a of women, even a queen, had little value in recounting- is a story that is fascinating, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable and instructive. When people use the word instructive it gives a sense of dryness I suppose but I use the word 'instructive' as one of living history - wonderful readability, enthralling and excellent historical story telling.

The author notes that Queen Emma's history is even harder to accurately piece together that that of the later, but better know, Queen Eleanor of Aquaintaine. Emma was of Norman birth - a link between the factions of the Normans and the English. Emma's true name was Alfgifu, but she seems to have preferred to keep and use her given name of Emma for all but State and official documents.

Emma was married early, in 1022, to the cruel Aethelred - as a King he was, useless. corrupt and ineffective at ruling. As a man he was even more cruel - I think all in all I would consider him a misogynist. From the author's notes we read that "....Emma is the only woman to have been an anointed, crowned and reigning queen to two different Saxon Kings, yet she is barely known in history...". After the death of King Aethelred II in 1016 Emma re-married , albeit cautiously, to the Danish King Cnut (the Great) had been born about 994 and was crowned King in 1014. His brother, Harald become the King of the Danes at this time as well. . For a fascinating historical synopsis of King Cnut see Wikipedia.For additional details on King Cnut and Queen Emma have a look here. The author, in her very well done Author's notes also comments that during the Victorian times King Cnut's name was anglicized to Canute to sound more realistically English.

It is said that King Cnut - who Emma came to love, admire and respect very much had a daughter by a previous mistress that he brought to England to live at Court. Queen Emma had a son King Aetherlred, Edward, who was begotten by more of a rape than an act of love. He was known to torture small animals as a youth and was ultimately sent to the North to become King of the Danes to keep him away from Queen Emma - who he disliked - but Cnut never wanted her to know that truth. Edward ruled the Danes with the ruthlessness by which he had become known. A daughter was born to King Cnut by a earlier mistress whom he brought to England. It is said that Edward allowed her to be drowned in a mill race he watched - it was after this occurence that he was sent to Denmark. As a a side note - Queen Emma is the great aunt of the famous William the Conqueror.

As you may be able to guess by now I thoroughly loved this book. It provided me with so much well researched early history of Britain that I had never known about - or had chosen not to read about I suppose. Helen Hollick is, in my opinion, a master story teller who carefully researches her subjects. Most all of her book is true from a historical point of view and, where people, places , names or events have been changed she notes that in her well done Author's notes. For a period in history that has so little factual information written about it I am astounded at what an amazing book has resulted.

I think that anyone who is a fan of medieval and/or Anglo-Saxon history owes it to themselves to read this book. Once you start - you will not want to stop. There is, of course, a tremendous amount of history in this book but it also includes information of what sorts of medicines were used by the common people - or the royal ones too for that matter. There is also a entirely strong vision of what the feudal system was like at the time as well as how the continuous wars and political instability of the region had such a deleterious effect on this part of history. This book paints a vivid portrait of the time as well as of a Queen who has had such a lasting effect on the history of England. It's truly an amazing book that I am very grateful to have read!

Go get your copy! I can't imagine that you would regret it! (less)

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Jun 20, 2012 Clarice rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading the sample of "The Forever Queen" I was delighted that it seemed to indeed be historic fiction and NOT historic romance. I was looking forward to reading this story about a strong Saxon Queen, because I've really enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles and thought it would be interesting to see this period from a woman's perspective. After I purchased the book and continued reading, I found I was enjoying Hollick's writing so much I impulsively purchased her next book, "I Am th...more After reading the sample of "The Forever Queen" I was delighted that it seemed to indeed be historic fiction and NOT historic romance. I was looking forward to reading this story about a strong Saxon Queen, because I've really enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles and thought it would be interesting to see this period from a woman's perspective. After I purchased the book and continued reading, I found I was enjoying Hollick's writing so much I impulsively purchased her next book, "I Am the Chosen King".

I started to grow very fond of this young girl who seemed to be slowly and steadily finding her footing in a strange country where she didn't even speak the language. She was growing a little more self-assured each day, and I felt like I was starting to get to know her character.

Then, inexplicably, focus on Emma's character development started to diminish. And, as it turns out, I did not get the "women's perspective" that I had hoped for. After the first few introductory chapters, the point of view started being mostly from the perspectives of the male characters. Many interesting facts were provided when the POV switched from one character to another, and there was an occasional mention of what that character thought about Emma, but nothing that added much depth to who she was. She had apparently turned into a young woman who would remain mostly silent, "censuring her feelings" as her mother advised her, but, when pushed too far, she would blurt out a snappy retort that seemed more wise-ass teenager than wise Queen. Then, after having been routinely beaten and abused by her husband, she bragged to her new servant that she had gotten him under control by threatening to have him murdered as his mother had his brother murdered. My first thought was that, based on Ethelred's past behavior, that threat would have gotten EMMA murdered rather than making the King (who had substantially more power and significantly less conscience) submit to her.

By Chapter 42, the story went on for several chapters without the presence of Emma or even mention of her at all. Again, much interesting historic information was provided in these chapters, and, although I found the strategies of Thorkell and Athelstan interesting, I kept wondering what was going on with Emma. When Emma finally reappears at Chapter 47, she is nagging King Ethelred trying to convince him to take action and "uncharacteristically stamping her foot." She didn't impress me as being a skillful negotiator, nor did she offer sage advice that he couldn't refuse to ignore. Ethelred finally agreed to do as she asked just to get her to stop nagging him. Not my idea of a "great woman".

I continued for a few more chapters after that and realized I was no longer enjoying reading this novel, because what little it did reveal of Emma's character was not appealing, and I was finding that I didn't like her very much. Also, beginning at about Chapter 17, it was starting to be more and more about the events going on AROUND the queen rather than about the queen herself. I'm not saying that this was not interesting in itself, just not what I was in the mood for, and it was no longer the book I thought I was buying.(less)

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Nov 16, 2010 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Plot:

Emma of Normany married King Aethelred when she was 13. One son would become Edward the Confessor. But the Swein Forkbeard of Denmark invaded together with his son Cnut, and all was lost. But Emma was one strong woman who after her husband's death married Cnut, and once again reigned as queen of England.

My thoughts:

I loved it, the story was so rich in history and details, and it was exactly like a good historical novel should be like. Following the facts, but still inventing and creating a...more

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May 03, 2013 Alger rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a hard book to review because I sincerely admire Hollick's skill with creating real characters and a coherent narrative out of the thin details of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. This book is a real feat of imagination, and there is no doubt that Hollick has a real talent.
What Hollick needs, however, is an editor who will ruthlessly pare down the purple prose and lop out the unnecessary filler that swells this novel into a doorstop.
There are scores of distracting vignettes that lift us away...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Ellen Ekstrom rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book - it was 'primer' on Anglo-Saxon England and politics for me, subjects I'm not familiar with. It wasn't exactly a page turner, but I found myself wanting to finish it because I wanted to know what happened, as I liked the unlikeable main character, Emma AElfgifu, queen first to AEthelred the Unready, and then Cnut. Ms. Hollick gives us a protagonist who is a child bride of 13, newly-arrived from Normandy with no family, friends, or knowledge of the language in her new kingdom...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Rio (Lynne) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I'm making up a new star 3.75. The research was 5 stars, the writing 3. There aren't many historical fiction books out there about this time period. Not only was Emma's story interesting, but this not as well known part of English history is fascinating. The author is correct in her notes that history has forgotten English Kings prior to William The Conqueror. This story starts with Emma being married to Aethelred aka The Ill advised King. She then goes onto marry Cnute, who will become king. Th...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Staci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Staci by: Sourcebooks

Shelves: 2010-reads

Why I wanted to read this book:

* I am a huge fan of historical fiction and truly enjoy this genre. What really drew me to this story was that I had never heard of Queen Emma and I wanted to learn more about her life.

What worked for me:

* The descriptions! Wow..I felt like I was there in medieval England. Hollis has a magical way with her words which really brought the story to life for me.

* Emma- She is an amazing woman and I'm truly astounded that more books have not been written about her. T...more Why I wanted to read this book:

* I am a huge fan of historical fiction and truly enjoy this genre. What really drew me to this story was that I had never heard of Queen Emma and I wanted to learn more about her life.

What worked for me:

* The descriptions! Wow..I felt like I was there in medieval England. Hollis has a magical way with her words which really brought the story to life for me.

* Emma- She is an amazing woman and I'm truly astounded that more books have not been written about her. This woman was given in marriage when she was only thirteen years old. Could you imagine that??? Seriously! Her first husband was such a horrible man and she managed to live through his reign. She had to grow up overnight and learn to trust her instincts. I liked how she often reflected on advice from her mother and when she became a mother herself, understood why she experienced such a distant relationship with her own. For a queen it never was a good thing to become too attached to your children.
* I enjoyed how the author broke the book up into smaller books with each husband/son's reign. Hollick really laid the groundwork so that the reader could get a very personal look into Emma's world and how she continued to keep the crown.
* I became very attached to Emma and her friend Godwine. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes with all of the political intrigue, back stabbers, rumors whirling about you without at least one trusted friend.
* I found myself romanticizing her marriage with Cnut and I sincerely hope that they did experience a love affair. So often I think of royalty marriages as being made for alliances only, with no consideration of love for either person. To think they may have been soul mates makes my heart feel good.

What didn't work for me:

* The first book which explores Emma's life being married to AEthelred was a bit tedious. There's so much information to get through, but trust me the book picks up in Part two...so don't give up!!
* The family tree in the front was very confusing!! I study these as if my life depends on it and it still takes forever for it all to sink in. Plus, their names are a pain in the tush because more than one person has the same name!!

What you should do before reading this book:

* I would recommend that you read some online biographies of Emma. I went online while I was reading this because I was having a hard time keeping everyone straight. This particular biography helped me quite a bit.

Recommend? Absolutely, especially if you're a huge historical fiction fan. I love learning while I'm reading especially when it's entertaining, so I would not hesitate to tell others to read this. Yes, it is a chunkster, but so worth it. I didn't want it to end even after 622 pages and imagine my sheer delight when I discovered that Hollick is working on the next book in the Lost Kingdom 1066 series, Harold the King!!! Yay!!!(less)

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Mar 11, 2013 Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

The four star thingy says it means I really liked it -- and I did, I really liked it! This is the first Anglo-Saxon period historical novel I've read, and it's penned with a fantasy sort of style to it. It's really reminiscent of George RR Martin, but Hollick's writing is not quite as good.

I loved the character development, the solid references to real history (I forgave the slightly off things -- it's a novel!), and the quick pace. I was a little annoyed by how much time gets skipped, but since...more The four star thingy says it means I really liked it -- and I did, I really liked it! This is the first Anglo-Saxon period historical novel I've read, and it's penned with a fantasy sort of style to it. It's really reminiscent of George RR Martin, but Hollick's writing is not quite as good.

I loved the character development, the solid references to real history (I forgave the slightly off things -- it's a novel!), and the quick pace. I was a little annoyed by how much time gets skipped, but since she's trying to stay faithful to recorded history insofar as the major events go, she can't fill in too much with made up stuff. So think of the Anglo-Saxon chronicle. Take a few lines that sum up a whole year. Focus on one or two of them and expand them in great detail. Then skip to the next year leaving a whole lot unsaid. That's what she does. The other thing that bothered me is I've gotten used to this style of writing so it shouldn't call so much attention to itself. But her writing is anything but transparent. Not that I think writing should be unadorned, but I think you should strive to have your style just meld with the content and not scream JUST LOOK AT THAT! The use of archaic language and similar flourishes is laid on thick at times, and not handled as expertly as when Martin does it (and I only compare her to him because I really think that's who she's emulating). This is a pageturner, but doesn't make it to all the crescendos it could have had.

OH -- the most awful thing in the writing was these sentence fragments that start with verbs and leave out the subject. No matter how many times she did it I couldn't stomach it. I am no grammarian either. I like my fragments and language experimentation. But you could tell she was TRYING something, and it just felt awkward. "Tossed over his shoulder..." "Was rewarded with a shy smile." "Was laughing with her, not at her." That kind of stuff. Blech.

All that aside, it's great to see this bit of history from a woman's point of view. A powerful woman at that! Hollick is deft at handling the myriad conflicting emotions and decisions that come with a crown, from dealing with the inevitability of a king's (husband's) keeping of whores and second wives, to giving up your own children to protect them from whoever is after the crown this time.

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Jan 06, 2013 Casey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Two of my favorite things are history and fiction so I am slowly embracing historical fiction. I'm also a fan of genealogy and my husband can trace his family from Aethelred the Unready. Add another point to The Forever Queen. This is a long and dense book with names that are aggravatingly similar and characters that float in and out a lot. As Hollick states in the afterword, little was really know about Queen Emma so a lot of what is written is conjecture, but Hollick manages to craft nearly 80...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Carmen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

The story of England from 1002 to 1043 as told through the eyes of an instrumental player, Queen Emma. She marries two different kings of England, a British one and a Danish one. Through telling her story, how men and women lived, thought and died is vividly described. Anglo-Saxon England is really brought to life. King Athelred is much older than Emma when they first marry. She soon has to take the lead in ruling, as he is hopeless. He muddles up a lot. His attitude to women leaves much to be d...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Stacy Schmidt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book! Historical record of the lives of women is very limited, so I doubly appreciated Helen Hollick's work in writing _The Forever Queen_. The novel is first in a two book series chronicling the lives of the final Saxon kings of England. Told primarily from the point of view of Queen Emma, wife of King Aethelred the unready, the novel gives great insight not only into the inner workings of the English court, but the lives of the women who were a part of it. The reader journeys with E...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Shzwah rated it 1 of 5 stars

If you like meandering story lines that seem promising and then completely disappear because EVERYONE DIES but the damn queen... if you like pointless details regarding historical events that get a little blurb without actually tying into the plot (if you can find the plot) and that don't move the story forward (because it doesn't go anywhere) then this is the book for you!

The beginning was actually very interesting, and I liked the Queen as a 15 year old. I didn't like who she became, and as t...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

3 Reasons Review:

1.) Reasons you chose this book

I read Book 2 of Hollick's Arthurian trilogy Pendragon's Banner, and thoroughly enjoyed. Therefore, when another of her works was offered for review, I jumped at the chance. I am still going to read her Golden Age of Piracy based books though. Didn't forget about those :)

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

*Although this book is about Emma, it is also about the major players of England's history during this time. Although these characters ar...more

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About Helen Hollick

Born in Walthamstow, North East London, in 1953 I began writing at the age of 13. Desperately wanting a pony of my own, but not being able to afford one, I invented an imaginary pony instead, writing stories about our adventures together at every spare opportunity. In the seventies I turned to science fiction - this was the age of Dr. Who, Star Trek and Star Wars. I still have an unfinished advent...more Born in Walthamstow, North East London, in 1953 I began writing at the age of 13. Desperately wanting a pony of my own, but not being able to afford one, I invented an imaginary pony instead, writing stories about our adventures together at every spare opportunity. In the seventies I turned to science fiction - this was the age of Dr. Who, Star Trek and Star Wars. I still have an unfinished adventure about a bit of a rogue who travelled space with his family, making an honest(ish) living and getting into all sorts of scrapes. Perhaps one day I might finish it.

I had wanted to become a journalist when leaving secondary school, but my careers advice was not helpful. "Don't be silly," I was told, "you can't type." (I still can't, I use four fingers.) Instead, I worked in a Chingford library where I stayed for 13 years although I was not very happy there - I did not realise it, but I wanted to write. The one advantage of the library, however, was the access to books, and it was there that I came across the Roman historical novels of Rosemary Sutcliff, the Arthurian trilogy by Mary Stewart, and the historian Geoffrey Ashe. I was hooked on Roman Britain - and King Arthur!

Reading everything I could, I eventually became frustrated that novels were not how I personally felt about the matter of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere).

By this time, I was married with a young daughter. I had time on my hands and so I started writing my idea of Arthurian Britain . I deliberately decided not to include Merlin and Lancelot, there was to be no magic or Medieval myth. My book was to be a "what might have really happened" historical novel, not a fantasy, and most certainly not a romance! What I didn't know, when I started, was that my one book was to grow into enough words to make a complete trilogy.

I found an agent who placed me with William Heinemann - I was accepted for publication just after my 40th birthday. The best birthday present I have ever had.

I had previously had a smaller success with a children's personal safety book (stranger danger) called "Come and Tell Me," a little story that I had written for my daughter when she was 3. I wanted to tell her how to keep safe in a clear and simple manner - with a message that could be easily remembered. "Always come and tell me before you go anywhere with anyone" fitted nicely. I was immensely proud when my little story was taken up as an official safety book by the British Home Office to be used nationally by the police and schools. An updated and revised version of "Come and Tell Me" was re-published by Happy Cat Books but is now out of print.

I followed on with two Saxon period novels A Hollow Crown and Harold the King - both are about the people and events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 - from the English point of view.
(these titles are published as The Forever Queen and I Am The Chosen King in the US)

When Heinemann did not re-print my backlist I took my books to a small UK independent publisher with their even smaller mainstream imprint, adding my historical adventure series the Sea Witch Voyages to my list.
Unfortunately Discovered Authors / Callio Press, were not as organised as they should have been and the company closed in the spring of 2011. Not wanting my books to fall out of print in the UK I took them to an indie company - SilverWood Books of Bristol UK - and with their technical assistance "self published"

I am also with Sourcebooks Inc in the US, and with Artemis Yayinlari in Turkey.
I was delighted to make the USA Today bestseller list in 2011 with The Forever Queen (US title of A Hollow Crown)

I have no qualifications, nor have I been to college or university, although I have studied part-time for my Medieval History Diploma, which, I'm pleased to report, I passed with honours. One day I may find the time to complete the degree!(less)

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Books by Helen Hollick

I Am the Chosen King (The Saxon Series #2)

The Kingmaking (Pendragon's Banner Trilogy, #1)

Pendragon's Banner (Pendragon's Banner Trilogy, #2)

Shadow of the King (Pendragon's Banner Trilogy, #3)

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Quotes from The Forever Queen

“One day, lad, your eyes will light upon a woman, and you will never forget that glint in her eye, that toss of her head, or sway of her hips. You will dream of her, whether you are asleep of awake. She will possess your mind, and your body will be on fire for her. Nothing will ever erase the linger of her scent in your nostrils, the touch of her hand on your body, the feel of her flesh beneath your fingers.

When you find a woman to love, Cnut, your life changes forever.” — 6 people liked it

“Emma felt frightened, apprehensive, yes, but also elated and excited, her feelings all tumbled and mixed together like a stew of varied ingredients tossed into the same pot. She was aware of the blood coursing through her veins, the beat of her heart, the breath in her lungs. Was aware, too, of that clenched knot that hung in the pit of her stomach. This was what it was to be alive, to be at the edge, facing survival eye to eye, knowing, KNOWING, you would win.” — 3 people liked it

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The Forever Queen (The Saxon Series #1)

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