Lady Macbeth

A Novel

By: Susan Fraser King

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

"I am a granddaughter to a king and daughter to a prince, a wife twice over, a queen as well. I have fought with sword and bow, and struggled fierce to bear my babes into this world. I have loved deeply and hated deeply, too. I know embroidery and hawks and kingship, and more magic than I should admit."

Lady Macbeth takes listeners into the heart of 11th-century Scotland, painting a vivid picture of Gruadh, the last female descendent of the country's most royal line. Married, pregnant, then quickly widowed, she is forced to wed her husband's murderer, the warlord Macbeth. Determined to protect her interests and those of her infant son, she vows to preserve her family's legacy at any cost.

©2008 Susan Fraser King (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Based on historical evidence and recent theories of the era, this is an epic tale written in high-voltage prose. King's novel will thrill lovers of Shakespeare adaptations and delight anyone who wants to enjoy a ripping tale of love and ambition." ( Publishers Weekly)

Lady Macbeth

Enjoyed the historical story of Lady Macbeth. Learned a lot more of the history of Scotland.

loved it

I didn't want it to be over! loved it and will listen to it again!

Outstanding

The story was amazing, totally held your interest...Lady MacBeth was a true warrior & MacBeth was too. I can just imagine his thought about LADY!
And Wanda McCaddon was a wonderful narrator. Loved listening to the book. She gave it life!

Know before you read

This book is not written like a modern story. It is closer akin to a folk story or an old Celtic tale. It’s a bit more than that, but you will find most of the character development, introspection and emotional craft of a story missing here. I would equate it to one of the lesser works of JRR Tolkien like Children of Huron as opposed to Outlander. I struggled to be captured by any character or personality in this story and besides a few scenes, this story is sparse for details and pacing.

Otherwise it’s enjoyable. It’s VERY CELTIC. If that’s what you’re after, this is definitely got it. There’s a lot of character names and places and mythology that can get jumbled when you’re reading audio but I think it’s one of the better modern Celtic stories I’ve ever read.

Nitpick- as a Scottish Gaelic speaker I just wanted to point out that there’s a few instances of mispronunciation in the Gaelic. Not a lot of it and I know Gaelic’s not the easiest but I thought that was interesting. I don’t have the spellings they use and maybe The Author went for an old Irish dialect I’m not familiar with but, aye, some of the Gaelic is mispronounced. Otherwise the Narrator did great at capturing the accent. I maybe would’ve gone with someone with a younger voice but it’s still good.

Buy: if you’re interested in medieval Scotland tales or if you love Celtic culture.

Pass if you’re looking for captivating characters and connections.

boring

This is the kind of story where nothing much happens; you're supposed to be entertained by the mere fact that it takes place in an intriguing time and place--medieval Scotland. But the plot--such as it is--does no justice to the setting. It plods on in predictable, well-worn fashion, without a shred of originality. The characters are all Celtic clich?: a feisty heroine, a brave king and his warriors, an old woman who casts spells, and here and there a wicked Viking or Catholic priest. Ugh. One good thing is that you can play this audiobook in the background while you're doing yardwork or housework and not miss anything if your attention wanders.

The narrator is to old for the book

Idk I wanted to enjoy this book but I couldn’t get pass the narrators voice sounded at least 50-60 years of age. I just read the highland blood book by Melanie karsak, so was looking to for a book till her third audio book came out . Clearly should of just waited .

Predictible, derivative, politically correct.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. King's Lady Macbeth is the formulaic spoiled and spunky heroine, blustering her way through difficulties with swordcraft and her pride in her lineage. Atavastic psychic premonitions and lack of reasoning coupled with scant knowledge of her times or the obligations of her rank are unbelievable. Here, Macbeth is merely a cardboard prop to a young woman of stubborn stupidity. I cannot help but compare it to the excellent novel, King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett. For complex characterization, historical detail, and richness of plot, Dunnett's King Hereafter has no equal.

What does Wanda McCaddon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Pronunciation of more difficult names and Gaelic accents.

Could you see Lady Macbeth being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

Waste of a credit. Read the Dorothy Dunnett novel, King Hereafter. It isn't on audible, but the author doesn't write down to an ignorant audience.