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Queens of the Conquest
Queens of the Conquest
Sep 23, 2024 1:21 AM

Author:Alison Weir

Queens of the Conquest

Full of passion and betrayal, murder and war, the first volume of an epic new series from bestselling historian Alison Weir, bringing five of England's medieval queens to life.

A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year

Love, murder, war, betrayal

This is the story of the five extraordinary queens who helped the Norman kings of England rule their dominions. Recognised as equal sharers in the royal authority, their story is packed with tragedy, high drama, even comedy.

Heroines, villains, stateswomen, lovers

Beginning with Matilda of Flanders, who supported William the Conqueror in his invasion of England in 1066, and culminating in the turbulent life of the Empress Maud, whoc claimed to be queen of England in her own right and fought a bitter war to the end, the five Norman queens are revealed as hugely influential figures and fascinating characters.

In Alison Weir's hands, these pioneering women reclaim their rightful roles at the centre of English history.

Reviews

Brings England's Norman queens out of the shadows and dazzlingly to life. Drawing on a wealth of fascinating contemporary sources, Alison Weir presents the drama, passion and intrigue of these extraordinary women's lives and restores them to their rightful place in history. A masterpiece.

—— Tracy Borman

Another polished, fascinating gem from Weir herself, the queen of history writing.

—— John Lewis-Stempel , Sunday Express

Alison Weir's hugely popular history books are as gripping as novels

—— The Times

Weir provides immense satisfaction. She writes in a pacy, vivid style, engaging the heart as well as the mind

—— Amanda Foreman

[A] riveting history of the century following the Norman Conquest

—— Simon Shaw , Mail on Sunday

Alison Weir has the rare gift of being able to bring history vividly to life

—— Choice

One of our greatest popular historians

—— Daily Mail

Alison Weir is one of our best popular historians and one, moreover, with an impressive scholarly pedigree

—— Independent

Fraser’s smooth storytelling provides a revealing look into the development of the [Plymouth] colony, the rise of the Massachusetts Bay Company, and the different outlooks on the community and the lure of land. The story of the Winslows is an effective way to experience the emotions and fears of the small band who dauntlessly sailed off to the New World

—— Kirkus Review

Epic in scope and pacing, this account of survival feels intimate... The author's inclusion of indigenous history along with the struggles of women pilgrims and their importance to the community's success is both appreciated and necessary

—— Library Journal

Renowned historian Fraser brings us yet another superbly written and enthralling read... she excels at showing howlandscape, religion, and politics can irreversibly transform a family and a community. Highly recommended

—— Jennifer Johnson , Booklist

Rebecca Fraser has written a superb account of the first two generations of the Winslow family of the Mayflower. Fraser’s extensive research has shed new light on this interesting family and allied families. This book stands as a significant contribution to the already well documented field of Pilgrim history ... a must read for those interested in the unique beginnings of America

—— Cynthia Hagar Krusell, Historian and Author of The Winslows of Careswell in Marshfield

Rebecca Fraser’s exquisitely researched book seems to offer something new to learn – and wonder over – on every page, from the warm, mutually admiring friendships between some Puritans and Native Americans to the near-apocalyptic brutality of King Philip’s War, and other campaigns. The Pilgrims believed that ‘the world could begin afresh in America,’ this gifted historian writes. As, eventually, it did. Deftly, indelibly, Fraser shows us the human cost

—— Penelope Rowlands, Journalist and Author of Aaron Burr's Second Act

The author puts the reader into the period with a front-row seat as the story unfolds and captures the reader. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the Edward Winslow family and many of his contemporaries that surrounded Winslow in England, the Netherlands and came with him to New England. Fraser’s attention to historical detail is excellent and enhances this riveting book!

—— Judith H. Swan, Former Governor General, General Society of Mayflower Descendants

A well written and far ranging perspective on the Pilgrims and seventeenth century New England by a noted student of English history

—— Francis J. Bremer, Coordinator, New England Beginnings and Author of Lay Empowerment and the Development of Puritanism

A vital look into the early years of the GAA and a perfect gift for both sport and history lovers

—— Mark Gallagher , Mail on Sunday Books of 2018

Marvellous ... the definitive account of this remarkable period when hurling came to life

—— Clonmel Nationalist

Flows along far more merrily and lightly than any history book has a right to and is especially enlightening when it comes to drawing the founding fathers Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin

—— Malachy Clerkin , Irish Times, Sports Books of 2018

Dreamy, poetic, meditative, wildly discursive and intensely personal… [Blackburn] has a witchy way of ascribing human personality to other species, and even inanimate objects… Provocative and poetic.

—— Lewis Jones , Daily Telegraph

Fitzharris slices into medical history with this excellent biography of Joseph Lister, the 19th-century "hero of surgery." ... She infuses her thoughtful and finely crafted examination of this revolution with the same sense of wonder and compassion Lister himself brought to his patients, colleagues, and students

—— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

The Butchering Art is medical history at its most visceral and vivid. It will make you forever grateful to Joseph Lister, the man who saved us from the horror of pre-antiseptic surgery, and to Lindsey Fitzharris, who brings to life the harrowing and deadly sights, smells, and sounds of a nineteenth-century hospital

—— Caitlin Doughty , bestselling author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and From Here to Eternity

Fascinating and shocking ... [Fitzharris] offers an important reminder that, while many regard science as the key to progress, it can only help in so far as people are willing to open their minds to embrace change

—— Kirkus (Starred Review)

The Butchering Art, with its attention to detail, its admiration for its subject and its unflinching sympathy for the suffering, proposes a causal chain - running through the history of human sickness and not yet at its end - in which Lister forms a strong and vital link

—— Sarah Perry , London Review of Books

An energetic, fascinating and deeply researched book… Miller’s skill is to address and capture the transient nature of Landon’s fame… to retrieve [Landon] from history’s doldrums, and demolish the mocking which continued for decades.

—— Catherine Taylor , Financial Times

A compelling book.

—— The Week, *Book of the Week*

Terrific… Miller expertly decodes the story of her life and loves from poems, and the book reads like a novel.

—— Jane Ridley , Tablet, *Summer reads of 2019*

Sensational material brought expertly to life; but Miller’s real gift to the reader is her patient reconstruction of the “lost literary generation” 1820s and 1830s.

—— Claire Lowdon , Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*

A riveting, tantalisingly ambiguous portrait of a poet whose confessional voice makes her only more intriguing to modern readers.

—— Hephzibah Anderson , Observer

A fascinating...deeply intelligent, witty and often moving exploration of race in modern Britain

—— Samira Ahmed , Mail on Sunday

Afua Hirsch's first book, Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, was published to wide acclaim at the start of 2018. She looks at the many, multi-faceted questions that surround identity - both on a personal and societal scale - to pen a thought-provoking read.

—— Katie Berrington , Vogue

It is a life-shaping read.

—— Chine McDonald , Church Times, **Readers' Books of the Year**

Brit(ish) stands out from a crop of books on growing up mixed race in 70s Britain.

—— Gaby Hinsliff , Guardian, **Books of the Year**

Brit(ish) is an essential read for all. Hirsch's exploration of her identity brings to light the difficulties of growing up as mixed-race and black in Britain. She also challenges the British perception of race, and how our inability to confront our past has profoundly affected our ability to coherently understand and discuss race in our present. Brit(ish) is a call to action, if we genuinely want to progress as a society, we must change our discussions and understanding of race.

—— Louisa Hanton , Palantinate

A personal, political and challenging account of what it means to be British when you are racialised as Black. Hirsch is a brilliant and fearless intellect who deftly handles the complexity of the issues

—— Bernadine Evaristo, author of GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER , Guardian

A beautifully written, poignantly honest memoir while also scrutinising modern history and popular culture. The breadth of Hirsch's focus is impressive... Her insights are numerous and profound, big and small, woven into the details of a personal life we can all learn from.

—— Jeffrey Boakye , Observer

A haunting investigation into family trauma and secrets from a forgotten England that turns out to lie closer to the surface than anyone suspected. Turning detective, she [Laura Cumming] interrogates old snapshots with the forensic skill of a professional art critic

—— Mark Mazower , New Statesman, *Books of the Year*

On Chapel Sands starts by seeming to be about one kind of mystery but soon starts being about another, much more profound one… the subtlety and suspense of the narrative lies in the way Cumming allows details about their relationship to emerge slowly, like a photograph socking in developing fluid

—— Bee Wilson , London Review of Books

With her critic’s eye, Cumming turns detective to investigate who took her mother and tell a pacy story about relationships, pride and the ramifications of what goes unsaid

—— Susannah Butter , Evening Standard, *Books of the Year*

In a year strong in ingenious memoir, Laura Cumming’s On Chapel Sands…stood out, not just for its great storytelling but for Cumming’s wonderful ability to bring to life a Lincolnshire coastal community…its moods, characters and toxic secret-harbouring machinery

—— Claire Harman , Evening Standard, *Books of the Year*

This beautifully written memoir of family mystery proved one of the surprise hits of 2019

—— James Marriot , The Times, *Books of the Year*

[A] twisting literary mystery that also serves as a deeply moving love letter

—— Claire Allfree , Metro, *Books of the Year*

A complex story of family secrets, beautifully written, and illustrated

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday, *Books of the Year*

A beautiful, multi-layered story full of lost love, human motivation and tender secrets

—— SheerLuxe

[A] bewitching blend of history and mystery

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily Mirror

A scrupulous work of storytelling, radiant with empathy and filial affection

—— Hephzibah Anderson , Observer
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