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The Irish Princess: Her father's only daughter. Her country's only hope. Hardcover – 12 Sept. 2019
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'Chadwick has excelled herself. This terrific novel is packed with action, emotion, politics and passion'
Sunday Express on The Irish Princess
'Elizabeth Chadwick is an excellent chronicler of royal intrigue... Fascinating'
Times on The Irish Princess
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Her father's only daughter.
Her country's only hope.
Ireland, 1152
The King of Leinster, awaiting news of his newborn child, is disappointed to hear he has a daughter. Diarmait MacMurchada wanted another strapping son to shoulder a spear, wield a sword, and protect his kingdom. But the moment Diarmait holds tiny Aoife in his arms, he realised she would be his most precious treasure.
1166
Forced into exile Aoife and her family find themselves at the mercy of Henry II. Aoife - aware of her beauty but not its power - intrigues and beguiles Henry in equal measure. He agrees to help her father, an alliance that leads the MacMurchadas to the charismatic Richard de Clare, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new horizons.
Diarmit promises Richard Aoife's hand in marriage in return for his aid in Ireland, but Aoife has her own thoughts on the matter. She may be a prize, but she is not a pawn, and she will play the men at their own game. For herself, for her family, and for her country.
From the royal halls of scheming kings, to staunch Welsh border fortresses and the wild green kingdoms of Ireland, The Irish Princess is a sumptuous, journey of ambition and desire, love and loss, heartbreak and survival.
Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick
'An author who makes history come gloriously alive'
The Times
'Stunning . . . Her characters are beguiling, and the story is intriguing'
Barbara Erskine
'Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel you know you are in for a sumptuous ride'
Daily Telegraph
'I rank Elizabeth Chadwick with such historical novelist stars as Dorothy Dunnett and Anya Seton'
Sharon Kay Penman
'Enjoyable and sensuous'
Daily Mail
'Meticulous research and strong storytelling'
Woman & Home
'A riveting read . . . A glorious adventure not to be missed!'
Candis
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSphere
- Publication date12 Sept. 2019
- Dimensions15.6 x 4.4 x 23.8 cm
- ISBN-100751564990
- ISBN-13978-0751564990
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Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the storyline interesting, gripping, and colorful. They also appreciate the author's credible use of research and writing quality. Readers also find the characters believable and the book a very good read that keeps them busy.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the writing quality of the book very good, amazing, and believable. They also appreciate the notes at the end that explain the period alive. Customers also say the book is interesting, colourful, and descriptive.
"...Ireland have heard of - but yes, this is an absorbing and brilliantly written novel...." Read more
"...A very good read, though not quite one of her very best (which for me is represented by the trilogy about William Marshal)." Read more
".../De Clare/Marshal families in particular, I found this book interesting to read...." Read more
"...book in all of Ms Chadwick's library they are so colourful and descriptive...." Read more
Customers find the story interesting, gripping, and colourful. They also say it's true to the era and has a roller coaster of emotions.
"This is another of the author's colourful slices of Medieval historical fiction, a genre of which she one of the most prolific contemporary authors...." Read more
"...It held me throughout and gave me a good insight in to the way these families were drawn together...." Read more
"...I loved the frequent use of old terminology. It lent an air of authenticity to the story. A most enjoyable read!" Read more
"...Although the historical context is unsettling, the story is gripping as usual." Read more
Customers find the book's research interesting, thorough, and worthy of any bard. They also say the book is beautifully written and rings with truth.
"...It held me throughout and gave me a good insight in to the way these families were drawn together...." Read more
"...good novels, woven with masses of actual historical facts. 10/10! Now back to this book...." Read more
"...I thought an exceptional piece of historical writing, blending facts known with supposition and intelligent reading between lines of what happened..." Read more
"...A really good historical novel." Read more
Customers find the characters in the book believable.
"...dismiss these as lighter, even romantic fiction, they have well rounded characters and interesting set pieces, plus a sound chronological narrative..." Read more
"...What I liked about it was that we are drawn into the characters' lives...." Read more
"...Well written, bringing out the characters and how they were affected by the various situations and places they were in, the different types of..." Read more
"...As usual the characters are quite believable and the hardback edition is ina good font size...." Read more
Customers find the book too complicated, dull, boring, and repetitive in some places.
"Ok for a holiday read. Nothing particularly challenging about it, not especially memorable...." Read more
"...Also very dull and boring and in some places repetitive" Read more
"Too complicated..." Read more
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Top reviews from United Kingdom
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It is the minute detail that Ms Chadwick so excels in that brings the story and her characters to life, and not just the detail of the meticulous research that goes to form the framework of the history itself. The little human things like a little girl contemplating whether to wet the bed and put up with the result or braving the cold outside to use the chamber pot, her hiding beneath her father's chair and falling asleep in the folds of his long cloak. The grief at the loss of a loved kindred, the patting of a foal, the gazing into the fog - a fog which echoes the inability to see what lies ahead when a new king comes to the throne. Especially when that king happens to be the volatile Henry fitzEmpress - Henry II.
I suppose I have to say something critical (with difficulty for there is little to criticise.) There are scenes of violence that could be a little disturbing to some readers - these were violent times, after all. No spoilers, but hostages were taken for a reason in the twelfth-century political and military turbulence, and unfortunately these hostages often suffered the consequences. Some scenes are also slightly sexually explicit - but for both these comments I stress this is an adult book about adults doing adult things and written for adults to read.
Maybe the book is more 'romance' than some of Ms Chadwick's other novels? (The Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy and the William Marshal series for instance). Was Aoife a little too spoiled as a child, a bit precocious perhaps? But then you could say that about the majority of heroines (and heroes). As in the fashion of most biographical historical fiction of this nature the time-span jumps quite a bit; one chapter depicts one particular week or day, then the next shows a glimpse of the next event of note, hopping from one season or year to another for a snippet of the lives of these people who once lived, loved, fought and died. But these were complex times and complex characters, and historical novels of this kind are not meant to be linear stories of the day-by-day minutiae of life.
Ms Chadwick skilfully shows us these glimpses, not as a blow-by-blow (somewhat tedious) memoir, but as if we were time-travellers popping back every so often to watch, quietly and secretly from the shadows, the events of the past.
I loved it.
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds #DDRevs
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 February 2020
It is the minute detail that Ms Chadwick so excels in that brings the story and her characters to life, and not just the detail of the meticulous research that goes to form the framework of the history itself. The little human things like a little girl contemplating whether to wet the bed and put up with the result or braving the cold outside to use the chamber pot, her hiding beneath her father's chair and falling asleep in the folds of his long cloak. The grief at the loss of a loved kindred, the patting of a foal, the gazing into the fog - a fog which echoes the inability to see what lies ahead when a new king comes to the throne. Especially when that king happens to be the volatile Henry fitzEmpress - Henry II.
I suppose I have to say something critical (with difficulty for there is little to criticise.) There are scenes of violence that could be a little disturbing to some readers - these were violent times, after all. No spoilers, but hostages were taken for a reason in the twelfth-century political and military turbulence, and unfortunately these hostages often suffered the consequences. Some scenes are also slightly sexually explicit - but for both these comments I stress this is an adult book about adults doing adult things and written for adults to read.
Maybe the book is more 'romance' than some of Ms Chadwick's other novels? (The Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy and the William Marshal series for instance). Was Aoife a little too spoiled as a child, a bit precocious perhaps? But then you could say that about the majority of heroines (and heroes). As in the fashion of most biographical historical fiction of this nature the time-span jumps quite a bit; one chapter depicts one particular week or day, then the next shows a glimpse of the next event of note, hopping from one season or year to another for a snippet of the lives of these people who once lived, loved, fought and died. But these were complex times and complex characters, and historical novels of this kind are not meant to be linear stories of the day-by-day minutiae of life.
Ms Chadwick skilfully shows us these glimpses, not as a blow-by-blow (somewhat tedious) memoir, but as if we were time-travellers popping back every so often to watch, quietly and secretly from the shadows, the events of the past.
I loved it.
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds #DDRevs
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41TR9uJ50pL._SY88.jpg)
As a fan of medieval history, and the McMurrow/De Clare/Marshal families in particular, I found this book interesting to read. It held me throughout and gave me a good insight in to the way these families were drawn together.
I highly recomment this book to all lovers of historical fiction.
There has never been a poorly written book in all of Ms Chadwick's library they are so colourful and descriptive. The concept of bring history to life through her characters is really felt. I look forward to Ms Chadwick's books with eagerness.
I also find it really refreshing to have a narrative with a female character as the central person. The way in which Ms Chadwick develops the rich tapestry of the story.
Another great read. Couldn't put it down once I started it. thank you.
Top reviews from other countries
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Not only well written, it's pretty accurate on a storic level.
Because English is not my language, some words aren't easy, but the book is worth every difficult word.
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