The Eagle and the Raven (Rediscovered Classics) [Paperback]

Pauline Gedge (Author), Donna Gillespie (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2007 | Series: Rediscovered Classics

Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc's objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground. His efforts are also met with fierce opposition from Aricia, the vain queen of a northern tribe who swears allegiance to the Romans after Caradoc slights her, and from Gladys, Caradoc’s warrior sister who falls in love with her Roman captor. Unfortunately, Caradoc’s endeavors are left unresolved when he is taken prisoner, but Boudicca, a strong-willed woman, ultimately takes up the cause that was Caradoc’s legacy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A novel of majestic sweep, splendid assurance, and controlled imaginative power."  —Publishers Weekly

"A big, other-worldly, and beautiful novel. Gedge . . . has brought another age pulsating to life."  —San Francisco Chronicle

"[Gedge’s] uncommonly splendid gift for storytelling is again supreme . . . She gives us the daily life and landscapes of Celtic Britain with an almost psychic immediacy."  —Toronto Star

"A tremendously moving portrait of a people who have long since disappeared—entertaining, knowledgeable . . . Gedge is a writer who can weave a spell with words."  —Montreal Gazette

"It is history . . . it is life . . . there is simply no laying it aside until the end."  —South Bend Tribune

About the Author

Pauline Gedge is the author of several historical novels, including Child of the Morning and Lady of the Reeds. Donna Gillespie is the author of Lady of the Light and The Light Bearer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press (October 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155652708X
• ISBN-13: 978-1556527081
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Print it again!, December 3, 2003

By 

Amazonbombshell (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eagle and the Raven: A novel (Hardcover)

This is an amazing novel. It is not, as the cover claims, so much about Boudicca -- though certainly plays her part in blazing fire and glory -- as it is another historical Bristish chieftan named Caradoc, who united many of the Celtic tribes of England against Rome and fought determinedly until his eventual defeat in A.D. 50. (For those of you who do not know the story -- it's not a common one -- I won't reveal the rest.) It is also about some of the (also historical) Romans who encountered the power of Britannia, though the ultimate sympathy (wrong word, but close) lies with the British tribes. Ms. Gedge sticks to history as far as she can in her writing, and fleshes it out with incredible skill. The book is 827 pages long and I devoured it.

One of the things that makes this book so good is its chosen subject -- obscure figures who have become the stuff of legend; a mysterious and ancient fight for freedom that yet finds a home in our modern souls. Another is its realism -- brutal violence and desperate betrayal alongside deepest love
and noble ideals held, compromised, lifted up. This story does not shrink from death and wrenching sorrow, nor does it invent a hundred miraculous escapes, nor become so caught up in mysticism that it leaves no room for the ordinary man and woman. It is a tale of real people, intermingling and forging lives in less than ideal circumstances, yet time and again forced onto two opposing sides of an issue that has many more facets than two. It is a terribly sad story, but also a triumphant one, and one to stir your blood as others cannot. It deserves many more than five stars. Print it again!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gedge steps out of Egypt, March 21, 2001

By 

S. Smith "a98hoya" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eagle and the Raven (Hardcover)

Wow! I have always loved Pauline Gedge's novels set in Ancient Egypt. Her attention to detail, historical fact and ability to imagine a civilaztion in the fullest sense of the term based on the knowledge we have available through the work of Egyptologists continues to impress me. In the Eagle and the Raven, Gedge brings her remarkable abilities to another place and time in histroy and is quite successful. I really encourage a reader who wants to see and feel living history to pick up this book. You won't be sorry, I promise.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Eagle and the Raven, November 10, 2002

By 

nissa (Austin,Tx usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eagle and the Raven (Hardcover)

My favorite book ever!
If you have ever been transported back in time then you know what it feels like to read this book.When you read the Eagle and the Raven you become a part of the celtic world,you feel the pain of their struggle,you understand their need to remain a free people,and you really start to hate Romans!
It's true,before I read this book I was totaly fascinated by the Roman culture,now it just [makes me mad]
I'm not very good with words so I really can't convey how amazing of a book this is,but I will say that I have read hundreds of books and this really must be one of the best ever writen.I cried in this book,I cry whenever I read it,and I am not a person who cries often.
... if-when-you read it you will understand that that the words of an untrained mind are not able to speak more than simple praise for a book This magnificent.
I'm buying this today and you should too!
READ THIS !