The Forgotten Queen (Warrior Queen Series) [Paperback]

Haley Elizabeth Garwood (Author)

Book Description

Series: Warrior Queen | Publication Date: January 1, 1998

Set against the turbulent backdrop of 12th-century England, "The Forgotten Queen" is the tale of a warrior, Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I of England and granddaughter of William the Conqueror and her struggle to overcome political intrigues, prejudice, and the lover who steals her crown. Available now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Forgotten Queen" and "Ashes of Britannia" have been nominated by Romantic Times Magazine for best historical novel. -- Alyssa Harvey The Daily News April 3, 2001

Bravo to Ms. Garwood for dusting off the pages of history and putting The Forgotten Queen back into "herstory.'" -- Kathe Robin Romantic Times Magazine, May, 1999

If Garwood's engaging fictionalized account is any indication, the series should provide a welcome addition to historical romance. -- Leigh Ann Berry British Heritage January 1999

About the Author

Dr. Haley Elizabeth Garwood wrote her first historical novel at the age of eleven, which she sold for a notebook and two pencils.

Although she writes full time now, she has taught creative writing, been an airline stewardess and a high school principal. She lives on a farm with eight horses, numerous cats, cows, and other creatures.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: The Writers Block; 1 edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965972194
• ISBN-13: 978-0965972192
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,446,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Discerning historical fiction fans should stay away!, May 2, 2002

By 

Tamela Mccann "taminator40" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Forgotten Queen (Warrior Queen Series) (Paperback)

I am an avid reader of historical fiction and I picked up this book with high hopes since it concerns one of my favorite historical persons, Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, and rightful heir to the throne which was stolen by her cousin Stephen. I could only make it a couple of chapters into this book before I threw it aside in disgust. A skimming of the remaining chapters did not give me incentive to carefully read anymore, though I truly wanted to like this book. The writing is immature and absolutely horrid--it reads like a would-be drama that comes off as a comedy. I was ready for a new spin on this worthy tale but the writing was stilted and overdone. Anyone with a sense of British history would be mortified at the way in which Matilda's character is abused in this book. While there may be a slim historical base for some of the author's events, they are poorly told and overly dramatized. With such a wealth of truly outstanding historical fiction available, it would be a shame for anyone to waste his time on this one.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly flat, January 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Forgotten Queen (Warrior Queen Series) (Paperback)

Every now and then, I purchase a novel through amazon.com that I would never have bought in a bricks-and-mortar store. A perusal of a few paragraphs would have been enough to warrant a quick return to the shelves.

Historical novels require a sense of time and place, as well as a cast of compelling characters. For a wonderfully deft portrayal of this turbulent chapter of British history, try Ellis Peter's Cadfael mysteries, or Sharon Penman's treatment of the Empress Matilda, also widely known as Empress Maude. The "forgotten queen" was a complex, contradictory, and utterly fascinating woman, living an extraordinary life during extraordinary times. Unfortunately, little of this comes through here.

The epic conflict between Matilda and her cousin Stephen is reduced to soap opera. Try as I might, I couldn't help envisioning Matilda as she might have been played by Joan Collins. It stands to reason that books about warrior queens should deal with warfare. The complex political and social issues of civil war, never mind actual combat, were absent. The writing style did not serve the subject well. The book is full of syntactic clunkers such as "The silence grew heavy as the three of them fell silent." Plodding dialogue made for slow going, and often was little more than thinnly veiled narrative. Witness the following exchange:

"Is not Westminster Abbey most beautiful during the season of our Savior's birth?"

"Yes, and more so since it is the coronation of Prince Henry, henceforth to be known as Henry the Second, King of England."

"Is not his queen, Eleanor of Aquitance, most beautiful?"

This, from two women, intimately acquainted women, who were actually witnessing the coronation. Throughout the book, the reader is instructed by the characters in what comes off as a converted history lecture -- and not a soul-deep conversion, at that. The writing style, particularly the dialogue, brought to mind a historical play recently presented by my son's sixth grade class.

This book's nomination by Romantic Times Magazine surprised me. I have seen far more compelling and convincing historical romances in Harlequin's historical romance line. The book warranted two stars for its subject and its stated objective. Reviving the history of famous, forgotten women is a worthy goal. The author should be commended for this choice, and for the effort she made in researching the story. I really wanted to like this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A great subject, but poor writing, July 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Forgotten Queen (Warrior Queen Series) (Paperback)

While the author obviously tried to researched her subject, there is absolutely no natural flow in the dialogue or text of "The Forgotten Queen." I found it a struggle to get through this book, and actually couldn't finish more than half of it. If you are interested in reading the story of Empress Matilda, I would strongly recommend "When Christ and His Saints Slept" by Sharon Kay Penman. Unfortunately, as I'm fascinated by the subjects, I won't be reading any of Dr. Garwood's other books as this one was simply too terrible to subject myself to more of the same.