Customer Reviews

Lady Macbeth's Daughter

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My first Klein book was Two Girls of Gettysburg. The end was breathtaking. Lady MacBeth's Daughter? An absolute masterpiece. I think Shakespeare would be happy to know that Macbeth is being enjoyed by teens once again. Filled with emotion and a exciting dramatic climax, Klein has done it again with this historical and mythical tale of Scotland's murderous king. Aliba, our heroine, is faced with a series of difficult choices; with every decision, the plot takes a another nail-biting turn. I love historical fiction because you always get a little something out of it, if not a lot. You get to wander through a past time period and enjoy an adventure. I usually like historical fiction--even if it is a bit slow at times--but that's just me. For those who like to be kept on the edge of your seat, well good news! Albia doesn't wait for adventure to happen, she finds it! Even hesitant readers might want to take a look at this book! Overall I think Lady Macbeth's Daughter is a thrilling novel dripping with romance and adventure and a surprising twist. I have not yet read Shakespeare's Macbeth, but this book is sure to help me through it or better yet, help bring it to life.

|Age Group: YA, ages 14+|Content: Sensuality; not recommend for anyone under 13 (PG-13)|

|Recommend? Yes, to teen ages 14+

This is my first review of anything other than when you are asked to rate sellers. This story was awesome! Macbeth has always been my favorite work by Shakespeare and this book makes a great companion to Macbeth by providing some backstory and filling in some blanks in that tragedy. You don't need to read Macbeth to love this story though because it stands as its own independent work. I have grown weary of novels written in the first-person, but this was much better as the point-of-view alternated between two characters-Lady Macbeth and her daughter, Albia. I would love to see another story with Albia in it about her life after the events of Macbeth. I will definitely be chekcing out other works by this author.

Im not normally one for righting reviews but for this one I decided I would try it, but it will be a short one.

I really liked this book. Lisa is one of my favorite authors and I have read both of her other books. I love how she incorporates important parts of the actual plays into her books. I really liked this book but the ending unimpressed me. I expected a lot more that the last chapter to me was extremely boring. I'm not trying to bash the whole book, It was amazing up until the last couple of chapters. I would defiantly suggest this to someone who is into Shakespeare type stories, but it wouldn't be my first pick for anyone else.

Lady Macbeth's Daughter is a terrific read. I love how the author winks at readers who have read Macbeth and other Shakespeare -- there are the trees, the "witches," the "ghosts," the blood that keeps coming, the spot that won't go away. And we discover some great back-story to that fascinating woman, Lady Macbeth. At last, she is sympathetic! But you don't have to read Macbeth to read Lady Macbeth's Daughter. This is just a really good book.

Albia is secretly the daughter of Macbeth, but thanks to a deformity at birth, she was taken away from Lady Macbeth and secretly sent to live with three mysterious sisters. There, she lives quietly, until disorder comes to Scotland and Macbeth wants to consult with these sisters to learn his fortune. Albia is sent away and she falls in love her father's opponent...and discovers strange powers. She must make a choice--become involved, or ignore what she foresees.

Lady Macbeth's Daughter is a riveting, interesting, and very entertaining story that is complex, yet is seamlessly aligned with William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Albia is a strong, likable heroine, and her story and voice are compelling. Klein's writing is very detailed, and the novel develops between two points of view, Albia's and occasionally Lady Macbeth's. There is a lot of character growth as Albia matures and learns the truth about her parents and their natures, and also grapples with her feelings for Fleance. Though the romance was not especially deep or memorable, it was sweet.

Klein's novel is very clever and one can't help but admire her for the way she builds her characters, each event in the book somehow shaping and forming who they are and how the act. Her character development and more in depth examination of these characters may be interesting for some, as Shakespeare oftentimes leaves his character motivations vague and undefined. After reading this story, readers may come away with a better understanding of each character and the story of Macbeth. This is a very insightful, remarkable read.

Albia grew up with no knowledge of her mother or father. She didn't know that he was the powerful Macbeth. Instead, she knows the dark lures of Wychelm Wood and the moors, where she has been raised by three strange sisters. Macbeth seeks out the sisters to foretell his fate that Albia's life is tangled in with. She even falls in love with Fleance, Macbeth's Rival for the throne. Albia learns that she has second sight and she must decide whether to ignore the terrible future she foresees or she'll have to change it. Will she be able to save the man she loves from her murderous father. And can she forgive her parents for all their wrongs, or must she destroy them in order to save Scotland?

I love a retelling of another book. Practically Shakespeare's books, because it is interesting to be in someone else's shoes. Lady Macbeth's Daughter kept with the storyline well and was very entertaining. Albia is a very kick ass girl for before the Renaissance. I loved her personality and how she was such a free spirit. I also loved how the relationship with Albia and Fleance developed. It was very cute. I also liked how Macbeth was developed. It was awesome that it was from other character's view, then just Albia. The plot made it such a quick and interesting read. I also think that this was an original retelling of Macbeth. The writing was also well detailed. I would check this book out, if you are looking for a strong independent female character.

Macbeth was never my favorite play by Shakespeare, but, after reading Lady Macbeth's Daughter, I have a newfound respect for the story. I really think that Albia made the story for me - Lisa Klein wrote Albia so perfectly that I can't believe Shakespeare left her out!

Albia was an amazing addition to Macbeth's original cast. Not only was is a resilient and strong female lead, she shows the perfect blend of characteristics one would expect her to have inherited through her birth parents and her adoptive family. I am astounded by how believable Albia's character is! It was interesting to see how Albia came to terms with learning that her birth father is the bloodthirsty and tyrannical Macbeth - a man that she has never personally met, nor has an desire to.

Lady Macbeth was must easier to understand and feel sympathy for in this version of the story. I like the idea that Lady Macbeth's insane behavior was motivated in part by her grief over the death of her infant daughter (Albia), rather than (only) greed and the need for power.

The romance between Albia and Fleance wasn't really a main part of the plot, but it was engaging and well-written. Most Shakespearean romances are doomed, but Klein's story had a twist and was surprisingly simple and without drama. It had some drama and complexity of course, but the love story didn't build you up and then rip out your heart - which is a good thing!

This was pretty good for a YA novel. It is a version of William Shakespeare's MacBeth as told from the viewpoint of Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's daughter if she had existed. It goes back and forth from Albia, the daughter (who was thrown to the wolves for being a cripple), and Grelach aka Lady MacBeth. Readers will see how MacBeth wrongfully attains the kingship of Scotland and how Grelach assisted him. There is a rebellion among the thanes as MacBeth starts to lose his mind due to the guilt he feels from his bloody actions.

While the rebellion is rising against the king, Albia is being raised by some "witches" in the forest and she also has the "sight" or ability to see the future. Her "sight" plays a major role in the actions of MacBeth. When Albia is sent to live with a wealthy thane she falls in love with the nobelmans's son as well as learns her true parentage. She must deal with the knowledge that she is spawned from "monsters" and some deep emotional questions arise regarding forgiveness and revenge.

She learns to yield a sword and hold a shield and these weapons of war as well as her sight and a horse and a few of her friends begin a journey to save Scotland from the mad king. The ending holds confrontations with both of her biological parents. Does Albia have the ability to forgive?

Four stars instead of five because I have read Susan Fraser King's "Lady MacBeth" and preferred her version to this one. This one has both MacBeth and his wife appearing as greedy, power hungry tyrants when in actuality, MacBeth ruled a peaceful Scotland for 6 years. For the young adult crowd, however, this is a great re telling of the Shakepeare tale.

In this novel, set in 11th century Scotland, author Lisa Klein starts with the premise that Macbeth and his wife had a baby daughter, born with a deformed leg. Macbeth, in his anger that she was not the healthy son he longed for, left the infant to die. Lady Macbeth, not much more than a girl herself in a time when women had no power, was helpless to stop him, and grieves the death of her daughter as well as the subsequent pregnancies she loses, believing herself cursed. These losses shape her character and set the stage for the tragic events she later participates in.

What neither of them know, however, is that their baby daughter did not die. She was saved by Lady Macbeth's serving woman, Rhuven, who took her to live with her sisters in the Wychelm Wood. The sisters name the child Albia, and the little girl grows up believing one of the sisters to be her mother. The years pass by peacefully, until the year Albia turns fifteen and great turmoil comes to Scotland. King Duncan is murdered, and Albia is sent to live with a foster family - Banquo, his wife Breda, and their son Fleance. And there is turmoil inside Albia as well - she is confused by her feelings for the attractive but maddening Fleance, and she longs to know the identity of her father. When she learns the truth about her heritage - and that her birth parents murdered the king in order to seize the throne - she struggles with her feelings of revulsion at what her parents have done and determines that she must destroy them and bring peace and justice to Scotland.

Lady Macbeth's Daughter is a rather interesting and complex novel. It is mainly told from the point of view of Albia, although we also see some events from the point of view of Lady Macbeth. Her perspective, and the difficult life she lived, made her actions, wrong though they were, seem more understandable. Overall the story and the ending especially were rather thought-provoking, making me think a lot about the motivations of various characters, and wondering what happened afterwards. I would recommend this book to readers, young adult and older, who enjoy either historical fiction or unique retellings of Shakespeare's plays.

Klein's name may be familiar to those of you who have read Ophelia or Two Girls of Gettysburg, which were both lovely books. In her latest offering, Klein takes us back to Shakespeare with a twist on the tale of Macbeth.

In the endnotes Klein mentions that there is a section in the play where Lady Macbeth states: "I have given suck, and know / How tender `tis to love the babe that milks me..." (1.7.54-55). Lady Macbeth has obviously had at least one child, but there is no mention of that child in the play. And here is where Klein takes the tale down a slightly different path than the one Shakespeare did: in this version Lady Macbeth has a son from her first marriage, and a daughter from her marriage to Macbeth. Macbeth orders the female killed when he finds out she has a lame foot. Lady Macbeth doesn't ever really recover from this loss, and that is where her lofty desperation comes from.

The tale is told from two different viewpoints: Lady Macbeth, and her daughter, Albia. I love that the book is told from the differing perspectives because I felt like I got so much more out of the story because of it. Albia and Lady Macbeth (Grelach) both are extremely realistic: you can't help but like Albia and feel for her confusion, and you understand Grelach while simultaneously loathe her. It's utter brilliance!

Even if you're not a fan of the bard, this tale is ripe with drama that will keep you turning the pages, wondering how it will all turn out. For those of you who know your Macbeth, I can tell you that Klein has a few surprises for you!

Notes on the Cover:

Other than her hair being too dark for my imagination, I think that Albia is lovely. I especially like that it appears she has on some armor. A girl with spirit! (You know how I love those!)