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Strongbow's Wife: A Union Bathed in Blood by [Frank Parker]

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Frank Parker

Strongbow's Wife: A Union Bathed in Blood Kindle Edition

by Frank Parker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

20 ratings

Promised in marriage to the man who led the Norman invasion of Ireland, what were her thoughts as she approached the altar in a city sacked by her future husband?

The activities of Strongbow, and the other Cambro-Normans who took part in the occupation of Ireland in the twelfth century, have been written about extensively. Of Aoife we know only that she accompanied her father on his year long search for assistance; that, when Strongbow eventually arrived, the marriage took place days after a massacre in Waterford.

This account of those events is presented through her eyes. First as a teenager trying to understand the politics behind her father's downfall. Then as a young wife caught up in the rivalry between her husband and the other leaders of the invading army. Finally, as a widowed mother worried about her children and the future of her native land.

Revised and updated to take account of recent archaeological discoveries, this new edition is released to mark the 850th anniversary of the wedding.

“Like having history come alive . . . one of those hidden gems just needing to be read!” Dianne at Tome Tender book blog.

"Thoughtful phrasing and descriptions" Author Jennifer Young on her blog, Reading, Writing, Wandering

"An interesting and thought-provoking take on a tumultuous episode in Anglo-Irish history" Fiona Mayes at Amazon.co.uk

"Joins the likes of Ian McEwan and D.H. Lawrence, in telling a great story from a female viewpoint." Janet Cameron, Author of The Minx, about a lady in waiting in Edward II's court.

Print length

222 pages
Language

English
Publication date

June 10, 2014
Reading age

13 - 18 years
Grade level

8 - 12
File size

688 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank is a retired Engineer. He spent most of his working life in England where he was employed by UK based multi-national companies. His interest in the shared history of Ireland and the Welsh Marches was aroused by a visit to a ruined castle near his home and the discovery of the connection with the Mortimer’s of Wigmore in Herefordshire. This lead to the realisation that many of the leading participants in the Norman occupation of Ireland in the twelfth century already had well established land holdings in Herefordshire and adjacent counties. He lives with Freda, his wife of 50 year since 1963, in Stradbally, Co. Laois, Ireland. Frank Parker has two other novels available as Kindle e-books: Honest Hearts. Two people of Irish descent fall in love in North America at the start of the twentieth century. What is the secret from her past that ensures the failure of their relationship? What if they meet again twenty years later? And how will either react to the discovery of the daughter she gave up for adoption all those years ago? Summer Day. At the start of a long hot day in July 1947 a young boy shoots his father. How will he cope with the consequences? How will the rest of the family and their friends in the small rural community they inhabit? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

ASIN : B00KX9X3ZW
Publication date : June 10, 2014
Language : English
File size : 688 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 222 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 1386556467
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,953,572 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,387 in Historical Irish Fiction
- #4,537 in British & Irish Literary Fiction
- #5,788 in Historical British Fiction

Customer Reviews:
20 ratings

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A lively recreation of a time gone by

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2020

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A lively recreation of a time gone by

Strongbow’s Wife by Frank Parker is a tale of life in the Twelfth Century milieu of the British Isles (most significantly, Ireland), and Northern France. It’s a century after the Norman Conquest, and the controversy between King Henry II and Thomas à Becket rages in the background for part of the story. Our protagonist is Aoife, the daughter of the King of Leinster in Ireland, and the story is told through her eyes.
I found it quite lively, and the choice to tell it from Aoife’s point of view is a smart one. It was a brutal time when men were constantly fighting each other over fiefdoms, seeking vengeance over land, game, atrocities, and slights. The lot of women in those days, while not to be envied, was not as bleak as has often been portrayed. Aoife, being high born, has many advantages a woman of peasant stock wasn’t afforded. As was the custom in those days, she’s betrothed to a man (a Welsh King, known as Strongbow) for her father’s political advantage at the age of fifteen. Her marriage is delayed for several years and is finally consummated during a period of war and atrocity.
One of the things that readers will find interesting is how important the counsel of women was to men in those days. The judgment of a wife, a mother, and a sister, being family members, was highly valued over that of even close allies, and they assumed important administrative positions while the men were off fighting wars. It was expected that men would die, and so, the running of the estates became the purview of women.
While there is political intrigue and battles galore, they mostly happen offstage, so to speak, because men did their best to shield women from the vagaries of battle. Fierce family loyalties quicken the hearts of all, and Aoife finds herself praying for revenge against a family foe. When it finally comes, she finds herself surprised at her regret for what happened to the man she so despised.
Her life becomes her children, and her hopes for a prosperous future. Along the way, she demonstrates a propensity for strategic thinking and the economic well being of her subjects.
If you’re interested in the roots of what became the Irish-English conflict, the various players: English, Welsh, Norman, Norsemen, you’ll find Strongbow’s Wife a painstakingly well-researched recreation of a time gone by.

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M. Slavidou

Excellent writing, amazing sense of history.

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2018

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I read a lot of historical fiction. What stands out for me about this particular book are two things: the wealth of accurate historical detail; and the fact that the central character is a young woman. The focus on historical literature is frequently the men in lofty positions; great generals, kings and emperors. So this book presents a refreshing change, and it does it extremely well. The characterisation is interesting, and the development of the young woman's personality is realistic and cleverly drawn. I found the dialogue very engaging, and I very much enjoyed the writing. The way that the historical background is portrayed is masterful and really brings the scene to life.
Very highly recommended

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maggie stickles

Great Story

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2021

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The book had so many great things - romance, fighting, war, blood, and believability.

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Patrick

A good tale

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2016

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I'm fond of a good historical fiction novel and this certainly falls into this category. Clearly well researched, the writer has got the basics right for me which is that the essential ingredient, a good tale well told. The narrative keeps the book ticking along nicely however as a first person account I occasionally found it a bit formal or stilted but this is a minor criticism. Engaging from the start a nice perspective from a male writer using a female voice and the time and place are well captured. If you enjoy your fiction historical this is definitely worth a look. Enjoyable read.

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WeZe

Unless she was a queen....

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2015

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Seldom was a medieval female written about. Frank Parker has done an excellent job on Strongbow's wife.This is a story that I will read multiple times.

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Easy read but pacing is too fast

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2020

Strongbow’s Wife is a quick, easy read. Frank Parker clearly knows the era well and the research he put into the novel is admirable. I think the story, however, is a bit too lean and would have been stronger if the pacing weren’t so breakneck.
By and large, I think historical novels tend to revolve around romantic storylines or some type of key event. As far as romance goes, there’s not much of it in Strongbow’s Wife. Truth be told, I don’t think that’s a great loss as I have never been one much for love triangles and literary courtships can be a bit formulaic. Nonetheless, a romance angle might have been a good way to spice up the story as it lacks a big event. Technically, the story has many notable events. The decision of the king to annex Ireland, the battles to take control of Ireland, and the pacification process are all alluded to in this story. Unfortunately, they all get short shrift. Sure, they get mentioned by the protagonist but the protagonist isn’t personally involved in any of these events so they are all tangential to her own story arc.
I suspect the reason the author did not insert Strongbow’s wife into these situations is that it would have been ahistorical for him to do so. I respect his commitment to the historical accounts, but historical fiction does leave room for imagination. Had the novel included more than just one POV, I think it may have been possible to depict some of the important events in more depth and give readers a bit more to latch on to.
To be fair, there are plenty of great historical novels that are told exclusively from one perspective. The Moor’s Account and The Kingmaker’s Daughter are good examples of this. I think the reason these novels work well from a reading standpoint deals with the narrative decisions of the author. In the Moor’s Account, Lalami uses the first-person narrative to add more depth to the protagonist’s world view and give him more agency than he is credited with in primary sources. Sure, her telling diverges from the official account given to court authorities but never in ways that are unrealistic. In some respects, the account that Lalami offers is more trustworthy than the one passed down to posterity.
For the most part, the protagonist of Strongbow’s Wife is a mystery. Yes, she reflects on some of the changes wrought by the foreigners in Ireland, but this mostly happens in the form of a few rhetorical questions. Even death gets short shrift in the story. Characters die or disappear, but we don’t learn much about how that makes the protagonist feel. The climax of the book is the death of a character we hardly knew and lacks much-needed oomph because we lack a strong connection to that character and the protagonist.
Ultimately, Strongbow’s Wife fails for me because it’s not fleshed out enough. To be truly compelling, the story needed to either go deeper with the first-person POV or it needed to offer more POVs. Parker has created a good skeleton for a story, but it needs more heft. To be fair, readers who want a quick rundown of the colonization of Ireland will probably enjoy this read. There’s pretty much no bloat with this read and we cover a pretty large expanse of time in just a few pages. Personally, I like having something to sink my teeth into and I think the story would have been stronger had we not rushed through so many important events. Parker is a prolific writer and I suspect he will put out more work soon. If he can resist the urge to skim over the important happenings, I think his other novels will be much stronger.

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Top reviews from other countries

Janet Cameron

An Engaging Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2016

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I loved it!

Many male authors might struggle to adopt the voice and emotions of a woman, but not Frank Parker. He joins the likes of the formidable Ian McEwan and the the great classical writer D.H. Lawrence, in telling a great story, authentically, from a female viewpoint. This super novel is set in the tumultuous times of 12th century Ireland, and Aoife's life is full and eventful. I liked and admired her for her strength under severe duress, and I wanted to identify with her spirited and unswerving commitment to what was important to her in her life. Aoife is majestically driven and I cannot quite believe she is not real!

I want to read more from Frank Parker.

One person found this helpful

MRS FIONA M MAYES

Interesting and thought-provoking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2015

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Frank Parker makes a disclaimer at the outset of this novel stating that it is not a work of history; however, this cannot detract from the obvious level of research and reading aound the period that has clearly gone into its preparation.

In an era where history is so often that - "his story" - it is a refreshing change to read an interpretation of the documented facts seen through the eyes of a young woman growing to maturity in a dangerous and polictically unstable world. Parker is to be congratulated on having the courage to tackle writing a novel from the perspective of a 12th century teenaged girl - this cannot have been anything less than challenging - particularly when approaching an issue such as the rigours of mediaeval pregnancy and childbirth.

An interesting and thought-provoking take on a tumlutous episode in Anglo-Irish history - congratulations to the author on a job well done.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

An interesting read

Reviewed in Canada on March 22, 2020

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Strongbow's Wife by Frank Parker is a well-written fictional account of the turbulent times in Ireland and Wales during the reign of King Henry II. Told from the point of view of Aoife, Richard de Clare's young wife, the story centers on the lives of the Irish and Norman nobles and their families. The precariousness of life and the gruesome end many people were likely to meet are skillfully described through the eyes of an innocent girl forced to mature rather quickly. Her emotions are conveyed in a masterful and convincing way. I also enjoyed reading about Irish customs and traditions. It is obvious that the author has done a lot of research on the time period and the major historical figures. The novel was interesting and informative and I am glad to have read it.

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