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attagrrlbailey's review against another edition
1.0
Reads like a bad erotic tumblr poem disguised as historical fiction.
michcocoop's review against another edition
5.0
Historical fiction is known for a lot of things, but being a quick read isn’t typically one of them. When I sat down to read Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva I did not think I would be closing the back cover a mere five hours later, but that is exactly what happened. From the second I started Eliza Redgold’s novel about the famous Lady Godiva I was was hooked, and I could not put it down.
Like most people who have ever heard her tale, I’ve always been fascinated by Lady Godiva (and not just because she did enough to get a chocolate brand named after her). The idea that a noble woman would ride through the streets of her town naked to save her people from unfair taxes always made me think that Godiva was a woman before her time. Yes, I am fully aware that many believe her famous ride never actually happened. I’ve done my research into her actual history and I’ve decided I just don’t care if it was true or not. Her story is a great one, and after reading Eliza Redgold’s novel I love the tale even more than I did before.
Eliza paints such a vivid picture with her writing. Not a Tolkien “I’m going to explain every rock and piece of dirt” picture, but more of a Van Gogh picture. The details aren’t extra clear but as a whole the book is a beautiful work of art. She blends romance, history, and adventure so effortlessly that you really feel as if you are experiencing Godiva’s journey for yourself. The story never feels rushed and there aren’t any parts that you are rushing to get through. Eliza has an amazing gift when it comes to bringing history to life and she excels at doing just that with Naked. If you are a fan of historical fiction then Naked definitely needs to be added to your list!
Disclosure: We received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Link to review: http://thetipsyverse.com/2015/07/23/book-review-naked-novel-lady-godiva/
Like most people who have ever heard her tale, I’ve always been fascinated by Lady Godiva (and not just because she did enough to get a chocolate brand named after her). The idea that a noble woman would ride through the streets of her town naked to save her people from unfair taxes always made me think that Godiva was a woman before her time. Yes, I am fully aware that many believe her famous ride never actually happened. I’ve done my research into her actual history and I’ve decided I just don’t care if it was true or not. Her story is a great one, and after reading Eliza Redgold’s novel I love the tale even more than I did before.
Eliza paints such a vivid picture with her writing. Not a Tolkien “I’m going to explain every rock and piece of dirt” picture, but more of a Van Gogh picture. The details aren’t extra clear but as a whole the book is a beautiful work of art. She blends romance, history, and adventure so effortlessly that you really feel as if you are experiencing Godiva’s journey for yourself. The story never feels rushed and there aren’t any parts that you are rushing to get through. Eliza has an amazing gift when it comes to bringing history to life and she excels at doing just that with Naked. If you are a fan of historical fiction then Naked definitely needs to be added to your list!
Disclosure: We received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Link to review: http://thetipsyverse.com/2015/07/23/book-review-naked-novel-lady-godiva/
alicejwhite17's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t know much about Lady Godiva other than the famous poem by Tennyson, which tells the story of the famous ride through Coventry, naked and covered by her long hair. I had no idea why she was riding through Coventry, who put her up to it or really anything about her story and while this particular novel is simply the author’s imaginings of what she thinks happens I like to think there is some deeper truth to her words.
It’s not technically a verse novel however there are times where I felt like I was reading a verse novel-short clipped sentences that broke into paragraphs-something like one would see in a verse novel. I did however feel like I was reading a fairy tale as I learned of the love story between Godiva and Leofric. It has it’s ups and downs but it brought me back to days of King Arthur and an older England that is rarely seen anymore. It was also a really quick read and left me with that warm fuzzy feeling only a romance novel can.
It’s not technically a verse novel however there are times where I felt like I was reading a verse novel-short clipped sentences that broke into paragraphs-something like one would see in a verse novel. I did however feel like I was reading a fairy tale as I learned of the love story between Godiva and Leofric. It has it’s ups and downs but it brought me back to days of King Arthur and an older England that is rarely seen anymore. It was also a really quick read and left me with that warm fuzzy feeling only a romance novel can.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
"Naked" is the story of Lady Godiva, who is most commonly known for riding through her small town of Coventry naked on a horse with only her hair to cover herself. This lady is truly a legend and one that has fascinated so many people, historical fiction and history lovers alike. I'm always fascinated by this story so I was really interested in the author's take on Lady Godiva. Not many facts are about her but the author is able to take what we know and expound on it and create a really rich and wonderfully detailed story.
When it comes to historical fiction, I think that it can be difficult for authors to have too many facts. I also think it can be difficult for authors to have too few details. In the case of Lady Godiva, a lot is unknown about her and the author was able to create a very realistic character and some memorable secondary characters. I really appreciated the way that the author was able to make the legend come to life. In the beginning of the book, the author includes a historical note which explains what is known and what is unknown about the legend of Lady Godiva. It really set the stage for me as a reader and I love to see the author's thought process about the story.
Lady Godiva is such an interesting character to me. She lives in a world where women do not have much authority at all and she realizes that. However, in a lot of ways she doesn't let that fact constrained her. She feels duty-bound to take care of the people under her. Her husband is the one who dares to ride through the center of town naked in order to prove her mettle and conviction. I really liked how the author was able to make Godiva feel real. The book is told from the first person point of view which pulled me right into the story.
I really enjoyed this take on Lady Godiva. The author definitely had me interested in learning more about the legend. Historical fiction lovers will love this take on this familiar story. The other puts a brand-new spin on an old favorite!
When it comes to historical fiction, I think that it can be difficult for authors to have too many facts. I also think it can be difficult for authors to have too few details. In the case of Lady Godiva, a lot is unknown about her and the author was able to create a very realistic character and some memorable secondary characters. I really appreciated the way that the author was able to make the legend come to life. In the beginning of the book, the author includes a historical note which explains what is known and what is unknown about the legend of Lady Godiva. It really set the stage for me as a reader and I love to see the author's thought process about the story.
Lady Godiva is such an interesting character to me. She lives in a world where women do not have much authority at all and she realizes that. However, in a lot of ways she doesn't let that fact constrained her. She feels duty-bound to take care of the people under her. Her husband is the one who dares to ride through the center of town naked in order to prove her mettle and conviction. I really liked how the author was able to make Godiva feel real. The book is told from the first person point of view which pulled me right into the story.
I really enjoyed this take on Lady Godiva. The author definitely had me interested in learning more about the legend. Historical fiction lovers will love this take on this familiar story. The other puts a brand-new spin on an old favorite!
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