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md3's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read and studied Macbeth for my Leaving Certificate. It was the first time I had ever read any Shakespeare and I absolutely loved it. Lady Macbeth was my favourite character so when I heard about this book, a retelling of Lady Macbeth's life from childhood to when she married Macbeth, I knew I had to read it!
The author created and presented Gruoch's world and the people she loves/encounters so vividly. Each character's humanity shone through and their strengths and flaws were examined and tested throughout the book in various scenarios. The world for women at that time, and Lady Macbeth did indeed exist, is portrayed in elegant prose which jars with the often harsh reality of their lives and complex relationships. For a woman so ambitious as Gruoch, pursuing the ultimate position of power, Queen of Alba, is a dangerous game.
I also really enjoyed the author's subtle nods to Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Some readers might find the gore and violence or references to mental illness, self harm, losing children etc. offputting or distressing.
The author created and presented Gruoch's world and the people she loves/encounters so vividly. Each character's humanity shone through and their strengths and flaws were examined and tested throughout the book in various scenarios. The world for women at that time, and Lady Macbeth did indeed exist, is portrayed in elegant prose which jars with the often harsh reality of their lives and complex relationships. For a woman so ambitious as Gruoch, pursuing the ultimate position of power, Queen of Alba, is a dangerous game.
I also really enjoyed the author's subtle nods to Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Some readers might find the gore and violence or references to mental illness, self harm, losing children etc. offputting or distressing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, War, Child death, Murder, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual content
Minor: Infertility
clairew97's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Confinement, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Sexism, Ableism, Child abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Self harm, and Vomit
koshkajay's review against another edition
adventurous
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
anapthine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you NetGalley and Raven Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was brilliantly and cleverly written. The empathy you formed for Lady Macbethad did affect how you viewed Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” - maybe there was a reason for why she acted the way she did. The plot was addictive, with a perfect medium pace and likeable characters. Additionally, the emotions portrayed felt so genuine and I wish I could’ve read more of the book. This is definitely one of my favourite reads so far this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Death
Moderate: Self harm
introverted_reads's review
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3 stars
“… you have this air of tragedy about you. As though you’re carrying some deep secret that will ruin you or anyone else who is drawn into your sphere.”
When using a name like Lady MacBethad, you instantly set up a series of expectations from readers. I went into this book expecting a novel exploring the infamous Lady Macbeth of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a tale of tragedy, regicide, and psychological complexity. However, Isabelle Schuler has attempted to harmonise Gruoch (Lady MacBethad), Shakespeare’s muse for Lady Macbeth, and Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, and in my opinion, this just hasn’t worked.
I love books that explore turbulent political periods of history, and Lady MacBethad does do that. Much of the narrative aligns with what is known of medieval Scottish politics and the real life of Gruoch ingen Boite, Queen of Alba. Yet throughout Schuler’s novel, allusions to Shakespeare’s text are rife, whether quotations or simply linguistic details too akin to the tragedy of Macbeth to be coincidental. The problem here, for me, is that these two figures are very different, and this resulted in a discord in her characterisation. Gruoch is portrayed as a highly maternal figure yet Lady Macbeth swears she would “dashed the brains [of her hypothetical child] out” rather than break her vow to Macbeth. It is extremely difficult to unify these two dichotomous ideas - how am I to believe this same figure who dotes upon her son, would be willing to violently extinguish his life to fulfil her role in Macbeth’s ascent to the throne? The discord in Gruoch’s characterisation makes it really difficult to understand what this book intends to be; is it historical fiction or is it a work inspired by a text of the literary canon?
“Your power resides in men; your husband, your sons. If you rule them, you rule the land. If you cannot rule them, you are useless and may as well die young.”
The opening chapters of Lady MacBethad establish this as a novel focused on political schemes, power, and expediency. There is a strong commentary on the rise of early Christianity, and it’s forceful expulsion of paganism and British folklore, and a cutting criticism on Christianity’s growth dependent on force rather than faith. Schuler also establishes a strong feminist tone, commenting on the role of women in medieval society, and the acquisition of power from a defiance of gender conventions. As the novel progresses, however, I feel this gets lost among a romance-fuelled subplot. The destructive, indiscriminate power of Lady Macbeth as a figure of radical gender nonconformity (“… unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty…”) gives way to a character more focused on her emotional relationships, and her role within the sphere of marriage.
“Destruction is loud, vengeful, buildings falling, stone crashing, but to ruin someone… Ruination works from the inside out, pulling someone completely apart, bit by bit, piece by piece.”
I think I went into Lady MacBethad with the wrong expectations, which probably factors into why I feel this book fell flat. Isabelle Schuler is undoubtedly a promising writer, and their artistry with words is unmistakable. However, I think that the main issue is this book was marketed wrong. It sets itself up to be a novel focused on political turmoil, female rage, power, and complex psychology, but these themes just aren’t explored. Perhaps that is down to the length of the book; just under 300 pages is no where near enough to explore what are essentially major concepts with satisfactory depth, whilst also weaving a fictitious plot. Had it been marketed differently, perhaps as fiction simply set in medieval Scotland, without the added complexity of a major work of English Literature, it might have been a more appealing book to me. But as it is, for someone who adores both Shakespeare’s tragic work, and the character of Lady Macbeth, I just felt that unfortunately it fell flat for me. It’s a strong premise undertaken by a talented writer, but Lady MacBethad just didn’t appeal to me.
Quotes taken from e-ARC provided through NetGalley and may change in final published work
Representation in Lady MacBethad
As a book set in medieval Scotland, representation of ethnic diversity and the queer community is not prevalent; it is a largely white heteronormative cast of characters as is deemed historically appropriate. Unfortunately I feel that the only explicitly gay character was poorly written and somewhat insensitive, relying on very stereotypical ideas on gay men. The one gay character was feminised and depicted as weak, and was emasculated because of his sexuality. I am aware that this is historically appropriate attitudes towards homosexuality, but it was still quite unfortunate that it was not just others perceptions of this character, but his entire characterisation.
Representation in Lady MacBethad
As a book set in medieval Scotland, representation of ethnic diversity and the queer community is not prevalent; it is a largely white heteronormative cast of characters as is deemed historically appropriate. Unfortunately I feel that the only explicitly gay character was poorly written and somewhat insensitive, relying on very stereotypical ideas on gay men. The one gay character was feminised and depicted as weak, and was emasculated because of his sexuality. I am aware that this is historically appropriate attitudes towards homosexuality, but it was still quite unfortunate that it was not just others perceptions of this character, but his entire characterisation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Suicide, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Mental illness
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