Review by just_one_more_paige - Lady Macbeth

A review by just_one_more_paige
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for providing me with an eARC of Lady Macbeth. As per usual, I was pretty excited for this one, as a retelling of a classic/popular plot from a different POV, a more often maligned/misunderstood/unlikable female POV. That's really my sweet spot, as a reader.

This is my second book by Reid, so I was prepared for their slightly slower-paced, very atmospheric, style of writing. And that style fit this retelling perfectly. There is a trance-like magicality to the writing, as expected. But that was also mixed with a slightly unmooring, jumpy pacing. That makes sense, based on this being adapted from a stage play, I think. Though partially it may also have been related to Roscille's (Lady Macbeth's) narrative style. Normally, I might have disliked that, but it, too, fit here. I felt like I was simultaneously there, in the Scottish Highlands, with the scene/aura-setting, and at the same time, felt like I was watching the actual action unfold from afar. All the violence and horrors and discomforts were at a sort of remove. A fascinating combination that really worked here.

I also loveddd the supernatural aspects. The light werewolf lore/shapeshifting curse situation was awesome. Not super subtle, but I always have a soft spot for a "who is the real monster, the monster-looking creature or the monster-acting human?" lesson. It never gets old. The way the witches characters were included was horrifying, but exactly right. I appreciated that one was never quite sure if they were actually magically gifted, or just playing a role really well (though I leaned into believing the latter, myself, and hats of to these women scrabbling to hold on to whatever power/protection they could manage in such an unsafe and unforgiving world). Similarly, Roscille’s “power” to compel men to obey – is it real or a role played by both herself and the men affected, as an “excuse” for actions that society would readily accept/forgive. Of note, there was no shying away from the traditional dark sides of mistreatment of women (and the general roles/power women are allowed to have), and the general terrible actions of men, as they never tire of reaching for more power/influence. But there were also darkly deserved endings for those who did so, which is satisfying. The classic gothic elements - spooky, remote, ghost-ish storytelling vibes - were spot on.

I feel like Reid maintained fully the original vibes, and key elements while reframing them into a fresh story and giving Lady Macbeth more voice (if not necessarily more agency), maintained as she holds on to her true name, Roscille. And that's what a retelling of this kind aims to do, I feel. Gorgeously dark, literally and figuratively,I really enjoyed how it played out.

“Every old soil has its evils.”

“The words may never be spoken aloud. Yet the mind itself can make the sea into a desert and and a frozen waste into the greenest meadow.”

“…for what else do men value if not the things other men wish to take from them?”

“It is said that some memories are too appalling for the human mind to bear and are thus pitted with black holes, so that the miserable parts do not cute over and over again, like bits of shattered pottery, sharp on all sides.”

“Time does not strengthen. It withers.”

“Has she been transformed? Or merely revealed?”

“Is this what it means, truly, to be Lady Macbeth? Sorceress, murderer, the dagger in her husband’s hand? Or perhaps she has always been this.”

“Madness, of all things, is the most unforgiveable in a woman.”

“If she cannot have safety, if she cannot have love, at least she can have this. Vengeance.”

“For men there is no debt of blood which goes unpaid. If the world tips in another’s favor, it must be made to tip back again. But the world is never in a woman’s favor. She cannot tip the scale. The only choice is: live the same mute, unjust life you have always lived, or tear apart the world itself.”

“Let them call you witch, as they do any woman who professes strength.”

“And now, we secret, black and midnight hags: Our toils are ended. Our chains may rattle, but they do not bind. At last, we sleep. We dream.”

Content Warnings

A review by just_one_more_paige Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

A review by just_one_more_paige
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid