Take a photo of a barcode or cover
stefhyena 's review for:
Queen Macbeth
by Val McDermid
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Well researched and well constructed (the now interspersed with memory was not too hard to follow).
A lot of interesting detail about women's agency (especially sexual agancy, I am glad the lazy habit of adding gratuitous rape scenes wasn't followed), power, kingship, faith (and how faith may be assumed and performed for political benefit).
The Utopian portrayal of leadership in this (coupled with impossible to deny brutality toward enemies) was reminiscent of everything I have always loved about Robin Hood stories. But this was Scottish and in some ways even better.
The mother/son relationship was a weak point. Would any mother (outside of MAGA) muse that her son was weak because he was lucky enough to grow up not at war? It's one of those very sacred right-wing myths (good times breed soft men) and it really wasn't needed here especially when there was pretty much no other thoughts about Lulach as a person (not just Macbeth's heir). It also came at such a part of the plot to be an absolute gut punch.
The way people died was abrupt and traumatic but I think that was the point. Certainly a very interesting reminder not to take for granted the stories that "everyone knows" and not to forget that what is behind them is uncertain and complex.
A lot of interesting detail about women's agency (especially sexual agancy, I am glad the lazy habit of adding gratuitous rape scenes wasn't followed), power, kingship, faith (and how faith may be assumed and performed for political benefit).
The Utopian portrayal of leadership in this (coupled with impossible to deny brutality toward enemies) was reminiscent of everything I have always loved about Robin Hood stories. But this was Scottish and in some ways even better.
The mother/son relationship was a weak point. Would any mother (outside of MAGA) muse that her son was weak because he was lucky enough to grow up not at war? It's one of those very sacred right-wing myths (good times breed soft men) and it really wasn't needed here especially when there was pretty much no other thoughts about Lulach as a person (not just Macbeth's heir). It also came at such a part of the plot to be an absolute gut punch.
The way people died was abrupt and traumatic but I think that was the point. Certainly a very interesting reminder not to take for granted the stories that "everyone knows" and not to forget that what is behind them is uncertain and complex.