The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick
“One day, lad, your eyes will light upon a woman, and you will never forget that glint in her eye, that toss of her head, or sway of her hips. You will dream of her, whether you are asleep of awake. She will possess your mind, and your body will be on fire for her. Nothing will ever erase the linger of her scent in your nostrils, the touch of her hand on your body, the feel of her flesh beneath your fingers.
When you find a woman to love, Cnut, your life changes forever.”
The Forever Queen centers on the story of Emma of Normandy and her turbulent life as reigning Queen of England during the last days of the Viking invasions. And not only does she hold this dubious honor once, but twice as she has the distinction of being married to two of England’s kinds - one the heir to the throne and the other a violent invader.
Hollick begins Emma’s life on the day of her arrival to war-torn and ill-run but famously wealthy England to be the young bride of Aethelred (known to history as ‘the unready’). Emma is painfully young when she begins her marriage to Aethelred - who though perfectly intelligent is incapable of effectively dealing with the Viking threat, which continues to make him look weaker in the eyes of his nobles.
As she makes herself a place in England, with the birth of her children and the gathering around her of her loyal bodyguard and friends, Emma’s frustration with Aethelred comes to a fever pitch as she watches with her own eyes as the Vikings march their way unmolested through England and back to Denmark. She then knows if she is to save anything she must take control of her destiny and that of England’s.
Hollick illuminates this shadowy part of England’s history wonderfully and is an expert in depicting all those who had such an impact on European politics and royalty. The great lengths she went to in researching the life and times of this indomitable queen are evident throughout, and with Hollick’s creative style of writing make this prodigious story of tragedy and triumph, doubt and certainty, love and hate a fantastic read.
The pages are full of fascinating imagery and I easily fell in love with Emma’s spirit as portrayed by Hollick. She is loving and courageous, but at the same time, she can be ill-tempered and spiteful, making it seem that we now know Emma as she must have been over a thousand years ago. The reader grasps at relationships and friends just as Emma might have done in her uncertain beginning and mourn the losses just the same. Further, the relationship between Emma and Cnut takes on a much different picture than the politically expedient one commonly portrayed, which is extremely refreshing.
The story is difficult to read but not because of any lack of writing skill, but it is just the opposite. Hollick portrays tragedies such as the St Brice’s Day massacre so vividly the sorrow and anger can easily be felt by the reader. And I think that is part of her great skill as a writer.
The times were violent. Threats came from both inside the country and out but Emma survives to remain Queen to two Kings, mother to two more and remains in history as the aunt to one of the greatest men in English history - William the Conqueror. She is one of the few women of this time to have had a biography written. And, despite the historical record having very little information about Queen Emma (aside from the Encomium Emmæ Reginæ, a “spin” biography commissioned by Emma to give credence to her son’s claim to the thrown), Hollick sees past the male monarchs of the time and find the unsung tale of Emma “Ælgifu” of England. I find her to be a fascinating and yet at the same time horrifying woman. She did what she had to do to survive and hold on to power for her sons.
My Rating:
✬✬✬✬✬
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