Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Saxon Heroines

  • SAXON HEROINES: A Northumbrian Novel (Women of Determination and Courage, Book 3) by Sandra Wagner-Wright – Medieval Historical Biographies,

    Sandra Wagner-Wright’s Saxon Heroines is a three-part historical fiction work that transports readers to seventh century Northumbria, exploring the lives of several women and their important title roles in recorded history. Here she uncovers the powerful influence of queens over kings, their relationships with sons and daughters, the movement of Christianity across the region, and the significant role of abbesses and their religious holds throughout the land.

    Whether Queen Ethelberga intent on converting her husband King Edwin to Christianity; her daughter, Enfleda, who must accept marriage to King Oswy; or granddaughter, Elfleda, who will be trained to become an abbess, following in the footsteps of Hildeburg, the king’s niece; such women, capable of negotiating a united church between royalty and religious leaders, prove decisive and dedicated contributors to a traditionally male-dominated society. Wagner-Wright gives each woman a voice in important matters.

    In the audio version, Deepti Gupta’s mildly accented narration sets the stage for an ancient, medieval storyline capturing a particular time frame (624 – 706 AD). Her diction is well-suited to the material in a mixture of quiet tones and firm directives.

    In a chronological format, events of the day are intricately detailed. Against a landscape where Anglo Saxon states attempt to assert dominance and gain power, listeners will absorb and visualize the likes of plans against the enemy, illustrious banquet halls, wedding celebrations, marital beds, the use of a birthing chair, baptisms, battles, and death.

    While the narration informs us of character changes, and vocal inflections help distinguish the individuals, these can sometimes be a bit too subtle. Some listeners may be challenged with key character names, which are pretty similar. This often occurs within a family lineage, thus making it particularly hard to distinguish within the realm of a generational saga. Name pronunciation, itself, can also prove a tricky.

    As chapters play out in a timely fashion, the title notations provide the year and the focal event happening within that time frame.

    While listening time is nearly 8 hours (7 hours and 57 minutes), pausing throughout the narrative will help listeners absorb the information, allowing them a chance to recognize and place characters within the context of the story. Wagner-Wright’s final notes include facts about the characters and subsequent eighth-century events in Northumbria. An initial visual reference chart of names, places, and dates that a listener could access on their device would be of tremendous use.

    Saxon Heroines audiobook will greatly appeal to those who enjoy the medieval history of the mid to late seventh century, including its religious conflicts, and particularly those interested in the role of critical female figures involved in the spreading of Christianity. While primarily research-based, Wagner-Wright aptly weaves human interest elements into the story and laces the narrative with descriptive characteristics that color and bring life to these inspiring heroines in history.

    Sandra Wagner-Wright is an impressive historian who brings these forgotten women into the 21st-century limelight. For those who wish to read the book along with the audiobook, follow this link to our review of Saxon Heroines.

     

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  • SAXON HEROINES: A Northumbrian Novel (Women of Determination and Courage) by Sandra Wagner-Wright – British and Irish Biographical Literature, Historical Biographical Fiction, Women in Irish History

    SAXON HEROINES: A Northumbrian Novel (Women of Determination and Courage) by Sandra Wagner-Wright – British and Irish Biographical Literature, Historical Biographical Fiction, Women in Irish History

    Sandra Wagner-Wright’s Saxon Heroines: A Northumbrian Novel is a rich history of four women many centuries ago. 

    During a time of constant shifts in power across Northumbria and what would later become England, Christianity begins taking over as the religion of choice in the region. Kings from the area renounce Woden and embrace the new faith, which gives them the divine right to rule.

    Part of a series that tells of lesser-known women in history, Saxon Heroines concerns itself with the stories of four women in seventh century Northumbria. The novel splits into three parts, each part focusing on a different woman (women) of early Saxon history. First is Ethelberga of Kent, who becomes the new Queen of Northumbria in 624 and must convert the king to Christianity. The story shifts to Ethelberga’s daughter, Enfleda, in the second part; Enfleda’s daughter, Elfleda, in the third. Throughout the book, we witness Hildeburg’s role in King Edwin’s court to her holy life as the Abbess of Streoneshalh. Each of these women lived and died long ago, but they arguably changed the world. 

    Wagner-Wright transports her readers to a much more challenging way of life. 

    With few detailed historical records of seventh-century Northumbria, Wagner-Wright does the impossible task of fleshing out the little-known stories contained in the historical record. She takes what the ancient historians have recorded about these four women and tells their stories as accurately as possible. The women were, as Wagner-Wright writes, “present but not visible,” thus, the only things recorded about them were their titles, who they married, and who their children were. With these few facts, Ethelberga, Enfleda, Elfleda, and Hildeburg have unique voices – ones that have been silent for far too many years. 

    In her author’s note, Wagner-Wright adds historical context to the story’s events and reveals what happens in the years following the last chapter. Readers will do themselves a favor by reading through the front and back matter before digging into the meat. Just as important as the story itself, these portions will aid in the overall understanding of the text. A tale like Saxon Heroines based in history needs added material for readers to reference. 

    For lovers of historical and Christian fiction (and non-fiction), Saxon Heroines: A Northumbrian Novel could be the perfect book. Set in a time in which Christianity was taking hold across the region, the women of Saxon Heroines each play a pivotal role in the making of history.