PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by: Troubador Publishing Inc./Matador
Pages: 264
Genre: Historical Fiction
Purchase: Barnes & Noble Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR :
Marianne Whiting is a Swedish-born, Leicestershire-based writer with a love of the Lake District and the Cumbrian mountains who grew up on stories about Vikings, their daring raids and brave deeds, but also their lives as farmers, traders and explorers. She is particularly interested in the status of women in Viking society and how it changed with the spread of Christianity. Marianne, a writer of historical fiction and poetry, has previously written Modern Knights Don't Wear Armour.
Notes from Marianne's publisher:
‘You are your father’s daughter...’ Sigrid Kveldulfsdaughter sets out on a
mission for justice in Shieldmaiden, a work of young adult historical fiction
by Marianne Whiting.
Sigrid is the daughter of a runaway
Norwegian princess and a warrior who was once Harald Finehair’s housekarl. She
grows up on a farm by Loweswater, but her childhood comes to an abrupt end when
her father is outlawed and killed, her home is burnt and the rest of her family
disappears. Whilst the English fight the Vikings for political supremacy and
Christianity slowly begins to replace the worship of the Norse gods, she
embarks on a quest for justice and security for herself and her children. Her
only option is to appeal to the King of Norway to reverse his judgement on her
father and allow her to inherit the family farm, but Norway is far away and
Sigrid is a penniless daughter of an outlaw. She has only her wits and her
skill with the sword to help her cause. However, she is joined by a small but
gallant force of allies and sets out to regain her birth-right.
“I grew up on historical fiction but felt
frustrated that most roles allocated to women were limited – boys had all the
fun! The exception seemed to be the Viking era. I was taught at school that
Viking girls as well as boys were taught to ride, swim, use a bow and arrow,
and defend themselves against attack. Later I read about Viking women going on
raids in their own ships, in charge of their own crews. The seminal moment came
from a dream where I was an old woman reminiscing about her life. Sigrid was
such a strong character, I was compelled to drop another novel halfway through
and write her story,” says Marianne about her motivation to write Shieldmaiden.
“A gripping adventure with a bold,
uncompromising heroine, written in the true Nordic tradition. This is
storytelling at its best.” Chris d’Lacey, author of The Last Dragon Chronicles.
“Packed with atmosphere and adventure,
Shieldmaiden is a compelling saga indeed.” Rod Duncan, author of the Riot
trilogy.
AN INTERVIEW WITH MARIANNE WHITING :
Welcome to A Bookish Libraria, Marianne. I'm anxious to hear your answers to some of my questions!
1) First of all, please tell us a special something
about what makes you “tick.” When you
aren’t writing, what are you doing?
Reading,
unless my husband drags me, kicking and screaming, out for a walk or bike ride
which I then enjoy very much.
2) We’re always curious about where a writer chooses
to write. Could you tell us about your
favorite place to write? Describe it in
detail…what’s on your desk, what do you see from the window if any…do you have
a favorite lucky charm?
This is one of my big problems. I have a very small,
crowded room where I do my writing, keep track of my finances (it can be
seriously scary to find an unpaid bill between chapter one and two), keep the
accounts for Leicester Writers’ Club and any correspondence. A shared
filing-cabinet and a chest of drawers ensure regular interruptions. This is why
I’m often found in our lovely little conservatory; it’s bright and with a view
of the garden but cold in winter and boiling hot in summer. I may also claim
space in our living room or on the dining table. Need I say, how grateful I am
to whoever invented the laptop! My desk is a mess – you really don’t want to
know!
Every now and then I excavate my desk and then I
find my lucky charm. It is a small stuffed dog, about two inches long, with a
funny smile on its face. He’s very cute and I’m always very pleased to see him.
I make a great deal of fuss of him until he’s again buried under the debris.
3) Bronte or Austen?
Hemingway or Hawthorne? Why?
My dad
introduced me to historical fiction. He took me to see The Three Musketeers
with Errol Flynn and when we got home he let me borrow his copy of the book. I
never looked back! I devoured historical adventure and novels about war and,
yes, I read Hemingway and Steinbeck too. Never a fan of romantic fiction, I do
however also have a complaint about adventure stories; the men and the boys
always seem to have all the fun and excitement. We have tough female
detectives, why not a warrior woman? Sigrid, the Viking shieldmaiden, demanded
that her story be told.
4) In your opinion, what makes a book a great one?
One that stays with you; one that makes you think
and feel; one that challenges you and shows you something new. I like to find
out facts and ideas from my fiction.
5) Which author(s) most influenced your love of
books?
This could easily be a long list and it would
probably change quite often but Villhelm Moberg and Sven-Edvin Salje, two
historical novelists from Sweden have had a lasting influence because they
manage to combine historical accuracy with realistic characters facing
challenging situations and moral dilemmas which feel relevant to the modern
reader.
Going back to my childhood, I’ve already mentioned
Alexandre Dumas but there is of course also Astrid Lindgren whose Pippi
Longstocking influenced not just my love of books but probably my attitude to
life as well.
6) Read any good books in the past 6 months?
You want the whole list?! I belong to a book club
which makes me read things I wouldn’t otherwise choose. This year I discovered
David Mitchell’s Ghostwritten, Rose Tremain’s Restoration, Georgina Harding’s
Painter of Silence and Fawsia Koofi’s autobiography The Favoured Daughter.
Outside the club I have enjoyed Robert Low’s Oathsworn, a series of Viking
adventures. At the moment I’m re-reading Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.
7) Choose 4 guests from any era for dinner. Who would they be and what would you choose
for a topic of conversation?
Theodora Byzantine Empress, Queen Margareta of
Sweden, Denmark and Norway 1389-1412, Elizabeth I of England and Catherine the
Great of Russia. I think they would find a discussion about the challenges
women face when ruling empires.
8) There’s a song that goes along with your book,
what is it?
Clannad, Boadicea. It is a celtic tune but I don’t
think there are any surviving examples of Viking music.
9) If you could cast your book for a movie, who
would you choose for your 2 main characters?
Jennifer Lawrence as Sigrid and Viggo Mortensen (20
years ago) as Ragnar.
10) Worst habit you have while writing books?
Answering questions that I then have no recollection
of. This is particularly embarrassing if I have promised to do something.
11) How much research did you do before and during
writing?
In my arrogance I thought that being Swedish I knew
enough about Vikings so I did nothing before starting. I have since done lots
of reading, searching on the internet, looking up websites of re-enactment
societies and visiting museums, Viking Centres and places I mention in the
book.
12) Psychologists tell us the thing we think we’d
most like to grow up to be when we’re ten years old is our avocation. What did you want to be?
Honestly, I wanted to be a novelist. It just took me
half a century to get started!
THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :
I read and thoroughly enjoyed "Shieldmaiden: You are your Father's Daughter..." this week. It wasn't at all what I expected. Frankly I thought I would be bogged down in Viking names and history and would have to plough my way through them to find a story to enjoy. Quite the contrary. We are very soon introduced to the strong-willed and beautiful Sigrid, who is the shieldmaiden, and her soon-to-be-lover, Ragnar. Both of these young warriors are beautifully rendered, exciting, and not at all boring or bogged down! Through them and their personal struggles around a great battle, we become familiar with the times and the peoples of the year 934.
Mythologically, Norse gods and Christianity wrestle for foundations amongst the English and the Vikings in Ms Whiting's novel. I loved the contrasts shown in the warriors and peoples. I saw Norway as I'd never experienced it before.
This is a historical novel that's a surprise. It's well-written and wonderfully told. I enjoyed the love story and the strength of character of the warrior woman, Sigrid. I would recommend it for those who like to take a risk on unusual historical fiction with a wonderful love story.
4 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame
1 comments:
Shieldmaiden sounds very good. I'll have to add it to my TBR pile. Thanks for the review and the interview with the author.
Share your thoughts!