Books : The Eagle and the Raven

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Author name: Pauline Gedge

: The Eagle and the Raven
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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781556527081
ISBN number: 155652708X
Label: Chicago Review Press
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 704
Printing Date: October 28, 2007
Publishing house: Chicago Review Press
Sale Popularity Level: 45513
Studio: Chicago Review Press



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Product Description:
Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc's objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground. His efforts are also met with fierce opposition from Aricia, the vain queen of a northern tribe who swears allegiance to the Romans after Caradoc slights her, and from Gladys, Caradoc’s warrior sister who falls in love with her Roman captor. Unfortunately, Caradoc’s endeavors are left unresolved when he is taken prisoner, but Boudicca, a strong-willed woman, ultimately takes up the cause that was Caradoc’s legacy.




Customer Reviews
User popularity level: out of 5 stars

Rated by buyers 4 out of 5 stars - Enjoyable
The front and back covers of this book are very misleading- it implies that the book is all about Boudicca, but she only really comes into the book in the last hundred pages or so, though she makes brief appearances throughout the story. Most of the book is about Caradoc, who was the very first uniter of the native British tribes against the Romans.

I very first became interested in the British resistance to the Roman invasion upon reading the Manda Scott series about Boudicca which begins with Dreaming the Eagle. In that series, Caradoc also plays a major role, though Scott certainly focuses on Boudicca more. In Gedge's novel, Caradoc takes the spotlight. And deservedly so.

Caradoc led a very large contingent of Britons against the Romans, but was caught and taken to Rome as prisoner, where he and his family lived out their lives in a gilded cage. A tragic way to end a life.

Unfortunately, also not an interesting way to finish a book. There was a lot of The Eagle and the Raven that took place with Caradoc and his family in Rome, but the plot... didn't really go anywhere. The action was clearly in Britain. Granted, there was not =much= action in the period of time between Caradoc being caught and Boudicca leading an army of vengeance. But I would have preferred that time to have been spent with other characters, and not trying to develop a storyline that really didn't go anywhere.

However, other than that minor quibble, I found this book enjoyable and interesting. It took me a LONG time to read it, admittedly, but I was never bored. Anyone who has an interest in ancient British history would enjoy it, but don't read it thinking it's all about Boudicca. It's not, but that's not a negative point.


Rated by buyers 4 out of 5 stars - Why They Fight
Pauline Gedge's The Eagle and the Raven is the predecessor to Donna Gillespie's The Light Bearer and Manda Scott's Dreaming of the Eagle. It is also, in many respects, a better book. Of these three books, The Eagle and the Raven best made me understand the reasons for the British defiance of Rome. It is easy to use a word like "freedom" to explain it, but this is the very first book that personalizes freedom and shows how the Roman incursion affected the tribesmen's hearts and souls. While The Light Bearer and Dreaming of the Eagle are more descriptive in terms of setting and action, The Eagle and the Raven is more poignant. The characters of Caradoc, Aricia, and Boudicca are emotionally complex, and I felt that I knew them better than their counterparts in other books.

Although The Eagle and the Raven is told through the British perspective, the novel is even-handed with the Romans. They are not all slavers and rapists: in Plautius, Pudens, and Favonius, Gedge presents honorable, respectful Romans. Their interactions with the tribesmen provide some of the most memorable parts of the novel. Also, not all of the British resist Rome; we see that some of them, like Aricia and Prasutugas, accept the Romans for the sake of wealth or peace.

The novel shines when it delves into the tortured relationships of the characters. Caradoc, Aricia, and Boudicca all have lovers at odds with their own beliefs. Watching them struggle with their love and principles is at times heartbreaking and joyful. Also, the romance that Gladys (Caradoc's sister) develops feels genuine and special, when it could have been maudlin or forced in another writer's hands.

The novel is not perfect; it starts slow, and none of the characters is particularly likable at first. (Gedge's characters are flawed, which makes them more authentic.) Most of the action occurs off page. If you are hoping for swordfights, you're better off reading The Light Bearer or Scott's Boudicca series. I believe that those novels externalize the conflict, whereas The Eagle and the Raven internalizes it. In Dreaming the Eagle, Boudicca challenges Rome with the strength of her sword arm. In The Eagle and the Raven, she relies on the strength of her conviction.



Rated by buyers 1 out of 5 stars - I hated this book!
after reading the twenty-odd glowing reviews for this book (and the one awful review which i disregarded but turned out to be scarily accurate) i was so excited to read it. it sounded like exactly the kind of book i like and when it arrived i was thouroughly prepared to love it. however, less then twenty pages into it i began to realize this is exactly the kind of book i hate. the characters are farcically one-dimensional and unlikeable. seriously there was not "person" in this whole book i even remotely cared for or identified with. this was confusing because the author is continually extolling the virtues of her protagonists, none of these virtues which are at all noticable. i am not an author but i took several creative writing classes in university and i do recall the rule of "show don't tell". sadly, miss gedge must've decided this rule shouldn't apply to her. this book was ALL tell and NO show. i honestly think the previous reviewers for this book (with the exception of mr. talbot) must either have never read a book other then this one or are related to the author, because this was the least enjoyable, most poorly written shallow piece of turd i have ever forced myself to finish. i hated this book, and i warn all who read this to please not waste your time, you will be sorely disappointed.


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - The Eagle & the Raven
The author makes you feel like you were there. It is a great book!


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - Truly well written and fascinating.
I truly enjoyed this novel and could hardly put it down. It is very detailed and the characters are immensely ferocious.

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