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A Novel of Lady Macbeth
by Isabelle Schuler
An instant international bestseller: a suspenseful, sweeping historical epic for readers of Natalie Haynes and Madeline Miller, which boldly reimagines the origin story of the woman who inspired one of Shakespeare's most iconic characters, Lady Macbeth.
She will be Queen. Whatever it takes ...
Daughter of an ousted king, descendant of ancient druids, Gruoch (GREW-ock), has grown up believing that she will be crowned queen of Alba and reclaim the lands of her Pictish kin, a prophecy seemingly fulfilled by her betrothal to Duncan, the heir-elect.
Determined never to be powerless again, she leaves behind her home, her family, and her close friend MacBethad, and travels to the royal seat at Scone to embrace her new position. But Duncan's court is rife with sly words and unfriendly faces, women desperate to usurp her position, and others whose motives are shrouded in mystery.
As her coronation approaches, a deadly turn of events forces Gruoch to flee Duncan and the capital. Alone and at the mercy of an old enemy, her hope of becoming Queen all but lost, Gruoch must make a fateful choice: live a long, quiet life in the shadows, or seize vengeance and a path back to the throne.
A stunning literary reclamation of an iconic character, Queen Hereafter is a gripping story of female ambition, power, history, desire, hate, and vengeance set against the backdrop of early medieval Scotland.
"An irresistible historical novel that lets a vilified queen have her say." —Kirkus Reviews
"Alternative takes on Shakespeare are ubiquitous, but this origin story of the real Lady Macbeth—the debut novel by Swiss Hawaiian-American screenwriter Schuler—is distinctive. There's genuine commitment to character and storytelling in this tale." —The Guardian
"Brimful with suspense, packed with power plays and sinister subterfuge ... the origin story of Shakespeare's devious Queen. Reclaimed by Schuler from the footnotes of history, her ambitious Queen Gruoch, descended from Druids, daughter of an ousted king and fully her own person, tackles the politics of Duncan's 11th-century Scottish court with steely aplomb." —Daily Mail (UK)
"This action-packed historical tale is a reimagining of the life of the Scottish queen who inspired the story of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth." —The Independent (UK)
"Missing House of the Dragon levels of court intrigue and scheming queens? Enter Isabelle Schuler's astonishingly entertaining debut; a shrewdly crafted retelling of the story of Grouch, the historical Scottish Queen who inspired Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. It has everything you need from an immersive, captivating epic, packed with brilliant writing and a suspense-laden plot. There will certainly be a lot more to come from Schuler." —Harper's Bazaar (UK)
"The suspense-filled origin story of one of Shakespeare's best-known characters." —BBC
This information about Queen Hereafter was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Isabelle Schuler is a Swiss-American actress, writer, and former bookseller. Her latest self-penned short film, I Am a Unicorn, is currently playing at festivals in the UK, US, and Europe. She has a BA in journalism, and her screenplay Queen Hereafter was longlisted for the Thousand Films Screenwriting Competition in 2019 and adapted into her debut novel. She lives in London.
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