What do readers think of The Widow Queen by Elzbieta Cherezinska? Write your own review.

The Widow Queen is a captivating read of the years 960 to 995 where the Vikings conquer and steal the wealth of neighboring Scandinavian countries and England. During this time, various Kings introduce Christianity to their subjects, although reluctant kings allow their patrons to continue their Viking practices. The author left us with a cliffhanger. The widowed queen, Swietostawa, wonders if she can go after her heart's throb, another King, or is it too late. Next year the series continues with The Last Crown, and I cannot wait to read it.

The Widow Queen authored by Elzbieta Cherezinska is the fascinating and forgotten story of a tenth century queen who ruled two kingdoms, and is remembered in the Norse sagas but was totally unknown to me.

I love historical sagas and this had all the requirements for great historical fiction: great characters, star-crossed lovers, lots of action, and a story which opened the window on a time and place with which I was unfamiliar.

I did need to keep google at hand for about the first fifty pages to familiarize myself with the real-life characters, the geography and the events in medieval history.

I would most definitely recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction and especially those who love medieval history. I couldn't put this book down and am anxiously awaiting the sequel to the Widow Queen called The Last Crown.

One of the more challenging books that I have read in awhile. Not only were there a litany of characters with foreign names and several stories unfolding in parallel while intertwining, but the book captured a time period and a part of the world (10th century Poland and Nordic Countries) with which I am less familiar so lacked a frame of reference. And yet, for all these reasons, I was captivated by the book! The book had all the makings of a fascinating historical saga - complex familial and political relationships and alliances, intrigue, political strategizing and gamesmanship, romance and war.

As a side note, the translation of this book was brilliantly done in that the book flowed seamlessly, telling the story and capturing the essence as if it were written in English. Also, the audiobook version was an excellent, albeit long listen (24 hours). I used it to accompany the hardback - alternating between the two to help aid in my comprehension and the pronunciation of the names and places.

The Widow Queen is a reasonably historically accurate account of tenth century political rivalry in Northern Europe. At the heart of the story are the marriages of the Duke of Poland's daughters to form strategic alliances with royalty from other countries. The author guides the reader in understanding the many complex relationships between Poles, Vikings in Sweden, Denmark and Finland and the Saxons. The book is intriguing with background on religious, cultural and political beliefs of the people of that time. I particularly enjoyed the story of the main character, the princess and later Queen Swietoslawa, who despite being a puppet in her father's political maneuvering, rises to cleverly manage her fate. She approaches her life with logic and intelligence and makes the best of each new situation. Unfortunately, the book ends very abruptly without a meaningful conclusion. A note at the end of the book from the author informs the reader that a sequel is coming. This is a big disappointment after 496 pages. Overall, it's a good and informative read, despite a poorly crafted ending.

If you are a fan of royalty, blood lines, and human chess games for power, you will enjoy this book. It took a while to build up to the stories of the characters and how their lives intertwine. But overall a good read.

The names of people and places in The Widow Queen were so foreign, it presented a stumbling block for me. The story was long and it took me at least 100 pages before I was able to follow it. I almost gave up. I persevered and was rewarded with a saga about Vikings, Danes, Swedes and Norwegians, about Kings, Queens, Princes, villains, heroes and gods. I struggled to keep up with the politics and wars and never did get that part straight. What kept me going was the love story between Swietoslawa (try saying that three times quickly) and Olav. Just when I was able to keep up with characters and back stories, the book ended and I was told to read the sequel to find out what happens next. I probably won't do that. I'm not saying the book was awful, just very difficult to read.

I received an ARC which doesn't have the maps or family trees which will be part of the final book.

The story is fictional, based on the Nordic Sagas which may or not be factual. There are many intertwined facets all centered on Swietoslawa, the queen of the title. I found it difficult to keep track of the various characters involved because many of their names were unfamiliar and similar.

I persevered and finished the book, but if you are looking for an easy read, this isn't it.

Interesting factoid..Bluetooth was named for one of the characters in the story.

The Widow Queen is not an easy book to get through. I feel it was too long, wordy, and detailed. The story didn't hold my attention and the characters were hard to keep straight as many of the names were similar and strange. It might be easier for someone who is familiar with the history portrayed. I would not recommend this book unless you are interested in tenth-century Polish history. I won't be reading the sequel.