The steel beneath the silk by Patricia Bracewell

Emma of Normandy seeks an alliance with Thorkell who has deserted the Danes, driving a wedge between herself and her young son Edward. King Swein Forkbeard and his son Cnut – with the english Elgiva at his side – still want to conquer England from her increasingly elderly husband Aethelred II. And it looks like the Danes may succeed in just that.

The steel beneath the silk is the last book in a trilogy around Emma Of Normandy and covers a long intense period: the last years of Aethelred’s reign and the battle after his death between Cnut and Edmund. There’s a lot of political war going on, alliances are constantly changing and Emma has to make tough decisions – and not everyone will thank her for that.

We still follow Emma, Elgiva – Cut’s English wife – and Aethelstan – Aethelred’s eldest son. And while this is certainly a great book about a period that is far too little covered (we tend to focus on events only after 1066), I still found this the least part of the three. And I find it hard to pinpoint why.
Perhaps because of the complexity of the events and that there is therefore little time for character development?

Bracewell has to stop Emma’s story somewhere and does so at a surprising moment in time – I would have liked to have read about Emma a bit longer.

I look forward to seeing if Bracewell will come out with any new books because I really like her writing style and the authenticity of the period she tries to convey.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Have you read this trilogy? Do you recommend any other pre 1066 books?