Susan Fraser King is a writer of historical fiction who has researched the monastic recordings of Scottish chieftan names and surmised a possible portrait of Macbeth the son of Finlach and Gruoch the daughter of Bodhe who kept the peace with the Norsemen and rival provincial Scottish thanes as King and Queen of Scotland for 17 years until the son of Duncan, fairly defeated in battle, successfully led his forces against them.
Ironically, Queen Gruoch, informally known as Rue here, blames herself for allowing the sons of the defeated Duncan to grow to namhood by persuading her husband’s backers not to murder them. The warrior daughter of Bodhe, himself treacherously slain, She is a far cry from Shakespeare’s bloody character.
In medieval details of warring tribes and the chores of daily life…cooking, cleaning, food and herbal medicines, the roles of chatelaines and servants, this book is a rich tapestry.
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