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Susie Kelly

Susie Kelly

About

I live in south-west France and write non-fiction about travelling and living in France.

Godwine Kingmaker: Part One of The Last Great Saxon Earls

Godwine Kingmaker: Part One of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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Description

<p><span><span>Harold Godwineson, the Last Anglo-Saxon King, owed everything to his father. Who was this Godwine, first Earl of Wessex and known as the Kingmaker? Was he an unscrupulous schemer, using King and Witan to gain power? Or was he the greatest of all Saxon Earls, protector of the English against the hated Normans? The answer depends on who you ask. He was befriended by the Danes, raised up by Canute the Great, given an Earldom and a wife from the highest Danish ranks. He sired nine children, among them four Earls, a Queen and a future King. Along with his power came a struggle to keep his enemies at bay, and Godwine's best efforts were brought down by the misdeeds of his eldest son Swegn. Although he became father-in-law to a reluctant Edward the Confessor, his fortunes dwindled as the Normans gained prominence at court. Driven into exile, Godwine regathered his forces and came back even stronger, only to discover that his second son Harold was destined to surpass him in renown and glory.</span></span></p>

Story Behind The Book

A couple's journey to explore the Marne Valley by bike, and to trace the route of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI on their abortive escape attempt from the French Revolution, and their journey back to the guillotine. A mix of travel and history spiced with humour.

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Reviews

<strong>A Common Reader (Top 50 Amazon reviewer)</strong>: A<span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;font-size:small;">s someone who enjoys reading about travel on foot or bicycle I can say its as good as any I've read and is a massively entertaining and satisfying read. </span><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;font-size:small;"><strong>BigAL (Amazon Top 500 reviewer): </strong></span><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;">The trip covers the route taken by Marie-Antoinette and her family in first trying to escape France and the route used after their capture to return them to Paris. Interwoven with the actual travel, as Kelly and her husband cycle the route and visit sites along the way, is historical background. Buried within the story of Kelly's trip, which has plenty of conflict of its own, is a mini-biography of the French Monarch, which is full of conflict while providing the theme. </span><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;">While Marie-Antoinette provides a story, there is also the story thread of the actual trip. Kelly not only cycled the entire trip, but did so with her husband, camping most nights. That provides plenty of fuel for conflict as well. This was a trip I enjoyed taking through Susie Kelly's eyes, both for what I learned about the area of France she traveled, and the history involved. My backside and the muscles in my legs were much happier doing it this way, too.</span></div>