The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls
Description
<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>
Story Behind The Book
Life is what you make it. Why not make it great?
Chicago, Illinois - 21/7/2010 - Everyone has a dream, not all of us chase them and turn them into reality. Sometimes are dreams are washed away by daily tasks. Other times, there are just simply too many obstacles standing in our way. When we are able to face our fears head on and still meet our goals, that's what makes us resilient
LaToya Willis is a 26 year old Chicago native, whose passion has always been to write. "For as long as I remember, I’ve been writing poems and short stories." While serving a 24 month sentence in federal Prison, Latoya decided to write a novel, which turned into a trilogy. The first of the three is called Chained 2 Da Game and is due for a July 2010 release. “The thing that motivated me the most was the love and support that I received from my mother. I remember talking to her on the phone and telling her that I was going to come home and get my book published."
Eight days before she was released from prison, her mother passed away. Greif stricken and heart broken, she still pushed forward making the promises she'd told her mother come true. In 2010 her novel was officially published by Mill City Press, a self-publishing firm. In retrospect she wants the world to know; no matter how high the stakes, or how discouraging it may seem, your dreams are in your reach if only you believe.
Reviews
<GREAT BOOK 2010-07-28 18:57:21 Reviewer: THIS BOOK IS AWESOME, A WORLDWIND OF DRAMA AND ACTION. THE AUTHOR TAKES THE READER ON AN URBAN THRILL RIDE AND LEAVES US THIRSTY FOR MORE... CAN'T WAIT FOR PART 2><br /><br /><br /><span class="UIIntentionalStory_Names"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=533637754"><strong><font color="#3b5998">Dani Lovinme D</font></strong></a><font color="#808080"></font></span><span class="UIStory_Message">Hey Girl!!! Tha Book Is Amazing And when you said it was a GREAT read,"That It Is"!!! </span>
