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To Be a Queen Paperback – November 6, 2013

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 402 ratings

This is the true story of Aethelflaed, the 'Lady of the Mercians', daughter of Alfred the Great. She was the only female leader of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is the tale of one family, two kingdoms and a common enemy. Born into the royal house of Wessex at the height of the Viking wars, she is sent to her aunt in Mercia as a foster-child, only to return home when the Vikings overrun Mercia. In Wessex, she witnesses another Viking attack and this compounds her fear of the enemy. She falls in love with a Mercian lord but is heartbroken to be given as bride to the ruler of Mercia to seal the alliance between the two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. She must learn to subjugate her feelings for her first love, overcome her indifference to her husband and win the hearts of the Mercians who despise her as a foreigner, twice making an attempt on her life. When her husband falls ill and is incapacitated, she has to learn to rule and lead an army in his stead and when he subsequently dies, she must fight to save her adopted Mercia from the Vikings and, ultimately, her own brother.
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ FeedaRead.com; Illustrated edition (November 6, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 406 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 178407165X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1784071653
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 402 ratings

About the author

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Annie Whitehead
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Annie Whitehead is a prize-winning writer, historian, and elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and has written four award-winning novels set in ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Mercia. She has contributed to fiction and nonfiction anthologies and written for various magazines. She was the winner of the inaugural Historical Writers’ Association/Dorothy Dunnett Prize 2017 and is now a judge for that same competition. She has also been a judge for the HNS (Historical Novel Society) Short Story Competition. She has twice been a prize winner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition, and won First Prize in the 2012 New Writer Magazine's Prose and Poetry Competition. She has been a finalist in the Tom Howard Prize for non-fiction, and was shortlisted for the Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award 2021. Her nonfiction books, Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom and Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England, are published by Amberley Books and Pen & Sword Books. She has recently signed a contract to contribute to a new history of English monarchs, to be published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2023.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
402 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book firmly grounded in historical context. They describe the narrative as fascinating and entertaining, with period details seamlessly inserted into the narrative. Readers praise the writing quality as fluid and poetic, with vivid character descriptions and distinct personalities. They appreciate the well-researched and expertly told story that provides a perfect time portal to the Dark Ages.

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15 customers mention "Historical accuracy"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book. They find it well-researched and a great portrayal of a strong female character. The story depicts the life of Queen Elizabeth, who was faithful to her people and brave. Readers also mention that the book captures the complicated politics between Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Viking raiders in England during the Dark Ages.

"...eventually comes to love her husband deeply and earns the respect of the Mercian people, to the degree that they accept her as their ruler when..." Read more

"Yet another example of powerful,resilient women. Love the time period...." Read more

"...Her husband Aethelred of Mercia is also portrayed as an astute, courageous yet sensitive man...." Read more

"...a very strong sense of reality and familiarity to this woman of incredible strength and conviction...." Read more

14 customers mention "Storytelling"14 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging narrative and historical fiction style of the book. They find the plot entertaining, with period details seamlessly incorporated into the narrative. The book provides an engaging re-creation of Ethelfleada's life, satisfying both fiction and history readers. Readers appreciate the rich details about everyday life that make for an engrossing experience.

"...(royal women worked, often just like non-royal women), the love stories Whitehead builds, Aethelflaed’s many miscarriages, and the personalities of..." Read more

"This is a beautiful and engaging re-creation of the life of Ethelfleada, daughter of Alfred the Great, best known as the Lady of the Mercians...." Read more

"...Overall, I enjoyed the story and was swept away by it. Annie Whitehead is a name I will watch and read in the future." Read more

"...without distorting them, yet at the same time transports them into the story so completely that they feel they know the people and places that they..." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing quality"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book engaging. They praise the well-researched story, fluid writing style, and precise character portrayal. The narrative uses poetic terms like "king-helm" to immerse the readers in the historical period. The world-building seamlessly integrates historical facts with rich imaginings, weaving historical fact with imaginative storytelling.

"...and the ongoing conflicts between kingdoms is very well written...." Read more

"...in all, the Anglo-Saxon period of history is prime fodder for skilled historical fiction writers and their lucky readers!" Read more

"...Thoroughly researched and well-written, To Be a Queen does not disappoint...." Read more

"...writing is superb, blending a seamless and powerful narrative with poetic terms like “king-helm” drawn from the Old English style such as that seen..." Read more

11 customers mention "Character development"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters engaging and vivid. The author gives each character a distinct personality. The story is powerful and unforgettable, with emotional moments between characters. The heroine is described as courageous and a formidable leader.

"...builds, Aethelflaed’s many miscarriages, and the personalities of the characters themselves, including the heroines, heroes, and villains...." Read more

"...The other historical characters are also well drawn: a somewhat aloof Alfred, a fierce and determined Edward, and an intelligent young Athelstan...." Read more

"...The author has created intimate and vivid portraits of the characters amongst the broad brush strokes of history, bringing to life the events and..." Read more

"...Aethelflaed is an engaging character, and by the time she is old enough to be torn between her duty to marry as her father wishes and her own desires..." Read more

11 customers mention "Research quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched and expertly told. They appreciate the author's balance of research and story, creating a strong sense of reality and familiarity. The characters are believable, and many details of daily life are accurate. Overall, readers find the book enlightening and look forward to reading more from this author.

"...To Be a Queen” is a rousing story, well researched and expertly told, of a woman who served and ruled in a perilous time." Read more

"...Very thorough,enlightening,and I look forward to reading more from this author!" Read more

"...really like as human beings, but Whitehead has certainly created believable and admirable humans struggling to survive and, in the case of..." Read more

"...Thoroughly researched and well-written, To Be a Queen does not disappoint...." Read more

4 customers mention "Time period"4 positive0 negative

Customers like the time period. They say it provides a perfect time portal.

"Yet another example of powerful,resilient women. Love the time period...." Read more

"...I was immersed in the time period as well...." Read more

"...perilous period, this well written book by Annie Whitehead provides perfect time portal...." Read more

"This is a time period that I don't ordinarily read, but I soon found myself drawn into the story of Aethelflaed (nicknamed Teasel), daughter of..." Read more

Women taking control to overcome oppressors!
4 out of 5 stars
Women taking control to overcome oppressors!
Yet another example of powerful,resilient women. Love the time period. The author’s extensive research during the invasion of the Vikings (which touched me personally since Sicily,my birthplace,was also occupied by them)and the ongoing conflicts between kingdoms is very well written. Very thorough,enlightening,and I look forward to reading more from this author!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019
    Any writer of historical fiction will emphasize the importance of research – a lot of research. Once the research is done, assuming it’s ever really “done,” the temptation becomes trying to pack too much of the research into the story. Even in historical fiction, the story is paramount.
    In “To Be a Queen,” the historical account of Aethelflaed or the “Lady of the Mercians,” author Annie Whitehead gets the balance of research and story exactly right. And what a story she tells!

    Aethelflaed (ca. 870 to 918A.D.) was the daughter of Alfred the Great, King of the English based in Wessex. The most significant fact of this entire period was the repeated invasions by and battles with the Vikings. The Viking threat framed Aethelflaed’s life, as it did the lives of her father, her brother Edward, her husband Aethelred, and the entire people of the British Isles.

    Aethelred, lord of the Mercians, becomes allied with Alfred to fight the Vikings. They’re successful, and to cement the alliance between Wessex and Mercia, Alfred gives his daughter Aethelflaed in marriage to Aethelred. Whitehead creates a love interest for Aethelflaed, one closer to her age, but the young girl knows what her royal duty is. Her considerably older husband is aware of her love for another man, but wisely bides his time.

    In the story, Aethelflaed eventually comes to love her husband deeply and earns the respect of the Mercian people, to the degree that they accept her as their ruler when Aethelred is struck down by illness and later dies. She holds the distinction of being the only woman ever to ruled an Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

    The heart of the story is in its details – the accounts of day-to-day activities (royal women worked, often just like non-royal women), the love stories Whitehead builds, Aethelflaed’s many miscarriages, and the personalities of the characters themselves, including the heroines, heroes, and villains. What makes this historical novel even more interesting is that what is known of the Mercians is what was written down by their enemies and allies; no first-hand, Mercian accounts of their rulers and history exist.

    Whitehead, a member of the Royal Historical Society and the Historical Writers Association. She has published three novels set in Mercia: “To Be a Queen” (2013); “Alvar the Kingmaker” (2016); and “Cometh the Hour” (2017). She has also published the non-fiction work “Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom” (2018). Her books have won a number of prizes and recognitions, and she is a frequent contributor to anthologies on English history and a lecturer. She blogs at Casting Light upon the Shadow and Time Traveler.

    “To Be a Queen” is a rousing story, well researched and expertly told, of a woman who served and ruled in a perilous time.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2018
    Yet another example of powerful,resilient women. Love the time period. The author’s extensive research during the invasion of the Vikings (which touched me personally since Sicily,my birthplace,was also occupied by them)and the ongoing conflicts between kingdoms is very well written. Very thorough,enlightening,and I look forward to reading more from this author!
    Customer image
    Ann
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Women taking control to overcome oppressors!

    Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2018
    Yet another example of powerful,resilient women. Love the time period. The author’s extensive research during the invasion of the Vikings (which touched me personally since Sicily,my birthplace,was also occupied by them)and the ongoing conflicts between kingdoms is very well written. Very thorough,enlightening,and I look forward to reading more from this author!
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    Customer image
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2017
    This is a beautiful and engaging re-creation of the life of Ethelfleada, daughter of Alfred the Great, best known as the Lady of the Mercians. We see Ethelfleada in the various stages of her life: a young girl envious of the freedom and adventure that boys enjoy, especially her brother Edward: a young woman in love with a man that she cannot marry: an unhappily married woman determined to make the best of her situation: and ultimately a woman who finds fulfillment in her marriage and in her destiny as a fierce and beloved leader of her husband's people.
    This Ethelfleada is a real and complex person with strengths and weaknesses. Her husband Aethelred of Mercia is also portrayed as an astute, courageous yet sensitive man. The other historical characters are also well drawn: a somewhat aloof Alfred, a fierce and determined Edward, and an intelligent young Athelstan. Other characters both historical and non- historical, add to the richness of the story. The known historical events provide the framework for the story and the reader is thrust into the struggles and upheavals of the late 9th and early 10th century England, before it was actually England. We don't know what these people were really like as human beings, but Whitehead has certainly created believable and admirable humans struggling to survive and, in the case of Ethelfleada, her father, brother and husband, to bring about a united people. She has also provided rich details about the every day life of the people. The characters, the setting, the writing itself, all make for an engrossing experience for the reader. For those who are interested in this period of history, the Bernard Cornwall "Uhtred series" provide a very different interpretation of the characters of Ethelfleada, Aethelred,and Edward. All in all, the Anglo-Saxon period of history is prime fodder for skilled historical fiction writers and their lucky readers!
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2017
    I've been interested in Aethelfled for a long time and was excited to see that someone had written a novel about her. Thoroughly researched and well-written, To Be a Queen does not disappoint. An intriguing story that follows Aethelfled from girlhood through her adult years, I was drawn into her story. I loved the way Aethelfled had to learn and grow on her own and use her wits to make it through a difficult life. I was immersed in the time period as well. The only little thing I did not like was that the author continued to use her childhood nickname Teasel throughout the novel, even after she was an adult and married, but that's a minor issue. Overall, I enjoyed the story and was swept away by it. Annie Whitehead is a name I will watch and read in the future.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Jo Beckford
    5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect blend of history and fiction!
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on May 10, 2022
    This book captured my attention straight away because it’s about one of my favourite women in pre-Conquest British history, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians. She was Kind Alfred’s daughter and was wed to Ethelred, Lord of Mercia. Outside of Mercia, her role as a leader was not widely known, and what her marriage to Ethelred was like is not well documented. However, the surviving evidence shows that she was loved by her adopted people and proved to be great leader when she took over the role from her husband after he died.
    Annie Whitehead, an accomplished historian herself, has merged surviving evidence with fiction to give us a glimpse into life as it might have been for a young lady from Alfred’s court, the daughter of the King no less, to travel to a less glamorous region of the country and make a new life for herself with the stranger she had been married off to. Whitehead does not glorify Aethelflaed and describes quite realistically what it must have taken for her, a West Saxon woman, to earn the trust and love of people who saw themselves as very much not West Saxon.
    I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in important female figures in British History. I am currently also about halfway through her non-fiction work Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England, and it is fascinating!
  • Ronald R. Read
    5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction at its finest.
    Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2018
    Although a work of fiction, this lovely book brings out many of the historical points made in the non-fiction work “Mercia-Rise and Fall of a Kingdom” by the same author. It captured my attention and kept it for the entire rest of the book. And who wouldn’t love someone named “Æthelflæd”? Many thanks to Annie Whitehead for this book. I’m tracking down and reading all of her other works now.
  • Maria Johnson Author (pen name)
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing read, history brought to life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2019
    This was an amazing read telling the true story of Aethelflaed, nicknamed in the book as Teasel, daughter of King Alfred the Great. The book spans decades, detailing Teasal's journey from a child terrified of Vikings to becoming the queen of Mercia.

    This novel has been meticulously researched by Whitehead to make for a fully immersive read, splashing colour on an era of history that was largely unknown to me as a reader. It is extremely well written with characters that are very gripping (especially Teasel). Another great strength is Whitehead's use of 'zooming' - by which I mean that one page you could be reading a very close emotional scene between characters, but the next point Whitehead has flawlessly zoomed out to pan a character marching an army to war.

    Being honest, there were a few points where the timeline and the different characters could be confusing, despite the glossary of a few people at the start and the handy subtitles telling you what year it was. However, even though at times I wasn't entirely sure which character was speaking or how old Teasel might be, Whitehead's clear narrative voice kept me gripped.

    This was an excellent read and I heartily recommend, especially to historical fiction readers. I look forward to reading Whitehead's other works.
    NB- this book took me so long to finish purely because of getting into poor reading habits, nothing to do with the quality of the book!
  • president
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
    Reviewed in France on September 4, 2014
    Une immersion dans une fresque historique meconnue. Une ecriture remarquable, precise et vivante. Un livre qui s'apprecie au detour de chaque page.
  • DEBORAH
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased
    Reviewed in Canada on December 19, 2018
    long to get into otherwise pretty good.