The Eagle and the Raven | 
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Product Description
Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc's objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground. His efforts are also met with fierce opposition from Aricia, the vain queen of a northern tribe who swears allegiance to the Romans after Caradoc slights her, and from Gladys, Caradoc’s warrior sister who falls in love with her Roman captor. Unfortunately, Caradoc’s endeavors are left unresolved when he is taken prisoner, but Boudicca, a strong-willed woman, ultimately takes up the cause that was Caradoc’s legacy.
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Customer Reviews:
• The Eagle & The Raven 27 April, 2008
The author makes you feel like you were there. It is a great book!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2IOATV5AI14BA
• I Had No Idea! 23 March, 2008
I have never seriously explored historical fiction until reading Pillars Of The Earth. A whole new world opened up for me. After reading the sequel, World Without End, I searched for a book, in the same genre,to lose myself in. I found The Eagle and the Raven. I simply bellieve it is the best book I have ever read.
Read it yourself and you will find out why I feel this way
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1RK8VPNBRK8KG
• Truly Well Written And Fascinating. 26 April, 2008
I truly enjoyed this novel and could hardly put it down. It is very detailed and the characters are immensely ferocious.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AK6Z6N0K21U2Y
• I Hated This Book! 12 May, 2008
after reading the twenty-odd glowing reviews for this book (and the one awful review which i disregarded but turned out to be scarily accurate) i was so excited to read it. it sounded like exactly the kind of book i like and when it arrived i was thouroughly prepared to love it. however, less then twenty pages into it i began to realize this is exactly the kind of book i hate. the characters are farcically one-dimensional and unlikeable. seriously there was not "person" in this whole book i even remotely cared for or identified with. this was confusing because the author is continually extolling the virtues of her protagonists, none of these virtues which are at all noticable. i am not an author but i took several creative writing classes in university and i do recall the rule of "show don't tell". sadly, miss gedge must've decided this rule shouldn't apply to her. this book was ALL tell and NO show. i honestly think the previous reviewers for this book (with the exception of mr. talbot) must either have never read a book other then this one or are related to the author, because this was the least enjoyable, most poorly written shallow piece of turd i have ever forced myself to finish. i hated this book, and i warn all who read this to please not waste your time, you will be sorely disappointed.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3QO7R1F5SAXUR
• Hack Work That Gives The Genre A Bad Name 26 March, 2008
I awaited this book with high hopes, having read the many positive reviews and being both a historical fiction fan and an avid student of ancient history and archaeology. What a disappointment! It's hard for me to believe that I am reading the same book so praised by many other reviewers. Maybe it's just a matter of expectations.
If you are even half serious about looking for quality writing (skillful use of language, depth of characters, engaging plot, etc.) and/or historical authenticity, or at least plausibility, pass this drivel by. A much better choice that deals with the same historical background would be the four Boudica novels by Manda Scott. On the other hand, if you just want something, anything to read, maybe this is a good choice.
Gedge has written several books that seem to be well-reviewed on Amazon at least, so it was a real shock when I started reading what most closely resembles bad romantic fiction. Gedge clearly made little effort to become acquainted with the historical material on which the novel is based. Her treatment of setting is at best superficial and more often completely generic--the story could take place anywhere and at any time; not what one looks for in overtly "historical" fiction.
The characters are invariably crude one-dimensional parodies of themselves, and although the story spans several decades, there is no discernible development or complexity explored. The charactrers at age 14 act and think like they do at 30. They all end up in what are supposed to be amazingly committed and passionate relationships, but we are given no real basis for believing this; that is to say, Gedge writes that it is so, she does not write anything to show how or why it is so.
In fact, Gedge's writing strikes me as not just historically sloppy, but fatally undermined by her penchant for cliches, her unstinting heavy-handedness, and especially her insistence on telling us what is happening rather than showing us what is happening and letting us, her readers, draw our own conclusions. It reads more like the very ambitious project of an untalented high school student than the mature work of a seasoned novelist. It is utterly unconvincing.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3GYHHYQEPEKJM
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