Lady Macbeth
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4.4 • 11 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'Channelling the dark magic at the heart of one of Shakespeare's most intriguing anti-heroes, this reimagining of Lady Macbeth is full of witchcraft, deadly power games, dark schemes, supernatural elements, and a touch of romance.'
Cosmopolitan
'A gargantuan hit...Dark and brooding, skillful storytelling and intricate character development breathe new life into literature's most enigmatic character. Dripping in atmosphere...One to order immediately.'
Glamour
'Ava Reid has done it again in this gothic, atmospheric reclamation of the story of Lady Macbeth.'
Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi
'A triumph of a retelling.'
Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
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Fair is foul and foul is fair.
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A STUDY IN DROWNING comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.
The Lady knows the stories: that her eyes induce madness in men.
The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.
The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of survival, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.
But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armour. She does not know that her magic is greater, and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.
She does not know this yet. But she will.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In her bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Ava Reid places the tragic king’s infamous spouse front and centre. This is Lady Macbeth’s opportunity to reclaim her story. Reid gives her antihero agency, a rich back story, and the platform to provide context for her dastardly deeds—and so she does, across Reid’s wickedly atmospheric pages. We’re spun back to when 17-year-old Roscille—burdened by accusations of witchcraft in her homeland of France—heads to Scotland to marry the beastly Macbeth. Reid allows her tale to lean into the supernatural as both wife and husband explore their relationship with the occult. Most of us will know where this ends, but the journey there in Reid’s hands is multifaceted and darkly thrilling.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this tour de force, bestseller Reid (A Study in Drowning) brilliantly brings to life an alternate version of Shakespeare's villainess that leans into the play's supernatural elements. Seventeen-year-old Roscille, the daughter of the Duke of Breizh, has been sent away from her homeland to wed Macbeth, the Thane of Glammis. Roscille is no ordinary bride, however. She is rumored to have been cursed by a witch, and, as a result, one look into her eyes is said to drive men mad. Adjusting to life with her husband is difficult; she is immediately parted from her handmaiden, whom she suspects has been killed, and is forced to care for herself. Roscille gets another shock when the thane leads her to a locked chamber in the depths of his castle, where he keeps three witches captive, who prophesy that he will gain the title of Thane of Cawder, before becoming the King of Scotland. Reid deftly subverts the expected plot beats, enhancing the play's familiar story line by deepening not only her heroine, who is surprisingly sympathetic, but members of the supporting cast, such as Banquho's son, Fléance. It's a masterful reimagining.
