‘Georgia, 1177 For twenty years King Giorgi has defended the throne of his fragile kingdom against all comers. Now on the threshold of old age he faces a grave new threat: he has no son to succeed him. There is only his daughter, Tamar; a clever, indomitable and fearless girl. When a revolt threatens her life, Tamar is sent to live in the mountains, disguised as a boy, until a devastating betrayal places her in the hands of her enemies. Her courageous escape convinces Giorgi she should be his heir, but the nobles are outraged - no woman will ever rule them. While her father is alive, Tamar has some protection from the hostile forces that surround her, but once he is dead, she is truly alone. She must find the strength to control the bitterly warring factions at court. She must win the respect of her friends and the fear of her enemies. And she must marry a man of whom the elders approve. But her heart belongs to a reckless boy from the mountains - a poor match for a queen. With rebellion brewing at home and powerful foes circling her borders, Tamar must make a terrible choice between the man she loves and the land she adores...’
In the twelfth century, to the shock of the whole kingdom, the indomitable King Giorgi of Georgia names his eldest daughter Tamar as heir. How can a woman possibly be ‘King’, especially at a time of great unrest? Many believe Giorgi’s decision will be the downfall of his dynasty, but those close to the royal household are not so sure: it’s true that Tamar will not be able to ride into battle, sword raised, to strike down her enemies, but she has many other qualities of a strong ruler if she’s just given the chance to show them. However, to be a great leader, Tamar will have to make many sacrifices to her own happiness, which she may be unwilling to do.
‘The Girl King’ covers a fascinating piece of history, from a part of the world which I haven’t previously read any historical fiction about. This really is what I’d call a ‘proper adventure’ story - we’ve got mean bad guys, a clever and determined princess, a brave hero and plenty of fighting, all in a gripping setting. The tale itself is well told, with great pace throughout, but I would have liked it to have been much longer and to have contained more information, particularly about the politics, mores and customs of the time.
Tamar works well as a heroine for me: she really is her own person and doesn’t let herself be dictated to. She’s also not afraid to go against tradition if necessary and stands up for what’s right. I really enjoyed the moments when she allowed her sense of humour to make an appearance, much to the consternation of some of her advisors.
I thought the author did a good job of making the history accessible whilst producing an extremely readable tale. She’s very honest about the liberties she’s taken, and adds a useful note at the end of the book detailing the reasoning behind her decisions. Yes, she admits she fiddled with the events at times, changing a little of the chronology, and making some fairly improbable assumptions, but if it encourages people to find out more about the history of Georgia, then surely that’s not such a bad thing?
3 and a half stars
In the twelfth century, to the shock of the whole kingdom, the indomitable King Giorgi of Georgia names his eldest daughter Tamar as heir. How can a woman possibly be ‘King’, especially at a time of great unrest? Many believe Giorgi’s decision will be the downfall of his dynasty, but those close to the royal household are not so sure: it’s true that Tamar will not be able to ride into battle, sword raised, to strike down her enemies, but she has many other qualities of a strong ruler if she’s just given the chance to show them. However, to be a great leader, Tamar will have to make many sacrifices to her own happiness, which she may be unwilling to do.
‘The Girl King’ covers a fascinating piece of history, from a part of the world which I haven’t previously read any historical fiction about. This really is what I’d call a ‘proper adventure’ story - we’ve got mean bad guys, a clever and determined princess, a brave hero and plenty of fighting, all in a gripping setting. The tale itself is well told, with great pace throughout, but I would have liked it to have been much longer and to have contained more information, particularly about the politics, mores and customs of the time.
Tamar works well as a heroine for me: she really is her own person and doesn’t let herself be dictated to. She’s also not afraid to go against tradition if necessary and stands up for what’s right. I really enjoyed the moments when she allowed her sense of humour to make an appearance, much to the consternation of some of her advisors.
I thought the author did a good job of making the history accessible whilst producing an extremely readable tale. She’s very honest about the liberties she’s taken, and adds a useful note at the end of the book detailing the reasoning behind her decisions. Yes, she admits she fiddled with the events at times, changing a little of the chronology, and making some fairly improbable assumptions, but if it encourages people to find out more about the history of Georgia, then surely that’s not such a bad thing?
3 and a half stars
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