The Confessor's Wife

By: Kelly Evans

Narrated by: Deryn Oliver

In the 11th Century, when barren wives are customarily cast aside, how does Edith of Wessex not only manage to stay married to King Edward the Confessor but also become his closest advisor, promote her family to the highest offices in the land, and help raise her brother to the throne? And why is her story only told in the footnotes of Edward’s history?

Not everyone approves of Edward’s choice of bride. Even the king’s mother, Emma of Normandy, detests her daughter-in-law, and Edith is soon on the receiving end of her displeasure. Balancing her sense of family obligation with her duty to her husband, Edith must also prove herself to her detractors.

Edward and Edith’s relationship is respectful and caring, but when Edith’s enemies engineer her family’s fall from grace, the king is forced to send her away. She vows to do anything to protect her family’s interests at any cost, if she returns. Can Edith navigate the dangerous path fate has set her while still remaining loyal to both her husband and her family?

©2019 Kelly Evans (P)2019 Kelly Evans

More of an account than a story

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, however it was more of a historical account of events and less of a climactic, exciting tale. I was intrigued by some of the historical events and found myself going to do additional research about dates/people, so while the story itself was relatively flat, the book was enjoyable to the side of me that loves the historical part of historical fiction!

Loved the Book.. not so much the voice actor

Loved the story. Could have done without the narrator's over exaggerated voice changes. But the story is good enough

5 Star plus I wish I could give it more

I have to say I really enjoyed this, love the history mixed with fiction. It wasn’t what I was expecting and it didn’t take long before the author and narrator took me away giving me a delightful listen. It has been a while since a book really touched my heart, it broken my heart that Edith couldn’t have a baby, I kept expecting her to as time went on and things happened and then how the kings mother treated her. I loved how the king held up to his word of marriage. I loved their relationship. I didn’t really care for her mother, to mother in law, her one brother I adored but than he really did an about face throwing me for a loop. It has been a long time since I really wanted to hit out at a character for their actions. A touching listen that really captivated my attention with a story that I didn’t want to put down.

This is the first time I have listen to this narrator, I have to say she blow me way. I loved how she brought the story to life, giving true emotions from pain and sorrow to happy and fun. She even did the extras when they author say they were talking why eating it really sounded like she was eating. I really can’t even tell you how much I truly enjoyed this narrator. There are no background noises, no volume changes, just a clear, clean audio that really pulls you back in time, when life wasn’t easy. If any breaks were taken I could not tell, the audio flows smooth, easy with a voice that is very pleasant to listen to. I really felt how each character felt, Her character voices are a delight, you know who is talking and what they are feeling. Her male voices are just as great as her female ones. I really love this narrator and for me she made this story, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it. I can’t wait to listen to more of her work.

The author knows how to pull you in giving you a compelling story with a little bit of history to make it all flow smooth. She knows how to pull on your heartstrings, making you feel the emotions each character is feeling. I kept expecting it to go one way but the author took it another, there are good twists and turns, excitement, heart break, everything between the pages to make it a very thrilling listen that holds your attention from start to finish. She picked a wonderful narrator that really put the icing on and made me listen to it all almost all at one setting.

A little gem!

This was the first time I read about Edith of Wessex and Edward The Confessor and I really couldn't liked the novel more!! It is in fact an interesting, emotional and entertaining book. You can follow it's history easily, even if you don't know much about Edward The Confessor and it's era. I must also add that Deryn Oliver's narration is simply stunning!

Kelly’s writing has the same enthusiasm as Bernard Cromwell!

Kelly Evans Audible book is so good. She does a wonderful job at creating the characters and story about Edith the Confessor’s Wife, that stride or charge through the timeframe of 1040-1066. The narrator, Deryn Oliver,
definitely does an excellent job in bringing all the characters to life!

It’s a great time to read The Confessor’s Wife too, being that we’re just about 15 days till Edith’s brother King Harold meets Duke William of Normandy for battle on 14th October 1066.

The Confessor's Wife review

For a genre not usually listened to, historic, the Confessor's Wife was heavily enjoyable. Well written, it had interesting characters and a good narrator. Worth it.

Entertaining story of Edith of Wessex

The Confessor’s Wife by Kelly Evans is a story of medieval history and King Edward the Confessor and Edith’s life. The story of this strong woman was interesting and enjoyable. The narration by Deryn Oliver was great! It brought the story to life.