The Siege Winter

A Novel

By: Ariana Franklin, Samantha Norman

Narrated by: Kate Reading

A powerful historical novel by the late Ariana Franklin and her daughter Samantha Norman, The Siege Winter is a tour de force mystery and murder, adventure and intrigue, a battle for a crown, told by two courageous young women whose fates are intertwined in 12th century England's devastating civil war.

1141. England is engulfed in war as King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda, vie for the crown. In this dangerous world, not even Emma, an 11-year-old peasant, is safe. A depraved monk obsessed with redheads kidnaps the ginger-haired girl from her village and leaves her for dead. When an archer for hire named Gwyl finds her, she has no memory of her previous life. Unable to abandon her, Gwyl takes the girl with him, dressing her as a boy, giving her a new name - Penda - and teaching her to use a bow. But Gwyn knows that the man who hurt Penda roams free, and that a scrap of evidence she possesses could be very valuable.

Gwyl and Penda make their way to Kenilworth, a small but strategically important fortress that belongs to 15-year-old Maud. Newly wedded to a boorish and much older husband after her father's death, the fierce and determined young chatelaine tempts fate and Stephen's murderous wrath when she gives shelter to the empress.

Aided by a garrison of mercenaries, including Gwyl and his odd red-headed apprentice, Maud will stave off Stephen's siege for a long, brutal winter that will bring a host of visitors to Kenilworth - kings, soldiers... and a sinister monk with deadly business to finish.

©2015 Samantha Norman (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

A Personal Sory

I read a lot of "historical" fiction. Most in Britain or Scotland, and often in the same time period, 12th Century. The wars between Kung Steven and Empress Matilda are frequently aback drop of Hesse books. This is different because the story is being recorded as it is told by a dying Abbott. He doesn't tell the story from his view but from that if a young girl he had known.

I enjoyed learning more about the ole of cross bows and archers.I also enjoyed the inside look at a feudal castle and a siege. Very enjoyable. I wish it were a series.

Pleasant Listen, Above Average Writing

Above average writing especially considering Norman finished Franklin's work after Franklin died. Historical relevance, character development, and plot are nicely balanced. Kate Reading delivers the story and characters with a clear, strong voice. The subject might not appeal to everyone, but the book should be on the list of any reader who enjoys historical fiction set in the Middle Ages.

Great Period Piece

Beautiful writing. Not fast-paced, but doesn’t drag, either. Engaging. Narrator is good with the variety of voices and accents, but does make Gyll sp? sound kind of lame. Interesting setting, deeply-described without going overboard. The buildup to the central conflict with a truly awful villain is excruciating to the point I almost stopped reading because I couldn’t take what was coming. Glad I kept on. The ending was perfectly balanced with the rest of the book (not too short, not too long). I have that wonderful feeling of satisfaction one gets after completely a really good read.

This is a very absorbing story and well written.

i hope we see more historical novels from this talented author.. I really love the character's and the back story is gripping. not to mention the. interesting historical. period backdrop.

Good But Different

Great story though slow going. If you followed her other books, Grave Goods among them, you know she favors strong women, and this is no exception. But the writing is vastly different. I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical novels with strong female characters.

I (nearly) love everything from Ariana Franklin

If you could sum up The Siege Winter in three words, what would they be?

Literate, medieval, feminist.

Have you listened to any of Kate Reading’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Narrator was good.

Any additional comments?

Wow, you can really tell where Ariana Franklin left off (due to her death) and where her daughter took over the writing. Book became rather stilted at the end. The fight scenes were particularly badly done. I wish, in general with Ariana Franklin's (aka Diana Norman's) books that she didn't have quite such a grisly imagination. She seemed to really enjoy writing about perverted child molesters. Everything else is wonderful. The settings, the mystery, the pacing, the other (non-murderous) characters.

Better than expected historical fiction

I enjoyed The Siege Winter. I purchased it as a sale item and was pleasantly surprised. If you are interested in historical fiction (especially British history), I'd recommend this. This is not a mystery, but a slice of time in the lives of two women and their struggles. I think it is a realistic portrayal of a time in which women faced brutality when unprotected and had little control of their futures. Liked the structure of the book-the main story of the book being told by a dying monk.
Narration was good overall-found the tone of narrator's voice grating at times.

More Please

Strong female characters, good story line, enjoyable listen. Hope the author writes more, perhaps following the Plantagenet line to Henry VIII

Characters

I loved the authentic vernacular that the author used throughout the story, her character development was outstanding,.

True Ariana Franklin

I thought I'd read all of A F books & grieved to have lost such talent. I don't know how much her daughter contributed to this book, but as soon as I finish writing this review, I'm going to do a search to find out if she has written any other books!