“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent beneath it”

Lady MacBeth is often represented as the true villain in Shakespeare’s play, a women so ruthlessly ambitious that she goads her husband to commit regicide to become Queen of Scotland.

This feminist retelling is the story of Lady MacBeth up to the point she marries MacBeth and features all the main characters from the play – Macbeth, Duncan and Gruoch (Lady MacBeth) herself as children and as they grew up and into early adulthood.

Gruoch, was born of noble birth, the daughter of a Mormaer with pagan roots and royal lineage. Her pagan grandmother foretold that Gruoch would be immortalised in history which she interpreted as becoming Queen and this prophecy shapes her life and the woman she becomes driven by ambition to fulfil her destiny.

Early in childhood, Gruoch learns that being a woman will be a barrier to her ambitions so she quickly learns to start using men to her advantage, changing loyalties as dramatic situations unfold due to shifting political loyalties.

Obviously this is a work of historical fiction so much of it is how Schuler reimagines the story of Gruoch’s life and while some of the historical elements are accurate, I felt that there was some artistic license added to the paganism that being said it certainly added in creating a dark atmosphere throughout the novel and I did really enjoy the period of history that was covered.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and it’s a great addition to the various feminist retellings that are hugely popular in the publishing industry at the moment .

Thank you @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

When you think of Shakespeare's many magnificent plays, one would often think of Macbeth, or The Scottish Play. A great tragedy exploring power, ambition and consequence, the drama is so strong you would be forgiven for being ignorant of knowing that it was based (loosely) on reality.

Isabelle Schuler has written a monumentally dramatic and interesting novel exploring the backstory of Gruoch, the future Lady Macbeth (in this book the Lady MacBethad). Gruoch is determined to become Queen of Alba by any means necessary following a vision from her grandmother.

We are led through the dangerous and difficult world of those prior to the rise of King Duncan as Schuler narrates a historically respectful tale, weaving fact and fiction with apparent ease. I was completely immersed and lost myself in this book for hours.

Gruoch is a true driving force and a fascinating character. Demonstrating an abundance of depth she is multi-layered with her patriotism, nobility, pagan beliefs and refreshingly unapologetic ambition.

The world-building of the land of Alba is extremely well researched and showcased for both its beauty along with its brutality. Schuler has a talent to make the reader feel why Gruoch is so passionate about her country and her ambition through riveting and clever storytelling.

Lady MacBethad has been one of my favourite and most enjoyable reads so far this year. I truly did not want the novel to end. If Isabelle Schuler were to write a novel that acted as a sequel to this book, I know that I would be jostling in line to be first to pre-order it!

Ooooo that was fan-flippin-tastic!!

🗡️Firstly it matters not if you know your Shakespeare or not! This story is a sensation!
From Shakespeare Macbeth this story is based on the real life Lady Macbeth, "Gruoch".
We follow Gruoch from her nobel birth and pagan roots in rugged Scotland and how she ended up married to Macbeth. She is the most strong, determined and delicious of Heroines.

🗡️My favourite thing is when an author takes true history and weaves it with fiction and this is a great example. I loved googling characters along the way to find they were all real people in history.
This is an incredibly well researched book. The author has given such heart and soul to a name in history.

I read this book in a day!!! That proves how wonderful it is.

This book is released tomorrow 💖 2/3/23

Thanks so much to @netgalley
@bloomsburypublishing
For the ARC of this novel

I really enjoyed Lady Macbethad. It isn’t a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Instead, it’s the story of the historical woman Lady MacBeth was based on. The story has druids, battles, murders, love and a fierce survival force that carries the story from one dramatic turn to the next.

Gruoch is a fierce heroine, with a drive to survive that pushes the story forward. Told by her druid grandmother in a prophesy that she was destined to be immortalised, she embraces a determination to become queen that informs her every choice. Gruoch is brave and proactive, but she makes it clear that she has very little agency, and does what she must to survive. As well as being a deep dive into one woman’s life, Lady Macbethad shines a spotlight on the plight of women at that time, and the way they were used as pawns, passed from one place to another at the mercy of the men around them.

MacBethad himself is a key figure, bringing real star power in his later scenes and casting a long shadow when absent. The male characters are consistently compared to MacBethad, and they always come up short. He is the one that allows Gruoch to be who she truly is and respects her for her fire and ambition. He was a much stronger character than Shakespeare’s Macbeth and I really enjoyed the scenes with the two of them.

The book is set in violent times and that is reflected in the story. It’s a powerful book with violence, passion and strong, evocative characters. A great story for readers of historical fiction.

A gritty, dark and gripping story of one of the greatest Shakespeare villain: Lady Macbeth or Grouch as she's in this book.
I think this book it's not only a prequel but the portrait of a woman that we know as obsessed by power but who was more.
The author did an excellent job and delivers a story that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A fantastic, though brutal re imagining of the story of Gruoch ingen Boite, better known as Lady Macbeth.
I expected a prequel to the Shakespearean play but got a lot more. Grouch grows on you as the main protagonist, I was unsure at first but found myself liking her, you get good context and depth and reasoning to why she becomes Lady Macbeth.
Historically accurate, not really, but gives some insight into the brutal life and politics of 11th Century Scotland.
Think this book sets up for a sequel, and if so I will definitely read it.

Wonderful. Clever. Captivating.

The subtle links to the play in this story of Lady Macbeth was astounding. Schuler brings the world alive and fills it with suspense and full of action. I turned every page wanting more. Love, loss, historical fiction with the pace and plotting of a drama. Just brilliant.

I always enjoy a retelling and thus one did not disappoint! If you love Shakespeare and and enjoy retelling this one is definitely for you. A great debut novel.

Known to many as the true villain of Shakespeare's MacBeth, Lady MacBeth is generally considered to be a strong, ruthless, and ambitious woman. A woman, whose drive for power will lead both herself and her husband to across the moral divide and commit murder to achieve their political aims.
But is this all there is to discover?
Isabelle Schuler has taken the character of Gruoch ingen Boite, whom is better known as Lady MacBeth and she begins the retelling when Grouch is a young girl. Gruoch learns from her childhood that far from being a benefit, her gender will actually be a barrier to her dreams. Told that she will become a Queen, by the Druids, Gruoch will spend her life, fighting and involved in political intrigue to achieve this dream.
The retelling blends a mix of Scottish history, with the well-known play to create a dark, gritty and ultimately captivating retelling. My favourite part of the novel is the earlier section when we are introduced to Gruoch and learning about her pagan history.

Lady Macbethad was the darkly enticing, completely ensnaring retelling I needed.

Lady Macbeth has always been a figure that fascinated me, with her complexity and strength of character. She is a villain, but also one that seems to know exactly how the world works and how her position as a woman will hold her back. This book delves deep into Lady Macbeth’s historical origins, which utterly fascinated me. The way this book blends Scottish history and the nods to how Shakespeare will eventually adapt is nothing short of brilliant. Schuler does not hold back in this bloody and gritty retelling. This was a period marked by violence and that is reflected in a plotline mired in political intrigue, power plays and the murky reality of survival. Nothing is simple or clear-cut, there are a multitude of factors, but only one really matters - survival at all costs.

Gruoch was a character I did not expect to love as much as I did. Clever, fierce and determined to fulfil her perceived destiny, she sets out to thrive. Watching her navigate this thorny world full of blood and betrayal, you get a sense of how her psyche may have been shaped into what comes next. Schuler adds a detail that creates heart-breaking implications for the play and is rooted in some historical theories that I may have fallen down the rabbit hole pursuing. At the same time, she is deeply manipulative, always looking to play situations in a way that will create the best outcome for her. The ending felt just open enough for a potential follow-up, if Schuler so wishes to write it and by god, I hope she does. I would follow Gruoch all the way to the bitter end if we could.

Lady Macbethad takes everything you thought you knew and upends it in a brutally wicked retelling that pays homage to both its source, the historical realities and the numerous possibilities beyond.

Lady MacBethad by Isabelle Schuler is the fictional origin story behind Shakespeare’s Lady MacBeth, set in Scotland when the fragility of peace and the struggle for power was at its pinnacle.


I found the first few chapters of Grouch story very easy to read. I enjoyed learning of her aristocratic birth, her pagan roots, the Picti rituals. The middle part of the book slows down pace wise, it felt slightly disorganised and the passing of time confusing but, in the final chapters, the pace sky rockets and it becomes very exciting, culminating in what is recognisable as the opening of MacBeth.

I did have a problem with the portrayal of female rage in the story. Gruoch raged and growled and snarled A LOT (mostly warranted) and then immediately and repeatedly feels regret, remorse and makes amends. I’ll admit, I did roll my eyes a few times and it was disappointing to see this trait in a powerful female queen, repeatedly apologising for her justified anger.

Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. Gruoch is an interesting protagonist, she is slightly watered down when compared to the wicked, psychotic Lady MacBeth, but the period in history is very interesting and well researched and the unmistaken tie into Shakespeare is excellently done.

Thank you @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This novel is an intriguing story about Gruoch, the lady who partly inspired Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. I enjoy a retelling and I am also a fan of Macbeth so this instantly grabbed my attention. I felt perhaps the ending wrapped itself up too quickly for my liking, however all-in-all a fabulous debut novel. I'm interested to see what the author writes next.

Telling the story of Gruoch from her childhood to her marriage to MacBethad this novel just had me hooked. I felt I was transported back to the 11th century Scotland when times were brutal and men had all the power. Gruoch, granddaughter of druids, is for-told that she will become a queen and she spends her life trying to live up to this prophecy against formidable odds. A strong woman who knows what she wants but blocked by the political manoeuvring of the Thanes she is indeed the serpent hiding beneath the innocent flower.. This was an addictive read, and I was sorry when I had finished it, I highly recommend to all readers of historical fiction and how refreshing to read of a time in history about which I know very little. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I understood from reading the synopsis that this would in a way be a prequel to MacBeth which I read when I was 12 in secondary school, but this didn't go the way I anticipated.

Gruoch I was unsure of at first as I thought she was younger than her age in the book depicted but she did grow on me. My memories of reading Macbeth in school are hazy but from what I remember of it but I can certainly see the events folding in the way they do matching the play.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would read more by this author.

This was not the book I expected it to be. I had imagined a literary re-telling of Shakespeare but what I had was a historical retelling which was much more satisfying. Ultimately, we all know the story, but this is the pre-quel so there are spoilers.

I had a look at the history behind the story and found a world I was not aware of, the detail of the characters was all there and Ms Schuler has brought them to life. Her world is flesh and blood and Gruoch a determined, powerful woman, confident in her own ability to survive in a world (as ever) ruled by men for men.

This being a historical novel bound by the real events of history, I must take umbrage at the constant use of minutes and seconds to measure time - in 1030s when this is set they counted hours in different lengths depending on if it was summer or winter, where day and night were divided equally, twelve hours each, so in the summer the twelve hours of night were short and the daylight hours long and vice versa for winter. These little details are annoying when they're wrong. Stone keeps is another detail that is out of place - the earliest dates to around 1100 once the French styles were firmly in fashion. Wooden palisades would have enclosed wooden buildings in 1030.

Having said that, I did enjoy the book and I wonder if there is a sequel in the planning, and if so, I would read it.

For the unexpected story it tells, a pleasing novel, but for historical accuracy, needs a little more work.

Such a wonderful book. Rich and vivid. I loved the interwoven lives and intrigue, the flawed personalities, the plots and plans and frissons!

A wonderful read which I will highly recommend.

An intriguing look at the backstory of one of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters, Lady MacBeth. Notorious for her ruthlessness and ambition, Isabelle Schuler gives the character context and motive amidst the turbulent politics of 11th century Scotland.

Scone Palace, the Crowning Place of Scottish Kings and the centre of power in the ancient Kingdom of Alba lies a couple of miles from where I stay and I particularly enjoyed the scene setting for the novel’s key locations which is done very well.

The story is well written, the character development is strong and there are several twists and turns throughout. I really liked it and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction from this era.

The imagined story of Gruoch , the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Lady MacBeth.
Descended from ancient druids Gruoch’s grandmother prophesied that she would be the greatest of them all & must survive.
I have to admit that I don’t know the story of Macbeth well but I loved this account of the life of someone who inspired Shakespeare to build a character around her.

I was fascinated to read this origin story of the infamous Lady Macbethad, who we know from Shakespeare. The author breathed life into the characters, and gave an interesting portrayal of life in Scotland during this period. The protagonist is quite hard to like, but if you are familiar with her portrayal in Shakespeare, that's not much of a surprise. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book

3 stars

“… you have this air of tragedy about you. As though you’re carrying some deep secret that will ruin you or anyone else who is drawn into your sphere.”

When using a name like Lady MacBethad, you instantly set up a series of expectations from readers. I went into this book expecting a novel exploring the infamous Lady Macbeth of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a tale of tragedy, regicide, and psychological complexity. However, Isabelle Schuler has attempted to harmonise Gruoch (Lady MacBethad), Shakespeare’s muse for Lady Macbeth, and Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, and in my opinion, this just hasn’t worked.

I love books that explore turbulent political periods of history, and Lady MacBethad does do that. Much of the narrative aligns with what is known of medieval Scottish politics and the real life of Gruoch ingen Boite, Queen of Alba. Yet throughout Schuler’s novel, allusions to Shakespeare’s text are rife, whether quotations or simply linguistic details too akin to the tragedy of Macbeth to be coincidental. The problem here, for me, is that these two figures are very different, and this resulted in a discord in her characterisation. Gruoch is portrayed as a highly maternal figure yet Lady Macbeth swears she would “dashed the brains [of her hypothetical child] out” rather than break her vow to Macbeth. It is extremely difficult to unify these two dichotomous ideas - how am I to believe this same figure who dotes upon her son, would be willing to violently extinguish his life to fulfil her role in Macbeth’s ascent to the throne? The discord in Gruoch’s characterisation makes it really difficult to understand what this book intends to be; is it historical fiction or is it a work inspired by a text of the literary canon?

“Your power resides in men; your husband, your sons. If you rule them, you rule the land. If you cannot rule them, you are useless and may as well die young.”

The opening chapters of Lady MacBethad establish this as a novel focused on political schemes, power, and expediency. There is a strong commentary on the rise of early Christianity, and it’s forceful expulsion of paganism and British folklore, and a cutting criticism on Christianity’s growth dependent on force rather than faith. Schuler also establishes a strong feminist tone, commenting on the role of women in medieval society, and the acquisition of power from a defiance of gender conventions. As the novel progresses, however, I feel this gets lost among a romance-fuelled subplot. The destructive, indiscriminate power of Lady Macbeth as a figure of radical gender nonconformity (“… unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty…”) gives way to a character more focused on her emotional relationships, and her role within the sphere of marriage.

“Destruction is loud, vengeful, buildings falling, stone crashing, but to ruin someone… Ruination works from the inside out, pulling someone completely apart, bit by bit, piece by piece.”

I think I went into Lady MacBethad with the wrong expectations, which probably factors into why I feel this book fell flat. Isabelle Schuler is undoubtedly a promising writer, and their artistry with words is unmistakable. However, I think that the main issue is this book was marketed wrong. It sets itself up to be a novel focused on political turmoil, female rage, power, and complex psychology, but these themes just aren’t explored. Perhaps that is down to the length of the book; just under 300 pages is no where near enough to explore what are essentially major concepts with satisfactory depth, whilst also weaving a fictitious plot. Had it been marketed differently, perhaps as fiction simply set in medieval Scotland, without the added complexity of a major work of English Literature, it might have been a more appealing book to me. But as it is, for someone who adores both Shakespeare’s tragic work, and the character of Lady Macbeth, I just felt that unfortunately it fell flat for me. It’s a strong premise undertaken by a talented writer, but Lady MacBethad just didn’t appeal to me.

Quotes taken from e-ARC provided through NetGalley and may change in final published work