I consumed this book in a couple of days. Yes there was a link to Shakespeares Macbeth but the link was not complex or even noticeable except at different times in the book. Really loved this and a change from my normal genre of book at the minute. Highly recommend. 5 starts.

An interesting take on the legend of Macbeth from the point of view of the female protagonists. I was expecting a much more dramatic interpretation considering the subject matter however the novel maintained my interest throughout.

I had a feeling I would like this book. I didn't expect to love it!

It may only be January but Lady Macbethad is the best book I've read so far this year. With its twisty plot filled with tension, murder and betrayal, I found I was completely gripped.

My favourite elements:
- the wild backdrop of Scotland
- the underlying druid culture
- Groa's frenemy relationship with Ardith
- Everything about Donalda (can I marry her please?)

The first chapter moved a little slowly, but by chapter three I was completely absorbed in the story.

I didn't always like Groa (the eventual Lady Macbethad) but I always rooted for her. I loved the budding relationship between the titular pair as children and how they found each other again as adults.

I really hope we'll get a sequel to this, I would love to read Lady Macbethad's POV throughout the events of Shakespeare's story.

Incredible debut. A future writing star. A definite must buy.

Thank you to Bloomsbury, Isabelle Schuler and NetGalley for this eProof in exchange for an honest review.

The character of Lady Macbeth is known to many of us through Shakespeare’s play, but who was she really? What kind of person was she and what were the events that led to her marriage to Macbeth and the beginning of the story we all know? These are the questions Isabelle Schuler attempts to answer in her new novel, Lady MacBethad.

The book is set in the first half of the 11th century and is narrated by Gruoch, the woman who will become Lady Macbeth. With royal blood in her veins, Gruoch has grown up listening to her Picti grandmother’s prophecies that one day she will be queen of Alba. When she is betrothed to Duncan, heir to the throne, it seems that the prophecy is going to come true and although she is sorry to leave behind her family and her close childhood friend MacBethad, she heads for Scone to join Duncan’s court. However, she is unprepared for the hostility of Duncan’s mother, Bethoc, the scheming of her pagan friend, Ardith, and the arrival of another young woman, Suthen of Northumberland, who also catches Duncan’s eye.

When a dramatic turn of events leads to her having to flee Scone before the marriage can take place, Gruoch falls into the hands of Mael Colum of Moray and his brother, Gillecomghain. Her chances of becoming queen seem out of reach again, but Gruoch refuses to give up on her dream.

Lady MacBethad ends before Shakespeare’s Macbeth begins, so is not a retelling of the play but more of a prequel to it. Also, the characters in Schuler’s novel are based on the real historical figures rather than on Shakespeare’s interpretation of them, which of course can’t be taken as being particularly accurate! I was pleased to find that she tries to use language appropriate to the period and authentic medieval Gaelic naming, such as MacBethad mac Findlaich rather than the anglicised Macbeth. This was a relief after reading Joanna Courtney’s Blood Queen a few years ago, which inexplicably renamed Gruoch as Cora and Gillecomghain as Gillespie.

Schuler works some quotes from Shakespeare into the conversations between her characters – “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent beneath it” is advice given to Gruoch by her grandmother, for example – but no knowledge of the play is necessary to be able to understand and enjoy this book. It can be read as a straightforward work of historical fiction, bringing to life a fascinating and complex period of Scotland’s (or Alba’s) history. It explores the conflict between Christianity and the old pagan beliefs, the fading culture of the Pictish people and the warring factions trying to gain control of the throne.

Gruoch (or Groa, as her pagan friends call her) is portrayed as ambitious, determined and driven by her desire to become queen no matter what. Yet her narrative voice feels slightly too young and immature for me to find her completely convincing. I think having read Dorothy Dunnett’s wonderful King Hereafter, it was just too difficult for me to put Dunnett’s Groa out of my mind and fully embrace a different version of the character.

The way the book ends sets things up perfectly for a sequel, maybe incorporating some of the more familiar events of Macbeth. I wonder whether there will be one or whether Isabelle Schuler is moving on to other subjects now.

I loved this book! I thought it was a really clever way of depicting the early life of Lady Macbeth. The way the play was woven subtly into the story was brilliant and I really connected with the characters. It's a marvellous alternative view of a well-known story - read and reread!

𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳…🐍🗡️
📕Lady MacBethad~ Isabelle Schuler

🗡️Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth gets a really engrossing origin story. Gruoch is a memorable character to follow through a suitably brutal setting, which weaves in some good references without re-hashing the play itself.

🎭Reading about Lady Macbeth as an a English teacher should be a bit of a busman’s holiday 😂 but I really enjoyed this.

I read this book (thanks to NetGalley), on a cruise liner with little access to WiFi and so I have been unable to check the story against Shakespeare’s Macbeth which I read at school in the 70s. However, I do remember Macbeth starting with the 3 witches chanting “When shall we three meet again…” words that are repeated throughout the story told by Gruoch Boedhe who we first meet as a child with her Pagan grandma foretelling her destiny. The story is how Gruoch achieves her destiny. She loves her family but she hates weakness. She is strong, beautiful and ruthless. She gets her wish but at a cost to all who stand in her way. These are different days. I found the history of Scotland very interesting. A well written story. Gruoch’s character is well depicted but it is hard to know whether she is likeable. This will be a good book to discuss. I was engrossed throughout.

Gruoch is the much loved daughter of Ailith and Boedhe . Boedhe, a usurped Alban prince, was made Mormaer of Fife as an attempt to pacify him for all his losses. Ailith was a pagan who surreptitiously continued with the old faith, despite the dangers. The story follows the birth of Gruoch, through to her becoming Lady MacBethad, and all the trials and tribulations she was forced to endure in that time. Where this story ends, the Bard carried on!

Now I know I’m in the minority here, but this book fell somewhat short for me. The first half of the book was slow and took time to get going, and the repeated Grandmother’s prophecy was annoying. Gruoch was unpleasant, no better than those she chose to despise, Bethoc, Ardith, etc, and her self importance took away any empathy that the reader may have had.

The good points of the book are the insights into Scottish hierarchy, clans and practices of the time and how fortunes and prestige were won and lost on a battlefield. More could have been made of this.

A long, winding read but, in parts, good subject matter.

Thank you NetGalley.

I found this book quite bland. The story itself, built from the historical record, is interesting and undoubtedly a creative way to tell the tale of such a famous character, but unfortunately the writing isn't engaging and the characters never fully come to life. Perhaps I missed something that other readers have fallen in love with - either way this just wasn't one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for my review ecopy of this book

I absolutely loved it and stayed up far too late finishing it, I was completely hooked by Schuler's storytelling. Schuler explores Lady Macbethad's origins. Her noble birth, pagan traditions, love of her country and people and her all consuming ambition to become the queen. A believable back story to Shakespeare's Macbeth is created

Lady MacBethad is a fascinating, well written, story. The locations are well described and I ended up feeling sorry for Gruoch and seeing her as a hero which is some turn around from the villain she is portrayed as by Shakespeare.

I loved this book from beginning to end. It is written well and is a very enjoyable book. I found the prose flowed beautifully and was.gripping so you just had to keep reading!
A good pre-Shakespeare read to discover the back story of his play.
Perfect for fans of historical fiction.

Wow what a book! I love a bit of Bard, so I chose this because of the Macbeth links. I was kind of expecting Shakespearean language, but that's not how this book is written. The focus is Gruoch, who as a feisty young girl was told by her grandmother that it was her destiny to become Queen. She takes this to heart and spends her life preparing to measure up for what will become of her. Whilst growing up she meets Macbethad, who has a profound effect on her and hones her fighting skills.
She's an easy character to root for as she is courageous and feisty. Everything is so well written that you are transported to the places and feeling the feelings. Now that I've finished reading, I miss Gruoch!

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for allowing this.

I ended up reading Lady MacBethad in one day as I felt so drawn to it. Even though I knew how it would end, I was utterly fascinated. This is an origin story for Lady Macbeth from the famous Shakespeare play. It’s not a retelling, it’s so much more than that! Even if you knew nothing of the play, this would stand alone as an excellent book.

We follow Gruoch from a young child, feeling her frequent anxiety at her lack of stability and regular displacement at the hands of men. A core theme throughout this book is how unfair it is to be female. Despite Gruoch’s intelligence, determination and ambition, she is frequently left unsettled by the designs men have for her. Gruoch is determined to survive no matter what though. This is important framing, as often, her less palatable acts are driven by necessity, often to stay alive.

I found the writing style excellent. Not only is the plot really engaging, but the writing was perfectly balanced. I felt nothing was missing descriptively and yet it managed to move along at pace. Nothing felt unnatural or out of place. The characters all felt distinct and it was clear who everyone was.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would gladly read it again and recommend it. I loved the setting, the feminist lens, the political intrigue and the historical detail.

Well-written but disappointing. It was very slow and somewhat repetitive. The last 30% perked up. I have never seen or read Macbeth but this book ends before the play starts. This book just wasn't for me though looking at the reviews I am one of the few who didn't enjoy it..

Whilst not overtly familiar with Macbeth, the premise of this book was highly appealing.
I had intended to consider what I know of Macbeth and contrast it, but I was so absorbed from the outset, that such inspiration was completely forgotten as was fully absorbed by the book.

Gruoch was an interesting character, bold and unflinching in her ambition to want to be Queen as her grandmother has foretold. Whilst I was behind her and wanted her to have a happy loving marriage, I didn’t necessarily like her. She was arrogant, self-serving, and often unkind, yet conversely, she was reflective and held the ability to be empathetic. She displayed keen strategic thinking, though at times was overconfident in her abilities to her peril.

The theme of lust, power and politics ran through the core of the book. However Gruoch held firm and resisted fiercely to capitulating to any man. She was formidable in her approach; diligently using her beauty to her advantage. Taking us from her young adulthood, facing betrayal and outwitting threats until her marriage to Macbethad, I was whisked away to a vivid historical time, thoroughly enthralled and entertained from start to finish. An excellent & highly recommended read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It had the perfect mix of drama and morally grey characters. I enjoyed that I rooted for Grua even when her decisions were coloured by fury and I mourned with her in defeat. The chemistry with MacBethad was palpable though their scenes together were sparse. I liked the explanation of the druid rituals and how these shaped Grua's character. It was also interesting and satisfying to see her grow from the manipulated to the manipulator. The lush descriptions of the places she lived and grew painted a picture of everything she was seeing and leaving behind. I would read a sequel, thoroughly recommend.

Took a little time to get into, but I ended up really enjoying this book. Thank you for allowing me to review your work.

This was so good that I don’t know where to start! We meet Gruoch as a young girl as her father is usurped to the Scottish throne. Despite her precarious position, it is prophesised that Gruoch will one day be Queen and indeed, she soon finds herself betrothed to Duncan, heir to the throne. Leaving behind her loved ones, including her good friend MacBethad, she heads to Scone, where plotting and intrigue threaten to derail her plans of being Queen of Alba.

This is an incredible story, and I loved learning about the origins of the woman who would become the infamous Lady MacBeth. Gruoch is such a well-rounded character, and we see how the circumstances in which she finds herself builds the ambition and scheming that would ultimately lead to her downfall (although we don’t see this directly, since the book ends with her wedding). I’m not overly familiar with Shakespeare’s play, so I am sure there are plenty of nuances that I missed but, even so, that in no way hampered my enjoyment of this gripping historical tale. The plot is excellently paced, the characters are all fantastic, and the detail is compelling. I’d highly recommend this title to any fans of either historical fiction or the work of Shakespeare!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

We all know the story of lord and lady Macbeth but we don't know anything about their upbringing and their romance.
This book gives their back story and how and why they felt the need to kill the king.
If this was given as background reading before students had to study Macbeth I am sure they would be more interested.
Love the twists and triumphs in the story

4.5 stars
This prequel to Shakespeare's famous play follows Gruoch (also called Groa, the future Lady MacBethad) through her life as she follows her ambition to become queen and seek revenge for her family. Gruoch is wonderfully written as an ambitious, intelligent, but also lovable character. The story explains a lot of the background to the conflict in Shakespeare's play, but is also historically accurate, set a at a time when Scotland was divide into smaller Kingdoms. The story flows well and is easy to read with well-defined characters and good chemistry between Gruoch and MacBethad.
Isabelle Schuler is an excellent historical fiction writer and I hope she continues to write books within this vein of either expanding on Shakespeare's villainesses or Scottish history. I am hopeful for a sequel to Lady Macbethad, covering the real events of MacBethad's rise to power and the events Shakespeare covered in his play. I already have my suspicions about the witches!