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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 8 customer reviews )
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4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 A Royal Victory Nov 01, 2008
By Tish Bailey
An Involuntary King overcomes some daunting challenges: a distant period in history--England before the Norman conquest--with its unfamiliar customs and tongue-twisting names and vocabulary. It's a story about a king at a time when government meant rolling up your own sleeves to build and defend your land. There are some medieval conceits in the story, courtly love, knightly honor and all that, but what leaves the greatest impression is the caring relationship between the rulers and their people. To accomplish this, Hawthorne creates a vivid ensemble of supporting characters who blaze up in their little moments to illuminate what this story is really about.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Off the Page and Into My Imagination Sep 06, 2008
By G. Marlow
The thing that most attracts me to a book -- or causes me to put one down -- is character development. I want to feel that the characters are real people, not just cardboard cutouts acting out a part in the book's plot. This book satisfies that demand, not just with the title character (Lawrence, the involuntary king), but with characters at every level of the story.
Of course, we get to know best the main players in this novel - Lawrence and his queen Josephine, the sultry mercenary Elerde, the bards Shannon and Rory. Each of these characters is driven by motivations that seem to rise logically from his/her life experiences -- and by the end of the book, each of them has changed in some way. I have to admit that I didn't care for Josephine too much early on in the book; however, by the end, she had (IMO) matured enough that I could have at least a grudging respect for her.
Most books, however, will flesh out the main characters. I think one of the strengths of Hawthorne's book is that she has taken care to make the secondary characters and even the bit players reasonably well-rounded. There are a couple of villains who are motivated well enough to be truly creepy and not cartoonish (seeing them dispatched to their worthy ends is quite gratifying, ha ha). I really appreciate the way Hawthorne portrays the common people of the story - the barmaids, the healer, the rogue thieves. It gives a sense of the world in which the story takes place, a world Hawthorne has obviously studied.
My main caveat would be that this is not a "bedtime story" - there is far too much going on to think it will relax your mind before sleep (there were a couple of times I had strange dreams all night after reading the book!). The war scenes are also not for the squeamish (although they give a good idea of just what battles must have been like in that time).
I enjoyed the book, and I'm pleased to have King Lawrence, Rory, Shannon, and yes, even Queen Josephine now wandering about in my mind, mingling with other memorable characters in the "cocktail party" of my imagination.
7 of 10 found the following review helpful:
A Grand Tale! Sep 06, 2008
By Brandy Purdy
An Involuntary King is the best kind of story, a rich, exciting, medieval saga that skillfully blends adventure, romance, and history. Lawrence, son of Arneth, King of Crislicland, was never meant to be king. When tragedy foists that unexpected honor onto him, he fights to master his own feelings of unworthiness and prove himself worthy of the Crown and to become not just a good king, but a great king, strong, beloved, and wise. This novel charts the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of his reign, the bloody battles to hold his kingdom and vanquish his foes; his marriage to the passionate and lively Josephine, whose beauty draws admirers as honey does flies, and more than once leads to trouble, and much, much more. With a vibrant cast of characters who seem to spring to life right off the page, An Involuntary King is from start to finish a delight to read!
 Agree with Too Simplistic Dec 14, 2011
By Daisiechain
I completely agree with the person that posted "Too simplistic". I'm currently attempting to read historical fiction on all of the kings of England. I knew this book wasn't about a "real" king but I'm only 23% into it and I've got that sickly feeling like when you eat too much candy. It reads like a fairy tale, not a novel.
Escape to another land, in another time Aug 10, 2010
By Alistair Forrest
When I began reading Nan Hawthorne's introduction to this lengthy and gripping tale of Anglo Saxon England, I thought I was in for a fairy tale. An Involuntary King is a story honed from childhood with a friend, a hero named after Peter O'Toole's Lawrence of Arabia (no other connection apart from Hawthorne being a huge fan) and a princess-cum-queen nicknamed Sunshine. Throw in a dark and stormy suitor from across the sea and two fun-loving and slightly reckless Irish bards and you still might have your fairy tale.
But there are no dragons, no trolls and elves, certainly no good faeries.
If there is a question mark with An Involuntary King it would simply be in the names, Lawrence the reluctant king and his bride, Josephine. All others have typical Saxon, Gaelic or Celtic names. Their kingdom, bordering the North Sea, is a fictitious `Crislicland' (I dared to pronounce this `Crelland' for an easier read, an English trait don't you know?) but the settlements and geography are real enough, located more or less in Lincolnshire and its surrounds. The name thing is a quirk that takes only as long as a few pages to discover that here is historical fiction that refuses to be constrained by pigeon holes - it is adventure, romance, intrigue, plotting, betrayal and war, the hint of fairy tale swiftly fading as we are engaged in realistic and exceptionally well researched eighth century Anglo Saxon England.
Lawrence is an involuntary king only as long as it takes to marry his perfect bride and get to grips with ruling a kingdom beset with threats from within and without. Josephine, the queen, is pretty handy with a bow and strong of will, though her spirited self belief does lead her to make the odd boo boo, but hey, it helps a plot to have a few imperfections in otherwise perfect specimens. She's a very good mother, too, even when the chips are down.
Hawthorne is not afraid to take risks, particularly with the gay Irish mercenary O'Donnell who has a Scots lover but also has the hots for one of the bards, the dashingly handsome Rory. This, as well as battle and rape scenes, is handled sensitively. An Involuntary King is written by a woman but it is not just for women. Some men might want more cut and thrust, but Nan is not one for pandering to such demands. Death, mutilation, hanging and pillage are given just enough detail, so we move on. Characters are well formed, endearing or otherwise in appropriate measure.
There's humour, too. For example, Hawthorne has the shorter bard, explaining Rory's unusual height for a Celt, saying: "There was a Norseman in the woodpile." That I found laugh out loud hilarious, one of a number of little gems scattered throughout.
There are shades of Robin Hood (the innocent unjustly treated but they still love the king and queen) and Richard the Lionheart (a bard singing outside King Lawrence's cell to identify him and raise his hopes of rescue). This is a rich, enjoyable read, full of likely and unlikely heroes, nasty and/or crafty baddies, and some who fall in between, struggling with their motivation and usually fancying the lovely queen. And who can blame them?
Well done Nan. More stories like this please, especially if carefree Irish bards have a central role. Read it and escape to another land...
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