The Widow Queen
- Downloads：2193
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-20 09:55:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Elżbieta Cherezińska
- ISBN：1250218004
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Elzbieta Cherezinska's The Widow Queen is the epic story of a Polish queen whose life and name were all but forgotten until now。
The bold one， they call her—too bold for most。
To her father， the great duke of Poland， Swietoslawa and her two sisters represent three chances for an alliance。 Three marriages on which to build his empire。
But Swietoslawa refuses to be simply a pawn in her father's schemes; she seeks a throne of her own， with no husband by her side。
The gods may grant her wish， but crowns sit heavy， and power is a sword that cuts both ways。
The bold one， they call her—too bold for most。
To her father， the great duke of Poland， Swietoslawa and her two sisters represent three chances for an alliance。 Three marriages on which to build his empire。
But Swietoslawa refuses to be simply a pawn in her father's schemes; she seeks a throne of her own， with no husband by her side。
The gods may grant her wish， but crowns sit heavy， and power is a sword that cuts both ways。
Reviews
Jeanette
，
I won this book and had no idea what to expect。 WOW。 I am so glad I got lucky and won。 This was an amazing piece of historical fiction that lead me into a world of history that I don't know much about。 I can't wait to read the second book。 Since I have Polish ancestors， I'd like to think （although it's doubtful） that I could trace my origins waaaaaay back to the Bold One。 We need more of Cherezinska's books translated to English！ I won this book and had no idea what to expect。 WOW。 I am so glad I got lucky and won。 This was an amazing piece of historical fiction that lead me into a world of history that I don't know much about。 I can't wait to read the second book。 Since I have Polish ancestors， I'd like to think （although it's doubtful） that I could trace my origins waaaaaay back to the Bold One。 We need more of Cherezinska's books translated to English！ 。。。more
Gabi
，
Ciekawa fabuła， prosty język， wciągająca， bohaterowie świetni （ Świętosława najlepsza😅）。 Dobrze ukazuje życie za tamtych czasów， czuć klimat。 Nie mogę się doczekać drugiej części。
Sharon Chase
，
300+ pages in I found I did not care if Olav or Sven regained their thrones。
Michelle
，
A good fantasy with history mixed into it。
pragmaticghost
，
2，5？ Bardzo mieszane uczucia， chyba jednak nie mój klimat， chociaż początkowo bardzo mi sie podobała
Małgorzata
，
2，75
Rzeznik Malgorzata
，
3，5*
Hallie Winchell
，
Fascinating and beautifully written novel about a woman as crucial in European history as Eleanor of Aquitaine。 Incredible novel！ Can't wait for the sequel， "The Last Crown。" This one woman played a key role in the Polish， Swedish & Danish dynasties in 990-1050 CE。 She also may have influenced the Norwegian and English dynasties in history， and her impact was in some ways far greater than those of her father， brother， and all of her husbands。 Yet for all her reach throughout history and effect o Fascinating and beautifully written novel about a woman as crucial in European history as Eleanor of Aquitaine。 Incredible novel！ Can't wait for the sequel， "The Last Crown。" This one woman played a key role in the Polish， Swedish & Danish dynasties in 990-1050 CE。 She also may have influenced the Norwegian and English dynasties in history， and her impact was in some ways far greater than those of her father， brother， and all of her husbands。 Yet for all her reach throughout history and effect on multiple European thrones， this woman's name was lost to history。 These are the type of stories young women need to learn， the names we should all know， yet the focus on the Tudors， & other popular times in history attract all the attention。 What a shame。。。 。。。more
Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship
，
Read through page 350 out of 496。 I very rarely abandon books this late in the game， but beginning somewhere around 200 pages in I’ve been reading more to be done with it and able to move on to another book than for interest in the plot or characters， and life is too short to turn what’s meant to be enjoyment into an obligation。 That said， I don’t think this is an objectively badly written book; it just didn’t catch my interest or make me care。This book reminds me a bit of Hild， in that both are Read through page 350 out of 496。 I very rarely abandon books this late in the game， but beginning somewhere around 200 pages in I’ve been reading more to be done with it and able to move on to another book than for interest in the plot or characters， and life is too short to turn what’s meant to be enjoyment into an obligation。 That said， I don’t think this is an objectively badly written book; it just didn’t catch my interest or make me care。This book reminds me a bit of Hild， in that both are somewhat densely-written， heavily-researched books featuring the imagined lives of real medieval women （though whether Swietoslawa， this book’s nominal protagonist， actually existed or was the same person as Sigrid Storrada—or whether she actually existed—seems to be up for debate）， and including complicated intrigues with lots of players。 In a sense The Widow Queen is easier to read than Hild， as it never gets bogged down in the research， and I had a fairly easy time following the wars and intrigues once I had all the players down。Unfortunately， once I was no longer having to work to understand the story （which I don’t necessarily object to since it provides intellectual engagement）， I realized I didn’t care about anyone in it or find any of them interesting。 There are many point-of-view characters， most of them male leaders around Swietoslawa， none of whom are very distinct from each other or particularly sympathetic， laser-focused as they are on conquering or plundering territories， without thought to anything other than their own desire to rule。 Unfortunately Swietoslawa herself isn’t much better; she’s an extremely privileged young woman and makes the most of her power with little to no thought for anyone else。 Which is probably realistic， but it’s not a complex or critical portrayal; I had the sense we were supposed to find her “boldness” endearing， and I didn’t。 First because by “bold” we mostly mean “mouthy，” which is the default heroine behavior in historical and fantasy settings these days， so whatever。 And second because this is fairly blatant “but women too should have the opportunity to exploit others！” feminism。 The only character to remotely interest me is the witchy half-sister Astrid， but the author lost much of my goodwill there by having all three sisters fall in love with the same man （even though two of them barely know him）。There is something to the Game of Thrones comparisons， the book has a lot of intrigue and unprincipled leaders and HBO-style sex （though the battles so far are all off-page）， and there’s also a lot of dialogue so it is fairly readable。 But as the story follows its characters through about 15 years of their lives， there’s no driving plot， and knowing this book too ends on a cliffhanger （so I wouldn’t get a real ending even if I finished） gave me the push I needed to set it aside for something more enjoyable。 。。。more
Zosia Jochim
，
4。5 ⭐
Natalia
，
4，5Wciągnęłam się。 Naprawdę。 Jedyne co， to trochę w tym wszystkim zabrakło mi głównej bohaterki。 No， może jeszcze malutki nadmiar polityki， ale to dało się znieść。
Robin
，
this is a hard book to get into - maybe about 200 pages in i started being able to remember who was who， how they were related， and in which country they wanted to reign。 so many names are similar or the same that the story is hard to follow for those first 200 pages。 i did enjoy reading about the 3-4 main characters， but do not plan to read the second book in this series。 five hundred pages of these historical figures is enough for me。
Bethany T。
，
Spellbinding from the first chapter！ I greatly enjoyed this book despite how complicated it is， full of characters sprawled across 10th century kingdoms， with ever-changing loyalties and myriad connections to one another。 However complicated the political and geographical lines are， the characters are all richly drawn。 The story is primarily centered around Swietoslawa of Poland， Sven of Sweden， and Olav of Norway。 I was immediately charmed by the headstrong Swietoslawa and felt the tension caus Spellbinding from the first chapter！ I greatly enjoyed this book despite how complicated it is， full of characters sprawled across 10th century kingdoms， with ever-changing loyalties and myriad connections to one another。 However complicated the political and geographical lines are， the characters are all richly drawn。 The story is primarily centered around Swietoslawa of Poland， Sven of Sweden， and Olav of Norway。 I was immediately charmed by the headstrong Swietoslawa and felt the tension caused by her father’s ambitions in every section centered in Poland in the beginning of the book。I greatly enjoyed following Swietoslawa's journey as she grew into a headstrong woman， still tied to negotiating peace or political ties but also independent and fulfilling her owns desires。Let me say （written to avoid spoilers）， I was delighted later in the book by a reveal of sorts regarding an early scene of two people unknown to one another crossing paths。 （Perhaps I just wasn't observant enough regarding the scene。 But it was written deliberately enough that it all fell into place later。）Things definitely were confusing at times and details I found important often occurred during time skips and were recounted after the fact， but I still enjoyed this book greatly。 I stayed up all night to read from Chapter 42 to Chapter 53 because those final chapters of the book really got interesting。 I was eager to see how Swietoslawa handled her changing position of power （sorry for the vagueness。 Trying not to spoil the story）。 I'm disappointed it ended on such a cliffhanger and hope a second， translated installment will follow soon。VerdictA marvelous， sprawling look at actual historical figures of the 10th century （though， of course， highly fictionalized since info regarding women of that time is sparse）。 This was just my cup of tea。So， who would enjoy this book？Historical fiction lovers， especially those who enjoy tales of powerful women navigating the intrigues of royal marriages and royal life， will love this。 It had a smattering of sex scenes to sate those who love steamy historical fiction but keeps the focus on the strength and insight of Swietoslawa， the Bold One。 However， be warned， this is not a fantasy book and is not really comparable to "Game of Thrones，" as some have suggested。 If you're expecting GoT vibes， you'll be disappointed。 This is more "Vikings" than GoT。 。。。more
GRey
，
Lots of telling， not so much showing。。。 and such an abrupt ending they MUST be planning a sequel。
Danielle
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Heavy reading， but it was good。 I felt like the last 50 pages or so were very rushed， especially considering there's a sequel coming， it should have been stretched out just like the rest of the book was。 'Sventoslava' or 'Sventoschwava'。 I also really hope no one takes those book cooking challenges with Melkorka's cooking。 Heavy reading， but it was good。 I felt like the last 50 pages or so were very rushed， especially considering there's a sequel coming， it should have been stretched out just like the rest of the book was。 'Sventoslava' or 'Sventoschwava'。 I also really hope no one takes those book cooking challenges with Melkorka's cooking。 。。。more
Renata
，
Incredible story！ We all learned history about the Mieszko & Boleslaw Chrobry but not about Swietoslawa。 I'm so happy to learn that her story continues in "The Last Crown" that I'm going to read next。 Incredible story！ We all learned history about the Mieszko & Boleslaw Chrobry but not about Swietoslawa。 I'm so happy to learn that her story continues in "The Last Crown" that I'm going to read next。 。。。more
Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard
，
This was AMAZINGLY translated into English！ I am absolutely shocked at the cleanliness of that。Loved the story！
Hannah
，
3。516+
Stacey
，
ARC from publisher。Incredible。 Epic。 So good。I was completely engrossed in this tale of 15th century Europe。 Battle， betrayal， life， death， cunning， oh my。I was a little disappointed at the end to discover that this book is really the first half of a two book story。 Very little resolution in the first half， but oh so good。 I am looking forward to getting a copy of the final version to see the maps and the family trees。 As I said…epic。
Shibest Lisa
，
This is a translated work from Polish to English。 I also think the translation is done exceptionally well。 Not everyone will like or love this book。 The book spans 984-997 AD。 So there are a lot of names and dates and political machinations。 There is also a large emphasis on religion。 The book centers on the Piast Dynasty in Poland which spans over 400 years。 This is book one in a series。I really enjoyed Swietoslawa， the daughter of Mieszko I。 She was a strong Queen who gave birth to future king This is a translated work from Polish to English。 I also think the translation is done exceptionally well。 Not everyone will like or love this book。 The book spans 984-997 AD。 So there are a lot of names and dates and political machinations。 There is also a large emphasis on religion。 The book centers on the Piast Dynasty in Poland which spans over 400 years。 This is book one in a series。I really enjoyed Swietoslawa， the daughter of Mieszko I。 She was a strong Queen who gave birth to future kings。 But she wasn’t simply a Queen she helped bring Christianity to this part of the world。 During this time there were still Clans with Chieftains who worshiped Odin as well as other gods。 Another thing I really love is that we get a look at what Poland， The British Isles & Scandinavia looked like in the 10th Century。I am eagerly awaiting the next book！ 。。。more
Jennifer Thompson
，
Long book。 Listened on audio and though the reading was good， it was very hard for me to place the different names throughout the story。 Interesting history but not my cuppa
Wilma Ann
，
As a fan of historical fiction， I looked forward to learning about an unfamiliar part of history and the world at that time。 I was disappointed。 The story was mostly of political intrigue。 It was slow-moving and pedantic。 There were so many players that I needed a spreadsheet！
Marianne Mason Sievers
，
Loved it。 Can't wait for the sequel。 Loved it。 Can't wait for the sequel。 。。。more
Rd
，
Interesting story but not the easiest read。。。
Engin Go
，
Could not stop reading this book！ Full of love， war， struggles， religion， and duty。 The characters and history are so rich and captivating。 Plot twists and turns keep you on edge。 I love reading strong female leads in books especially during olden times when they had to be so clever to succeed in the male world。 I’ve enjoyed learning the history of Poland and Nordics from just before 1000AD as well as the Christian evangelism of the times。 Super fascinating！
Aleksandra Wolska
，
3。5
Jessica Heck
，
It was challenging to get through this book。 The names and places were hard to keep track of， the story was drawn out for far too long， and it had no ending。 It looks like a much longer book has been written and then split into installments。
Courtney
，
I received this book as an ARC。 It took me awhile to read this book。 Mostly because of the historical references and wanting to get clarification on geography and historical facts。 The story was interesting and well-written。 I did sometimes struggle with the jumping from one set of characters to another， but over all a good read。
Pam
，
This must surely qualify as an EPIC。 Originally written in Polish and translated， it provides a very in-depth accounting of the Vikings in the 900’s from their perspective。 I thought I needed a break but the author sets up the sequel so I’ll be charging on！
Alexia Chantel
，
There ended up being a lot packed into this book！ It's quite a genealogy trip as you're brought through the formations of European countries。 A hint of magic added to the depth and the writing was lovely。 There ended up being a lot packed into this book！ It's quite a genealogy trip as you're brought through the formations of European countries。 A hint of magic added to the depth and the writing was lovely。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Widow Queen
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Widow Queen&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Widow Queen&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0