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Lady Magdalen Kindle Edition

by Robin Jenkins (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
See all formats and editions
This beautifully rendered novel of 17th century Scotland imagines the life of Lady Magdalene, 1st Marchioness of Montrose, during the English Civil War.
 
Magadalen, the fourteen-year-old daughter of Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird, shares with her childhood friend, Francis Gowrie of Mintlaw, a love of art and beauty, and a horror of barbaric practices such as the burning of women thought to be witches. But, with civil war brewing and family alliances paramount, Carnegie arranges her marriage to an ambitious young soldier, James Graham, Earl of Montrose. So begins this captivating portrait of the little-known wife of the infamous Scottish nobleman.
 
In Lady Magdalen, Robin Jenkins casts his ironic and informed eye over war-torn 17th-century Scotland, juxtaposing the feminine and domestic with the political and military ramifications of the era. It is a lush and acutely perceptive tale by an author whose “deeply ambivalent analysis of human idealism has established him as the greatest living fiction writer in Scotland” (The Scotsman, UK).
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    337 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Canongate Books
  5. Publication date
    September 13, 2011
  6. File size
    3375 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

His uncompromising, deeply ambivalent analysis of human idealism has established him as the greatest living fiction writer in Scotland. Jenkins is the Scottish Thomas Hardy. (The Scotsman)

Like all the great masters, his skill is lightly worn, his sentences singing with what he does not say . . . he is the great old man of Scottish letters. (The Times)

From the Back Cover

A work of rich, historical fiction from a vintage storyteller, Lady Magdalen is Jenkins's remarkable tribute to the feminine ideal.

We first encounter Magdalen as a fourteen-year-old. The daughter of Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird, she consents to an arranged marriage with the young soldier, James Graham, Earl of Montrose in order to please her father. Montrose's poetry inspires her but she soon learns that above all things he has military and political ambitions.

So begins this captivating portrait of the little-known wife of the infamous Montrose. Jenkins casts his ironic and informed eye over a host of memorable characters - from the domestic to the aristocratic - in a Scotland divided by social, military and political factions. Jenkins's appreciation of Scottish character and history and his narrative skill combine to create an effortlessly readable and engrossing novel.

"His uncompromising, deeply ambivalent analysis of human idealism has established him as the greatest living fiction writer in Scotland. Jenkins is the Scottish Thomas Hardy." The Scotsman

"Like all the great masters, his skill is lightly worn, his sentences singing with what he does not say . . . he is the great old man of Scottish letters." The Times

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005IXUFLS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canongate Books; Main edition (September 13, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 13, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3375 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sheryl Engler
5.0 out of 5 stars Scottish History So Interesting to Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
I loved this book. I was curious about this part of Scotlands history. The main character was a woman who was a victim of the world and culture she was born into. Yet she decided to love and choose the right and noble way at all cost. I heartily recommend it, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a bloody history, but it helps to understand the roots of conflict between Scotland, England and Ireland even today. I’m so glad I read it.
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Hagrarian
5.0 out of 5 stars LADY MAGDALEN 1ST MARCHIONESS OF MONTROSE
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2012
Verified Purchase
"Lady Magdalen" is a Historical Novel about the life of Magdalen Carnegie the daughter of the Earl of South Esk. While history has recorded much about her husband, James Graham, the 1St Marquis of Montrose, very little is known of Lady Magdalen's life. She was the wife of a famous Cavalier General who was hated by the Scottish covenanter government to the extent that they arrested their second son James Graham, searched their Scottish castles and eventually forced her to flee back to her childhood home of Kinnaird Castle.
One continually needs to remind themselves that this is fiction because the author has so skillfully interwolven the factual history with the imagined details. In reading Lady Magdalen you get a real sense of what her life must have been like. Her relationship with her husband who was often absent, her children, her father and those who served her. You see someone who could cut through the subterfuge and get to the basic question at hand. She was first and formost honest and had difficultly understanding why others could not be the same. While she was always loyal to her husband, she personally hated war and as Montrose became more involved she felt herself withdrawing more and more from the outside world. Among the symptoms were letting her eldest son John go with his father as he fought for the King, then experiencing the shock of being told that he is dead and had been buried far to the north in an unknown village. Seeing those who had been injured in battle return home as ruined hulks of men to live out their days with out the ability to provide for their families. Finally the author allows Magdalen to mercifully die in her sleep sometime in the fall of 1645 but he paints Montrose as more preoccupied with military affairs and with little time for grief over Magdalen's passing.
"Lady Magdalen"gives Magdalen Carnegie a shape and a personality that is unavailable in history and for that Robin Jenkins can be thanked for his contribution to the overall picture of 17 century history. He brings life to a little known personality who has long deserved attention in a novel that is both enjoyable to read and informative.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Stuart
3.0 out of 5 stars The Marquis of Montrose was a cruel bastard to his ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
The Marquis of Montrose was a cruel bastard to his wife
He also hit my (Great X 5) Grandfather James Stewart on the head with a steel pistol and brain damaged him for life for letting his friend Rob Roy MacGregor escape.
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