Boudicca's Daughter - by Elodie Harper (Paperback)

About the Book

"Boudicca infamous warrior, queen of the British Iceni tribe, and mastermind of one of history s greatest revolts. Her defeat spelled ruin for her people, yet still her name is enough to strike fear into Roman hearts. But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow? The woman who has her mother's looks and cunning and her father's druidic gifts, but a spirit all of her own? The woman whose desperate bid for survival will take her from Britain's sacred marshlands to the glittering facades of Nero s Roman Empire . . . The narrative arc and emotional heart of the book is Solina's complex relationship with Rome, and what resistance means in the radically different world she finds herself in after her mother's fall. After she is taken to the Empire's capital by the ruthless Roman general Paulinus, she will have to decide what it truly means to be Boudicca's daughter. Forced to fight. Determined to succeed. Meet Solina. Boudicca's daughter."--Publisher description.

Book Synopsis

The story of Boudicca, the notorious warrior queen who led a legendary rebellion in 60 CE against the Roman Empire in Britain. This book by acclaimed Wolf Den Trilogy author Elodie Harper follows Boudicca's meteoric rise and devastating fall through the eyes of her youngest daughter, Solina, who seeks revenge against Rome.

Boudicca--infamous warrior, queen of the British Iceni tribe, and mastermind of one of history's greatest revolts. Her defeat spelled ruin for her people, yet still her name is enough to strike fear into Roman hearts.
But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow? The woman who has her mother's looks and cunning and her father's druidic gifts, but a spirit all of her own? The woman whose desperate bid for survival will take her from Britain's sacred marshlands to the glittering facades of Nero's Roman Empire . . .
The narrative arc and emotional heart of the book is Solina's complex relationship with Rome, and what resistance means in the radically different world she finds herself in after her mother's fall. After she is taken to the Empire's capital by the ruthless Roman general Paulinus, she will have to decide what it truly means to be Boudicca's daughter.
Forced to fight. Determined to succeed. Meet Solina. Boudicca's daughter.

This epic and emotional novel is perfect for fans of Madeleine Miller's Circe and Constanza Casati's Clytemnestra.

Review Quotes

"Boudicca's Daughter is truly a triumph--heartbreakingly beautiful, deeply profound, and utterly captivating, this book went above and beyond my high expectations. Harper brings the ancient world to life with such stunning detail, exploring wonderfully complex, nuanced characters--it's impossible to not be swept away by this incredible story."--Rosie Hewlett, Sunday Times bestselling author of Medea

"Boudicca's Daughter is Elodie Harper's masterpiece . . . a shocking reflection on the relationship between virtue and power, honor and vengeance."--Costanza Casati, author of Clytemnestra

"A beautiful, breathtaking novel about what it takes to survive in the shadow of legend, Boudicca's Daughter is a furious page-turner, a raw, emotional journey, and a profound meditation on family and legacy. I loved this novel."--Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

"Devastating, powerful, and haunting. Elodie Harper masterfully brings Ancient Rome and Britain to life, along with characters who are at once heroically strong yet vulnerable and flawed, spun into a remarkable tale of vengeance, love, and hate. Boudicca's Daughter broke my heart several times and mended it in unexpected ways."--Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess

"Elodie Harper is a master storyteller with an extraordinary gift for recreating the past. . . . This is historical fiction of the highest quality."--Elizabeth Fremantle, author of Queen's Gambit

"Elodie Harper is the most magnificent writer, and this is her best book yet. Immersive, captivating, heart-breaking, Boudicca's Daughter is brilliantly propulsive . . . her characters are so wonderfully real and fully realized. This is certainly my book of the year."--Caroline Lea, author of The Metal Heart

"Expertly crafted . . . I ripped through it with the pace and ferocity of an Iceni warrior."--Helen Carr, author of The Red Prince

"Harper excels at writing stories about oft-ignored women who exist on the margins of history. and that skill is on full display here. . . . [Her] writing is remarkably honest, taking an unflinching and historically grounded view of the brutality of the time period she's writing about and the difficulties faced by any woman seeking to control her own destiny in the ancient world. . . . But this is not a grim or depressing story. Instead, it's a strangely hopeful one, a reminder that it is possible to build a life of meaning with little but tenacity and a heavy dose of luck. And it's hard to ask a lot more from your historical fiction than that."--Paste magazine

"Poignant and gripping . . . I found myself unable to put this book down . . . beautifully written, bittersweet to read, and as always merging Harper's incredible imagination with her vast and vivid knowledge of ancient history."--Hannah Kaner, international bestselling author of Godkiller

"What a phenomenal novel! Fierce, furious and full of feeling, Elodie Harper has once again proven that women of the ancient world were a power to be reckoned with. It reads as an epic biopic but in a way that is pacy, raw, and beyond beautiful. . . . This is one you cannot miss!"--Susan Stokes-Chapman, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Pandora

"What struck me most about this story is the precision to detail, along with the lyricism which brought such rich depictions to life. There is a deeply introspective nature in Harper's exploration of antiquity. . . . Without a doubt, Harper is one of the most important writers working in historical fiction today and we are all richer for the existence of her work."--Nikita Gill, author of Fierce Fairytales

"Boudicca's Daughter is a compelling account of what happens in the red mist of vendetta. . . . I thoroughly recommend this novel, and its heroine."--Historical Novel Society

"Harper's fans will not be disappointed by this gripping historical novel that elevates the power of love above the strength of arms."
--Library Journal

"Heart-wrenching yet affirming, Boudicca's Daughter is a testament to humanity's capacity for brutality, but also for tenderness. As immersive, finely crafted and lyrical as all Harper's work, this is a carefully woven tapestry of a book, with threads of both vengeance and love running through its every strand. It is, simply, one of the best books I have ever read."--Bea Fitzgerald, London Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

"Boudicca's Daughter was everything I hoped it would be. Jam-packed full of pace, strength, and rage, it is unflinching in its portrayal of one of history's most infamous warriors and the daughters who followed in her shadow. Solina is the violent female character I want to read: complex, entangled in her thoughts and the brutal realities of her life, and bitingly fierce. Boudicca's Daughter has done a great service in our understanding of what a cruel and strange time it was to be a woman, of the incredible and devastating leadership of Boudicca, and has pulled off something precious and rare--managing to be both deeply historical and deeply modern at the same time. The world needs to devour this book. I tore through it."--Harriet Constable, author of The Instrumentalist

About the Author

Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize-winning writer. She is currently a reporter and presenter at ITV News, and has also worked as a producer for Channel 4 News. Elodie studied Latin poetry, both in the original and in translation, as part of her English Literature degree at Oxford, instilling a lifelong interest in the ancient world. The Wolf Den, the first in a trilogy of novels about the lives of women in ancient Pompeii, was a number one LondonTimes bestseller. She lives in London, UK.