Godiva - by Nicole Galland (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Nicole Galland, author of The Fool's Tale, turns her clever pen toward re-imagining the famous legend of Lady Godiva in this expertly crafted historical novel set in Anglo-Saxon England.

A 12th-century noblewoman, Lady Godiva is infamous for riding naked through Coventry to relieve her people of her husband's unfair and oppressive taxation. Leofric, Earl of Mercia, said he would ease the tax burden if she would ride through the streets, wearing only her glorious, long hair. In doing so she risked everything, including her home and well-being.

Told with humor and precise attention to detail, Nicole Galland's Godiva brings to life the adventures of the legendary lady, her husband and her best friend the Abbess Egdiva in thrilling detail. It's an entertaining tale of courtly intrigue, deceit, and romance that is sure to captivate fans of literary and historical fiction.

From the Back Cover

From the author of The Fool's Tale comes a brilliantly crafted retelling of the legend of Lady Godiva

According to legend, Lady Godiva lifted the unfair taxation of her people by her husband, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, by riding through the streets of Coventry wearing only a smile. It's a story that's kept tongues wagging for nearly a thousand years. But what would drive a lady of the court to take off everything and risk her reputation, her life, even her wardrobe--all for a few peasants' pennies?

In this daringly original, charmingly twisted take on an oft-imagined tale, Nicole Galland exposes a provocative view of Godiva not only in the flesh, but in all her glory. With history exonerating her dear husband, Godiva, helped along by her steadfast companion the abbess Edgiva, defies the tyranny of a new royal villain. Never before has Countess Godiva's ride into infamy--and into an unexpected adventure of romance, deceit, and naked intrigue--been told quite like this.

Review Quotes

"This is a wonderful historical novel that proves that all people see themselves as the hero of their own lives." -- Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

"Attention to detail and humor keeps the novel both exhaustive and hilarious...Nicole Galland is exceptionally well versed in the fine nuances of storytelling and illustrating the combustible nature of mixing religion, commerce and war." -- St. Petersburg Times (Florida)

"At once an idiot's guide to the tangled geopolitical landscape of 13th century and a clear and stern indictment of contemporary events...Thick with delectable historical details." -- Martha's Vineyard Times on CROSSED

"[A] funny (really!) look at this disastrous Crusade through the eyes of a wacky Welshman, a pious knight and his half-brother and an Arab princess (who isn't what she seems) they hope to return to her Egyptian home. It's a raucous road trip set in the 13th century." -- New York Post

"A clever novel of courtly love . . . entertains with a flourish." -- Publishers Weekly

"A tasty fictional stew, mixing elements of twelfth-century culture together skillfully to produce a veritable reading feast." -- Booklist

"An astonishing work of imaginative empathy, buttressed by deep research and enriched by lively storytelling." -- Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Godiva is amusing, practical, lively, and relatable in this clever retelling of the legendarily naked lady's story, Galland's fifth novel. Filled to the brim with courtly intrigue, dangerous misapprehensions, crossings and double-crossings, and enough high humor to ensure at least some giggling through many portions... -- Booklist on GODIVA