The Irish Princess

By: Elizabeth Chadwick

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

Ireland, 1160: Aoife MacMurchada is just 14 years old when her father Diarmit, King of Leinster, is brutally deposed, and her family is forced to flee Southern Ireland into English exile. Diarmit seeks help from King Henry II, an alliance that leads him to the charismatic Richard de Clare, lord of Striguil, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new horizons. Diarmit promises Richard wealth, lands, and Aoife's hand in marriage in return for his aid, but Aoife has her own thoughts on the matter. She may be a prize, but she is not a pawn, and she will play the game to her own advantage.

From the royal halls of scheming kings to staunch Welsh border fortresses and across storm-tossed seas to the wild green kingdoms of Ireland, The Irish Princess is a sumptuous, journey of ambition and desire, love and loss, heartbreak and survival.

©2019 Elizabeth Chadwick (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK

Good listen still…..just not one of her best.

The history is interesting, as the book is about the mother in law of William Marshall, whom the author has written a series of books about.

Great listen!

I don't know much Irish history but this was a great listen! Great narrator & overall great ! I think the only thing that bothered me was hearing that God helps those who help themselves. Not in the Bible. Still have it all my stars.

Lacks Tension and Character Development

While parts of this were great--starting and ending with excellent tension--much of the middle was just one summary to another. Major events and the danger posed to the characters were told or skimmed past. The sister-in-law made an unexpected change in demeanor near the end, feeding the much-needed tension later in the book. But she didn't start out that way, and we saw little progression toward it along the way. I was disappointed. The author has great writing skill, but didn't put it to best use on this book.

Couldn’t get past the narrator

Couldnt get past the narrator to give the the book an actual review. I normally love books by this author but the narrator made this one awful for me. I couldn’t get through it. Maybe I’ll pick this one up in paperback as Ms. Chadwick has not disappointed me in the past.

Very little history

There isn’t much history. There is plenty of sex detail but not romantic. It’s more hitting you over the head about naïveté and the norms of those times. The narrators voice was annoying when it was either her father or her husband. The dialogue was dull. Read the William Marshall series. I liked it much better. I really was looking forward to knowing the Ir