HFVBT Review: Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva by Eliza Redgold

Title: Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva

Author: Eliza Redgold

Format: Paperback

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publish Date: July 14, 2015

Source: HFVBT Book Tours

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "We all know the legend of Lady Godiva, who famously rode naked through the streets of Coventry, covered only by her long, flowing hair. So the story goes, she begged her husband Lord Leofric of Mercia to lift a high tax on her people, who would starve if forced to pay. Lord Leofric demanded a forfeit: that Godiva ride naked on horseback through the town. There are various endings to Godiva's ride, that all the people of Coventry closed their doors and refused to look upon their liege lady (except for 'peeping Tom') and that her husband, in remorse, lifted the tax. 

Naked is an original version of Godiva's tale with a twist that may be closer to the truth: by the end of his life Leofric had fallen deeply in love with Lady Godiva."

My Two Cents:

"Naked" is the story of Lady Godiva, who is most commonly known for riding through her small town of Coventry naked on a horse with only her hair to cover herself. This lady is truly a legend and one that has fascinated so many people, historical fiction and history lovers alike. I'm always fascinated by this story so I was really interested in the author's take on Lady Godiva. Not many facts are about her but the author is able to take what we know and expound on it and create a really rich and wonderfully detailed story.

When it comes to historical fiction, I think that it can be difficult for authors to have too many facts. I also think it can be difficult for authors to have too few details. In the case of Lady Godiva, a lot is unknown about her and the author was able to create a very realistic character and some memorable secondary characters. I really appreciated the way that the author was able to make the legend come to life. In the beginning of the book, the author includes a historical note which explains what is known and what is unknown about the legend of Lady Godiva. It really set the stage for me as a reader and I love to see the author's thought process about the story.

Lady Godiva is such an interesting character to me. She lives in a world where women do not have much authority at all and she realizes that. However, in a lot of ways she doesn't let that fact constrained her. She feels duty-bound to take care of the people under her. Her husband is the one who dares to ride through the center of town naked in order to prove her mettle and conviction. I really liked how the author was able to make Godiva feel real. The book is told from the first person point of view which pulled me right into the story.

I really enjoyed this take on Lady Godiva. The author definitely had me interested in learning more about the legend. Historical fiction lovers will love this take on this familiar story. The other puts a brand-new spin on an old favorite!

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Wednesday, August 19
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Thursday, August 20
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Friday, August 21
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Monday, August 24
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Tuesday, August 25
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Wednesday, August 26
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Thursday, August 27
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