The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge

While Boudicca is, indeed, threaded throughout the novel, she doesn’t actually “take up the cause that was his legacy” until roughly 80% of the story is already told. The real meat of the tale involves a flesh-and-blood warrior-chief who gathered the British tribes in a bid to stop the incessant march of the Roman machine, Caradoc of the Catuvellauni. The main thing I really want to stress is that the synopsis of this novel does this book a terrible disservice. “Men who could work preferred to beg, and the artists forgot that their calling was noble and became imitators instead of creators.” And for me, hands down, that book is The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge. So we agreed last month that this next rotation would be a selection of our favorites – we’d each select a book in our month that the selector had already read, one which said selector really loves and feels everyone should read at some point in their lives. Ultimately, Boudicca, a strong-willed woman, takes up the cause that was his legacy. His efforts are also met with fierce opposition from former allies and his own sundered kin.

Caradoc’s objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground. “Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome.