Lady Magdalen

by Robin Jenkins

The daughter of Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird, Lady Magdalen shares with her childhood friend, Francis Gowrie of Mintlaw, a love of art and beauty, and a horror of barbaric practices. But, with civil war brewing and family alliances paramount, Carnegie arranges her marriage to an ambitious young soldier, James Graham, the future Marquis of Montrose. This is a captivating novel, which juxtaposes the feminine and domestic with the political and military ramifications of the era. Lady Magdalen is effortlessly readable and a powerful evocation of seventeenth century Scotland.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Scotland, Historical

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Author of a number of landmark novels including The Cone Gatherers, The Changeling, Happy for the Child, The Thistle and the Grail and Guests of War, Jenkins is recognised as one of Scotland's greatest writers. The themes of good and evil, of innocence lost, of fraudulence, cruelty and redemption shine through his work. His novels, shot through with ambiguity, are rarely about what they seem. He published his first book, So Gaily Sings the Lark, at the age of thirty-eight, and by the time of his death in 2005, over thirty of his novels were in print.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Marquess of Montrose is one of the great figures of Scottish history, famous for his loyalty and for fighting against all odds for the doomed King Charles I. His story has been told many times in fact and fiction but here we see it from the point of view of his wife Magdalen. We see little of Montrose himself as he is constantly away from his home on campaign or touring the courts of Europe as befits a nobleman of his standing. Magdalen's life is confined to domestic duties but she sees all too clearly the results of war, poverty and ignorance on those around her. This is a sad angry book but beautifully written and in the end uplifting.

[Linda Ducky Angeletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short chapters and clean prose from a long established writer (D.o B 1912) whose career began in 1951 (1st publication). Lady Magdalen was published in 2003.

This novel covers a fascinating period in Scottish (British) history, covering the Bishop's war, the first phase of the British civil wars of the seventeenth century. The ambitious Montrose signed the Covenant, but then became the King's Lieutenant in Scotland. The young Lady Magdalen was married off to James Graham, the future Marquis of Montrose, in a political alliance, but more specifically to provide heirs, as Graham was the last of his line. She was regarded as a timid nonentity by her siblings and husband, quite unsuited to the role of wife of one of the foremost figures in Scotland. Yet throughout the book one comes to have a great respect for Magdalen and her standards, as indeed do many of the men she confronted. It would be tempting to write about the charismatic and tragic figure of Montrose, but Robin Jenkins centres completely on Magdalen. The religious tensions, class distintions and clan rivalries are all explored.

I found it an easy read and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the period.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought and first read Lady Magdalen on a trip to England 10 years ago. I recalled it as a really great book and decided to give it a re-read. Unfortunately, I was disappointed this time around. Perhaps I had glorified it in my memory. In any case, this time, I found it an enjoyable and well-written story, but nothing particularly great or special. In fact, I got a little bored with it, and after awhile I found the fact that Lady Magdalen just withers away and dies a bit tedious. I recalled her as a strong female character, but on this read I found that the attempts to give her strength fell a little flat.