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On the Couch #3
Lady Macbeth: On the Couch
An Ancient Mystery Solved
Scholars, professors, and historians have wondered for centuries how and why Lady Macbeth, the beautiful, beloved wife of a nobleman, had to encourage―nay, push―her husband, Prince Macbeth, to commit the ghastly crime of killing the king.
The great Sigmund Freud himself said that nobody knows why the Lady did so. Dr. Alma Bond spent many years searching for the reason.
Read Lady Macbeth: On the Couch to learn the answer to this ancient mystery, and to get a fascinating, first-hand look at life more than a millennium ago.
Scholars, professors, and historians have wondered for centuries how and why Lady Macbeth, the beautiful, beloved wife of a nobleman, had to encourage―nay, push―her husband, Prince Macbeth, to commit the ghastly crime of killing the king.
The great Sigmund Freud himself said that nobody knows why the Lady did so. Dr. Alma Bond spent many years searching for the reason.
Read Lady Macbeth: On the Couch to learn the answer to this ancient mystery, and to get a fascinating, first-hand look at life more than a millennium ago.
181 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2013
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Alma H. Bond
44 books25 followersAlma H. Bond, PhD, is a psychoanalyst and the author of 20 published books. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University, graduated from the post-doctoral program in psychoanalysis at the Freudian Society, and was a psychoanalyst in private practice for thirty-seven years in New York City. She ”retired” to become a full-time writer, but now maintains a small practice in addition to writing.
Alma Bond launched her popular "On the Couch" series with Jackie O: On the Couch: Inside the Mind and Life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Her new book, MARILYN MONROE: ON THE COUCH, will be published October 30, 2013.
Her nineteen other published books include: Camille Claude: A Novel; Old Age is a Terminal Illness; Who Killed Virginia Woolf: A Psychobiography; Tales of Psychology: Short Stories to Make You Wise; I Married Dr. Jekyll and Woke Up Mrs. Hyde; Is There Life After Analysis; On Becoming a Grandparent; America’s First Woman Warrior: The Story of Deborah Sampson (with Lucy Freeman); and a children’s book, The Tree That Could Fly.
Alma Bond launched her popular "On the Couch" series with Jackie O: On the Couch: Inside the Mind and Life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Her new book, MARILYN MONROE: ON THE COUCH, will be published October 30, 2013.
Her nineteen other published books include: Camille Claude: A Novel; Old Age is a Terminal Illness; Who Killed Virginia Woolf: A Psychobiography; Tales of Psychology: Short Stories to Make You Wise; I Married Dr. Jekyll and Woke Up Mrs. Hyde; Is There Life After Analysis; On Becoming a Grandparent; America’s First Woman Warrior: The Story of Deborah Sampson (with Lucy Freeman); and a children’s book, The Tree That Could Fly.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 30, 2015
Let me preface my review with two statements. First, I am not a Shakespearean scholar, but I do know the Scottish play quite well since I studied it in university and taught it at least a dozen times in my 30-year career as an English teacher. My students were often given writing-in-role assignments in which they assumed the identity of a character from the play and described an event from his/her point of view. As a result, I was very keen to read this novel which resembles an extended writing-in-role assignment. Second, this review is based on a digital advance reading copy provided by the publisher so perhaps the problems I have with the book will be corrected before publication.
The first part of the book is the story of Gruoch’s (Lady Macbeth) childhood, young adulthood, and first marriage. This section is interesting in that the author imagines formative events which presumably shaped her personality and so influenced her behaviour as an adult. Her status as “a princess of the Clan Gabhran,” her independent streak which she claims made her “reliant on no man,” and her learning that “if life were to be fair to me, I would have to ensure it by my own actions” all affect her attitude to life in later years. Her sleepwalking and obsession with cleansing her hands of blood are foreshadowed. The author’s imaginative speculations are interesting although I do have some quibbles. Is it likely that Gruoch can remember “vividly” her father’s first words to her when she was “five minutes old”? When she first sees Macbeth, she says “he was not yet fourteen years old” and later she even tells him, “I saw you once when you were only fourteen years old.” Why does she speak with such certainty? Later she learns that he must have been around sixteen. When she learns that Macbeth is married, she says, “Macbeth’s young wife still lives.” How does she know his wife is young?
These objections are minor; my real problems with the book arise in the second half which outlines Gruoch’s life with Macbeth; in essence Part II is Lady Macbeth’s view of the events described in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Several times the sequence of events makes no sense. For example, the plan is to kill Duncan but make it seem like his guards killed him. In the novel, however, Macbeth kills Duncan and the guards at the same time. No one would think the guards are guilty if they are found dead along with their master! When the murder is discovered, Lennox describes the guards as having glazed eyes “with a confused expression in them” and Macbeth says, “I am sorry now that I killed them in my fury.” He kills the guards a second time? They really weren’t dead even though Lady Macbeth had commented on the blood “gushing out of the necks of the dead guards” when she went to plant the daggers on them? And at the time of Duncan’s murder, does it make sense that Lady Macbeth would wake everyone by “leap[ing] up and seiz[ing] the rope to the tower clock and yank[ing] it again and again”? There is a difference between ringing a bell that only Macbeth will hear as a signal and ringing a bell that will alarm everyone.
There are other such illogical descriptions. At one point Gruoch describes a portrait painted of her. She says, “With both arms, I am proudly holding my massive golden crown over my head.” This is a strange pose for a portrait but then it is confused by the artist’s capturing of a gesture “in which one of my hands clutches the other, as if to say I must refrain from trying to wash away Duncan’s blood.” She can’t be clutching the crown and rubbing her hands at the same time.
After the murder, Lady Macbeth sees her husband, “his gaze fixed on his bloody hands, and his fingers began to rub against each other as he tried to wipe off the wet, sticky blood.” Shortly afterwards, she says, “Macbeth turned around and, from behind his back, brought forward two hands, the dripping daggers clasped between them.” Where are the daggers when she first sees his hands?
During the planning of Banquo and Fleance’s murders, there are additional problems. Lady Macbeth identifies Fleance’s mother as Lady Macduff?! Before the banquet in Banquo’s honour, Macbeth speaks about having a “cabinet meeting” that afternoon but then he announces “that his peers should do as they wished until 7 o’clock.” What happened to the meeting? Then when Banquo’s ghost should appear, Macbeth refers to “Duncan’s ghost”?
I could go on and on with these inconsistencies. As already mentioned, I read an advance reading copy so some of these errors will hopefully be corrected, but the number of such errors is unsettling. It is not that the author needs to reproduce Shakespeare’s play, but events should occur logically.
I am also bothered by the anachronisms that make an appearance in the novel. For instance, in a nod to Shakespeare, the author has Macbeth compose a sonnet for his new bride. The problem is that the Macbeths live in the eleventh century, but the sonnet form was not invented until a couple of centuries later. (I am aware that anachronisms appear in Shakespeare’s plays, but wouldn’t a writer try to avoid them?) “Hell is learning the truth too late” is a Biblical quotation? Then there is the diction which often sounds out of place. Terms and phrases such as “dining room” and “sperm” and “calcified” and “hollered” and “bathrooms” and “hoodlums” and “ooh-ing and ah-ing” and “takes a back seat” and “a spoiled brat” and “cabinet meeting” do not ring true to the eleventh century.
The writing style is repetitious. When describing herself, Lady Macbeth says, “I have not been a bad person. I spent a lifetime giving generously to charities, my home always was open for the homeless and the hungry, and I encouraged Macbeth to embark on a holy crusade to Rome, where he scattered money among the poor like seed.” When describing her husband, she uses almost the same words: “He was a good man . . . He was kind to the impoverished, and actually scattered money like seed to the poor when we visited the pope in Rome.”
A didactic tone is occasionally detected. For example, “Bodhe also had arranged for three Kellachs to be pulled by the horses. These were wooden carts with wheels pinned together at the edges . . . ” Is this second sentence really needed? And why the past tense in the definition? At another point she launches into an explanation of churches in Scotland: “There is no single, organized church in Scotland. The churches are regional, reflecting the different religions of the various people who make up Scotland.” Such information might be interesting, but is it something someone would mention in her life story? Then there are statements like, “As was the custom in ancient Scotland, everybody ate from one large pot.” A person living in a particular time is not likely going to refer to that period of time as “ancient.”
For me, this book was disappointing. There were some suggestions as to the formation of Lady Macbeth’s character but insufficient to be convincing and fully explain her actions. Her contradictory references to both her “superior masculinity” and her “innate feminine softness” just confuse the psychological portrait. I’m afraid I would not recommend this book to people looking for a better understanding of this (in)famous literary character.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
The first part of the book is the story of Gruoch’s (Lady Macbeth) childhood, young adulthood, and first marriage. This section is interesting in that the author imagines formative events which presumably shaped her personality and so influenced her behaviour as an adult. Her status as “a princess of the Clan Gabhran,” her independent streak which she claims made her “reliant on no man,” and her learning that “if life were to be fair to me, I would have to ensure it by my own actions” all affect her attitude to life in later years. Her sleepwalking and obsession with cleansing her hands of blood are foreshadowed. The author’s imaginative speculations are interesting although I do have some quibbles. Is it likely that Gruoch can remember “vividly” her father’s first words to her when she was “five minutes old”? When she first sees Macbeth, she says “he was not yet fourteen years old” and later she even tells him, “I saw you once when you were only fourteen years old.” Why does she speak with such certainty? Later she learns that he must have been around sixteen. When she learns that Macbeth is married, she says, “Macbeth’s young wife still lives.” How does she know his wife is young?
These objections are minor; my real problems with the book arise in the second half which outlines Gruoch’s life with Macbeth; in essence Part II is Lady Macbeth’s view of the events described in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Several times the sequence of events makes no sense. For example, the plan is to kill Duncan but make it seem like his guards killed him. In the novel, however, Macbeth kills Duncan and the guards at the same time. No one would think the guards are guilty if they are found dead along with their master! When the murder is discovered, Lennox describes the guards as having glazed eyes “with a confused expression in them” and Macbeth says, “I am sorry now that I killed them in my fury.” He kills the guards a second time? They really weren’t dead even though Lady Macbeth had commented on the blood “gushing out of the necks of the dead guards” when she went to plant the daggers on them? And at the time of Duncan’s murder, does it make sense that Lady Macbeth would wake everyone by “leap[ing] up and seiz[ing] the rope to the tower clock and yank[ing] it again and again”? There is a difference between ringing a bell that only Macbeth will hear as a signal and ringing a bell that will alarm everyone.
There are other such illogical descriptions. At one point Gruoch describes a portrait painted of her. She says, “With both arms, I am proudly holding my massive golden crown over my head.” This is a strange pose for a portrait but then it is confused by the artist’s capturing of a gesture “in which one of my hands clutches the other, as if to say I must refrain from trying to wash away Duncan’s blood.” She can’t be clutching the crown and rubbing her hands at the same time.
After the murder, Lady Macbeth sees her husband, “his gaze fixed on his bloody hands, and his fingers began to rub against each other as he tried to wipe off the wet, sticky blood.” Shortly afterwards, she says, “Macbeth turned around and, from behind his back, brought forward two hands, the dripping daggers clasped between them.” Where are the daggers when she first sees his hands?
During the planning of Banquo and Fleance’s murders, there are additional problems. Lady Macbeth identifies Fleance’s mother as Lady Macduff?! Before the banquet in Banquo’s honour, Macbeth speaks about having a “cabinet meeting” that afternoon but then he announces “that his peers should do as they wished until 7 o’clock.” What happened to the meeting? Then when Banquo’s ghost should appear, Macbeth refers to “Duncan’s ghost”?
I could go on and on with these inconsistencies. As already mentioned, I read an advance reading copy so some of these errors will hopefully be corrected, but the number of such errors is unsettling. It is not that the author needs to reproduce Shakespeare’s play, but events should occur logically.
I am also bothered by the anachronisms that make an appearance in the novel. For instance, in a nod to Shakespeare, the author has Macbeth compose a sonnet for his new bride. The problem is that the Macbeths live in the eleventh century, but the sonnet form was not invented until a couple of centuries later. (I am aware that anachronisms appear in Shakespeare’s plays, but wouldn’t a writer try to avoid them?) “Hell is learning the truth too late” is a Biblical quotation? Then there is the diction which often sounds out of place. Terms and phrases such as “dining room” and “sperm” and “calcified” and “hollered” and “bathrooms” and “hoodlums” and “ooh-ing and ah-ing” and “takes a back seat” and “a spoiled brat” and “cabinet meeting” do not ring true to the eleventh century.
The writing style is repetitious. When describing herself, Lady Macbeth says, “I have not been a bad person. I spent a lifetime giving generously to charities, my home always was open for the homeless and the hungry, and I encouraged Macbeth to embark on a holy crusade to Rome, where he scattered money among the poor like seed.” When describing her husband, she uses almost the same words: “He was a good man . . . He was kind to the impoverished, and actually scattered money like seed to the poor when we visited the pope in Rome.”
A didactic tone is occasionally detected. For example, “Bodhe also had arranged for three Kellachs to be pulled by the horses. These were wooden carts with wheels pinned together at the edges . . . ” Is this second sentence really needed? And why the past tense in the definition? At another point she launches into an explanation of churches in Scotland: “There is no single, organized church in Scotland. The churches are regional, reflecting the different religions of the various people who make up Scotland.” Such information might be interesting, but is it something someone would mention in her life story? Then there are statements like, “As was the custom in ancient Scotland, everybody ate from one large pot.” A person living in a particular time is not likely going to refer to that period of time as “ancient.”
For me, this book was disappointing. There were some suggestions as to the formation of Lady Macbeth’s character but insufficient to be convincing and fully explain her actions. Her contradictory references to both her “superior masculinity” and her “innate feminine softness” just confuse the psychological portrait. I’m afraid I would not recommend this book to people looking for a better understanding of this (in)famous literary character.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
June 10, 2017
My passion for Shakespeare's plays, especially his history plays, is well-documented. Not only did I dedicate semesters upon semesters to him at university, I still like to reread them as well as reading adaptations for them, such as the recent, and brilliant, Miranda and Caliban. I especially love reads that attempt to dig more into the plays, explore a new angle to it or try and contextualise it to our modern world. After last August turned into a Freud-fuelled nightmare (my dissertation almost pushed me to the brink of what he would have considered normal), I wanted to leave psychoanalysis far behind me, but when I saw Lady Macbeth: On the Couch by Dr. Alma Bond I knew I wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately I ended up rather underwhelmed.
Dr. Alma Bond was a psychoanalyst before becoming an author full-time and has written a lot of books looking at historical figures from a psychoanalytical angle. These other works also include another On the Couch book, this one focusing on Jackie O. Considering this background, I was hoping, perhaps foolishly, for a decisive, in depth look at the play, perhaps even at her legacy in popular culture. However, this is very much simply an adaptation of the play, casting Lady Macbeth as the main character. Although undoubtedly well researched when it comes to Scottish traditions etc., Lady Macbeth: On the Couch doesn't really add anything new, but almost detracts from her power in the play. The novel starts of very promising, focusing on her childhood and on the dangers facing a young princess. Lady Macbeth is a headstrong child, wondering why she doesn't have as much right to an education and to fighting as the men around her. However, as we get closer to the events of the play, the novel definitely loses steam. I found Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth a lot more fascinating, perhaps because there is more mystery to her, but also because she seems more steadfast as a character. It's a shame because I really wanted to enjoy this book.
There were parts of this novel that I did really enjoy. Bond creates some beautiful images throughout the novel, and it is always interesting to read an old, familiar tale through a different viewpoint. However, and this is what saddens me the most, this novel could have done with some serious editing. There are moments where Bond repeats herself word for word, almost a paragraph at a time. Also, Lady Macbeth's emotions change very rapidly, she can be furiously angry one moment and then all is forgiven and forgotten a moment later for no apparent reason. Plot lines are started but then left hanging, and there is a sense that the Lady Macbeth Bond creates at the beginning is vastly different from the one we get at the end. And, last but not least, Lady Macbeth: On the Couch doesn't really deliver on its promise to give us a new or even a satisfyingly different answer to the question of what motivated Lady Macbeth. Perhaps to those who are novices to the debate around Lady Macbeth, this novel will hold new ideas, but for anyone who has been interested in her before, there is not much new ground covered. In fact, I even felt myself slightly insulted on Lady Macbeth's part in how Bond, occasionally, made her seem so weak and inconsistent.
Lady Macbeth: On the Couch started off great. I really enjoyed digging into Lady Macbeth more and Bond seemed to promise a very interesting take on her. However, eventually the book becomes very repetitive and the chance in Lady Macbeth's mind and feelings happen so swiftly the reader never really gets truly invested in them.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2...
Dr. Alma Bond was a psychoanalyst before becoming an author full-time and has written a lot of books looking at historical figures from a psychoanalytical angle. These other works also include another On the Couch book, this one focusing on Jackie O. Considering this background, I was hoping, perhaps foolishly, for a decisive, in depth look at the play, perhaps even at her legacy in popular culture. However, this is very much simply an adaptation of the play, casting Lady Macbeth as the main character. Although undoubtedly well researched when it comes to Scottish traditions etc., Lady Macbeth: On the Couch doesn't really add anything new, but almost detracts from her power in the play. The novel starts of very promising, focusing on her childhood and on the dangers facing a young princess. Lady Macbeth is a headstrong child, wondering why she doesn't have as much right to an education and to fighting as the men around her. However, as we get closer to the events of the play, the novel definitely loses steam. I found Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth a lot more fascinating, perhaps because there is more mystery to her, but also because she seems more steadfast as a character. It's a shame because I really wanted to enjoy this book.
There were parts of this novel that I did really enjoy. Bond creates some beautiful images throughout the novel, and it is always interesting to read an old, familiar tale through a different viewpoint. However, and this is what saddens me the most, this novel could have done with some serious editing. There are moments where Bond repeats herself word for word, almost a paragraph at a time. Also, Lady Macbeth's emotions change very rapidly, she can be furiously angry one moment and then all is forgiven and forgotten a moment later for no apparent reason. Plot lines are started but then left hanging, and there is a sense that the Lady Macbeth Bond creates at the beginning is vastly different from the one we get at the end. And, last but not least, Lady Macbeth: On the Couch doesn't really deliver on its promise to give us a new or even a satisfyingly different answer to the question of what motivated Lady Macbeth. Perhaps to those who are novices to the debate around Lady Macbeth, this novel will hold new ideas, but for anyone who has been interested in her before, there is not much new ground covered. In fact, I even felt myself slightly insulted on Lady Macbeth's part in how Bond, occasionally, made her seem so weak and inconsistent.
Lady Macbeth: On the Couch started off great. I really enjoyed digging into Lady Macbeth more and Bond seemed to promise a very interesting take on her. However, eventually the book becomes very repetitive and the chance in Lady Macbeth's mind and feelings happen so swiftly the reader never really gets truly invested in them.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2...
September 7, 2014
Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. Yet, the character that intrigues me the most in the play is not Macbeth, but his wife Lady Macbeth. She is the woman who pushed her husband to commit the ghastly crime of regicide. This is because she too is driven by a desire of ambition and greed to become Scotland’s queen. However, like Macbeth, she too has her own tragedy. In Lady Macbeth: On the Couch, Lady Macbeth’s tragedy is once again retold as she tells us her story of what led her to push her husband to commit the horrendous deed of murdering King Duncan in his sleep.
While the book is a retelling of the Shakespearean play, the book’s early beginnings focuses on the historical Lady Macbeth. The first part of the book parallels Susan Fraser King’s novel, Lady Macbeth, which she cites in her bibliography. After the second part, she then transforms Gruoch into Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth. The historical and the Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeths are very different, yet the author blends them both very smoothly.
Gruoch is a woman of royal blood and a descendant of kings. In medieval Scotland, the throne did not pass from father to son. Instead, a council of noblemen chose the person best fit to be the king of Scotland. With Grouch's royal blood, any man that marries her will help in his bid for king. Therefore, Gruoch does not have any life. There have been attempts at kidnapping her. She realizes that she is merely regarded as chattel, and that she cannot control her own life. Yet, when she becomes Macbeth’s wife, she comes upon an opportunity to where she has her own power, her own sense of authority, and that she can be an equal among men. But as she suddenly obtains her own power, she realizes that she will lose everything she cherishes and loves.
Overall, this book examines the moral conscience. This book is filled with love, revenge, and betrayal. It is a tragedy because the Macbeths were not grateful with what they had. They were blinded by ambition, and it turned out that the throne of Scotland wasn’t worth it. The message of the book is to appreciate what you have. It teaches that you should value family over money and power. I recommend this book to anyone who is a Shakespeare fan and likes reading his plays. I also recommend this to those currently studying Macbeth. Lady Macbeth: On the Couch will help understand the play and to see it in a different light.
(Note: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
While the book is a retelling of the Shakespearean play, the book’s early beginnings focuses on the historical Lady Macbeth. The first part of the book parallels Susan Fraser King’s novel, Lady Macbeth, which she cites in her bibliography. After the second part, she then transforms Gruoch into Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth. The historical and the Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeths are very different, yet the author blends them both very smoothly.
Gruoch is a woman of royal blood and a descendant of kings. In medieval Scotland, the throne did not pass from father to son. Instead, a council of noblemen chose the person best fit to be the king of Scotland. With Grouch's royal blood, any man that marries her will help in his bid for king. Therefore, Gruoch does not have any life. There have been attempts at kidnapping her. She realizes that she is merely regarded as chattel, and that she cannot control her own life. Yet, when she becomes Macbeth’s wife, she comes upon an opportunity to where she has her own power, her own sense of authority, and that she can be an equal among men. But as she suddenly obtains her own power, she realizes that she will lose everything she cherishes and loves.
Overall, this book examines the moral conscience. This book is filled with love, revenge, and betrayal. It is a tragedy because the Macbeths were not grateful with what they had. They were blinded by ambition, and it turned out that the throne of Scotland wasn’t worth it. The message of the book is to appreciate what you have. It teaches that you should value family over money and power. I recommend this book to anyone who is a Shakespeare fan and likes reading his plays. I also recommend this to those currently studying Macbeth. Lady Macbeth: On the Couch will help understand the play and to see it in a different light.
(Note: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
March 10, 2013
A Look into the Life of Literature's Most Enigmatic Female Character
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't," so advises Lady Macbeth to her husband in Shakespeare's famous tragedy "Macbeth." Interestingly enough, Lady Macbeth could very well be taking her own advice. This devoted wife from Shakespeare's famous play is one of the most outrageous, enigmatic, and intriguing characters in all of literature. Lady Macbeth is infamous for her power of persuasion and manipulation. What is perhaps most interesting about Lady Macbeth is her motivation behind her manipulation, which leaves readers pondering: who is the woman behind the powerful man?
This is the question that Alma Bond answers for readers in her novel "Lady Macbeth: On the Couch." Bond blends historical record of the real Lady Macbeth with the character the world is acquainted with in Shakespeare's play. The result is a fascinating tale of a strong, discerning young woman named Gruoch (Lady Macbeth) determined to hold her own in a time when females had very little power. Readers are offered insight into Gruoch's life as a motherless child who revered her father, to a young woman embarking on her first (arranged) marriage, and finally, to what readers are most enthralled with -- her life and relationship with Macbeth. In this, Bond does not disappoint her readers. We are treated with details and insights that paint a colorful picture of Gruoch as a complex individual created by her life experiences. Additionally, the historical touches provide readers with a lens into Gruoch’s life not available in Shakespeare’s play. Last and certainly not least, readers are indulged with clever references to Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, which offer a unique depth to this enigmatic character, and in some cases, a sense of humor typically not associated with Lady Macbeth. Readers will likely be captivated by Gruoch from simply reading the prologue.
Fans of Shakespeare should be advised that “Lady Macbeth: On the Couch” is very much its own story. It is not Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” told from Lady Macbeth’s point of view. Instead, it is what literature lovers enjoy the most – an intelligent treatment of the possible life of one the most infamous, mysterious female characters in all of literature.
Note: I received a digital advanced reader copy of this novel from Netgalley.com.
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't," so advises Lady Macbeth to her husband in Shakespeare's famous tragedy "Macbeth." Interestingly enough, Lady Macbeth could very well be taking her own advice. This devoted wife from Shakespeare's famous play is one of the most outrageous, enigmatic, and intriguing characters in all of literature. Lady Macbeth is infamous for her power of persuasion and manipulation. What is perhaps most interesting about Lady Macbeth is her motivation behind her manipulation, which leaves readers pondering: who is the woman behind the powerful man?
This is the question that Alma Bond answers for readers in her novel "Lady Macbeth: On the Couch." Bond blends historical record of the real Lady Macbeth with the character the world is acquainted with in Shakespeare's play. The result is a fascinating tale of a strong, discerning young woman named Gruoch (Lady Macbeth) determined to hold her own in a time when females had very little power. Readers are offered insight into Gruoch's life as a motherless child who revered her father, to a young woman embarking on her first (arranged) marriage, and finally, to what readers are most enthralled with -- her life and relationship with Macbeth. In this, Bond does not disappoint her readers. We are treated with details and insights that paint a colorful picture of Gruoch as a complex individual created by her life experiences. Additionally, the historical touches provide readers with a lens into Gruoch’s life not available in Shakespeare’s play. Last and certainly not least, readers are indulged with clever references to Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, which offer a unique depth to this enigmatic character, and in some cases, a sense of humor typically not associated with Lady Macbeth. Readers will likely be captivated by Gruoch from simply reading the prologue.
Fans of Shakespeare should be advised that “Lady Macbeth: On the Couch” is very much its own story. It is not Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” told from Lady Macbeth’s point of view. Instead, it is what literature lovers enjoy the most – an intelligent treatment of the possible life of one the most infamous, mysterious female characters in all of literature.
Note: I received a digital advanced reader copy of this novel from Netgalley.com.
February 21, 2013
This book is intelligently written and fascinating. If you have ever wanted to get a look inside the mind of your favorite character/historical figure and see the world as they would have, Alma Bond has given you the opportunity to do so through her fantastic work, "Lady Macbeth: On the Couch.
This is a book that will distract you from everything else you are doing. The main character, Lady Macbeth or in such cases Gruoch inghean Bodhe mac Cineadh mhic Dubh Golcomgan Macbeth (a mouthful for sure) tells her story from her early days trying to avoid would be kidnappers to her adult life as the queen.
My favorite part of reading this, was getting the opportunity to experience a different viewpoint on Lady Macbeth. Was she the insensitive, tyrannical person she was made out to be, or did she in fact have a softer more feminine side that the world has not previously been aware of?
I don't believe I have ever seen better characterization of a historical figure. The author has recreated a time period so important to our history and has done it flawlessly. My one complaint, is that I didn't wish to stop reading so soon and would have been thrilled if the book had been a bit longer. Still, the author has done an excellent job telling her story in the space she used.
The narrative itself is so fast paced that this book was a breeze to finish. I was particularly enthralled with the last couple of chapters. This woman has been depicted many different ways throughout history, but never quite as exciting as she is in this book.
If you are a fan of Shakespeare or a history buff, or even if you aren't this is a wonderful book.
This review is based on a digital copy from the publisher.
This is a book that will distract you from everything else you are doing. The main character, Lady Macbeth or in such cases Gruoch inghean Bodhe mac Cineadh mhic Dubh Golcomgan Macbeth (a mouthful for sure) tells her story from her early days trying to avoid would be kidnappers to her adult life as the queen.
My favorite part of reading this, was getting the opportunity to experience a different viewpoint on Lady Macbeth. Was she the insensitive, tyrannical person she was made out to be, or did she in fact have a softer more feminine side that the world has not previously been aware of?
I don't believe I have ever seen better characterization of a historical figure. The author has recreated a time period so important to our history and has done it flawlessly. My one complaint, is that I didn't wish to stop reading so soon and would have been thrilled if the book had been a bit longer. Still, the author has done an excellent job telling her story in the space she used.
The narrative itself is so fast paced that this book was a breeze to finish. I was particularly enthralled with the last couple of chapters. This woman has been depicted many different ways throughout history, but never quite as exciting as she is in this book.
If you are a fan of Shakespeare or a history buff, or even if you aren't this is a wonderful book.
This review is based on a digital copy from the publisher.
April 3, 2013
Short punchy chapters deliver the essentials in the story of Lady Macbeth and the rise of Macbeth as King of Scotland.
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