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Macbeth and Son
Book by Jackie French
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2006
About the author
Jackie French
327 books907 followersJackie is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator and the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2014-2015. She is regarded as one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, and writes across all genres - from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction. In her capacity as Australian Children’s Laureate, ‘Share a Story’ will be the primary philosophy behind Jackie’s two-year term.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 10, 2019
Very much liked this book. It is meant for teens but the message is good for everyone. History can change what is believed to be the truth depending on who has the most influence. The truth is important because without it there can't be trust. The truth can be painful and unpopular but is still necessary.
Love the message. Life would be so much simpler if everyone just told the truth, no confusion when actions and words don't match and no second guessing. Plus idiots wouldn't get themselves in trouble when they forgot what lies they had told.
Love the message. Life would be so much simpler if everyone just told the truth, no confusion when actions and words don't match and no second guessing. Plus idiots wouldn't get themselves in trouble when they forgot what lies they had told.
September 16, 2026
This book is something of an exposĕ by Jackie French about a 500-year-old literary travesty. It takes the form of a dual timeline novel about two boys and their stepfathers, separated by half the globe and one whole millenium.
Luke, a small town Aussie kid, wins a scholarship to the prestigious St. Ilf's School. Yet he aces the entrance exam because he's seen it before. This only dawns on him during the exam itself. Somebody, perhaps his influential celebrity stepfather Sam, enables Luke to take a sneak peep before the day, without him realizing it was the real deal. Now that he knows the truth, should he speak up? It seems far too awkward and humiliating at this stage.
Lulach is an 11th century tribal Scottish boy, who gains affection and respect for his own stepfather after seeing him perform brilliant battle tactics, when their own tribe is seriously outnumbered, against the fabled Norsemen. Lulach's skillful and wise stepdad is none other than Macbeth. Not the twisted, murderous villain we all know from Shakespeare, but the historical hero on whom he is based.
Luke, who has never had anything remotely supernatural occur in his life, suddenly starts dreaming vivid, accurate excerpts from Lulach's life. (This is farfetched to the extreme, but never mind, it's all for the drama.) The dreams are the catalyst that enable Luke to learn the truth. The real Macbeth has been remembered for centuries not as a bright and shining savior, but as a cowardly cur.
Luke's research reveals that Shakespeare shamelessly misrepresented Macbeth's character to butter up King James 1, who was a true life descendant of Banquo. But Luke questions how Shakespeare had the nerve to call liars evil in his plays, since he himself was one. Sure, 500 years had passed between the time Macbeth walked the earth and Shakespeare's writing, but when does slander and character defamation ever soften into poetic license?
Sadly, French's theme has the subtlety of a sledgehammer, for of course Luke can't help taking the lesson home to himself. Are white lies ever really white? A brave gesture is called for when he has to present an assignment before his English class about Macbeth's villainy. Is it too late for Luke to come clean about the overlap with his own life?
There is a subplot concerning Luke's neighbor, Megan, who he has a crush on. Her family's farming livelihood is about to be threatened by the building of a theme park nearby. This part of the story has an angsty 'Emperor's New Groove' vibe. The kids hope to involve Luke's stepdad, Sam, on their behalf, for he's a TV celeb who's renowned for promoting good causes. Luke's disillusionment about Sam's phoniness is properly ignited when Sam explains that he can't help everyone.
In Sam's defense, he is in a very tight spot. His TV sponsors, who back the proposed resort, might fall foul of him were he to promote the Fisher family's dilemma. Yet on the other hand, his stepson yells at him and calls him names for his heartlessness.
Sam's comment that somebody in his position must necessarily let some causes slide, since he's bombarded daily by contradictory requests, seems quite reasonable to me. But being a feel-good, moralistic YA novel, everything turns out okay for everyone. It is all heavy-handed but heartfelt.
I had to smile when Jackie French wrote in her author's notes that there is really no such school as St. Ilf's (surprise, surprise), for she would never be guilty of falsely implicating any existing educational institution in a cheating scandal of this nature. So I guess if you like the sound of the toffee-nosed place and would like to enroll your own kids there, don't bother, because it doesn't really exist.
French gives herself the last word.
'When you write historical fiction, you have a responsibility to slip your fiction into the cracks in the historical record, not change history for your own ends, unless you make it clear that this is what you are doing.'
Bottom line; I do agree with her. Shakespeare was a bad, bad Bard!
Note: Also in her afterword, Jackie French writes that Shakespeare didn't simply pull his lies out of thin air. He based his deception on the 'Chronicles of Scotland' by Raphael Holinshed, but painted Macbeth even blacker still. This is interesting because the same culprits, Holinshed and Shakespeare, are also implicated by Josepine Tey for falsely maligning Richard III in their writing. It is purely by chance that I happened to read both these novels fairly close together.
Luke, a small town Aussie kid, wins a scholarship to the prestigious St. Ilf's School. Yet he aces the entrance exam because he's seen it before. This only dawns on him during the exam itself. Somebody, perhaps his influential celebrity stepfather Sam, enables Luke to take a sneak peep before the day, without him realizing it was the real deal. Now that he knows the truth, should he speak up? It seems far too awkward and humiliating at this stage.
Lulach is an 11th century tribal Scottish boy, who gains affection and respect for his own stepfather after seeing him perform brilliant battle tactics, when their own tribe is seriously outnumbered, against the fabled Norsemen. Lulach's skillful and wise stepdad is none other than Macbeth. Not the twisted, murderous villain we all know from Shakespeare, but the historical hero on whom he is based.
Luke, who has never had anything remotely supernatural occur in his life, suddenly starts dreaming vivid, accurate excerpts from Lulach's life. (This is farfetched to the extreme, but never mind, it's all for the drama.) The dreams are the catalyst that enable Luke to learn the truth. The real Macbeth has been remembered for centuries not as a bright and shining savior, but as a cowardly cur.
Luke's research reveals that Shakespeare shamelessly misrepresented Macbeth's character to butter up King James 1, who was a true life descendant of Banquo. But Luke questions how Shakespeare had the nerve to call liars evil in his plays, since he himself was one. Sure, 500 years had passed between the time Macbeth walked the earth and Shakespeare's writing, but when does slander and character defamation ever soften into poetic license?
Sadly, French's theme has the subtlety of a sledgehammer, for of course Luke can't help taking the lesson home to himself. Are white lies ever really white? A brave gesture is called for when he has to present an assignment before his English class about Macbeth's villainy. Is it too late for Luke to come clean about the overlap with his own life?
There is a subplot concerning Luke's neighbor, Megan, who he has a crush on. Her family's farming livelihood is about to be threatened by the building of a theme park nearby. This part of the story has an angsty 'Emperor's New Groove' vibe. The kids hope to involve Luke's stepdad, Sam, on their behalf, for he's a TV celeb who's renowned for promoting good causes. Luke's disillusionment about Sam's phoniness is properly ignited when Sam explains that he can't help everyone.
In Sam's defense, he is in a very tight spot. His TV sponsors, who back the proposed resort, might fall foul of him were he to promote the Fisher family's dilemma. Yet on the other hand, his stepson yells at him and calls him names for his heartlessness.
Sam's comment that somebody in his position must necessarily let some causes slide, since he's bombarded daily by contradictory requests, seems quite reasonable to me. But being a feel-good, moralistic YA novel, everything turns out okay for everyone. It is all heavy-handed but heartfelt.
I had to smile when Jackie French wrote in her author's notes that there is really no such school as St. Ilf's (surprise, surprise), for she would never be guilty of falsely implicating any existing educational institution in a cheating scandal of this nature. So I guess if you like the sound of the toffee-nosed place and would like to enroll your own kids there, don't bother, because it doesn't really exist.
French gives herself the last word.
'When you write historical fiction, you have a responsibility to slip your fiction into the cracks in the historical record, not change history for your own ends, unless you make it clear that this is what you are doing.'
Bottom line; I do agree with her. Shakespeare was a bad, bad Bard!
Note: Also in her afterword, Jackie French writes that Shakespeare didn't simply pull his lies out of thin air. He based his deception on the 'Chronicles of Scotland' by Raphael Holinshed, but painted Macbeth even blacker still. This is interesting because the same culprits, Holinshed and Shakespeare, are also implicated by Josepine Tey for falsely maligning Richard III in their writing. It is purely by chance that I happened to read both these novels fairly close together.
April 5, 2020
3.5
The story revolves around Luke, who lives in country Australia in modern times and Lulach, who is the stepson of the King Macbeth. The book examines how Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” has changed the perception of Macbeth the man and talks about why Shakespeare would have written the play the way he did, as well as whether it is important that we remember Macbeth as he actually was, or whether the success of a great play is more important than the truth. The words of the play are woven through the story and there is a parallel in Luke’s life, which means that he has to work out the right thing to do, and whether lies really matter if they come from good or if they achieve good. Thoroughly enjoyable.
The story revolves around Luke, who lives in country Australia in modern times and Lulach, who is the stepson of the King Macbeth. The book examines how Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” has changed the perception of Macbeth the man and talks about why Shakespeare would have written the play the way he did, as well as whether it is important that we remember Macbeth as he actually was, or whether the success of a great play is more important than the truth. The words of the play are woven through the story and there is a parallel in Luke’s life, which means that he has to work out the right thing to do, and whether lies really matter if they come from good or if they achieve good. Thoroughly enjoyable.
October 26, 2019
The truth about Macbeth
October 16, 2021
Love it. A story of a true heroic king and lies. Any school teaching Shakespeare should teach this book as well. My favourite Jackie French book so far.
December 15, 2022
An interesting way to learn the true story behind the real Macbeth and how sometimes people distort history/lie for their own purposes.
February 24, 2017
I mainly read this because my son is reading it for English and I thought I could help him with his homework. It was ok. Very "school curriculum" in style. The most interesting part of the book was learning the true history of Macbeth, and that he was not the villain Shakespeare portrayed. It was also interesting to read about how Scottish society was structured - it seemed pretty progressive and a lot more egalitarian than Britain.
I'm not crazy about this genre but the book was pretty readable. This book is very okay, I would say. Nothing more or less than okay. Which is okay!
I'm not crazy about this genre but the book was pretty readable. This book is very okay, I would say. Nothing more or less than okay. Which is okay!
February 24, 2017
My son and I both loved this book.
I went on a journey and discovered that our own family line goes back to the time this book was set in.
I went on a journey and discovered that our own family line goes back to the time this book was set in.
September 28, 2012
A narrative that takes place accross two time periods; contemporary Australia and dark age Scotland. A good historical adventure that explores the importance of truth in history and individual lives. A good introduction to Macbeth.
May 3, 2015
Excellent YA (12-14) novel that was both intriguing & enchanting. Well woven narrative across 1000yrs with themes of courage, unconditional love, family & honesty. Highly recommend this novel for middle year students.
September 10, 2015
This book is about truth telling and being able to do your duty. 2 boys living thousands of years apart struggle in their own lives and have to find a way to get back to their normal lives. Loved this book. Nothing was bad and I highly recommend to anyone who wants to read a book.
March 9, 2011
It is a really good book for people who enjoy history and excitement. I would recommend this book to girls and boys around the age of 13 - 15
March 16, 2011
It was really hard to understand and the storyline wasn't that interesting for me.
January 25, 2013
Read if. Just do it. You won't regret it and you won't forget it.
March 15, 2013
Jackie French is so good a weaving a good yarn, while teaching you all sorts of stuff. Like History and morals, I recommend her books for any young teen/teen.
April 4, 2013
Loved it, like all Jackie French books, great historical fiction. Great themes and morale
April 23, 2013
I really cant say i enjoyed this book, i had to read it for school and it just didnt interest me. Dont really reccommend.
August 29, 2014
I read it for a school assignment and I have to admit Jackie French is an excellent author, although this isn't one of her best works. The past/dream scenes were good on the other hand.
June 12, 2017
Not gonna lie, I really enjoyed this back when I was 10 or 11. Plus, the cover is pretty cool.
October 8, 2010
Macbeth and Son by Jackie French (2006)
September 10, 2012
Last 10 pages where Great!
April 11, 2013
Read it for school.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews