Circle of Stones: A Novel - Softcover

Waldo, Anna Lee

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312970617 ISBN 13: 9780312970611

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2000

Synopsis

The author of the 1.5 million-copy bestseller Sacajawea now brings to life an extraordinary historical saga, capturing the breathtaking castle intrigue of medieval Wales and the passions that drove men and women to explore new horizons...

History would call her Brenda, the mistress of a powerful Welsh prince. But when she arrives at Gwynedd Castle, she is only a naive girl who cannot control her desire for Prince Owain-- until he decides to murder her child. Now, in a court filled with jealousy and betrayal, Brenda will harbor a dangerous secret-- and daringly become a Druid healer, a woman who steadily gains influence and cunning to protect her son Madoc at any cost. But soon a prophecy that has foreseen him as a messiah for the Druids and the finder of a faraway shore called America, will magnificently, thrillingly unfold...

About this title

Review:

Wales, the 12th Century: As told by Brenda, a mistress of Owain, the Prince of Wales, the court of Gwynedd faces the threat of amalgamation by the English realm and the Christian religion. Afraid of a fateful prophecy about her newborn son, Brenda flees Owain and Wales for the safety of a druid camp in Ireland. Comforted by their spiritual beliefs and the handsome Sein, Brenda begins to adapt to druid ways and to study druid knowledge. But when Owain's men recapture her, she claims that her son Madoc has died and reluctantly returns to court. Disgusted with Owain's bloodlust and the rivalry among his mistresses and sons, Brenda dreams of the day she'll return to her son and the druid community. But Madoc is fostered to a local druid teacher, just as the danger of external invasion and internal betrayal threaten Owain's power. Brenda fears the disintegration of Gwynedd's stability and the loss of the druid values, and finds her fate closely bound to her old lover and her secret son.

Anna Lee Waldo's extensive research, rich details, and skillful writing make this medieval Welsh world of family betrayals, political intrigue, battling religious faiths, and unrequited love spring to life. Like Clavell's Shogun or Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, Circle of Stones describes a historical period with an understanding that highlights the timeless aspects of human nature. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien

About the Author:

Anna Lee Waldo teaches chemistry at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She is the author of two previous novels, Sacajawea, a 1.5 million-copy New York Times bestseller for eight months, and Prairie.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0312970617
• ISBN 13: 9780312970611
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 498