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Lady Macbeth

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Fair is foul and foul is fair.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A STUDY IN DROWNING comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: that her eyes induce madness in men.

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of survival, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armour. She does not know that her magic is greater, and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.

She does not know this yet. But she will.

©2024 Ava Reid (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Fantasy Historical Historical Fiction Horror Medieval Women's Fiction Marriage Survival Magic

Critic reviews

Reid takes one of Shakespeare's most interesting antiheroes and endows her with vulnerability, power and depth: a protagonist who's neither flower nor serpent, but something both more magical and more human. This is a darkly gorgeous feast of a book, rich with irony and invention. I was spellbound from the very first page.
Lady Macbeth is a dark, elegant, heart-stirring novel, beautifully written, rich with the history of language and of medieval Scotland. This tale of a tortured, appealing, resourceful woman carves its own life from the Scottish play in a unique and powerful way. I loved every page.
Queen! Ava Reid has done it again in this gothic, atmospheric reclamation of the story of Lady Macbeth. Scotland's cold will seep into your bones, but the kernel of hope that burns in all Reid's stories will keep you warm as you watch the scheming, vulnerable Lady Roscille fight for her autonomy in a world that would define her in relation to men alone.
Lady Macbeth is a bewitching read with prose like gold.
Lady Macbeth is a knife of a book: blood-stained, sharply beautiful, and necessary. It doesn't retell Shakespeare so much as slice cleanly through it, revealing what was hidden beneath. I couldn't look away.
As fierce and unrelenting as the Scottish wind, Reid paints a tender, wholly original portrait of one of Shakespeare’s most infamous characters. Fans of Circe will devour this story of a woman’s survival in a world that seeks to make her small. There’s one thing about Ava Reid; she doesn’t miss.
Reid’s exquisite marrying of story, theme, and aesthetic remains unparalleled. Lady Macbeth is a novel etched with a scalpel touch, flawlessly delivering the darkest depths of human relationships as well as the emotional brilliance of catharsis. A triumph of a retelling.
Lady Macbeth swept me away to a gothic Scotland, with danger, magic, and heartache at every turn of the page. Ava Reid's lyrical prose bled in every scene, haunting, sorrowful, and deeply romantic. Thrilling and poignant, this story is not to be missed.
Ava Reid has composed a masterpiece of atmosphere and suspense. Lady Macbeth is a love letter to women whose magic and power will not stay silent. Reid’s prose, as shimmeringly poetic as always, carries a story that will curl around your heart linger in your bones.
Deftly told and richly imagined, Lady Macbeth is a gothic fever dream with sharpened teeth.
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed the Scottish accent the voice actor did a very impressive job (I am Scottish so this is high praise)

Scottish accent

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Great narrator. The story was deautifully dark . A great twist on a classic story. Highly recommended.

romantic and dark. absolutely loved it

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An extraordinary, inventive twist on The Scottish Play! This is Lady Macbeth 's story, with her arrival in Scotland as a young bride - there is guile, witches and monsters, told in such an engaging way that I was totally immersed in this world. And the narration was perfect.

Superb!

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Started off really well, then got a little boring but the ending was excellent. Worth a listen.

Good listen

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Strong Lady Macbeth is hero and villain alongside self-destructive Macbeth. Very interesting re-imagining of my favourite Shakespeare - particularly like the way the three witches are written.

Atmospheric

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