Praise from Readers and Reviewers
Lise Breval brings to life the story of Hugues, a fallen yet ambitious young French nobleman, as he sets out to seize the estate of an English family. Meticulously researched without ever overwhelming the reader, the novel places the young Eadhild at its heart, as she struggles to defend her ancestral land, torn between loyalty, love, and survival.
Well written and fast-paced, the novel skillfully blends battles, banquets, political intrigue, and the rhythms of everyday life on medieval estates. The richly nuanced characters grow and change throughout the story, making it easy to become invested in their fate. An immersive and thoroughly enjoyable read.
[Automatically translated from the French review of La Conquête du Holbourg, the French edition of The Norman: A Novel of 1066.]
A magnificent medieval tale set against the backdrop of the Norman Conquest of England and the challenging takeover of English lands. Can the newly installed Norman lord truly trust the Saxons who have been forced to swear allegiance to him? The novel features compelling, deeply human characters whose ambitions, doubts, and passions are vividly explored, while the relationships between them evolve gradually and convincingly throughout the story.
[Automatically translated from the French review of La Conquête du Holbourg, the French edition of The Norman: A Novel of 1066.]
The upheaval and immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 serves as the dramatic backdrop to this tale of adventure and romance. Hugues, the son of a Norman count who unsuccessfully defied William of Normandy in 1053, has nothing left to lose and everything to gain by joining William in his invasion of England over a decade later. While this adventure springs from Hugues’ ambitious pursuit of potential new wealth and a new social position for himself, it also comes to include his growing romantic involvement with a Saxon woman, Eadhild of Holburg, who is the daughter of its noble house and the betrothed of another Saxon lord. Hugues encounters Eadhild after the Battle of Hastings, and he claims Holburg in the name of William the Conqueror. Eadhild’s father and brothers, however, refuse to submit to the Normans. Defiance, rebellion, and fighting ensue between the Normans and the Saxons over the fate of this Saxon holding as Eadhild is caught in the middle, both physically and emotionally.
Hugues and Eadhild are empathetic and believable characters ensnared in a maelstrom of martial violence, social scheming, and the outright necessity of survival for the inhabitants of Holburg. Escapes and near-escapes add to the escalating drama. Bravery and honor exist alongside avarice and treachery everywhere. Tolerance and leniency are viewed as a weakness by some and a strength by others. Who owns the past and who owns the future are also up for debate, as is the question of whether or not these chasms between cultures can be bridged. Recommended for readers interested in romantic adventures and for readers looking for a range of perspectives on the Norman Conquest.
[Historical Novels Review, Issue 118, November 2026]
I was kindly sent a copy of this a few months ago and really enjoyed it!
We often see the Norman Conquest through a male perspective, but I loved the addition of a character called Eadhild in this novel. At a time when women were owned by men, her character really highlighted what an incredibly difficult and potentially dangerous time this would have been for noblewomen.
[On Instagram, November 2026]