Boudica: The Life of Britain's Legendary Warrior Queen by Vanessa Collingridge

Library Journal

Boudicca (died 60/61 C.E.) is a famed enemy of Rome, but, oddly enough, she was virtually unknown before the Renaissance. She was queen of the Iceni, a Celtic people in what is now the county of Norfolk in eastern England. After Roman conquerors apparently raped Boudicca and her daughters, the Iceni, led by Boudicca, rose up against the Roman Empire. Some stories say Boudicca's army killed 70,000 Romans before she was defeated. British writer Collingridge (Captain Cook: A Legacy Under Fire) describes not only Boudicca and her battles but also the Roman mentality and the subsequent creation of Boudicca's legend. She lets her varied sources do most of the speaking. To the misogynistic Romans, Boudicca was everything evil they could imagine. To modern eyes, she has come to represent all the good that women can manifest; she was strong, assertive, and aggressive in defense of her family. Collingridge draws parallels between Boudicca and queens Elizabeth I and Victoria as well as Princess Diana to show that Boudicca is more than just legend; she is nothing less than the female spirit of Britain. Recommended for public libraries and women's studies collections. Robert Harbison, Western Kentucky Univ. Lib., Bowling Green Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• ISBN: 1585677787
  
• ISBN-13: 9781585677788
• Format: Hardcover, 390pp
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Pub. Date: May 2006
• Sales Rank: 165,822