When I Was Boudicca

Boudicca is seventeen and in love. It is 48 A.D. and Boudicca's father, king of the Iceni people of southeast Britain, has sworn allegiance to the Roman Empire. The Iceni are living in a tentative peace with the Roman invaders. But Boudicca and her lover, Tallus, can find no peace as long as Roman soldiers occupy Iceni territory. They see the acceptance of Rome as a betrayal of their people and a dire threat to their culture. Taking a stand against Rome, however, comes with the stiffest of penalties. Tallus attempts a revolt but he is captured and executed. Boudicca's father is dethroned. Forced to marry a man of Rome's choosing, Boudicca becomes a pawn in an imperial power game. But not for long. When her husband dies, Boudicca is stripped of her land, beaten, and forced to witness the rape of her daughters at the hands of Roman soldiers. The rebellious spirit of her youth now explodes into the full fury of an anguished woman. Determined to avenge her daughters and save her people from extinction, Boudicca turns the force of a mother's wrath on Rome. When I Was Boudicca takes the reader on a thrilling and intimate journey of love and loss. Told in the first person, this novel gives Boudicca her own voice, breaking the silence history has imposed on her and bringing the ageless heroine to vivid life.