Manda Scott: Dreaming the Eagle (Discussion)

I know we said we'd discuss this last week - sorry for the delay. Juberry hasn't finished it yet, but I'll forget the details if I wait much longer. We don't have specific questions, so this will more like a review. But please give us comments about what you thought of the book.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were really intriguing and I love the way Scott develops them. I don't really know much about this time period, so I can't say whether it's portrayed authentically, but I think Scott did a good job with describing the setting and culture for those of us not familiar with it already.

One aspect I really appreciated in this work of historical fiction was the element of magic. I love how Scott brought a little fantasy into the story. It's not overwhelming, so it's easy for the reader to accept that magic was actually part of their lives. The subtle magic of the Dreamers is an important part of the culture and I love how it's used to help develop the plot and the characters. This little element is a part of the lore associated with the Celts and I'm glad Scott incorporated it into her book.

I love Breaca and Ban. I liked that we got small glimpses of certain big events in their lives and still got to see how they grew and changed over time. Scott changes the narrator or point of view just often enough for the reader to understand the two main characters as well as the larger events going on. This helps the reader relate to more than one character and adds a sense of dramatic irony.

There are some adult themes and situations in the book, but part of this is due to the time period and culture. I found that Scott was good about expressing some of the cultural norms of ancient Rome without drawing too much attention to the adult situations.

I hope you enjoyed our book club read and please let us know your thoughts on Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott.