Review: Simon says . . . open Ceridwen!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2013
Randolph commands her subject: Ceridwen tells her story.  She rises up out of the pages of the 10th century England historical novel to win your heart and mind as she takes more command of her life than hardly any women of that age were able to exert.  Ceridwen, an orphan left with only a few resources, sets out on an initiation narrative relating how she, a Saxon from Mercia, falls in with the invading Danes, aids an abused Saxon prisoner to escape, falls in love, and shares her adventures with us in a direct and most captivating way.  Randolph has mastered the first person narrative: a believable heroine who walks as a fully engaged human being, aware of the ramifications of her decisions on herself and others, but facing them with courage and intelligence.  Can't recommend this writer any higher: suffice it to say, I logged on to Amazon and ordered the two sequels within an hour of finishing this fine novel.