William Wallace: Brave Heart

As a child of 9 I picked out the decor for my new room - Wallace Plaid - which dumbfounded my family since our Clans were MacGillivray, Ogilvie, Grant, Fraser and Montgomerie! But I thought Wallace such a great, sweeping figure. This was decades before Randall Wallace accidentally discovered William Wallace on a vacation in Scotland and read Anne Porter's Highland Chiefs. Wallace, to me, was such a true Patriot - not a Saint, but a man willing to go to the wall, to die for what he believed. Not many of us would walk in his shoes, so I have to admire his willingness to die for an idea.James MacKay gives a richly details account of the Scottish clime of politics that formed and fermented Wallace. It might be a little bit more than the average reader would be interested in (I would suggest Grey's book on Wallace in that case), but for those wishing to know more without wading through Blind Harry, this is a wonderful work.A perfect gift to that friend that watched Braveheart more than once!!

Since the Mel Gibson movie came out William Wallace has gained a following well outside of Scotland. It is nice to get a look at the true "Braveheart" instead of the Hollywood version. The very best thing about this book is how easy it is to read. Not being at all familar with Scottish history during this period I was afraid I would quickly become lost. Much to my delight that was not the case in fact I was able to follow what was going on with very little problem. The only real problem I have with the book is that MacKay often refers to someone once by their name and the next time by their title. For example the future king is sometimes refered to as Robert Bruce and sometimes as the Earl of Carrick. It is hard enough to keep up with all of the names thrown at you in this book without having to keep up with a name AND a title for each person.While reading this book keep in mind that Mr. MacKay has little materal to work with from the time period. Most of his research is taken from materal that dates well after Wallace's death. Still by looking at this material along with what records do exist from the period he does a good job of telling us what probably did happen. In fact, this is probably as close as we will ever get to the real story. That is unless new records are found which is very possible. MacKay points out several places where in the future new records may be found including Rome where Wallace may have visited Pope Boniface VIII looking for aid for Scotland. It is known as a fact that King Edward did get a letter from the Pope about his treatment of the Scots.This is a great read for anyone interested in Scottish history or anyone who enjoyed the Gibson movie. The reader will find for example that Wallace's wife was not killed before he began his raids. She was killed in fact while protecting Wallace. Let the movie make you wonder. Let this book fill in the gaps. Even for someone not into history at all this will be a joy to read.

that unfolds before you what is known and what is guessed about the life and times of William Wallace. Dealing with a lack of concrete information on this shadowy figure, MacKay leaves no stone unturned, and brings into play a poem written by a minstrel, that supposedly was based in part on information provided by an alleged companion of Wallace.While some have said that the information in this book must be taken with a grain of salt, so must any work on this savage's life. Questions have been raised concerning Mackay's conclusions about Wallace's birth-place, but I think he has done the best job investigating this.As far as readability, Brave Heart does start out slow, dealing with the vagueness of William's origins. The pace does pick up nicely, and becomes quite a page-turner. I would have preferred a few more maps, but that doesn't really detract from the quality of the book. NOTE: If you have a heard time following and keeping track of a huge quantity of names, this book may not be for you. MacKay introduces a truly mind-boggling number of people.

When I received this book as a gift, I couldn't wait to read it. It goes slowly in the beginning, but once the saga starts, you can't put this book down. It's a truly great look into the life of a person who had a huge impact on the lives of many. This is a must-read for all Wallace buffs.

James MacKay has truely researched a lot of the loose ends and vague details of the life of Sir William Wallace. It is quite commendable that James MacKay has painted a picture of true Hero and martyr of the Scottish people, and that this one man stood against all evil of a wicked King Edward of England. If there was one book on this Hero, or indeed the time of his life, then you should read this book.