The Mapmaker’s Daughter: The most spellbinding and heartbreaking historical fiction novel for 2026
‘Oh my word… fantastic… [The] stories intertwine so beautifully, it’s truly amazing. Such a lot of research must have to have been done but so worth it. I can’t recommend this book enough.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Could a rediscovered map show her the way?
Present day: When thirty-six-year-old Robyn Willoughby discovers an exquisite yet blood-stained Tudor map in her father’s antique map shop, desperate for a distraction from her problems, she decides to investigate. But as Robyn delves into the mystery, she finds herself caught up in a centuries-old secret – one that will change her life forever.
1569: Forced to flee Holland to escape persecution, twenty-year-old Freida Ortelius uses her mapmaking skills to start anew in London. Soon her rare talent catches the eye of Queen Elizabeth, who demands Freida’s help in fighting the Spanish threat. Freida must now embark on a deadly mission, the consequences of which will echo down the ages…
A sweeping and heartbreaking read, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes.
Readers adore The Mapmaker’s Daughter:
‘Loved this… the characters were brilliant and the storyline was amazing, wonderfully written and descriptive, could not put it down.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book has it all: history, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and a gripping narrative that kept me engaged from beginning to end.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Loved this book!… Great characters and story that intertwined. Highly recommended.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A joy to read… I loved the characters and the way the plot of both times weaved and intwined… Excellent.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Fascinating! I would recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction without hesitation.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ASIN : B09RPSTP4S
Publisher : Avon
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : September 1, 2022
Language : English
File size : 1.6 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 375 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0008454395
Page Flip : Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #2,726 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #1 in Tudor Historical Romance eBooks #2 in Tudor Historical Romance #2 in Medieval Historical Fiction (Kindle Store)
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (6,384) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Original price was: $16.99.$4.99Current price is: $4.99.
‘Oh my word… fantastic… [The] stories intertwine so beautifully, it’s truly amazing. Such a lot of research must have to have been done but so worth it. I can’t recommend this book enough.’ NetGalley reviewer
Could a rediscovered map show her the way?
Present day: When thirty-six-year-old Robyn Willoughby discovers an exquisite yet blood-stained Tudor map in her father’s antique map shop, desperate for a distraction from her problems, she decides to investigate. But as Robyn delves into the mystery, she finds herself caught up in a centuries-old secret – one that will change her life forever.
1569: Forced to flee Holland to escape persecution, twenty-year-old Freida Ortelius uses her mapmaking skills to start anew in London. Soon her rare talent catches the eye of Queen Elizabeth, who demands Freida’s help in fighting the Spanish threat. Freida must now embark on a deadly mission, the consequences of which will echo down the ages…
A sweeping and heartbreaking read, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes.
Readers adore The Mapmaker’s Daughter:
‘Loved this… the characters were brilliant and the storyline was amazing, wonderfully written and descriptive, could not put it down.’ NetGalley reviewer
‘This book has it all: history, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and a gripping narrative that kept me engaged from beginning to end.’ NetGalley reviewer
‘Loved this book!… Great characters and story that intertwined. Highly recommended.’ NetGalley reviewer
‘A joy to read… I loved the characters and the way the plot of both times weaved and intwined… Excellent.’ NetGalley reviewer
‘Fascinating! I would recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction without hesitation.’ NetGalley reviewer
ASIN : B09RPSTP4S
Publisher : Avon
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : September 1, 2022
Language : English
File size : 1.6 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 375 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0008454395
Page Flip : Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #2,726 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #1 in Tudor Historical Romance eBooks #2 in Tudor Historical Romance #2 in Medieval Historical Fiction (Kindle Store)
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (6,384) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
13 reviews for The Mapmaker’s Daughter: The most spellbinding and heartbreaking historical fiction novel for 2026
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Original price was: $16.99.$4.99Current price is: $4.99.
Barbara –
Highly recommend this book.
I can honestly say I was amazed at how much research must have taken place in creating this amazing story. It does go from the 1500’s to 2022, back and forth, but it makes perfect sense and ties together flawlessly. Some period travel stories can get a bit blurred, but this story was extremely easy to follow as well as being informative and quite entertaining. I would definitely, definitely recommend this book. Well done, Ms. Marchant!!
Angel A. –
Wonderful Historical & Present Time Fiction Story!
This was a wonderful story of Freida, Willem, and their son Jacob. Also, Robyn, her dad, and friend Sam. It has different time frames. One in 15th-16th century, which was Frieda, Willem, and Jacob. And one in the present time, but in 2022, with Robyn, her dad, and Sam. Freida is a cartographer/mapmaker, but she is a mother and wife, running her household. She is a woman who in this time she’s in usually a woman would not be doing these type things. They were thought that they couldn’t be thinkers or have an education or have a career. But Freida made a name for herself with the beautiful and accurate maps she created. Jacob was her son and she loved him deeply. She was a real mama bear and when you read a certain passage in the book you will know why I say this……Robyn, in 2022, has come home to live with her dad and help him with his shop. He has come across a map that he thinks Robyn will love to investigate. And that’s what she does. She puts a lot of work in trying to find out all about this beautiful, wonderful map……This is a wonderful, intriguing story. I really liked it a lot. I hope if you decide to read it as well that you will enjoy it too. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers, Avon, and the author, Clare Marchant, for the opportunity to read and review, #TheMapmakersDaughter , with my honest thoughts and opinions.
Robert Holston –
Loved the Book
This book kept my interest throughout all the pages. It was well written and interestingly wove the lives of 2 strong women who lived in separate times. Brilliant!!
Michael E. Farrell –
A novel that tries to blend history with the present, but doesn’t work
The Mapmaker’s Daughter tries to tell the tale of a woman, Freida, cartographer in 1580/81 and Robyn, a former investigative journalist now working in her father’s antique map shop in 2022 trying trace the origin of a vintage map from that period discovered in their shop.Freida was 9 years old in 1569 living in Amsterdam when Spanish soldiers killed her parents along with hundreds of other Huguenot Protestants. She escaped by hiding in a cupboard, was rescued by her aunt and taken to Antwerp where she learned cartography from her older cousin.By 1580 Freida is living in London, married and has an infant son. She is also a cartographer in her own right and is introduced to Queen Elizabeth I.The Queen commissions Freida to produce a map of the southeast English coast and the low land countries across the German (now North) Sea to present to Francis Drake her favorite naval captain; however, there are powerful and dangerous individuals who do not want to see this map created.Robyn is a nearing 7 year since her husband was lost at sea while competing in an open ocean race. She has been dreading the decision she must make to declare him dead and go on with her life.While searching through an old box of documents, Robyn finds an old map of the style from the sixteenth century. She quickly finds Freida’s name on the map and begins trying to verify its authenticity.The story then alternates between the sixteenth and twenty first centuries following these 2 women as they pursue their stories.While telling a story in alternating timelines sometimes works, in this case it does not.The story of Freida and the events in her time was great; a good story that kept me interested and moved at a good pace.The story of Robyn was not that good. It was too focused on Robyn’s lost husband and even the story behind the map really didn’t add much to the overall story.
Helene Stoller –
Gripping novel needing better editing
The characters were well drawn, and the plot was riveting. The only thing making this novel a struggle to read was the poor editing. Run on sentences, duplicate words in sentences where they didn’t belong, incorrect verb tenses, and lack of punctuation made this novel more difficult to read than it should have been.
MaCo –
A Wonderful Historical Story
I loved this book! I could tell a lot of research and heart went into this story. I enjoyed it all the way through and I highly recommend reading it!
Jjspina –
An extraordinary story of the resilience of women!
The Mapmaker’s Daughter is a beautiful story told in two timelines, the present of an antique map seller’s daughter and the past of a mapmaker’s daughter in 1600. The story intertwines with similarities between the two women.Robyn is the daughter in the present century who had suffered a loss when her husband was lost at sea while Frieda in the past has also suffered from loss of her parents by warring factions. These two women meet through the discovery of a map drawn by Frieda.When Robyn researches the history of this old map she uncovers not only Frieda’s struggles but also her own. Robyn discovers that she is stronger than she ever imagined.This was a beautiful and unforgettable story rich in history and detail of these two women. It was an extraordinary read that I highly recommend.
Amazon Customer –
Enchanting
Historical fiction is probably my favorite genre. I really enjoyed seeing the way the puzzles of the two stories connected. However, it did get a little boggy at times. But, I would take a break, have a snack and beverage, and was ready to read again.
Céline DE LEYE –
Il manque les dernières pages!!!
Maxwell –
A lovely book, well written by this very respected author. The story in two time periods really flow well and are not a bit disjointed as some two periods stories are, this really is well worth reading as a piece of historical fiction.
Dale –
Really enjoying this book, its an easy read
♥️ of G –
I very much enjoyed this book. It was well-written and provided historical and some scientific information. It kept me interested throughout the read. Although some parts were heartbreaking, I don’t feel that word totally describes the book because personal victory was also involved.
Barbara –
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, good story, interesting plot having two timespans; history, which I love, and ‘today’, to read about and two main characters. Kept my interest all the way through. Well written. Recommend.