Mists of Avalon Abridged

Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've Ever Read
Review: I won't spoil the book for any potential readers out here, but I will say one word: masterpiece. This is the crowning glory of Marion's works, and I would go so far as to say that it is the crowning glory of Arthurian literature as well! I was so absorbed in it that I finished it in a week, and it has been my absolutely most favorite book ever since!
By the way.. if you're thinking of reading any of the "Song of Ice & Fire" books by George R. R. Martin.. rethink yourself and read this series instead.. it is MUCH better and more worth your time!!!

Rating:
Summary: Enough redeemable qualities to make it worth the effort?
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley explores some very interesting ideas in 'Avalon,' but she just doesn't execute them well. "Sprawling" doesn't come close to describing this enormous tome. It seems that Bradley just couldn't decide which aspects of Arthurian legend to focus on, so she attempts to cover them all. The result is a muddled, heavily repetitive, completely self-absorbed epic that almost entirely loses sight of what should be her thesis: the demanding patriarchal Church that threatens and eventually absorbs the pagan rites of the Goddess.

Viewing Camelot from the eyes of the women behind the throne is an excellent approach, and Bradley does well to simplify the family ties behind many of the characters. Unfortunately, very few of Bradley's characters are sympathetic. Guenivere (or Gwynhwyfar, as she insists on spelling it) is reduced to a vapid, terrified, ridiculously pious mouse of a woman. Lancelot is not the saintly figure with one crushingly tragic flaw he is meant to be; he's nothing more than a playboy with a guilt complex. Lancelot and Guinevere are never truly undone; they merely give up. Viviane is so self-righteous that it's impossible to relate to her. Bradley has to tell us there is a bond between 'Companions' of the Round Table and King Arthur; there is no evidence to discover that convinces us. Even Morgause's true nature is revealed too late: the plot twist she reveals at the very end deserves to have a devastating impact on the reader. Instead, not only is the twist lost in a muddle of competing elements, but the characters it affects are so unsympathetic that I simply didn't care. Only Morgaine and Arthur have redeeming qualities, but Morgaine's constant musings only test my patience. Bradley is so preoccupied with detailing every aspect of the fall of the Goddess that she seems to have entirely missed the point of what makes the characters of Arthurian legend so tragic.

This book came so highly recommended to me, and has so many glowing reviews on Amazon, that I'm all the more disappointed. Bradley's use of the language is clumsy and limited, and she doesn't trust the reader enough to let her themes and theories unfold by themselves. She has to spell everything out in such a heavy-handed way that there is nothing left to discover. What could have been the kernal of something fascinating is, like Avalon, 'lost in the mist.' Stick to 'The Once and Future King' by T.H. White. He tells the story so artfully and subtly that the tragedy of Arthur will hit you like a ton of bricks.

Rating:
Summary: lame, lame, lame, lame, lame, heresy
Review: It is a bit odd how much I hate this book, I admit it. But there is an explanation. The Arthurian legends of Malory, and the brilliant, inimitable "The Once and Future King" serve as the back bone for everything I have read since reading them. This book totally ignores the mythology of the great, wonderful story, and abandons the literacy of Malory and any other accomplishments made reguarding the legend for cheap entertainment and camp.

Normally I wouldn't mind. The author can do her own thing. But, this stuff is so popular... Its irks me that so many more people have read "The Mists of Avalon" then "The Once and Future King." Association with "The Once and Future King" is almost always related to people having seen the Disney movie of the first book.

It does irk me, irk meaning irritate me profoundly and upset my stomach and blood pressure.

The method of the story telling, and even the idea of the character perspective (which was just a cheap trick to sell it), pretty much eliminates the possibility of maintaining the moral ambiguities and purpose of the original legend.

Please do not read this. Read "The Once and Future King." This is garbage. "The Once and Future King" is a wonderful example of literature at its finest, and the legend is one of the most immense and influential stories of western culture. This is a waste of time and energy and money and trees and ink.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Books that I have ever read!
Review: This Book has earned a place on my "Heirloom shelf" that I plan on passing down to my daughter when she gets old enough to appreciate such wonderful readings!

The Book brought in a whole new mystery to Avalon lore.

Rating:
Summary: No thanks.
Review: I just bought this book, intrigued by the ideas presented on the cover, and paid a pretty hefty price for it new. I finished the book, despite just wanting to give up several times because I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. I was sorely disappointed.

The novel starts off well enough, giving it's own 'true' version of the events as seen through the eyes of Igraine (Arthur's mother) and Morgaine (his sister), but quickly turned the entire beautiful legend into a battle between men and women, and worse yet Paganism and Christianity. I felt betrayed, as though one of my favorite legends had been adapted to promote some personal agenda. Nonetheless, as I stated, I finished the book.

The good points: The writer had areas of very beautiful imagery though they became further between as the novel progressed. It was obvious that Marion had studied closely the places involved in the myth, and how they fit in with the time period. All in all, she seemed a fairly good writer.

The bad points: The novel seemed to be written with a distinct distaste for Christianity. I am not religious myself and it was even painfully clear to me. THE WORST thing in this novel was Gwenhyfar, formerly my favorite character. I could not stand to read a single thing the girl said, since the author made her so narrow-minded and simple, that it almost hurt to read what words supposedly came out of her mouth. The love affair between Gwen and 'Lancelet' was dumbed down. I found it particularly insulting that the beautiful but tragic affair was turned into a nearly homosexual affection for Arthur on Lancelet's part, instead of genuine love for Gwenhyfar. Near the end of the book when it seems the author will make up for this by allowing the two to run off, Gwen suddenly decides to join a CONVENT instead. All in all, every conversation revolved entirely around no-win arguments between females/males and pagans/Christians. Halfway through the book, the dialogue was sickening me and I wanted to pull my hair out by the roots.

To sum up, this book would have been much better if Marion had made up her own characters for this Feministic book instead of taking on our much beloved Arthurians. Even so, I have to say that I still doubt I would care for this book if it had nothing to do with Arthur at all.

I rate it at a 2* simply because of her try for a unique point of view and her hard work. If you really love Arthur, this book will probably be as huge a disappointment for you as it was for me.

Rating:
Summary: Pageantry, tragedy, and triumph
Review: Ms. Bradley brings King Arthur's Britain to colorful life in this untraditional retelling, from the women's point of view. Igraine, Arthur's mother, is married to Gorlois of Cornwall in an arranged marriage and has resigned herself to her typical fate of women of her day when she finds true love with Uther Pendragon. Igraine's sister Viviane, High Priestess of Avalon, is desperate to preserve the Old Faith in a world quickly being overtaken by Christianity. Morgaine, Igraine's daughter by Gorlois, is an innocent pawn rather than a villain in this piece, manipulated by Viviane to conceive Arthur's heir in a desperate attempt to put a king faithful to paganism on Britain's throne and bring Avalon out of the shadow world. Gwynhyfar, sold to Arthur in marriage, is equally determined to make Britian a Christian country.

A towering tale of grief, tragedy, triumph, love and hatred, "The Mists of Avalon" is perhaps Ms. Bradley's finest work, even over her celebrated Darkover series. This novel grips the reader's soul and will remain for the ages as a testimonial of the power of legend, and one writer's extraordinary talent. If ever a book deserved more than five stars, it's this one

Rating:
Summary: Rent the movie
Review: I saw the movie first. Thank goodness. Then I at least got to watch Michael Vartan in bed. The book after the movie was too long, too slow, and followed very much the same story. The movie had beautiful imagery and was other-worldly. So I stopped reading and watched Alias so I could watch Michael Vartan again. But if you want to read a LONG book with great characters, read the Time Traveler's Wife instead. It is a much better use of your time and portrays a much better love story.


Rating:
Summary: Reinventing the Arthurian Legends.
Review: There are many women characters established in the Arthurian legends. Up until now there have been authors that have taken on this classic mythology through the males point of view. But this retelling narrates the book from the ladies of the Arthurian legends side of the story....And it's about time.

Marion Zimmer Bradley has created a new, refreshed identity for the Ladies of Camelot and Avalon. The book examines the events of the mythos from the females perspective. Many of these characters have, until now, been portrayed as wives, seductresses, enchantresses, and harlots. But this new take identifies the women of Camelot in different and less derogatory roles; that of mother, daughter, sister, lover, priestess, queen, and friend.

There are several different generations of phenomenal characters that make up the greater tapestry of this book.

Viviane- Lady of the Lake at Avalon, the holy isle dedicated to the Goddess. It is her visions that influence the shaping of the future of Britain in the most unusual ways.
Igraine- Viviane's younger half sister, daughter of Taliesin the Merlin, and wife to the Romanized Duke of Cornwall. She bends her will to whatever her sister asks of her, even if it means to sacrifice her own virtue.
Morgause- Igraine's younger sister and Viviane's half sister. Destined for more than to rot in isolated Tintagel, her ambitions take her to the northern Isles of Orkney where she makes the appropriate sacrifices to affirm her place in this tale.
Morgaine- daughter of Igraine and the Duke of Cornwall. She is taken to serve the Goddess at a young age by Viviane, but renounces her position as the next Lady of the Lake when Viviane's visions prove too much for her to endure.
Gwenhwyfar- Pious and virtuous she longs to Christianize Arthur`s court and purge the followers of the goddess from the realm. But she is unable to reconcile her feelings for Lancelet for what is good for the future of Britain. She longs desperately to give Arthur the heir the country needs and she is unable to produce.
Elaine- Daughter of Pellinore, and Gwenhwyfar's cousin. She is desperate to gain Lancelet's admiration and love, even if she has to resort to "Sorcery" to attain it, or give up her first born daughter to the Goddess.
Raven- Priestess of Avalon and friend of Morgaine, she has undertaken a vow of silence, but always seems to prophesize what is to come at just the right moment.
Niniane- Daughter of Taliesin the Merlin. The successor to the Lady of the Lake and lover to Gwydion. What does one really feel when they know they are second choice to another?
Nimue- Daughter of Elaine and Lancelet. Destined to fulfill her mother's vow and take her place in Avalon under Niniane's teachings, she must give herself up to the Merlin of Britain in order to implement Morgaine's visions, but can she keep herself from losing herself to him as well?

The story is mostly told from Morgaine's perspectives. This character is largely influential on the events that occur throughout the story, either through her premonitions that come by way of the Sight or the enforcement of her unassailable will. Many of the cruxes in the story come from the juxtaposition of Morgaine And Gwenhwyfar, who serve as symbols of the struggles of the two religions in the story, the Christians and the Celts. Both spend the better part of the book applying the men as tools in order to establish their respective religions as the dominant moral force in Britain. Through their struggles the classic events prevalent to the Arthurian tales are expressed in a new manner, many with Celtic twists on them. I don't want to spoil the retelling of the conception of Mordred, the quest for the Holy Grail, or the romantic love trials that came as unexpected surprises to me, even though I have read several different authors takes on this classic mythology. Rest assured, this was the best version I have read to date, one that reinvented the Arthurian legends .

Rating:
Summary: eh...
Review: As you can probably tell by other reviews, most people either hate this book or love it. I'm of the former school. While I acknowledge its importance as a "feminist-revisionist" approach to Arthurian myth, I'm just not a content-over-form type of reader. This book is abominably didactic, not to mention **very** poorly written. The dialogue is horrible. MZB's prose is stilted & amateurish (at best) & the whole thing just reeks of that cheesy neo-Druid goddess-worship that calls itself feminism. And those who accuse MZB of religious bias are correct. The anti-Xian stuff is a given, I think, but expected considering the book's subject matter. I wasn't bothered by it. However, Bradley is also pretty harsh on atheists & agnostics (like myself)-- in fact, she's pretty much harsh on anyone who doesn't subscribe to a very specific sect of paganism... Anyhow, there's better stuff out there, but if you're into all that pagan-"feminism" stuff, this is probably the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Great book...but hardly feminist
Review: I agree with the reviewer below who took issue with labelling this book as a "feminist" retelling of the Arthurian legend. Last I checked, feminism was rooted in female solidarity and sisterhood. I challenge any reader to find a single female character in this book who does a single kind, generous or supportive thing to/for another woman, with no gain for herself. The female relationships are largely shallow or antagonistic, and the male-female relationships take up a far greater chunk of the plot and character development. Just like in the traditional versions.

That doesn't mean it's not great. It's fantastically written. The range of characters Bradley brings to life is nearly unbelievable. I can open it literally anywhere and become absorbed in reading--seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, tasting everything. Definitely Bradley's best work. But be warned: Arthurian tales are always dark (they have to be), but the way the women treat themselves and each other here is just plain depressing.