Rating: 
Summary: if you want to read Miles, read "I, Elizabeth," not "Isolde"
Review: ... but I thought this book was poorly written! Okay, it has a great premise, but that's IT. Seriously, there's hardly ANY character development, and the details aren't very, well, detailed. Okay, I'm only 15, but I've read enough books to know what's good, and what's CRAPPY. When I first read the summary of this book, I thought it would be great. But no, it was not. It was like those cheap books you buy at the grocery store... you know - those dime romances or whatever they're called. So don't waste your money. If you still feel compelled to read it, just check it out from a library.
Rating: 
Summary: Liked This One More Than The Guenevere Trilogy
Review: Although the tale of Tristan and Isolde is well-known, like that of King Arthur, it isn't as frequently told. That very well may be the reason I liked this novel more than any in The Guenevere Trilogy. After all, many brilliant versions of Guenevere's story have been written (and author Miles' wasn't by far the one I enjoyed the most), but I felt with Isolde that I was seeing her world for the first time. Looking forward to what would happen next kept me a little more on my toes with the first of the Tristan and Isolde novels.If I weren't such a sucker for a beautiful tale, I would have put this tome down without finishing it (same goes for the Guenevere books by the same author), as it reads more like a romance--which I am not exactly fond of--than a serious literary novel with a love story worked in. But hey, overall, this is still enjoyable fare, and I'd like to give credit where it is due. This book has pretty much the same feel to it as any of all three Guenevere novels, but I enjoyed it more for the anticipation of what happens next. Even though I know the ending of the traditional tale, this story was fresh enough for me to devour ISOLDE Queen of the Western Isle in only two days. Read it if you love Arthurian romances.
Rating: 
Summary: At last ! Another Arthurian author for my collection
Review: At 15, I fell in love with the Matter of Britain. The Legend motivated my school studies of early English history and, later, of mythology and Jungian psychology. I love the Arthurian story and I must have read by now every book and watched every cinematic version ever produced on the subject.
So it's a real pleasure to find another author to add to my collection. Continung the tradition, Rosalind Miles re-tells the story of Tristan and Isolde, one of the most influential medieval romances about a love triangle between the hero, his uncle and Isolde, his uncle's wife. Miles draws heavily from "Prose Tristan" which first introduced the Saracen knight, Palomides, and where the famous love potion played a less central role. She also continues the idea that, far from being an innocent victim, King Mark was a jealous and weak husband and innefectual king.
Apart from the joy of reading this timeless tale by an excellent author whose comand of the language shines through each page, it's a sweet, sad love story that still moves the reader.
Rating: 
Summary: beautiful cover, yet...
Review: I admit this: I often judge books by their covers. Books that are aesthetically pleasing are the ones I usually look at first. With its beautiful cover and its intriguing description -I'm a medieval/King Arthur/romance fan - I picked up Isolde. Good, but I do have some comments: -Mark, although he was an oaf of man, was a little *too* simplified ("like...OMG" is basically what he does throughout the entire book -_-), and even in today's world have I yet to find men like him. -The Queen was, like some other reviewers have said, 2D - to me, she's a woman who was... for lack of better word, horny all the time... -On the same point...A lot of the other characters besides Tristan and Isolde were very, very flat. Mention, say, Elva, and I'll answer with, "Who?" Save T and I, the characters weren't memorable. -The side story with Sweyn and his daughter was just stupid - fumes from a fortune teller's tent and king arthur? ... I was skeptical from the start. This part didn't really add anything to the novel. -"Goddess, mother" was a little frequent... Powerful ending, though. Almost left me breathless. The interactions between Tristan and Isolde are beautiful and poignant. Everything else, however, is a tad bit lacking. It's still a decent book, and I do recommend it because it is a beautiful, haunting legend worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritual and romantic
Review: I have always liked the romantic, moving tale of Tristan and Isolde and this take on the story is a delight. Myth and magic are integral parts of the plot- how two people drawn to each other must connect despite political and personal tribulation and how they use their faith as a way to deepen love.
I thought the characters were interesting and multi-faceted, but still retained their legendary status. Merlin is mysterious, flawed but giving and some of the less known characters (e.g. Brangwain) are fleshed out. Mark in particular is the kind of weak, manipulative character you immediately resent.
What I enjoyed the most was the portrayal of the religion of the characters and how they carried their faith in each aspect of their lives.
There is also a comic subplot involving Arthur, Guinevere and a bastard child.
Previously, I had not enjoyed this author's Guinevere books; to be honest, I barely made it through the first one, which was somewhat dull to me. This story had me racing through the chapters and I have already put book 2 of the saga on my Christmas wish list.
Rating:
Summary: Not my cup of tea
Review: I'm a great lover of historical fiction. I'm an even greater lover of romance in historical fiction, but I really thought this poorly done. It's my first Rosalind Miles book and already I know that her writing style and my reading preferences do not match. I do understand that Ms. Miles has a thorough understanding of women in history and the Arthurian legends. The material is classic, but the retelling was terrible. The overdone sap (Redundant? I thought so too, but sap could indeed be overdone) squeezed every sap-sympathetic hormone in my body. Lots of cheese as well. Too many "Oh my love, my love!" and "... she didn't know she was the most beautiful woman in the room..." (Or *he* didn't know he was the most handsome... gag! ::eyes roll:: Puh-leeze!) and what's with the "Yessssss....."? Who talks (or even thinks) like that? Ssssssssnakes, maybe. And those horrible perception changes! Going from one person to another in the same scene. Have mercy. I'm not stupid. I knew who was talking or thinking about what, but it would have been better to stick to one perception in one scene. I know it was an omniscient POV, but even an omniscient POV needs discipline. I simply didn't care what the commoner was thinking on the side, or what his wife had to say about it. In fact, I didn't care about what the surrounding knights, kings, lords, queens, etc. were thinking when one (and only one) character had more business to the scene above everyone else. I remember indulging myself to such a thing when I wrote as a twelve year old... The material was fabulous. The story could've been fabulous. I just couldn't stand the writing. The writer is brilliant when it comes to history. I'm not crazy about her fiction, though.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed with the Story
Review: Isolde: Queen of the Western Isle is the first of the Isolde and Tristan Trilogy. Miles is no stranger to this form having produced the "Guenevere Trilogy."
Isolde lives in Ireland with her mother the Queen, a sex addict, and the queen's many knights. She fights with her mother constantly and wishes nothing more than to leave, like most young women stuck at home with their mothers. Isolde's character often comes off as childish and annoying. Not to mention extremely paranoid, something I don't see from a woman trained by a Lady of Avalon.
Tristan of Lyonesse is the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall. After Tristan's father remarries a treacherous woman he is asked to leave the family and life he loves. He becomes a knight in his uncle's court where he becomes King Mark's chosen heir because he has no son, much to the dismay of another nephew at court.
Britain and Ireland go to battle. Tristan is wounded and separated from his troops and surprisingly (not) is found by Isolde who nurses him back to health. He does not reveal who he is to her and they spend much time together and of course fall in love. There is a lot of foretelling throughout and the story is somewhat predictable.
When Tristan goes back to Britain, Isolde feels betrayed and vows never to love again. This oath seems a bit extreme to me as I did not feel the love between them.
Tristan is also heartbroken with leaving her behind and indirectly asks King Mark to arrange a marriage with the Queen of Ireland's daughter but Mark confuses the request and plans to wed Isolde himself. Isolde easily gives in to her mother's request to marry King Mark to bring peace to both lands. The king wants Tristan to escort Isolde to Cornwall. Torn, Tristan does as his king requests and travels to Ireland to bring back the future Queen.
Worried about the strength of the match, the Queen of Ireland gives Isolde's lady-in-waiting a potion to be given to Isolde and the King the night of their wedding, "A drink to make her love her husband and forget the man of her heart." Of course it doesn't go that way because destiny is stronger than any potion. The concoction is mistakenly drunk by Isolde and Tristan and reinforces their love for one another. As if their love wasn't strong enough. Their passion is consummated.
You may be thinking I'm giving too much away but I'm not. The story is predictable even for someone who isn't familiar with the tale. I was expecting so much more from this title. The romantic scenes were fluff. The first love scene between Isolde and Tristan was meant to be enchanting and mesmerizing but it came off as laughable. I cringed. I didn't feel the strength of their love but was told about it excessively.
The omnipresent point-of-view was confusing most of the time. There was no way of deciphering the changes of POV until well into the paragraph. Reading was slowed down mostly because I had to figure out what head I was in. For a book titled Isolde it seemed to spend a lot of time in other people's heads and took a lot longer to read than it should have.
There is an off shoot story about Arthur, Guenevere and the paternity of a young boy that was distracting and provided no fodder for the Isolde storyline other than to show everyone knew everyone else and were friends.
Isolde opens with a diagram of the family trees of Cornwall, Lyonesse and Pendragon followed by a crude map depicting the kingdoms. Other helpful appendixes include a brief description of the characters, lists of places with brief descriptions, a comparison of the Celtic wheel of the year and the Christian wheel of the year.
Overall, I guess you can tell I was disappointed with the story as a whole. I love stories from this era but this one did not work for me. I didn't love the characters and there was no real action until the last quarter of the book. Would I recommend it? If you're a big fan of the era, probably not. You've probably read better. If you're not, since it's a trilogy, I'd recommend going the library route or paperback.
Review Originally Posted at http://www.linearreflections.com
Rating:
Summary: Fairly good escapism
Review: overall, I enjoyed reading this book, although there were moments I was bored and disinterested. Following the travails of the main characters was interesting, but every other chapter was about other minor characters, and they weren't quite as interesting. The author waits 200 pages to let something good happen, so you're kept reading as you wait for the misfortunes to end. By that point, you care enough about the characters and the plot that you're excited to finish. Despite those shortcomings, the book is quite enjoyable, due mainly to an ineresting heroine you learn to love. I like Isolde as a character, and Tristan also, I guess I just got bored by the parts where the story turned to other semi-plots and characters. I enjoyed the religious and mystical aspects immensely. The story creats a believable vision of goddess worship in old ireland that i found just as interesting to learn about as the plot. Historical fiction and irish fantasy lovers alike will enjoy this book as a fun distraction and quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Well Known Story Retold
Review: The story of star-crossed lovers Tristan and Isolde is widely known; even Wagner wrote an opera based on this love story. Ms. Miles book is light years away from this masterpiece, but of course, we cannot expect everyone to have Wagner's genius!
Both Tristan and Isolde are well-developed and likeable characters, but when it comes to the rest, let's call it "supporting cast", you are left wanting for more.
King Mark and the queen, Isolde's mother, are two-dimensional characters, and even the Priest and Andred, King Mark's nephew and heir apparent to the throne of Cornwall, are lame and not the type of villain one loves to hate.
I would have enjoyed less fantasy, and a lot less thinking from the characters.
And then, if there would have been less of: "Oh, Mother, Goddess"
Rating:
Summary: Never a dull moment with Isolde and Tristan!
Review: The story takes place during the time of King Arthur and Queen Guenevere. It is, for the most part, Isolde and Tristan's own story. The characters are entirely believable and seem real to the reader. Their circumstances take on a rather different twist than the usual novels concerning this legend. Isolde is a healer, Tristan a wounded knight/pilgrim, saviour, King Mark a less than desirable husband and King, and Isolde's mother, the Queen of the Western Isle, who practices the "mother right" and believes in the Mother Goddess as Isolde does. The paths these and other characters take, including the venerable and unpredictable Merlin, are not always what they seem. Isolde and Tristan take many risks to be together and it is not all smooth sailing ahead for these two. An exciting book that I found hard to put down. I am eagerly anticipating the next two novels in the well-written trilogy!
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