Rating: 
Summary: A Definite Must for Mists of Avalon Lovers
Review: Bradley is a literary master, as is demonstrated by all of her Avalon works. The tales grab hold of the reader and suck you into Avalon with the characters. The Forest House is another example of Bradley's vast story-telling abilities.
Rating: 
Summary: Avoid the Brilliance Audio Version
Review: I checked this out after listening to Davina Porter read "Mists of Avalon". I couldn't get past the first half of cassette one. The reader wasn't interested in making the story come to life, but rather in her own dramatic prowess. Ack!
Rating: 
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I can't give this book 5 stars or even 4 and a half cause its NOWHERE NEAR Mists. But I LOVEd it anyway. I was in agony when I had to be anywhere other than on my bed reading about Eilan and the Forest House. However, my favorite character is Caillean. She just appealed to me. Even though she was not destined to be High Preistess, she still was essential to the Forest House.I love Bradley's writing because she has such a good feminie style without getting too mushy. It's interesting to read about the female characters from a female point of view written by a female in Mists. Now in The Forest House, it's great to read a prequel
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best work
Review: After reading the Mists of Avalon, I eagerly anticipated another opportunity to get lost in a Marion Zimmer Bradley novel. Instead, I found the characters introduced too quickly with little background development. It was truly a struggle not to put the book back on the shelf and begin another. Finally, I found a bit of interest in the two main characters Eilan and Gauis. However, I never truly cared what happened to either of them. Chapter 23, involving Gauis, was so dull that I skipped 5-6 pages and the story continued as if they were not needed.
The only satisfaction I found in the novel was the story line of Caillean and the introduction of Avalon. I own The Lady of Avalon and The Priestess of Avalon, so I'm not ready to bid farewell to the works of Marion Zimmer Bradley based on this one book. I wonder, however, if the next segment in the story line could have summized this entire "history" in a single chapter and moved on.
Rating:
Summary: Great History
Review: I read this book in two days. I could not put it down. I still think about the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Marion Zimmer Bradley is Brilliant!!
Review: The Forest House, the first of the Mists of Avalon series is a novel from a womens piont of view about history and the happenings of the world when Christianity was starting to drown out the other religions. It describes the hardships of those who beleived in the old ways and their struggle to make peace with those who thought they were "evil". Marion's unique style of writting makes the characters stand out in your mind and the conflicts seem more real and close to home. So don't be suprised if it even cathes up with you in your dreams.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I am a fan of MZB chiefly through her Darkover books. I started this with only medium expectations, just looking for a good weekend read. I didn't feel it even came up to that. I was hoping for a story and a world that would grip and engage me. It just didn't happen, and after the first few chapters, I gave up and skimmed the book.
Three things were to blame: The characters, including the two main characters, Eilan and Gaius, were not particularly interesting or given enough development. I never got swept up into the love story, maybe because they seemed so spiritless, submitting without protest to their parents, or in the case of Dieda and Cynric, to Avalon (if she and Eilan looked so much alike, what would have been simpler that to have Eilan take her place?) And Goddess forbid they force their parents' hands by becoming lovers! Caillean and Lhiannon, the priestesses, are each in their separate ways, too depressed and/ or powerless to make good characters to identify with. Gaius' wife Julia could have been a strong, interesting character, but she tapers out. I didn't feel the ancient worlds were evoked very realistically either (although I admit I skimmed most of the Avalon sections). Sometimes it reads more like someone displaying their research than creating a world (which MZB is fully capable of doing.) The final problem I had, which led to my skimming most of the book, was the strain of sexual puritanism in the portrayal of Druid/Goddess culture. The emphasis on virginity for women (to the point of fathers killing women who "shame" themselves) has more to do with patriarchal cultures and religions than Goddess-centered ones. Certainly there is no research I know of to back up this view. From what I know of the Darkover series, this seems to have more do with MZB than ancient religion. Ancient artwork shows that Giving Birth, Mother and Child, and God and Goddess Making Love, were among the most sacred symbols of Goddess cultures. It seems the height of absurdity to imagine, then, that women called to serve the Goddess would be required to forswear both love and children. That would be like stopping the circle of life itself. Toward the end of the book, Gaius says sensibly to a young Christian: "I find it hard to believe in a god who would condemn his followers for creating children, or for the act that creates them." Or a Goddess, either. Perhaps the saddest thing is that earlier in her career, MZB would have created characters, especially female characters, who wrestled with these questions, rebelled, even left to create lives for themselves. Hawkmistress is about a young girl who does just that. Stormqueen, though not a feminist novel per se, certainly has women (and men) who ask themselves hard questions about the world they live in. And it is hard to imagine Jaelle, of the Shattered Chain and Thendara House, submitting meekly to her father's decrees, although Jaelle has her own problems from being raised in a fundamentalist-Islam type society. I also hated the requirement about Forest House, that only the "most beautiful" women were allowed to serve. What a slap in the face! That's like saying "only the most handsome men are allowed to train as bards." What has one thing got to do with the other? Well, I know for many women their only taste of the Goddess comes through MZB's Avalon books. That's fine; I'm sure they contain some good things. I felt a little of that tug myself when I started the book, but it was quickly outweighed by what annoyed me. If you are interested in another perspective, try MZB's central Darkover books (from the '70s). Or Cerridwen Fallingstar's The Heart of the Flame.
Rating:
Summary: Yet again tormentously amazing
Review: even though i still can't bring myself to read the end of The Mists of Avalon, like with Little House series, i don't want to read the end till 18 and childhood is all over, it's still obvious Marion Zimmer Bradley was an astonishing storyteller. The Forrest House tells of how Avalon came to be the home of the priestesses. For an hour after reading it i just sat there staring at the cover lost in the world Bradley so beautifully lets readers into. If you like sci-fi, legend, historical fiction,romance, drama, or fantasy read this. Eilan wasn't perfect, but she did what she could even with mistakes. The druids were like the sacredness of religoun turned to the illusion of a cult. a must read no matter how old or who you are
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking series!!!
Review: The first book in the series. Wonderfully written by MZB. My favorite fantasy author. I purchased this book as well as Lady of Avalon, Priestess of Avalon & Mists of Avalon. They are spellbinding! They draw you in & you can't put them done! If you love MZB you must buy the series! You will not be sorry you did!
Rating:
Summary: Girl Power
Review: Usually when you read about history, you hear about the men of the time. But in Marion Zimmer Bradley's books you learn about women who affected history. Most of the characters are fictional, but it still cool to read about people worshiping a goddess, rather then a god. Her books show the power that women hold in this world. I like all of her books about Avalon and such, but I liked the Forest House because it was nice change of scenery. So I recommend this book to anyone who believes in girl power, love, and likes to read fantasies.
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