The Forest House (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

Rating:
Summary: dissapointment
Review: The majesty was gone. It seemed like a different person entirely wrote the book the she who wrote Mists of Avalon. I felt like the author was just trying to rake a few more dollars out of the Mists of Avalon. (Was the oversized paperback really necessary for something truly lacking in words??) When a book comes out in paperback it should really be the standard price. I wouldn't make that comment except that I felt cheated in all aspects of the book. Come on Bradley you are much much better than that. grade: D-, rewrite

Rating:
Summary: Um, boring!
Review: One of my very favorite books is THE MISTS OF AVALON, so naturally, I thought that this novel would be just as good. Nope. Oh, the writing is still flawless; MZB is an excellent author. The problem is the story. I found it to be lacking in depth and life. The characters were dull and unreal. They never came to life for me. Oh well. No one is perfect. I will still recommend the book to anyone who has read MISTS, because the books are sisters, but just don't expect the same magic.

Rating:
Summary: Eilan and Caillean are strong and beautifully portrayed!
Review: Excellent Book for fantacy lovers!Eilan and Caillean are and Beautifully Portrayed Women! Wonderfully written like the "Mists of Avalon" I enjoyed it! Two Thumbs Up!!!

Rating:
Summary: Well...not as good as I was expecting
Review: I've read just about everything mzb wrote, including "Mists of Avalon", and was thrilled to find this prequel to Mists. BUT while I wasn't totally disappointed, and I really enjoyed the first chapters, as the book progressed I found the characters harder to sympathize with. I can understand why people are forced to make really hard choices in life, but these characters never ever seemed convinced that these choices were the right ones - and I was never convinced of the Goddess' presence like I was in "Mists". I am a fan of Roman culture and was pleased with that aspect of the novel. However, I find myself ready to go back and read it again and see if there was something I missed the first time, because there was certainly something missing..

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding tale of strong human spirits
Review: I read FOREST HOUSE before ever hearing of MISTS, and this novel is so good that it prompted me to go searching for MISTS. Eilan and Caillean are wonderful characters, and the beautiful ending always makes me cry. This is definitely one of the best books I've ever read

Rating:
Summary: Sadly, no MISTS here
Review: Like many, I really enjoyed THE MISTS OF AVALON. Unfortunately, THE FOREST HOUSE did nothing for me. The characters, the story -- nothing really gripped me. In fact, I remember getting fidgety waiting for something compelling to happen

Rating:
Summary: I agree. This was no Mists of Avalon.
Review: I think anyone who approaches this book (which was marketed as "the amazing prequel to "Mists") WITHOUT taking "Mists" into consideration is missing at least 70% of the picture

Rating:
Summary: Forest House -excellent in its own right
Review: The Forest House was an excellent book that gives a unique perspective on the time period it was written. While it is a prequel of the Mists of Avalon, the story is very different and entertaining. While 'The Mists' swept you up into the realms of King Arthur from a new perspective, The Forest House took place long before Arthur. The Romans were the 'rulers' of the time,and the author vividly told the story of love and sacrifice. While both books are connected in a series, they cannot and should not be compared on their content, but on their quality. I think that Zimmer Bradley did another excellent job on a story well told.

Rating:
Summary: This was NO Mists of Avalon!
Review: I will admit that the task of following up the engaging and enlightening Mists of Avalon was a daunting one. In fact, if I hadn't read "Mists", I might have really enjoyed Forest House. Well, I was familiar with the magic Zimmer Bradley is capable of working, and frankly, she falls short in this prequel. It seemed to me that Zimmer Bradley was more interested in showing off historical research on Roman Britain than in writing a gripping story. The main characters are difficult to like. Overall, the book left me feeling rather depressed and frustrated. Don't expect the wonder of "Mists". You won't find it.

Rating:
Summary: Not too bad, actually
Review: I'm not exactly sure why I read this book. While I enjoyed "The Mists of Avalon", I wasn't wild about it. Niether was I wild about this prequel. But I did enjoy it. While "Mists" is more of a fantasy, "The Forest House" delves into early A.D. history and European religions. It starts out as a cute, boy-meets-girl-and-falls-in-love-though-they-can't-be-together story, but evolves into a detailed story of religion and politics. I think Bradley put a bit too much religion in there, and even though she was showing how people back then felt towards Christianity, I kind of felt like she was pushing in her own opinions. Unfortunatly, there is too much material, and it gets extremely twisted up together in an unattractive knot. it set off at a good pace, slowed down, almost got miserable, but the last few chapters are almost worth it all. In fact, I was quite pleased with the ending. If you're pagan and/or interested in early european history, I'm not going to stop you from reading this. But I'm not going to insist you read it, either.