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Summary: The most fascinating book I've seen
Review: The first time I read "The mists..." I was 13 and the book seemed so magical and so real that I could almost feel Avalon...I read the whole book in two and a half days, I didn't get any sleep two nights and I hardly stopped to eat. It was like a illness and it didn't stop until I read three more times in one year. Every year I read it at least one time and I can say I'm a "Mists of Avalon" addicted. This book is eternal, magical, unforgettable, special, mysterious. It makes you have a different view about life itself. Even at (a few)parts which are confusing, I understand as if it was for a purpose, I mean, the carachters were confused and as the reader is part of the book, he should me confused too. This book can make you become a feminist and be proud of that. I think this is the best book I have ever read... And it doesn't stop there, to those who have read this and enjoyed it, I recommend "Lady of Avalon" and "The Forest House" also by Marion Z. Bradley. Just fantastic !
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Summary: The Base of Feminism
Review: I think it is true that without this book, to days feminists wouldn't be fighting for equal rights. The Mists of Avalon is pretty much the base of today's feminism. And yes, I am a guy.But my thoughts on the book are as follows: It was very entertaining; it took me weeks to read it but I did and it took even more weeks to reread it again and again. I'm working on my 5th time. Lone and behold that I have read other material in between. There are a couple slow parts and a few confusing mumbo jumbos but other than that it was delightful. Still haven't figured a couple of the mumbo jumbos out but maybe another go around ah? See you soon, Souls
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Summary: The best work of Arthurian fantasy ever written
Review: Bradley opens so many doors previously locked in Arthurian legend with this great novel. Many of the twists in story line she introduces here fit as a natural, albeit alternative, progression to the existing legend. If you only read one book of the legendary Camelot, make it this one. It's the most entertaining read since the original.
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Summary: More than abridged, butchered is more like it!
Review: If Amazon would offer an unabridged audio version of this book, then maybe I could give it at least two stars. I have not read the entire unabridged novel yet, but I read enough of it to know that this short audio version cannot do any kind of justice to the original work, whether one likes it or not, because only a tiny fraction of the original material is represented. In fact, so much has been taken out that the story as it appears on this tape doesn't even make sense. To judge what bit of the story I could hear on this audio edition, I actually thought it was pretty silly. Many of the characters seemed annoying, particularly Guinevere. Many of these characters whined a lot and were irritatingly overly dramatic. That is not to say that characters should be stoic; on the contrary, I do want to see passion, but the way passions were expressed was laid on so thick as to make me kind of sick. The Arthur character seemed awfully weak for a high king; he allowed his annoying wife to nag and hen-peck him; you just want to slap him and tell him to be more assertive! Another problem I had with this book (and I know that saying this will bring criticism onto myself -- maybe some of it desereved, too) was the way that it was so very unhistorical. I know that it doesn't need to be historical since it is fiction, but there is something about her approach which keeps making me think that she is trying to write a historical novel, but all it really is is a romantic fantasy. Since I am really only reviewing the short audio version here, it may be unfair for me to drag this in, but I did read her introduction at the beginning of the printed novel, and she makes it sound like a lot of historical research went into it: she consulted with my favorite Arthurian historian, Geoffrey Ashe; she sites my one of my favorite Arthurian archaeologist/historians Leslie Alcock's Cadbury-as-Camelot theory; and so on, making me think that this is a well-researched historical novel, and then when I get to the story, I want to get a red pen out and write words like "incorrect" and "highly improbable" all over it. Both Arthurian fiction and Arthurian history alike are very controversial, so much so that it becomes like religion. People have these strange emotional needs to believe that things were a certain way even when the evidence is quite against it. My point here is that if people enjoy this story and are deeply moved and inspired by it, then that is wonderful, but as a history buff, it saddens me to see that people will latch on to fantastical ideas and then believe that fifth and sixth-century Britain were really like this. Even Geoffrey Ashe (the historian whom Bradley consulted when she began work on this book) commented on _Mists of Avalon_ when he graciously sent me a personal reply to a fan letter I sent him, saying that "Arthuian Britain couldn't have been anything like that." I might note here that Bradley's use of the word "Merlin" as a title is patently unhistorical an indefensible. This is no place for me to go into the origin and etymology of the name "Merlin," but I can assure you, despite wide-spread popular belief, that it was never anyone's title. And no matter how much one may want to believe that the ancient Celts made the Mother Goddess their cheif deity, and no matter how much one may want to believe that there was a powerful college of druidesses at Ynys Afalach (Glastonbury) when Arthur was alive, let me assure you that this is fantasy, not history.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever written !
Review: The Mists of Avalon is a book I have returned to again and again over the years. I read the book for the first time more than 14 years ago, when I was still in college, and it captured my interest and facination then. Having re-read easily a dozen times, I am drawn to a new facet or twist every time, and I come away with a new one of MZB's amazing life lessons each 'visit'. For me, the traditional Arthurian legend was intriguing enough but now the new telling has so-replaced the stereotyped characters of old in my mind, that I have a hard time listening or reading to the biased original tale anymore. This is a long book, but one that is virtually impossible to put down. Once you are through, you find yourself still 'reliving' each moment in your mind. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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Summary: A "study" of the shift from Druidism to Christianity
Review: The Mists of Avalon was about the best book I've read about Arthurian legends. Seeing the incidents through the eyes of Morgaine and the other female characters gave me new insight into what life could have been like for a woman living in such times. It must have been incredibly difficult for the women to watch their people turn away from the goddess based religion to Christianity. Where once the women had power, the men began to ridicule others who listened to their wives' counsels. The truly strong characters are, of course, the women of Avalon-- manipulative Viviane, self serving Morgause, and rebellious Morgaine. These women use their wiles and power to try to change events to accomodate their own agendas. The book also ridicules Gwynhwyfar for being a weak minded hypocrite who doesn't realize that by embracing Christianity so whole heartedly she's giving up the very power that could make her strong. Notice that, since she has turned away from the goddess based religion, she also does not bear any children. Arthur just tries to keep peace in his household. He gives in to a hysterical Gwynhwyfar every time she simpers, but looks to Morgaine for guidance that she's unwilling to give. He's beset by enemies on all sides, and unwittingly sets the stage for the death of Viviane. I also found the theory that Merlin is a title, rather than the name of a particular wizard interesting. This book was a refreshing look at the Arthurian legends. Don't blame the characters for using the tools available to them. Remember that in the time of Arthur, it was extremely important to be able to bear children, weave, and partake in "women's work."
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Summary: MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE!!!!
Review: I have just reread this book for the 5th time,since in was published in 1987, and everytime i read it,it just gets better. I live, breath and eat this book, i cry when it ends and so badly want to be one of the wonderful people in the book living the tangled life they weave. This book will go down in history as one of the greats,thanks Marion Zimmer Bradley for the most wonderful and realistic Books i have ever read. P.S.This is my 6th copy of the book always keeping 2, as its one of those books people love to borrow and never return, thats how good it is!!
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Summary: If this is all there is to feminism . . . .
Review: I began the book very interested in the alternative approach to the Aurthurian legend, and appreciative of the intricate cosmology offered by the author. By the middle of the book, however, I became disgusted by the whining nature of all of the main characters. This is billed as "The Aurthurian legend from the women's point of view." But it suggests that the major influence on women and their view of the world is whether or not they are pregnant, when they are pregnant, who is sleeping with who, and other Oprah-related topics. All of the women in the book were strong, each in her own way, and yet at the same time the major motivation for each was petty and mean-spirited. By the end of the novel, I was distinctly unimpressed.
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Summary: An Unusual but Uninspired Look at Arthurian Myth
Review: As a fourteen-year old girl, this book came to me with a load of high praise from everyone, and I was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations by a long shot. Certainly, MZB offers some unusual perceptions of the myth; implications of sexual relationships between Arthur and Lancelet, between Morigaine and every other character are welcome new looks. However, none of the characters captured my interest, or more importantly, my imagination, at all. The greatest crime surely must be Gwenhwyfar's simpering character. Her devoutness to her religion and her lust for Lancelet did not strike me as compelling in any way, and her hysterical fear of everything pagan made her one of the most annoying characters ever. She was more compelling in the book this novel is based on, Le Morte D'Arthur, despite her lack of screen time (as it were). Also annoying was the character of Igraine, who I liked for the first fifty pages or so, but her hate for her husband and hypocritically attitude made her fall out of my favor very quickly. The main character, Morigaine was simply uninteresting. Her mentor, Viviane, was too manipulative and cunning for me to have any kind of feelings towards her. I'm no scholar of Arthurian studies; I can't remember more than five or six names from this novel, which has been savaged by people who do study the legends. But also as a novel, it fails to stand on its own two feet. While reading these reviews, I notice that most of the favorable reviews I see here are from teenage girls or women who read the book as a teen. Reread it, and ask yourself, a) are these women really good role models? are their motivations realistic? b) could two hundred pages have been cut from this book? In my opinion, no and yes, respectively. As for me, I'll read something by Stephen King if I want eight hundred pages of tired characters and meandering plot. (This is excepting 'The Stand', one of my favorite novels).
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Summary: soo cool!
Review: This book made me laugh and cry, I felt like I was a character in the book! I thought it had great foreshadowing and plot twists. The characters are so lifelike, and it was like real life instead of fake stuff you know wouldn't happen. I thought it was so good that I went out the next day and got The Lady of Avalon. It isn't as good as this one, but I still loved it. This book is my all time favorite, and will always be.
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