Rating: 
Summary: Not a feminist book
Review: People who consider this a feminist book are mistaken. Bradley's depiction of women in "Mists" is insulting to say the least. Women in "Mists" are either manipulative harpies or whining fools. All are small-minded, all are insecure, and all are incredibly self-centered. I am so tired of this idea that to be a feminist means that you dislike men. Since when is a "strong woman" a woman who puts down and manipulates men at every turn? I have better words for women like that.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars is not enough for this book
Review: I first read 'Mists' nearly 20 years ago when I was hopelessly entrenched in a Christian Fundamentalist Cult and did not have a clue. It started me thinking. It was my first forbidden taste of paganism. It freed me from three generations of bondage and years of personal slavery. Since reading this book I have found happiness, wisdom and liberty. It is so much more than another King Arthur book! It is a phenomenon of writing of the last century. I can't say enough good about this book. It changed my life.
Ravyn
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting, the finest story of Avalon and Camelot
Review: I found this book to be wonderful reading, though perhaps not historically correct, Marion Zimmer Bradley obviously did not make it all up, I believe that she did study the Arthurian history.
The Mists of Avalon was written beautifully. I especially like how Bradley (Marion Zimmer Bradley) had it narrated by Morgaine, by doing that she let the readers have more of a connection with that character. I thought it was wonderful to have strong women characters in this story because men are so often thought of as stronger than women, but it is not so. The only character I didn't like much was Gwenefar (however you spell it), because she was weak and didn't really stand up for what she believed in or what her opinion was, but naturally you dislike her because she opposes Morgaine. I also thought that Igraine stopped caring about her children once she was safe with Uther and only thought of herself. I almost liked Morgause because she seemed to care about Morgaine and wasn't really evil, just a little greedy. And I think Vivianne could have made better choices, she seemed too eager to sacrafice other peoples happiness for the Goddess when there was probably a better way. Even now I can't stop babbling on about this book. I found myself lost in this book and couldn't stop reading. I very highly recommend this book to any fantasy or arthurian lover. And may Marion Zimmer Bradley rest in peace wherever she may be. Blessed Be.
Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction at its mythological finest
Review: If you like history, and good storytelling then pick up this book. You will not be disapointed. A feminized (don't let that word scare away the gentlemen this enticing book is written for everyone) account of the Arthurian legends steeped deeply in mysticism and history. While most books focus on the story of Arthur and the betrayals that destroy his kingdom, this book instead fixes in on the grandness of the story. You are drawn into a world where people are fighting not just for their survival, but for the survival of their beleifs. And that is really at the essence of the Arthurian legend. Bradley seemlessly takes the struggle between the druidic and christian religions and deeply embeds it into her book. This theme reveals itself many times throughout the book and has many different levels of deepening symbolism. By the end of this book you will question everything from the realities of religion to the way we treat one another. This is an amazing book that has an interesting view of an immortal legend.
Rating:
Summary: What a GREAT book
Review: WOW - Count on losing sleep over this one. I was up many late nights reading, but it was worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-done book, within the scope of its vision
Review: Arthurian retellings are as common today as they were five hundred years ago. Unfortunately. Most if not all have the lamentable if understandable flaw of using Sir Thomas Malory's version of the legends as a starting point. Malory is appealing to many because his approach is a relatively 'modern' one: his tale is an effort to unify the disparate elements of the Arthurian cycle, to scientifically sort and rank the various protagonists and their encounters on a sliding scale of prowess and morality. His version makes the most 'sense' to many because it tries to be as complete as possible, and to reconcile the abundant seeming contradictions of the story cycle: Who was the best knight, really? What was the chronology of all these adventures? What did it all *mean*? And so forth. But Malory was simply the final note, the literary death-knell of a rich and fluid narrative tradition that had flourished for centuries. His is the final Arthurian story that can truly be called 'medieval'; but it's certainly not the most medieval of them all. The best stories were really those which took place in the timeless context of Arthur's realm, before the hand of Destiny began weighing down the court and the tragic fall of the principals became the overwhelming theme of an increasingly inflexible story arc. Zimmer Bradley has crafted a rich and well-wrought narrative focusing on the unsung trials and quiet heroism (and villainy) of the women in Arthur's life. But her goal is not to reinvent Malory so much as recast his tale from a different perspective. This is no mean feat, to be sure, and Mists of Avalon deserves a place on a short list of significant Arthurian adaptations this century. The hand of tragic narrative destiny hangs heavy over this version, however, as it does in Malory's version; and though the tragedy is a central component to her theme, one wishes that she had perhaps looked a bit further back than the 15th century for her inspiration. Malory's life ended with the Late Middle Ages fading fast before the Renaissance - the passing of an age. Perhaps this sensibility was most appropriate for what Zimmer Bradley wished to accomplish - the portrayal of powerful women being upstaged, usurped, or misunderstood by the wounded men destined to write the history books. But this sad sense of defeat, as in Malory, succeeds in diminishing the legend in a way that is itself somewhat tragic.
Rating:
Summary: A timeless epic....
Review: Everyone has heard the legends of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. The Mists of Avalon takes those legends and does what none of them do - tell the stories from the views of the women surrounding Arthur. Bradley takes each of her characters and makes them throughly human while changing some of the well known ideas about the Arthurian legend. Morgaine, his half sister, is no evil sorceress, but a devoted priestess fighting to save a dying religion. Gwynhefar is torn between the love she has for her king and her love for the knight Lancelet, but at the same time pushes Arthur away from his true religion and into the foolish Christian priests' way of thinking. She is close-minded and weak, and I mostly saw her as an unlikeable character. But in the end, the reader fully understands why she acted the way she did. There is so much to be said about the Mists of Avalon. It is a story of love, duty, and religion. Bradley paints a vast canvas on which her characters truly live. Almost every legend of Arthur is explained - the search for the Holy Grail, the birth of Mordred, Arthur and Morgaine's son, Pellinore's dragon, and many more. Read this book for the story, but also read it for its strong messages about love, religion, and purpose. It's a truly wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: I've just got to the end of the novel, and I am overwhelmed. It makes a pleasent change to read a version of the Arthurian legends that does not focus so entirely on the men. Morgaine is fantastic - instead of being the evil sorceress usually portrayed, she is doing what she must to survive. The novel was, and is, pivotal. It changed people's views of witchcraft, and of the whole genre. Bradley's work in this tale was exceptional. Although it may be slow to begin with, it quickly becomes engrossing. Lancelet's love for Guinevere (forgive me - my mind's gone blank and I can't for the life of me remember Bradley's spelling!), and his love for Arthur. Morgaine, gifted and cursed through her religion. Mordred, no longer the evil boy who grew to kill his father, but a man, fighting to preserve his religion and his way of life - a hero, not a villain. Truly this is a magnificent retelling of a classic, and should be read. I also recommend that you read The Price of Immortality by C.M. Whitlock. It is surely to be a memorable experience
Rating:
Summary: It's worth the 876-page trek
Review: A friend had recommended this book to me, and, although I was doubtful I would like it, I read it anyway. It took me awhile, but it was completely worth it. MOA is what turned me on to Arthurian legend- a subject of which I had no interest (or knowledge) prior to reading this book.
MZB portrays characters in a realistic and fascinating fashion; multiple plots carefully weave the story of the lifetime of Morgaine (also known as Morgan le Fay), in beautiful description that also covers legendary characters (Lancelet, Merlin) and events (the quest for the Holy Grail).
I recommend that you at least give it a try- if you like it in the beginning, you'll love it by the end. Oh, and you get used to lugging it around.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful work of Art...and truth beyond dogma
Review: This was a beautiful book. At times I cried my eyes out. This book tells the story of Morgaine, daughter of Igraine, who is destinied to sit in the Shrine of the Great Goddess as her High Priestess. It follows Morgaine through the Stages of Life ; Maiden, Mother, and finally Wise-Woman. The book is set in Arthurian Britain, when Christianity is growing and the ancient ways of Nature are being forgotten. Viviane, who is the first High Priestess of Ceridwen, is caught in a battle to keep the Ways of the Druids from vanishing from the world of men forever in to the World of Fairy. Viviane prophecizes the coming of a Great King who will unite the followers of Christ with the Old People of the Goddess, and save Britain form Saxon barbarians. This King is Arthur. Viviane takes Morgaine to be fostered on the Isle of Avalon to become a priestess of the Druid wisdom and the Great Goddess. After Morgaine had been initiated into the secrets of Avalon, she is sent by Viviane to play the Role of the Goddess in the Rites of Beltane. Contrary to what some may believe, this is an ancient shamanistic ritual to honor the life giving forces of the Divine, which is known in that day as the Great Goddess. Morgaine invokes into her self the Power of the Goddess, while Arthur (who is playing the role of the God) invokes into himself the Masculine Force of the Universe. They join in union and have a child. This is not incest in the way certain folk are thinking. In this ritual, as it says in the book, Morgaine and Arthur are only man and woman before the World Mother. This seems to be one of the most urking things in the book, but if ignorant folk would comprehend it right, then it wouldn't be. This book is not Anti-God. The message of this book is that Names are how we identify God. But that God is in all things and only Love and the Power that moves the whole of Creation. At the end of the book, Morgaine is in the Chapel of Mary on the Isle of Glastonbury, and she sees that all the Gods are one God, and that the Great Mother will never withdraw from the world, but will only change her form. It was very moving when Morgaine sat with the young Nun in training and prayed before the altar of the Holy Mother of Christ, and sees the Sacred Grail which had been moved form this world in the hands of her Mother, Igraine. This, as it says in the letter form Diana L. Paxson "expresses a truth beyond dogma." I give this book 5 stars for its beauty and passion. It is truly a work of art.
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