The Mists of Avalon

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Summary: Book Review for Mists of Avalon
Review: The novel The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley has an extremely complicated and confusing plot and/or story line. There are many ideas and situations in this novel that require your full attention, concentration and focus to understand. The main character of the story is Morgaine. She is the daughter if Igraine and the sister of Arthur. Vivian who is the lady of Avalon or the priestess takes Morgaine and Arthur to Avalon. There, Merlin takes Arthur and Vivian takes Morgaine to learn sorcery and other things. This novel is basically about the lives of Morgaine and Arthur and what they each go through.
I enjoyed this book very much because it gave a story line that reflected upon the era in which it existed. It was nice to learn the lifestyle of a person living in Avalon during that specific time period. I also liked this novel because it had twisted characteristics like Morgaine and Arthur sleeping together and Morgass mothering Mordrid, Morgaines child, for his royalty. It had people betraying each other and much cruelty along with love.
I think this is an excellent novel to read despite its length. I recommend this for girls especially because of the fact that it is mostly written in a woman's point of view. Girls in high school should read this because it has issues in which we can relate to. I do not recommend this novel to anyone younger than the age of 14. The Mists of Avalon taught me a lot about the possibilities of life in Avalon. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it to whoever is looking for a good book to read.

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Summary: The Women in King Arthur's story
Review: The novel Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley has a quite confusing plot. Is seems to skip around a lot, but in the end it makes sense. It covers the story of King Arthur, but from a very different perspective than most people have heard. The story is told in the eyes of the women in the story. The main character, Morgaine, is the sister of Arthur and the story is told mainly from her point of view. It is also told in the eyes of his mother Igraine. This book is mostly in Avalon, the old country. It is in the time when there are many Saxon invasions and Christianity is becoming more popular. Morgaine is a priestess on the island of the goddess (Avalon). Avalon's religion is based upon the goddess and is female dominated. The story shows how Avalon is dying because of the Christians. Many people don't believe the old religion is good and throw other people out for worshipping the goddess. This gives an example of how religion, even at the time of King Arthur, causes a problem in peoples' lives. For many years people have fought over different religions. It just shows how one thing can become more popular and shut other things out completely. The story basically tells you everything you are missing in the stories about King Arthur.
This story is something that I think every woman should read at some point in her lifetime. It gives a very real perspective on everyday situations that women still go through. It is almost like a fairy tale for grownups. Marion Zimmer Bradley's writing style utilizes such beautiful language that it is very calming to read. I enjoyed this novel very much. It really just makes you believe the stories about King Arthur you have been told all your life. It also helps you understand how women were treated in those days. In many ways these conditions haven't really changed all that much.
In this book some very twisted things that happen. It starts out when Morgaine and Arthur are still with their mother. Viviane takes them away. Viviane is their aunt; she keeps Morgaine and Merlin gets Arthur. Their mother Igraine cheats on Morgaine's father with Uther. They have Arthur together. After the children are taken away from their mother the story is told in the eyes of Morgaine. Some years later Morgaine and Arthur are in a ritual, each not knowing about the other, and end up losing their virginity to each other. Wow, what a twist. The story goes on with the loved ones of each. Morgaine has a child Mordred, which her aunt Morgause takes from her. In the end Mordred ends up killing Viviane because she killed Morgause.
The book Mists of Avalon is a good portrayal of the stories and legends of King Arthur. It is given from the point of view of the women in the story. I think every women should read this book at some point in their life. Different parts can relate to different times in a woman's life, because there are characters that are old and characters that are young. Each person has traits in their personality that we as women can identify with. I definitely think that men should read this book also; in fact it might make them understand women better. It just seems to appeal to women a lot more. It effectively presents the point of view the women of the story have and their significance in the story. Religion is also a major topic in the story, and it shows how much different religions influence people's actions. The book is written in such a way that you can relate it to so many real life situations. It makes the legends of King Arthur come alive.

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Summary: Non-recommendation for Mists of Avalon
Review: Mists of Avalon
The Mists of Avalon is a story about a priestess of the old religion who is fighting to keep her independence and save her religion and world from the threat of change. This is basically the story of King Arthur and Britain told from the women's point of view. The main character, Morgaine, is faced with challenges caused by conflicts between the Christians and the followers of the Goddess. She endures many hardships many hardships in this book and suffers many losses. It is set in Britain in the medieval times. This is also a story about love and survival.
This novel had its good points, but was extremely long and drawn out at times. It had some irrelevant detail that could have been left out to create a cleaner story. I don't recommend this book to anyone under the age of fifteen. It has some very graphic detail that makes it a little to intense and sexual for younger readers. This book is good for someone who has a lot of time to spare and can really get into it. It requires patience and attention to detail.

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Summary: Wow, what a waste of time
Review: Christianity made its way into a culture where sorcery and sin reigned untouched, and the views of the women of that period in time hardly are recognized. The novel, The Mists of Avalon, tells the death of the Avalon culture to the beginning of the crusades and a tale of King Arthur from a woman's perspective. The book uses symbolism, magic, and battle as well as describing the daily lives of its characters to create a mystical look into the conversion of a culture. Though the subject matter may be one of intrigue and history, the book itself proved to be a thorough disappointment. The novel seemed to be over eight hundred pages of sheer boredom. The novel sheds light on the conquests of King Arthur and the effect he took on the countries abroad. It shows the frustration of letting go of old tradition to embrace new tradition.
Igraine, who was married to a man named Gorlois, had a daughter named Morgaine. Morgaine was of the traditional religion of Avalon and she eventually became a high priest. Gorlois eventually died leaving Igraine to marry a man known as Uther Pendragon. Igraine and Uther had a child whose name was Arthur. Morgaine and Arthur loved each other as a brother and sister should. As time rolls on, the two split up and created lives for themselves. They meet up again unknowingly in a mystical religious ritual. Arthur referred to as "the Horned One," impregnates Morgaine, who is his sister. What was just described in half of a paragraph took the author over 40 pages to describe. Though some parts are entertaining, the entire 40 pages was a complete waste of time. This pattern was reiterated throughout the entire novel. The novel wasn't too pleasant in the area of sexual morality. I had to skip a few parts because it was just too filthy. The book is full of incest, adultery, and lust. For example, Morgaine had sex with her brother, Arthur. The book unintentionally highlights and encourages sinful behavior.
The medieval period
brought new thinking, new lessons and interesting history. Some history is explained in this book. It tells a little of Arthur's conquests. The novel, in more than 50% of the chapters contains one type of sinful behavior or another. What took 800 pages could easily be reduced down. The author gets into far too much detail and draws out the piece to a point where reading it would seem a chore or a burden.
The novel, in its entirety was dreary and drawn out. The author spent too much time defining every detail down to its most minute aspect. Joy and peace were not encouraged, but after finishing, I felt more joy than ever because I was not burdened by the weight of this 800-page piece of literature. A few historians may enjoy this novel. This novel is definitely not for children. People that are interested in the spreading and dying out of religions would be interested in this piece. This novel applies to an age group of 19 years of age and older. Other than a few exceptions, most people under the age of 19 would not be able to fully respect a novel of this magnitude. It is also not a very positive learning tool for the youth of today. It teaches and encourages bad behavior, which our culture has enough of already.

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Summary: Got Me Interested in Arthurian Fiction
Review: I enjoyed the TNT miniseries and bought Mists, and was overall very pleased. I was never all that interested in the tales of Camelot until I read this book. Now, I want to read other perspectives of life at the Round Table. There were a few little things about the book that bothered me, though:
1) I agree it was too slow in parts, especially since I'm more of an action/adventure buff. Expect more of a medieval soap opera from Mists.
2) Many have panned the book based on its religous views. I did not find them offensive, though as a Pagan I was put off by the theme of "when Christians follow the will God of even when it goes against their own desires, it's bad; when Pagans follow the will of the Goddess even when it goes against their own desires, it's good" in the end, both groups end up as different sides of the same coin, rather contrasting the two religions.
3) the historical liberties taken were sometimes irritating, especially at the end, but overall they were intriuging.
Despite all this, this book cast a spell over me, was spiritually uplifting, and I will definately read it again.

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Summary: Mists of Avalon - Highlighting the Women
Review: A new twist on the Arthurian legend highlights the important roles played by women. Rather than focusing on King Arthur and Lancelot, Zimmer-Bradley gives a beautifully detailed account of how the clash between God and Goddess is mirrored in the human interaction between Man and Woman. A fabulous, fantastical tale that everyone should place in their bookshelf. Zimmer-Bradley gives Tolkien a run for his money in terms of creativity and detail in this coherent, adventuresome tale of the legend of Camelot. Sorceress and priest, man and woman, God and Goddess...this book is a fabulous example of how the world - even in fairytales - is rarely an arena of black and white.

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Summary: Kick [behind]
Review: I love this book I read it only becuse the movie cought myu attention. After reading it I can never put it down I also own the Forest House, Lady of Avalon, and the Pristess of Avalon. I love them all !!!!!

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Summary: Best Book
Review: What else can I say that hasn't already been said? This book is FANTASTIC. . . soul-stirring, poignant, emotional, sensitive, everything that you could possibly expect a book to be. You feel for the characters; you experience their every emotion, every thought, every action, and breathe their air, feel their senses, cry with them, laugh with them, and experience all the intense magic and power of Avalon in a dazzling, moving, spiraling journey into what was, what struggled to be with the rise of Christianity, and what will always remain dear and close to our hearts as some of us return to those ancient, beautiful ways and recognize our kinship with magick and the Earth. This tale gorgeously draws all into a web of delicious reading as it enchants with the tale of Morgaine, Vivianne, Merlin, Arthur, Gwenhwyfar, Morgause, etc. from the womens' perspective, and rightly so. It is so human, so real, so addicting, that you want this tale never to end, and feel a sort of disparing loss when you are done, yet a spectacular feeling that one cannot ever describe or know until one reads this book. By all means imaginable, read this book. I can GUARANTEE you, you will not regret it.

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Summary: not such a gem
Review: I followed the advise of the people who told me to read this novel because it was a "gem" of a book. I agree that it is very well-written, with a rich vocabulary and a good rythm and style. Also, the idea of presenting the facts of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of Morgana is original and attractive. However, I didn't like the main character, Morgana proper, in that she is a pessimistic person who is always complaining about the hardships of her life. She seems not to find anything to enjoy and ,from the beginning, she is presented as a looser, even though she has a clear mission that should make her feel alive with passion. If, in spite of the fact that her people and religion are doomed to disappear, she has so many things to do, why is she always moaning? For me, a likeable character is one that shows a passion for life, despite the hardships. I have to add that this is one of the first fantasy books that I read, and it deterred me from reading more of this genre for some time.

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Summary: Bradley has done thorough and brilliant work.
Review: This book was absolutely amazing to me. It was the kind of book that I found myself wishing it would never end. Even though I knew the tale of King Arthur, Bradley took the story and gave it so much depth and so many dimensions that I found myself riveted. Crying with them, laughing with them, and hating them all the same. Bradley took the mystical element out of the myth and made it real, poignant, and very human.