Rating: 
Summary: A page turner
Review: This is a very compelling, addictive novel which kept me awake reading all night and haunted me for days after I finished it. I charactors are well-developed and realistic, the magical and spiritual themes are fascinating and I loved the epic plot line which spans three generations. However, it only got four stars from me as I found the feminist agenda rather intrusive and heavy-handed for my taste.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Escapist Read
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley's _The Mists of Avalon_ is one incredible read. It took me a while to finish, but I found myself wanting more of these same characters. I recommened it to any fan of Arthurian legends, or to any intelligent reader of good fiction, for that matter.The style in which this book is writeen was one thing that captured my imagination: It is entirely from the point of view of the women involved in the legend, and passes from one to the other and back again, revolving mainly around one in particular. My opinion of each woman changed and developed over time, and sometimes this led to surprising places. Although some of the minor characters aren't fully developed, Bradley does an excellent job with her main ones, fully capturing emotions and reactions. This is definately a novel I will be re-reading at some point, simply because it was a joy to read it the first time.
Rating:
Summary: Mists a bit daunting at first
Review: I just finished the Mists of Avalon. This is the first book I've read by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I must say, I am not too familiar with the Arthurian lengend, so the twists in the plot were relatively surprising for me. I think in a way, this actually benefitted my experience, as I was not so much comparing and contrasting the different renditions, but simply enjoying a story with slightly familiar characters. I found my favorite parts to be in Avalon and involving the fairy people. The fantasy parts are very descriptive and well written. The story itself seemed never to really drag. Looking back, I don't think the author creates very likable characters. I found myself rooting for Morgaine, as is apparent that the author has a tendency to forgive Morgaine's faults. But I gave this book 4 stars. Why? You need no familiarity with the Arthurian legend, or even any real interest in the legend to enjoy this story set in medieval times. I, unlike some reviewers, enjoyed the religious conflicts brought up, and I enjoyed the resolution at the end regarding this conflict. I suppose what makes me like this book the most though, is the realization of the goddess in me, and everywhere. I found that my set of rules regarding life tended to be more like that of Avalon than of the Christian world we live in today. I found it beautiful to read about women struggling for the same sort of things I believe in - but also let me see the other side of things. All in all, it's a rewarding 900 page read...if a bit daunting at first. However, the beginning doesn't lack forward movement, and the story is quickly gotten into, so it's easy to keep on reading. I do recommend this highly to most people... familiar with the Arthurian legend or not... not only was it great fun to read, but it provided some lasting images for myself...and that is the ultimate goal of reading anything.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Telling of a Classic Legend
Review: This is one of my favorite books. I have read it several times and each time I become engrossed with the story. I have shared it with many friends. Bradley's telling of the story of Arthur through the eyes of the women of the time is creative and wonderful. The powers of God and the Goddess are believable when you read the story. This book led me to others written by Bradley. Although I admit I never got into her science fiction/fantasy books, I admire her stories of legends told through the eyes & hearts of the women. Her tales of Britain are the best though. Before the Mists of Avalon my favorite telling of the tale was Stewart's. This is now my favorite. I throughly recommend this version of Britain's greatest legend.
Rating:
Summary: Immaculate Re-Conception
Review: I have just finished "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and have found it to be a great achievement not just in the fantasy genre (where it surely stands as a giant) but also in the literary genre as a whole. What Ms. Bradley has done in the course of these nearly 900 pages is nothing short of astonishing. She has managed to synthesize one of the largest and most varied myth/legend cycles in history into a complete, coherent volume, managing to rationalize and explain the numerous variations of names, characters, places, etc. both within the myths themselves as well as history. The characters are thoroughly real, imbued with a life that makes you feel for each of them in turn. You find yourself holding the same deep reverence for Taliesin that the characters do, and the same contempt for Gwenhwyfer's stupidity and zealous dogmatism that Morgaine or Morgause does, while also pitying her desperation, and admiring her devotion. Some have criticized the very obvious favoritism shown to paganism in this book. I would counter than with the argument that the Christianity that is displayed here, the oppressive strain which emphatically denies and destroys all other gods, is not one to be favored. The paganism displayed here isn't what the ancients practiced, it is influenced heavily by modern NeoPaganism. However, the brand of Christianity practiced by the likes of Gwenhwyfer and Patricius is frankly historically accurate, more or less. We know how Christians of the time operated, we don't know how the pagans operated. She has had to create something new, and in light of the rest of the story and it's feminist slant, the favoring of the gyno-friendly paganism was only natural. Bradley's novel is a monumental reimagining of one of the most famous myth cycles in history, and she does the job admirably, fairly, and thoroughly.
Rating:
Summary: Long and enchanting
Review: The Mists of Avalon presents an interesting take on the Arthurian Legend--the women's points of view. Bradley does an excellent job of drawing her female characters as rich human beings as enmeshed in the intrigue and chaos of early Britain as are the men who are at war. Perhaps more so, because they bear and raise the next generation of warriors and mothers while being left to themselves in isolated castles.
I did, however,find the character of Gwynhyfar the least three dimensional, she starts out as an agoraphobic Christian, but somewhere that agoraphobia dissipates and Christianity turns to zealot. Unfortunately, we don't really see that transition.
Bradley also did an excellent job of bringing real historical figures, namely St. Patrick who has finished converting the Irish and is hell bent on converting the British heathen.
Her characters are rich and whole. They certainly have their flaws and failings. Sometimes the novel tended to be slow or jumpy, but at 900 or so pages, I couldn't really fault those few less than stellar moments.
One of the main themes-Christianity vs. Paganism- was enlightening. I had never before thought of the Arthur legend as taking place at a time when Christianity wasn't firmly established throughout the land. I don't know how authentic Bradley's portrayals of pagan ritual really are, but they seemed real to me.
BTW-- the book is soooo much better than the miniseries!
Rating:
Summary: loved this book
Review: i just wanted to say i absolutely loved this book. I've always been interested in arthurian legends as i was born in england. But i actuallly chose to read the mists of avalon for an assignment in art? hard to explain but i used morgaine as my focus, shown the way this book depicts her (as a wise priestess) and the way others depicts her (evil witch). I wanted to reccomend the other books in this series The forests of Avalon, lady of avalon, and Priestess of Avalon. Now i'm not quite sure of the order but i think it goes, Forest of avalon, lady of avalon then mists of avalon. prietess of avalon is the newest out so naturally i had to read it last.
Rating:
Summary: Intense Beautifully written book
Review: I have never been even slightly intrested in Arthurian tales but this book was amazing. it tells the story of the women behind king arthurs throne..how they try to control throne and their various reasons for doing so..this book made me cry but its a heavy read... let me warn you this book is very emotioanlly draining ...and it takes a couple of hundred pages to get into (its almost a thousand pages)there are some parts of the book that are kinda boring because she goes into too much detail but the end result is worth it.. i saw the movie before the book and that made me decide to read it but let me tell ya the books bears little resemblence to the movie..but once again this book was AMAZING 5 stars it's definitley a book i recommend!!
Rating:
Summary: Good reading
Review: I picked up "Mists of Avalon" after seeing ads for the TNT movie. I was intrigued by the idea of a retelling of the King Arthur saga from the female perspective. As a child I was fascinated with King Arthur story, but always wished there was more about the women.
This book was so much more than I expected. I learned a lot about pagan and Druid religions and a lot about what the "new" religion of Christianity meant for these people.
Morgaine (Morgan Le Fay) has always been portrayed as evil, but as the main character of this book, she was very sympathetic.
The only complaint that I have of this book is the length. I am normally not intimidated by long books, but this one could have used some editing.
I highly recommend it nonetheless.
Rating: 
Summary: WELCOME TO THE POLITICALLY CORRECT CAMELOT
Review: Undeniably well-written and perhaps the most easily digestible long book I've ever read, Bradley's extremely popular and widely influential feminist take on the Arthurian legend is nonetheless a difficult book for me to recommend. Despite its considerable literary merits, "The Mists of Avalon" is badly flawed by the author's own questionable philosophical agenda, particularly as regards her evident mistrust and/or misunderstanding of Christianity. None of the Christians in the novel are admirable or even likeable, and the Church as a whole is too often portrayed as a bastion of intolerance and ignorance. Though some of the book's characters occasionally announce that it is not Christ Himself they fear, but merely His overzealous followers, it's just too little too late. On a more purely literary plane, Bradley further errs by casting Morgan le Fay as her main protagonist. Despite all the love Bradley can lavish on her "heroine," the Priestess of Avalon still never comes across to me as anything more than a venomous spider at the heart of a very dark and vast web. Moreover, the book is rather repetitive, relying chapter-to-chapter on many recurring set pieces and devices, a weakness common to most lengthy novels. Finally, by telling the Arthurian story from the viewpoint of the largely non-combatant females, many of the elements that most appeal to large numbers of Arthurian fans (epic battles, tests of bravery and chivalry, etc.) are simply glossed over in passing, robbing the tale of much of its inherent grandeur. Even so, "The Mists of Avalon" manages to be largely entertaining and is clearly more than thoroughly researched. Liberals and especially New Agers will probably consider this a genuine masterpiece. Conservatives, particularly orthodox Christians, may find certain elements disagreeable, and might consider the recent TNT-produced movie more palatable. It's certainly more exciting, less dogmatic, and generally a little more in step with traditional Arthurian interpretations than its source novel.
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