Rating: 
Summary: The Best I've Read, & I've read a lot!
Review: All I can say is that I am normally not a fan of Aurthur/Camelot stories. The book was loaned to me and my friend kept pestering me to read it. I picked it up and was hooked within 5 minutes! Then as some other reviewers have said, I couldn't put it down! The story is compelling, thought provoking and while you may not like all the characters, you will certainly feel something for them, whether its admiration or hate. I read the book before I saw the "TV Movie" and while the movie was acceptable, the book draws you in, the movie could not. If you have nothing to do but read for a couple of days, READ IT!
Rating:
Summary: better twist
Review: This book was really well written, and was the turning point for my history with fantasy. I have to admit, this was my first real fantasy. It turned me on to female dominant writing, and helped me see into the eyes of "the real" King Arthur. The story told behind the women make it seem way more real, and show that we are always what is behind the making of big things, even if the men can't see it or even some women. Anyway, the book had a really believable story line that matched up with everything else I have learned in history class. My only problem was that I had no idea what to read first and so on. I started with this one, only to find out I should have read a different one first. So, where do I go now, was my main question.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful World of Women
Review: This book is absolutely wonderful. I love the fact that the women in this book are so real. They are all flawed, yet they are all perfect. This is definetly a book for women who are tired of male dominated visions of women in fantasy. The charaters are so rich, deep, and complex. If Camelot had ever been a real place, this is surely how things really happened.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: This book is one of the best books I have ever read. I made the mistake of watching the tv-movie first. The book is so much better. Bradley's writing is very magical. It entices, and makes you part of the book. Her writing makes you love a character one moment, and then hate them the next. The writing is just plain beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: the epitome of historical fiction/fantasy
Review: werd. the mists of avalon IS the definition of the ultimate work of historical fiction. it's so superbly realistic in its fantastical description of love and trechery and christianity v paganism in the arthurian area. reality and fantasy and inseperable in this believable story.
i think that i loved and hated each one of the characters at time, which makes them so, so real. i read this 900 page book in two weeks, and every moment of my spare time was devoted to it. the story starts with the death of the king before uther and ends with the death of arthur, it spans three or more generations. its amazing when you're on page 600 and you start thinking of how many years have gone by... its almost unfathomably.
the dissarray that the end of the book is incredibly moving. i was jolted at the closure of the story, and found myself weeping even though almost everyone knows what became of arthur.
words cant begin to describe how much i loved this book. as soon as i read the other books pertaining to this one (the forest house is the one im on now, its not quite as good as the mists of avalon.) i will surely read this book again.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Version of a Classic.
Review: I bought this book after seeing the miniseries. I was completely blown away. The way the author describes every character makes you feel like they are real people, and that you know them. I've seen many movies about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and I have always loved this story, but there is none that compares to this one. Marion Zimmer Bradley has made me believe this is the real story, the true legend. I really loved this book. It has everything I could ask for: love, lust, treason, myth, wars, faith, etc...
Rating:
Summary: beyond enchanting
Review: What makes this book so different from most fntasy novels is that the author not only creates a realistic magical world,but she does so while having amazing character development. You feel, and relate, to every character in this book. I literally could not put this book down. Although this book is rather long, I finished it in less then a week. After reading this book, I quickly bought every other book this author wrote. although all are great, this book sticks out as her best. This is a definite must read for the fantasy lover.
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Masterpiece
Review: Without any doubt, "The Mists of Avalon" is one of the few colossal achievements in the fantasy genre from the last thirty years. It boldly replays all the significant parts of the Arthurian saga from the perspective of the female characters, focusing mainly on Guinevere and Morgaine. In Bradley's hands, they become fully rounded characters, as we see how their upbringings and differing worldviews lead up to the roles they play in the story that we all know and love. None of the minor characters, male or female, are neglected. They are all developed carefully, with realistic motivations. In "The Mists of Avalon", less time is spent on warfare and battles than in most earlier versions, and more is devoted to looking at aspects of medieval society that we rarely hear about, ranging from medicine to religion to childrearing. The first hundred pages of "The Mists of Avalon" are, in my opinion, the best part of the book. They cover the life of Igraine and of Uther Pendragon, and give a glimpse of what British society was like prior to Arthur's birth. After that, we get a lengthy section dedicated to Morgaine's training as a priestess on the island of Avalon, and the introduction of Guinevere and Lancelot. The middle section of the book proceeds at a much slower pace, with lots of attention being paid to the development of all of the main characters. The story then picks up at the end for a very impressive finish. I particularly like the beautiful descriptions throughout the book, and the way that different literary elements are blended to create wonderful images. Some readers have commented that the book is anti-Christian. I have to disagree with this. It does have some Christian characters who are portrayed negatively, but plenty that are portrayed positively as well. And although she goes a little bit over the top on a few occasions, Bradley is generally accurate in her depiction of theology in the Middle Ages. I don't think that she is opposed to Christianity as much as opposed to anyone who has become completely inflexible in their worldview. This may not be clear at the start of the book, but it is definitely obvious by the end. Bradley began her career writing short stories and then moved on to science fiction novels. She first became famous with the Darkover series, which is, in all honestly, pretty lousy. When writing "The Mists of Avalon", however, she took the time to carefully construct her plot and think through her dialogue and descriptive writing. The result is one of the masterpieces of modern popular literature, and a work that will certainly be remembered as a fantasy classic for many generations to come.
Rating:
Summary: Oooooo my gosh the best book I have EVER read!
Review: This book is a book of vividness; all the characters are beautiful. This story tells of Gorlois, Uther, and other not-so-important characters, but all the same, the backgrounds of each man and woman shows up in your mind while reading, and so this is not only scenery and boring rabble. Of course, the scenery is great too, but the "rabble" isn't boring either. I mean, it's kind of like womans' rights; that's the plot, and the main characters play a humongous part in it: the Merlin, Arthur, Gwenhwyfar, Lancelet, and most of all, Morgaine, who was in the main part of the plot. After you read this book, you'll get a lot more information on these people, in a fun fun way. Yes, to that person who wrote all those facts, those are pretty much true, I really actually did a little research on them...
And I yeah, to that person you uh... failed a test? It really is sooooo captivating, I was absorbed in the book for 5 hours a day, (after school). ...
Rating:
Summary: Don't Start It If You've Got Something Else Going!
Review: This book is by far one of the best I've ever read. It's captivating -- Morgaine is a beautiful character and the tale is well written with vivid storyline and wonderful depictions of the characters and scenery. A warning: don't start this book if you intend to do something else -- I failed a test because I couldn't put it down long enough to study! lol It will inspire you to be a Priestess of Avalon (I'm studying Cerridwen and Avalon now).
|
