Rating: 
Summary: I've never again celebrated St. Patrick's Day
Review: I've never again celebrated St. Patrick's Day since I read this book a number of years ago and saw how the Christian church erradicated early pagan beliefs. I had read many of the traditional Arthurian legends, but not until this one did I read one that rang true. Since I have read this, my interest in pre-Christian religions of Western Europe and neo-paganism has been strong
Rating:
Summary: New ways of looking at what you think you know.
Review: This was one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading. It is based on historical facts that are intertwinned with fiction. Ms. Bradley weaves a tale that is rich and magicial. She picks up where Mary Stewart left off
Rating: 
Summary: A contrary opinion
Review: I feel like I'm swimming against the tide writing a negative review of this book, but in all honesty I didn't really enjoy it. I found the characters to be very one-dimensional. All of the Christians were stupid, dull and brutish. All of the goddess worshippers were gentle, wise and interesting (unless they became Christians in which case they became stupid, dull and brutish).
The idea of writing an Arthurian romance from a women's perspective was a good one, and some of Ms. Bradley's
twisting of the legend was well done, so I haven't given
it the lowest review. However, I certainly wouldn't
recommend it to my friends, or be tempted to reread it. In the future I'll stick with Mallory for King Arthur, and with Katherine Kurtz for fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Scenes of beauty, betrayal, and legend woven in feeling.
Review: A novel that instills various colors, feelings, and intellect.
The legend as told in this book, had an impact on
me and my existence with nature. I also began to have a sense, we may all have a purpose, whether
that be as a "Merlin" or as pawn of necessity, such as
Igraine.
A story told with the intuition of which women speak, giving light to the role of the "Goddess" in Authurian
legend. I feel, this book has adjusted the the legend
of Authur, giving much more support to womens roles
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Breathtaking, exhilirating, magical - need I go on?
Review: _The Mists of Avalon_ is one of my top five favorite books of all time. For me, this has become the true story of the legend of King Arthur. It is told through the eyes of all the women, but mostly through the eyes of Morgaine (Morgan La Fey), Arthur's half sister. Other Arthurian stories make her out to be pure evil. Here Morgaine presents her point of view (as well as that of the other major women). And what a fine job she does of it. The story pulls you in and the pages just fly by. Bradley draws her characters with such detail that I felt strongly one way or another about almost every one of them. I have never been so sad when the book came to an end and I had to leave this incredible world. I recommend it every chance I get. It's a magical experience.
Rating:
Summary: The Arthur legend from the viewpoint of the women involved.
Review: This is not a typical Marion Zimmer Bradley book. Although
I've enjoyed all of her books, this is the one I've lost
over 10 times "lending" it out to friends who never returned
it. I have to keep re-buying it, since it stands up so well
to repeated reading. The Arthur legend has been retold so
many times, but never like this. Forget the other versions.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent retelling of the Arthurian legend
Review: I will simply add to the praise posted here; this book is
wonderful. Like another reader who has posted a review, I
first read this novel in high school. Not only is it a
beautifully written, evocative novel, but in the wider
perspective it contains a valuable lesson about
historical perspective. What would the pre-Christians say,
if we could hear their words today? This book offers an
answer.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Bradley's Mists of Avalon is one of the best novels I've ever read; I've given it to a variety of friends with vastly different tastes in reading and everyone has loved it. Reams have been written about the Arthurian legends, but Bradley spins her tale from a different perspective--that of the women of Avalon--and creates an beautiful, enthralling novel. It's one of the few books I've never wanted to end. Her post-Mists books don't come close to this one
Rating:
Summary: "Viviane, I caution you against pride"
Review:
Of the (many) sentences from this book that lodge in the mind so
vividly they seem like personal memories - of the (many) scenes that
interlace and cross-fertilize the plots that illuminate this story from within - that one has floated close to the surface of my own
the longest.
Ms. Bradley has woven, of intensely personal threads, a mirror as
lucid and evanescent as the waters used by the priestesses of Avalon.
Comparisons with the truly great stories are impossible to avoid: so much
is rendered so convincingly that no summary can do justice to its vision.
There is a church in Paris that was once, or is built on the site of, an
ancient temple to the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis. As I understand it, the Catholic Church simply incorporated large parts of her symbolism into its own hagiography. I would be surprised to discover that Ms. Bradley does not
know this, and the details of the history behind it, far better than I do. She tells the story of the beginnings of the modern world, as the ancient world might
have wanted it told.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book!
Review: I loved this book. I read it when I was 16 and I've never
been the same since. It completely enthralled me with the
Fantasy Genre. Marion Z-B. gives such a beautiful view of the Arthur legend. She portrays the many sides of power that exsisted in that time period. The old Pagan ways and the begining Christianity and how they both worked to stay rooted
in that time. Sacrifice and how it affects the characters is a large part of this novel. Her female characters are strong
and bring intelligence to the few choices offered them in that time in history. I learned a lot about motivations and
human feelings from this book.
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