Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing perspective
Review: It's always a delight to find yet another perspective of the Arthurian legends, and this one is intriguing. I loved the Mists of Avalon, of course, but Ms. Miles' story encourages us to take another look at Bradley's Morgan and Guenevere. For those of us who haven't read the 80 plus Arthurian books that other reviewers refer to, this is a wonderful story that doesn't dull our wits with Welsh names that are impossible to pronounce (as much as I love Wales... don't get me wrong...). In short, it is a wonderful story and it presents the reader with new ideas. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because it could have given the "witches" at Morgan's convent a more comprehensive historical background. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Recycled Legend
Review: Having read most of the feminist retellings of the Arthurian Legend, I have to admit that this was one of the most unimaginative versions to date. Aside from the preposterous notion of a matriarchal subkingdom within Arthur's Britain, there really isn't any original material within the 400 or so pages of this book. Guenevere is typically selfish and yet not quite as strong willed as she tends to be in other novels of this sort. The plot is just about as weak as the supporting characters, with the exception of Morgan Le Fay, whom I would have liked to see more of. Her background was fairly original following the outline of Le Morte D'Arthur where she is sent to convent, all in all a nice change. I would recomend this book only to those who have not sampled other literary offerings cut from the same mold.
Rating: 
Summary: Another version of the tales, with little to add
Review: I read most current versions of the Arthurian legends; most of them are no great shakes. This one, sadly, falls into that category. This is not a /bad/ book, it is just not a terribly /good/ one.Like many current works pertaining to the tales of Arthur, this one is set nebulously in "historical times". There are trappings to make it seem like tale takes place just a bit after the Romans pull out of Britain, but only hints. There are a host of anachronisms which would not stand out if only she had placed the tales outside of time, much as Sharan Newman did. Of history, there is little. Of fantasy, there is little, also -- no dragons, no magic, just a lot of very strong-willed and weak- willed people. In fact this is one of the problems -- her main characters cannot make up their minds as to whether they are dynamic leaders or merely swept along by events larger than themselves. Guenevere is neither a truly strong nor engaging character. At least half of her dialogue takes place in her head; she seems incredibly reticent to speak her mind. Her love for Arthur is immediate and wholehearted, without any real reason. She leads a group of vague pagans who all worship The Mother, a wholy benign being who seems to insist on a lot of sex, very little ceremony, and no strong thought other than "We Are Not Christian". Apparently Guenevere should be a warleader as well as a political leader for her people, yet despite the fact that she is 20-odd years old when we first meet her, she has had no training in battle. On the other hand, she has an immediate grasp of tactics the moment she views a battle. I rather like the fact that Merlin is a dark character in this work -- so many Merlins since TH White have been such nice, sanitized people that one forgets he was a figure of mystery and even terror in the early legends, the product of a nun and a demon. On the other hand, his characterization is again rather shallow -- somehow he is connected to the Pendragon household and is determined to see it continue in a position of power, but he has these visions of nubile young things that taunt him in is unguarded moments. Once he finds a woman, he is imprisoned as a madman. Poof. End of Merlin. I put this book in the same rough category as Nancy McKenzie's "Child Queen", Joan Wolf's "The Road to Avalon", and Helen Hollick's "Pendragon's Bannder series" -- not bad, but not really good. If you are looking for a good version of the tales from a female perspective, I heartily recommend either Vera Chapman or Fay Sampson. Ms. Miles' work is merely there, another novel that will go through a single printing and be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: A Story Already Told Before
Review: Guenevere has indeed been described before and a much stronger and three dimensional characters can be found in Marion Zimmer Bradley's 'The Mists of Avalon'. 'Queen of the Summer Country' has borrowed a lot of its strength from Zimmer Bradley's story (that by the way was written in 1982 - long before this book was written.) The characters are flat, un-explored, and as someone already pointed out: the constant repetition of 'Arthur oh Arthur' is an effective tool to drive readers insane, sigh! I will not buy the next book but might borrow it from the library - I do love Arthurian stories...
Rating: 
Summary: Pass This "Novel of Camelot" By
Review: Guenevere is the daughter of the Queen of the Summer Country, a title she takes on upon her mother's inopportune death, engineered by Merlin. Merlin has foreseen the dangers that Guenevere poses to Arthur, so he arranges everything he can to prevent the two from meeting. He did not forsee the persistence of Arthur, indeed, does not foresee that Arthur can think for himself. In this novel, it is always a danger when Arthur thinks for himself. He is much better off when he takes the advice of his advisors, rather than thinking on his own. Unlike most recent novels that try to avoid Mallory and his romantic predecessors by focusing instead on Celtic and Roman legends and mythologies, Miles tries to blend the two. It might have been a successful blend had the characters been more likeable and fully fleshed. Guenevere is not the powerful Celtic queen, but the helpless, selfless (and I hate to use the term) nag whose extreme love for her and Arthur's son leads to a breakdown in their marriage, especially after Arthur (yet again following his own counsel) takes the boy to the battle that leads to the boy's death. Arthur finally falls victim to Morgan's wiles (who inexplicably is always trying to destroy Arthur. Apparently you are supposed to kill the son of the man who imprisoned you, even when the son is the one who gets you out of the nunnery and gives you your very own palace.) and Guenevere starts her liaison with Lancelot in the annoying manner of courtly love. Reading Lancelot whine about his honor sets one's teeth on edge. The characters rarely break one dimension, especially Lancelot, but this follows in the tradition of Mallory and de Troyes. I have complained in other reviews that the character of Arthur is rarely fully fleshed out. This novel is no exception. Miles' efforts to make Arthur human have only served to diminished him. He seems nice enough, but he is moody and dependent, on Merlin and Guenevere. He easily falls victim to the evil plots of Morgan and Merlin. As mentioned above, anytime he makes a decision on his own, disaster strikes. The only successful thing he accomplished on his own is rescuing Guenevere from Malgaunt. Dishwater has more charisma than this Arthur. This must be the first in a series. I will avoid the second like the plague, and recommend the first be avoided as well.
Rating: 
Summary: THUMBS UP FOR GWEN BOOK!
Review: This was a riveting read - I can't wait for the third book to be published!
Rating:
Summary: Miles creats a totally unsympathetic Guenevere
Review: Having read a good 80 books on the subjects of King Arthur and Guenevere, I was extremely disappointed in this one. Miles has created a completely unsympathetic character -- one that is so shallow, annoying and at times infuriating that I almost didn't care enough about her to finish the book. And what makes this even more disappointing is the fact that Miles' voice and writing style are good, and there is so much more she could have done. The story has so much potential that is squandered in this book.
Rating:
Summary: a brilliant work
Review: I find it a cowardly act to spout such venom at a brilliant work of fiction which has quite obviously been the author's passion as well as the object of scrupulous research, simply because her choices did not jibe with the reviewer's choices, or because the work did not compare favorably with something previously read. These comments reek of hostility and one wonders what the real source of frustration is. It seems to me the only reason for so vile a reveiw is an attempt to keep people from reading the work, and that is a repulsive and frightening thought. Rosalind Miles' Guevevere is the most original and fascinating portrayal of the queen I have ever read. I look forward to the next two books in the trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate polemic, sadly disappointing
Review: A long time fan of everything Arthurian, and of various takes on Welsh mythology I was exited to find this book. Sadly it is little more than a venting of the author's frustration with patriarchy (a valid frustration, I agree strongly) and obviously poor lovemaking experiences. While it may have been good therapy to write it, as an entertaining story it falls flat. I have loved books by Susan Griffin, and Evangeline Walton's treatment of the Mabinogion, books on Arianrhod, and other feminist treatments of old stories, Myths of Avalon included, but this is weak and trite. Clearly interpretations to legends are free territory, but making Merlin nothing more than a vindictive, selfish dirty old man is a cop out. The legend deserves more complexity than this. The simple line between good and evil here is so, well simple, that the characters lack depth and the plot lacks intricacy. Thank the Goddess that the legend is eternal and will outlive this sad portrayal for others to redeem the stories and the Queen so sadly reduced here.
Rating:
Summary: Compared to others-this book is mediocre at best
Review: I love fictional retellings of Arthurian legends. After reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon, this book was a little disappointing. Ms. Miles hypes Guinevere to be a "strong female character," however the actions and thoughts of the character do not portray her as being anything but flighty. The repetition of the phrases in her thoughts "oh Arthur, oh Arthur" becomes more than annoying for a character who is supposed to be the heroine. I do not think that this book deserves the strong criticism of previous reviewers, however. I enjoyed the book, for the most part, and will continue reading the trilogy as books are released. I am very curious to see how Ms. Miles will be able to fill another 2 books, when the largest part of the story was told in the first novel. She appears to be retelling the saga in a different chronological order than I have seen before, so I feel that this is definitely worth a second look.
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