The White Raven

Rating:
Summary: Fairly Good
Review: Anyone who believes this book to be about the romance of Trystan and Iseult has missed the point of this book entirely. The legend only provides the base for the events in the story. The real heroine in the book is Branwen who growns from maidenhood to adulthood with Iseult and learns to tap into the power of the Goddess. The book in itself is good, but not for its Arthurian content. Some scenes of pagan worship may disturb the quesy reader.

Rating:
Summary: Rivetign read
Review: Diana Paxson writes so eloquently of Branwen's story against the backdrop of Tristan and Isault's. Her presentation of Branwen's sacrifices in the face of Isault and Tristan's somewhat selfish love affair made compelling reading! Far from being a soft love story, Paxson's tale gives a fascinating account of relationships, unrequited love and selfless/selfish ambitions. I have read this years ago and still do re-read it occasionally...and the magic is still there! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Rivetign read
Review: Diana Paxson writes so eloquently of Branwen's story against the backdrop of Tristan and Isault's. Her presentation of Branwen's sacrifices in the face of Isault and Tristan's somewhat selfish love affair made compelling reading! Far from being a soft love story, Paxson's tale gives a fascinating account of relationships, unrequited love and selfless/selfish ambitions. I have read this years ago and still do re-read it occasionally...and the magic is still there! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I really couldn't put it down. I felt like I WAS Branwen. I love mythology, but I didn't feel like I was reading a myth. A beautiful story!

Rating:
Summary: A book that haunted me for years....
Review: I first read this book quite a few years ago when it first came out. I loved it then but after moving several times I lost my copy. This book haunted me. I recently found another copy through Amazon and was able to read it again. Ms. Paxson's detailed imagery and entrancing writing style carry you along on currents of emotions. Her re-telling of the love story of Tristan and Iseult is ingenius. If you can find this book, get it! You won't regret it!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The real shame about this book is that the Tristan and Iseult myth in itself is amazing. Unfortunatly, Brissen, as Paxton's narrator, comes off as too heavy-handed to be sympathetic, and Tristan and Iseult (names respelled, of course) are no more than empty stereotypes at times. The emotional impact of the myth is lost in this clunky retelling.