Genre: Historical FictionAuthor: Persia Woolley
About (from Goodreads):Often portrayed as spoiled, in Persia Woolley's hands Guinevere comes alive as a high-spirited, passionate woman. When she is chosen by Arthur to be his wife, Guinevere's independence wars with her family loyalty. As the wedding approaches and hints of rebellion abound, she learns that the old gods are in revolt against the new Christian church, and that scattered kingdoms are stirring from their uneasy peace. This is Arthurian epic at its best, filled with romance, adventure, authentic historical detail, and a landscape alive with the mystery of Britain in the Dark Ages.
Published: November 1, 2010 by Sourcebooks Inc.
I am trying out a new review format today called "3 Reasons Review". Jen from Jenny loves to read and I have chatted about coming up with a simple review format. Something with just the basics of what readers would want to know about a book. Some books do not require an in-depth analysis, yet as reviewers we still strive to get the important bits across to our readers. Therefore, the 3 Reasons, came from what Jenny and I think are most important. Didn't come up with a fancy button yet, but working on it. (If you have suggestions about this new format, please let me know.) I copied this directly from Jen's blog and just changed the order of our names so it made sense. Believe me Jenny came up with almost all of this!!! She rocks!
1.) Reasons you chose this book
I'm a big fan of the story about King Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Round Table. I had never heard of this author nor her book, so I thought I would give it a shot.
2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
- I enjoyed reading the author's version of who Guinevere was and how she came to be King Arthur's bride. I thought she was an interesting character who became multi-faceted as she grew older. Making her an expert horse rider was pure genius as this is how she makes a connection with Arthur.
- What I didn't enjoy was how the author kept changing between past and present. At times I thought it was confusing and it made the reading feel stilted at times. What is funny about this is that in the back of the book the author asks the question if using this technique was confusing to her readers! I guess my thought is that if you're questioning your own process then maybe you should do something different. I wish that she would have wrote this in two parts...pre-Arthur and post-Arthur.
- Changing of names was a bit confusing to me. She didn't mention Sir Lancelot but maybe once or twice and in every story I've read much has been made of Lancelot and Guinevere's relationship. I was a bit put off by that but managed to move on.
- There was too much information that I felt could have been left out. It made the story drag at times and I caught myself a time or two wishing that there would be some sort of action or an earth shattering event. It never happened.
3.) Reasons you are recommending this book
- Reasons for- if you have followed the King Arthur tale and would like to add another story to your library then I would say that you would enjoy this one. It is slow at times, but overall I thought it was a good read.
- Reasons against- If you're like me and devoured "Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley then you may feel a bit let down. I believe that Bradley wrote the ultimate book based on the legend of the Round Table, Lady of the Lake, Arthur, Merlin, Morgause (the list can go on with characters). To me it is hard to beat this book and sadly I compare everything concerned with this subject to 'Mists of Avalon.'
- Interesting tidbit: Persia Woolley wrote this the same time Zimmer Bradley was writing 'Mists of Avalon.' She felt that the major difference between the two books is that hers was based on the reality of the time period, and stayed true to customs and lores. While Zimmer Bradley used more of a fantasy element in her writing. For me that was the difference....I love fantasy!!!
Rating: 3/5
Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review.
My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.
They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.
© 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
