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deborahmaryrose's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book when I was a pre-teen, and it certainly got me hooked on the legends of King Arthur. It is a fairly "sanitized" version, all knights and lovely ladies, with some magical creatures including the famous Merlin. Since then I have graduated to reading the darker tales, such as "the Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which doEs much to fill in the details of the time including the worship of the Mother Goddess, the conflict between the so-called pagans of the time and the Christian Church. The love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere, far from being purely platonic as told by Lodor Merchant, was a true love affair which destroyed the lives of the three people there entwined. The lives of the priestesses, Morgaine Le Fey, her mother, and her three sisters, are more fully explored, as are their machinations which were to bring about the tragedies at the Court of Camelot.
purstiltski's review
3.0
Enjoyable, nice to see more dialogue and less fighting than the other Arthurian romances I've read. Interesting to see the ways that Malory shifts around, and adds and subtracts from, the Mort Artu, particularly the great lengths he goes to change Lancelot and Guinevere's relationship. I prefer the Mort Artu overall, spare the tedious battle sequences, but I'm glad that Malory's legacy kept Arthurian literature alive.
shaekin's review
3.0
I probably would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I hadn't already heard essentially all of the stories in other books. This book was less enjoyable due to the old language. Didn't hate it, didn't love it.
zeydejd's review
3.0
Took a minute to get used to ye olde English, but it started to settle in about halfway into this selection. The best, by far, was the final tale broken into 5 chapters (The Most Piteous Tale of the Morte Arthur Saunz Guerdon), though I may have simply liked it best because of the continuity. Overall old Arthurian tales are a bit romantic, tragic and dramatic in ways I don't totally care for. Not one king or knight seems to hold by rules of nobility or knighthood, yet there is a clear distinction for knights who are good vs evil which is tiresome in Arthurian literature.
Good enough to keep my attention, but I'm excited to move on.
Good enough to keep my attention, but I'm excited to move on.
hannault's review
2.0
King Arthur, who? This book is about Lancelot. Who also happens to be the worst friend ever. Everybody is so hyped about him all the time, proclaiming how he is the best knight to walk to earth when honestly, he just kind of sucks. He sleeps with the King’s wife; he kills a bunch of his closest friends and he divides the round table forever. I had to force myself through this book, and although it shocked me with plot twists and betrayals, it was still boring.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
4.0
Simplified but entertaining versions of the Arthurian stories from Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, intended for children. I prefer this Winston edition illustrated by Frank Godwin; his wonderful pen-and-ink drawings and full-color plates are reminiscent of both N.C. Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish.
stefyluna's review
4.0
Beh, la leggenda di Re artù e del Santo Graal ha sempre il suo fascino. Già da piccola mi intrigava molto.
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