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moonulv's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
amberherbert's review against another edition
3.0
Wow, this was bland! Being an English major, I understand that 15th-century literature is significantly different to what we’ve since grown accustomed to. Nevertheless, I couldn’t even finish the first story before throwing in the towel. Even as a modernized version of Malory’s text, the battle scenes were overly verbose while offering little to no detail, paragraphs consisting of a list of characters were abundant and nearly impossible to unpack, and the prose left much to be desired. Unless you’re an Arthurian legend buff, I wouldn’t recommend this text.
emolsen19's review against another edition
I'm finally free.
After 700 pages (well, 698, but who's counting?) I'm finally free. I read for a class I really enjoyed, but this guy really could have just said "bros before hoes" and been done. I recognize the importance, and I'm glad I read it, but... yikes. Good to be done with Lancelot/Launcelot/Lancelotte and Trystram/Trystrams/Trystam as well as Arthur/Arthure/Arther.
After 700 pages (well, 698, but who's counting?) I'm finally free. I read for a class I really enjoyed, but this guy really could have just said "bros before hoes" and been done. I recognize the importance, and I'm glad I read it, but... yikes. Good to be done with Lancelot/Launcelot/Lancelotte and Trystram/Trystrams/Trystam as well as Arthur/Arthure/Arther.
lizabethstucker's review against another edition
3.0
This is the classic rendition by Keith Baines. Baines works his way through the original, flowery language, changing it to a more accessible prose form. I must admit that I last read this book almost 30 years ago in the flowery epic poetry version. For those curious about some of the Arthurian legends, this might be a good introduction. Particularly if the very sight of stanzas freak them out.
Overall, this was a good read, but it felt as if something was missing, that Baines sped through some of the more descriptive passages too quickly. He makes note in his introduction that Malory didn't go into specific details about much of the battles or descriptions of the various characters. I never minded that as I have an imagination of my own to fill in those bits. But once the language is muted, some of the joy and delight appears missing. Some sections almost seem like simple name listing.
Overall, this was a good read, but it felt as if something was missing, that Baines sped through some of the more descriptive passages too quickly. He makes note in his introduction that Malory didn't go into specific details about much of the battles or descriptions of the various characters. I never minded that as I have an imagination of my own to fill in those bits. But once the language is muted, some of the joy and delight appears missing. Some sections almost seem like simple name listing.
lckeser7's review against another edition
3.0
The title's a spoiler and it borders on misogyny; I enjoyed it anyway.
jmmeyer's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this because I LOVE the Mists of Avalon and this was the foundation for that book. I am just not an Arthurian girl. I thought it was ok over all but just not my thing. I really don't like the characters much. The women are hopelessly horrid and the men rather lame throughout. Merlin was really disappointing too. Just not my thing. If I were into the legends I think I would like this because it's the foundation of so many stories and retellings and does a good job of covering everything I've learned about in classes and such. If you like Arthur and the round table read this, if not don't worry about it.
kateloveswords's review against another edition
1.0
Such a difficult read - repetitive, boring, and seemingly random occurrences. I described it to a friend as a bad tabletop game with a randomizer instead of a DM. Logistically, the fighting doesn't make a lot of sense, and as literature, the story is told poorly. It's like the author doesn't even care about what he's writing (of course, it's a translation, so that must be taken into account). When two knights meet, challenge each other, fight for six hours, and one of them gets defeated and beheaded, it should take a bit more than 3 sentences. Otherwise it's just a summary.
One of my favorite (being that it's just totally ridiculous) parts is on page 400, when Sir Bors sees his brother Sir Lyonel "bound naked to a horse and being beaten with thorns by two knights." Just as he's about to save his brother, he sees a noblewoman being abducted by another knight. Sir Bors hopes his brother will withstand, and goes after the maiden. Great so far. However, after he defeats the abducting knight, instead of going back to save his brother (while he's still in the area), he leaves with the maiden to go to her castle, and recount the story to a bunch of other knights. When the knights want to present Sir Bors to the father of the maiden, it's only then that he says, "No, I have to go elsewhere," and sets off back to find his brother. It says for a long time, Sir Bors could find no trace of him, so I imagine he's been away from the scene for a long time.
It just seems a bit ridiculous that Sir Bors wouldn't go back to save his brother *before* he goes to socialize with the maiden's household. That's just one example of scores of what I would deem unchivalrous behavior by a group that is supposed to be the utmost of chivalry. And the story isn't even told in a way that makes me sympathetic with the knights who are flawed; instead their actions make no sense because their characters are 2-dimensional.
One of my favorite (being that it's just totally ridiculous) parts is on page 400, when Sir Bors sees his brother Sir Lyonel "bound naked to a horse and being beaten with thorns by two knights." Just as he's about to save his brother, he sees a noblewoman being abducted by another knight. Sir Bors hopes his brother will withstand, and goes after the maiden. Great so far. However, after he defeats the abducting knight, instead of going back to save his brother (while he's still in the area), he leaves with the maiden to go to her castle, and recount the story to a bunch of other knights. When the knights want to present Sir Bors to the father of the maiden, it's only then that he says, "No, I have to go elsewhere," and sets off back to find his brother. It says for a long time, Sir Bors could find no trace of him, so I imagine he's been away from the scene for a long time.
It just seems a bit ridiculous that Sir Bors wouldn't go back to save his brother *before* he goes to socialize with the maiden's household. That's just one example of scores of what I would deem unchivalrous behavior by a group that is supposed to be the utmost of chivalry. And the story isn't even told in a way that makes me sympathetic with the knights who are flawed; instead their actions make no sense because their characters are 2-dimensional.
vasha's review against another edition
Though I consider myself generally open to non-modern literature, I found this awfully hard to read. The descriptions of tourneys and combats are maddeningly repetitive, and attention is paid to matters of accoutrement, wealth, and genealogy that, I think, can't possibly appeal to those outside that social milieu. Not that there isn't some interest, some developments. However, I only have the first volume, which ends just when the story of Tristam is threatening to become interesting.
sydnie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I had to read this book for an English project, and it was kind of the worst. There were a few moments that were so bizarre that I found them iconic, including but not limited to:
1) Arthur's father's reaction to being rejected by a married woman being to declare war against them, kill the woman's husband, magically transform himself into looking like her recently deceased husband, and then conceiving Arthur with her. Bonus points for Igraine being happy about this when she finds out her current husband (because you bet Arthur's dad wifed her up real quick after she found out she had been widowed, because of course he did) assaulted her by impersonating her ex-husband.
2) Merlin dying on like page 60 because he simped for a sorceress so bad that she was able to bury him alive. Woof.
3) Arthur sleeping with his sister. I mean, he didn't know, and Merlin was like, "God's got a bone(r) to pick with you," so he defo paid for it, but it made me set the book down.
4) Morgan le Fay only trying to kill Arthur like once before deciding she'd rather just stir shit up. She gives Sir Tristram a shield that shows Guinevere's affair with Lancelot and tells him to bring it to Arthur's court if he doesn't want to be held prisoner, and he's like "ok lol," and THAT'S IT. Arthur is like, "huh, that's weird," and moves on. Nothing comes of it, besides Arthur proving he's once again an idiot because literally everyone and their mom knows his wife has been porking Lancelot. Morgan was the only valid character. Material gorl.
5) Arthur and Guinevere releasing a diss track on King Mark for being annoying instead of killing him. So camp.
In conclusion, I gained nothing from reading this book. There were like fifty different people with similar names that I did not care about. Monty Python did it better. I'm not surprised Malory was supposedly in prison on charges of assault, robbery, and sexual assault when he wrote this. He's the worst, and so is this story.
1) Arthur's father's reaction to being rejected by a married woman being to declare war against them, kill the woman's husband, magically transform himself into looking like her recently deceased husband, and then conceiving Arthur with her. Bonus points for Igraine being happy about this when she finds out her current husband (because you bet Arthur's dad wifed her up real quick after she found out she had been widowed, because of course he did) assaulted her by impersonating her ex-husband.
2) Merlin dying on like page 60 because he simped for a sorceress so bad that she was able to bury him alive. Woof.
3) Arthur sleeping with his sister. I mean, he didn't know, and Merlin was like, "God's got a bone(r) to pick with you," so he defo paid for it, but it made me set the book down.
4) Morgan le Fay only trying to kill Arthur like once before deciding she'd rather just stir shit up. She gives Sir Tristram a shield that shows Guinevere's affair with Lancelot and tells him to bring it to Arthur's court if he doesn't want to be held prisoner, and he's like "ok lol," and THAT'S IT. Arthur is like, "huh, that's weird," and moves on. Nothing comes of it, besides Arthur proving he's once again an idiot because literally everyone and their mom knows his wife has been porking Lancelot. Morgan was the only valid character. Material gorl.
5) Arthur and Guinevere releasing a diss track on King Mark for being annoying instead of killing him. So camp.
In conclusion, I gained nothing from reading this book. There were like fifty different people with similar names that I did not care about. Monty Python did it better. I'm not surprised Malory was supposedly in prison on charges of assault, robbery, and sexual assault when he wrote this. He's the worst, and so is this story.
oldsimoneaccount's review against another edition
3.0
This one was as hard to read as the King James Bible!!!