Reviews

Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson

emlickliter's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

4.0

Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson - Did you have a Camelot hyper fixation? Or would you like to have one? This is a good place to start! Happy Reading! 

dakotah0312's review against another edition

4.0

It was only just recently that I became interested in Arthurian legend, and this was the first "authentic" (not a modern remix) of the story that I managed to find a copy of. It was absolutely magical and had feeling bleeding from the pages. This was a wonderful start.

itxh66's review against another edition

4.0

A really beautiful set of stories, and it surprised me with how simply yet flowery it was written.

I picked this up after writing an essay about Julia Margaret Cameron, a photographer who was friends with Tennyson and did a photograph series illustrating the Idylls, and Tennyson seemed really cool (I recommend looking up the photographs if you’re interested, they pair really well with the stories).This book was great! Some stories missed me but others were really nice and romantic. :)

jennawatson's review against another edition

Whatever you think of Tennyson’s overall project here, you cannot deny that his poetry is utterly stunning. It is rewarding to study complex texts that make me better understand problematic narratives we have inherited while also letting me read gorgeous poetry.

kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition

5.0

Light frothy poetry, easy to read! Thoroughly enjoyable!

jackieh's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition

5.0

I could give you a hundred literary reasons to read these poems. I could talk about how Arthur mirrors Tennyson's own time. I could point out that Tennyson is one of the greats. The real reason why I love this book, why I love these poems is simply the poem "Gareth and Lynette". There are times when a reader feels truly connected to an author. Not in the sense of the written word being read, but in the sense of learning something about the author that also applies to the reader. For instance, learning A. S. Byatt also likes Terry Pratchett. When I reached the end of "Gareth and Lynette", when I read Tennyson's ending of that poem, it was one those moments. The "author feels extactly like I do about this" moments. That connection that can exist between a dead (or even living) author and a reader where both minds are in sync. Tennyson's work might be romantic, it might be heroic, but the ending of "Gareth” is oh so modern. Any modern woman would love it.

goldenqueen3's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this!! Its incredibly beautiful the language the storys were all so good!!!

the_valiant's review against another edition

5.0

Did I freak out during finals and start comfort reading this? yupppppppp. Sometimes I remember people who aren't me can read these lol

darwin's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm glad I read this, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. How invested I was definitely depended on each specific poem. I enjoyed the broad approach to introducing many different knights, but it came at the cost of feeling like nobody had significant growth or was able to grow on you.

Personally, I much prefer Tennyson's Arthurian poems not included in Idylls of the King, "The Lady of Shalott" and "Sir Galahad". They're stand-alone, so I might recommend looking into them first. If you enjoy them, you might be like me and appreciate enough of Idylls to give the book a shot.