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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
1.5 ☆
point is, bradley was a piece of shit
i struggled with this book for such a long time & kept taking breaks from it & tbh there was only one fragment (by which i mean like 200-300 pages) that i truly enjoyed - when young morgaine was staying at court. and yes, the book is mostly in her pov but actually almost every woman gets some chapters in her own pov: igraine (terribly infantile in her youth), morgause (it seems she mostly cared abt power & then young men in her bad), viviane (one of the only ones who didn't leave much of an impression), gwenhwyfar (the main reason for my drudgery! i never knew if i should laugh at her or cry). those changes in pov were a great way to let the story focus on feelings and life & schemes at court (tho in this case 'scheme' is a rly big word...) instead of only fighting and endless wars. which leads us to the conclusion that 'the mists...' are actually nothing but a romance. it has a wonderful, rich background, sure, but that doesn't change the fact that everywhere u look there's some fool in love & indeed love seems like the main reason for making any decisions.
point is, bradley was a piece of shit
i struggled with this book for such a long time & kept taking breaks from it & tbh there was only one fragment (by which i mean like 200-300 pages) that i truly enjoyed - when young morgaine was staying at court. and yes, the book is mostly in her pov but actually almost every woman gets some chapters in her own pov: igraine (terribly infantile in her youth), morgause (it seems she mostly cared abt power & then young men in her bad), viviane (one of the only ones who didn't leave much of an impression), gwenhwyfar (the main reason for my drudgery! i never knew if i should laugh at her or cry). those changes in pov were a great way to let the story focus on feelings and life & schemes at court (tho in this case 'scheme' is a rly big word...) instead of only fighting and endless wars. which leads us to the conclusion that 'the mists...' are actually nothing but a romance. it has a wonderful, rich background, sure, but that doesn't change the fact that everywhere u look there's some fool in love & indeed love seems like the main reason for making any decisions.
I picked up this novel at a thrift shop with the title sticking in the back of my head. I knew I had heard of it but wasn't really sure what it was about. But I figured for 50 cents it would be read eventually. That was one of the best decisions I have made.
I can honestly say this is one of the very few books that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. The characters where well written and the story moved along nicely. I finished the entire thing in 3 days, barely putting it down. The ONLY negative I can find with this story, is the fact that it has now spoiled me and no other Arthurian retelling will come close to comparing in my eyes.
I can honestly say this is one of the very few books that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. The characters where well written and the story moved along nicely. I finished the entire thing in 3 days, barely putting it down. The ONLY negative I can find with this story, is the fact that it has now spoiled me and no other Arthurian retelling will come close to comparing in my eyes.
This is a hard book to review. It meant so much to me when I first read it in my late 20's. The prose is beautiful and lyrical. The use of complicated female main characters in a best selling book is eye opening and exciting. However, I have not been able to look at it the same way again after learning of the terrible things (that are too graphic and numerous to repeat here) the author is undoubtedly guilty of committing. It leads to many questions. Are all books to be judged based on the authors private life? Do books become autonomous of the author and "public property" once published? Or are some acts too heinous to forgive and separate from an authors works?
I'll admit to being undecided about a book that resonated with so many including myself. But I will also admit to feeling the taint of the authors crimes whenever I pick up the book to glance through it again. Like others, I find myself looking for hints of Bradley's twisted nature within the text. Sadly, the light of truth has been shown upon its pages and (for me anyways) cannot be undone.
I'll admit to being undecided about a book that resonated with so many including myself. But I will also admit to feeling the taint of the authors crimes whenever I pick up the book to glance through it again. Like others, I find myself looking for hints of Bradley's twisted nature within the text. Sadly, the light of truth has been shown upon its pages and (for me anyways) cannot be undone.
As someone who's trying to get back into reading classics, I found this a really good entry point because the book is short, the chapters are short and the story is quite fun. I really enjoyed this book!
It's about Phileas Fogg, a rich gentleman who makes a bet that he can travel around the world in eighty days. He and his manservant, Passepartout, encounter many people and obstacles on the way, including a Metropolitan Police officer who suspects Fogg of bank robbery.
There were some funny parts - I was amused by the whole premise to be honest. A couple of things jarred with me, for instance Verne used the word 'phlegmatic' at least seven times to describe Phileas, which I found repetitive. The presentation of Native Americans as savages also made me blink but I accepted it as typical of the attitude of the time.
The edition I read was Penguin's Clothbound Classic, which had multiple footnotes on every page. This could be seen as a help or hinderance but I occasionally dipped into the footnotes when needed.
It's about Phileas Fogg, a rich gentleman who makes a bet that he can travel around the world in eighty days. He and his manservant, Passepartout, encounter many people and obstacles on the way, including a Metropolitan Police officer who suspects Fogg of bank robbery.
There were some funny parts - I was amused by the whole premise to be honest. A couple of things jarred with me, for instance Verne used the word 'phlegmatic' at least seven times to describe Phileas, which I found repetitive. The presentation of Native Americans as savages also made me blink but I accepted it as typical of the attitude of the time.
The edition I read was Penguin's Clothbound Classic, which had multiple footnotes on every page. This could be seen as a help or hinderance but I occasionally dipped into the footnotes when needed.
Didn't finish. Read through reviews and learned about how she abused her daughter and enabled her husband's abuse of many kids and just can't do it.
Arrivare alla fine del libro è stato incredibilmente doloroso. Lo stile di scrittura è indubbiamente da cinque stelle, ma personaggi non mi hanno convinta del tutto. Morgana acquista la sua umanità soltanto verso la fine, Artù mi è sembrato tutto fuorché glorioso; Lancillotto, poverino, mi è rimasto nel cuore, mentre l’unica cosa buona che Ginevra sia riuscita a fare è stata uscire di scena. Mordred, a discapito di tutto, l’ho trovato insignificante.
Da amante folle del Ciclo Bretone mi sento di dare 3 stelle: quando un romanzo mi fa soffrire, lo ammetto, mi piace, e non riesco mai ad essere troppo severa nel giudizio.
Da amante folle del Ciclo Bretone mi sento di dare 3 stelle: quando un romanzo mi fa soffrire, lo ammetto, mi piace, e non riesco mai ad essere troppo severa nel giudizio.
I had such high hopes for this book but was sorely disappointed. The portrayal of all the females was outrageous - MZB had depicted them as weak without a man, Guinevere constantly whined and pined over Lancelot. In fact, all the women did. I didn't need to be reminded every 50 pages how perfect and beautiful Lancelot was. I had hoped that she would have shown a darker side to him, instead of depicting how wonderful he was, as the legends have told.
Morgaine was definitely an interesting character but she seemed to care so much about how appearance and not of the power that she wields. She is the heir to being Lady of the Lake yet she was so worried that she wasn't beautiful. MZB seemed to play all the characters against each other - Morgaine and Guinevere caught up in so much hate and jealousy. Where's the union between the females? The empowerment? I just felt that it was very dated. Even with an all female perspective, the men stilled seemed to hold all the power.
I was thoroughly intrigued by Raven and Mordred, it was just a shame that the two characters were no t featured in the story more often.
I still believe that the portrayal of all the characters in the BBC Merlin tv series is still the best that I have ever come across. And I don't think I will find anything better, save Tennyson's Idylls of the King which I thoroughly enjoyed.
MZB definitely has a talent for writing, she made me believe that the book was going to get better but her descriptions of Avalon and the surrounding countryside was enticing and tantalising. Thus the extra star.
Morgaine was definitely an interesting character but she seemed to care so much about how appearance and not of the power that she wields. She is the heir to being Lady of the Lake yet she was so worried that she wasn't beautiful. MZB seemed to play all the characters against each other - Morgaine and Guinevere caught up in so much hate and jealousy. Where's the union between the females? The empowerment? I just felt that it was very dated. Even with an all female perspective, the men stilled seemed to hold all the power.
I was thoroughly intrigued by Raven and Mordred, it was just a shame that the two characters were no t featured in the story more often.
I still believe that the portrayal of all the characters in the BBC Merlin tv series is still the best that I have ever come across. And I don't think I will find anything better, save Tennyson's Idylls of the King which I thoroughly enjoyed.
MZB definitely has a talent for writing, she made me believe that the book was going to get better but her descriptions of Avalon and the surrounding countryside was enticing and tantalising. Thus the extra star.
Estou completamente obcecada. JURO.
Morgana, eu nasci pra te venerar.
Morgana, eu nasci pra te venerar.
Bradley offers a refreshing perspective on the Arthurian saga. I read this right after having read T.H. White, and though they presented very different versions of the story, I enjoyed them both immensely.