Reviews

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck

rebeeps's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.5

delaney's review against another edition

 Not what I thought it was

papidoc's review against another edition

4.0

I have loved the tales and attendant lessons of King Arthur and the knights of the roundtable from a young age. This is one of the best renditions of some of the Arthurian legends that I have seen. It is appropriate for young adults and old adults alike, and brings to life the ideas of honor, loyalty, friendship, love and so forth that are inherent in the stories about King Arthur. In Steinbeck's version we find legends about Merlin the wizard, King Arthur's wedding to Guinevere, the wicked Morgan Le Fay, Gawain and his brother knights, and the inestimable Sir Lancelot of the Lake. Wonderful!

annalisenak97's review against another edition

4.0

This is a delightful retelling of the King Arthur stories. It's by no means exhaustive-- Steinbeck never finished it. But the first half of the book reads like the old myths, while the second half of the book definitely feels more like a Steinbeck work. Both "sections" are wonderful! This is definitely a King Arthur retelling that I will cherish. Also, at the back of the book is an extensive appendix of Steinbeck's letters to his editors concerning this work and it's just marvelous to see how he thinks about the Arthurian legends and his writing process and WOW it's just fascinating. That was by far my favorite part.

balletbookworm's review

3.0

I could do without the essay by Christopher Paolini; I didn't think it was terribly enlightening.

obnorthrup's review

3.0

A compelling and accessible take on Arthurian legend. The most interesting part is the appendix, which collects Steinbeck's letters about the writing process.

magaramach's review against another edition

4.0

Started kind of slow and unenjoyable, but the last story about Lancelot and Sir Ewain’s story were absolutely fantastic.
Also, a moment to appreciate Sir Kay the Seneschal. Because I just really love him.

artyemis's review against another edition

4.0

<< Nel cimitero presso la chiesa, nel punto più vicino all'altare maggiore, venne veduto un grande blocco di marmo e nel marmo affondava un'incudine entro la quale era conficcata una spada. In lettera d'oro stava scritto:
chiunque estragga questa spada dal marmo e dall'incudine sarà Re di tutta l'Inghilterra. >>

guinness74's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

I am a Steinbeck fan, and this is by far my least favorite of his works. Steinbeck left this unfinished apparently…probably bored by it, as I was. However, he was apparently excited about the prospect of creating Arthurian legends. Alas, I was not impressed, and I nearly left this unfinished myself. 

obscuredbyclouds's review

4.0

I found this hard to get through in the beginning, and was completely hooked by the end - sadly, Steinbeck never finished this. I think the quality of the segments varies, and it feels a little strange to read something that the author never considered finished himself. I wouldn't want someone criticize my writing on a first or second draft. With that said, some of the earlier sections were not that engaging to me. I really didn't find Merlin interesting, for example. These parts felt a bit like reading the Bible or Icelandic sagas. Kind of cool, but very detached and not thrilling.

The Lancelot chapters on the other hand were super engaging. As was the chapter on Gawain. Both times I wished they were longer.

I have never read any other book about King Arthur, so I can't compare this retelling (honestly, the closest I've come is rewatch Monthy Python & The Holy Grail a bunch of times). But I can speak on its literary merit - I was seriously bummed when the book was over.