Reviews

Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Malory

arthurian's review against another edition

4.0

it's very difficult to rate a compendium of reconstructed arthurian legends like this. what malory attempted to do has shaped so much of our current perception of these legends and has been seen as the basis for most to follow in english, the fact that such an effort was taken in the first place is commendable.

but also i think it's fair to say for most readers, the volume 2 will prove more interesting because both the Grail Quest and the whole Launcelot-Guenever bit are there. the separation into two volumes was probably to make it less intimidating to pick up, but i believe it is a great starting point for arthuriana. as for this volume, it is more disconnected with too many quests of too many knights to count, but i think the earlier tales set the tone and acts as a world building device.

vorsoisson's review against another edition

Just purchased from Hole in the Wall Books.

jeslyncat's review against another edition

5.0

Written with gorgeous prose and intention, this has something for every person--action, war, love, magic, history, strife...

krobart's review against another edition

3.0

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/day-1210-le-morte-darthur/

larakai's review against another edition

2.5

It's entertaining but also exhausting. I have no idea who anyone is despite trying to keep track of the characters. And at least 25% of the time, I have no idea what is happening (100% if it's a battle scene). Onward to Volume 2!

erin_bowyer's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

nuthatch's review against another edition

2.0

I got about 20% through this thing and finally gave up.It is a very tedious read. I got sick of knights smiting and being smited. When they weren't smiting they were being knocked off their horses and mounting different horses. Somewhere in the middle of all the smiting is the story of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table but I got tired of slogging through everything else.

bucketsofdirt'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? No

3.0

A challenging read for modern audiences due to the age of the text, but quite enjoyable once you get ahold of the language (and fine-tune your suspension of disbelief). I recommend an extra bookmark for the notes section/glossaries! 

shakespeareantragedy's review against another edition

4.0

setting aside the boring as shit holy grail quest, this book is a confoundingly hilarious and likeable testament to late medieval literature. it's clever, wonderfully chaotic, and, at the actual 'morte' parts, really poignant. baines' translation is solid!

lilyevangeline's review against another edition

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times: medieval literature is some of the weirdest (but most entertaining) stuff I've ever had the pleasure of reading. You get to the end of the book and you still don't know why there are so many women off wandering in the forest, and why every knight feels the need to disguise himself and fight his brethren. Also all the hermits.

Some questions don't have answers, I guess.