You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lizdarkhorse 's review for:
The Mists of Avalon
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Updated Review 6/11/2014
There are times in my life I'm surprised, but the news I just found out is absolutely horrifying. I know there is a difference between the art and the artist, but sometimes it's really hard to do that.
When I found out Orson Scott Card's beliefs about homosexuality it really distressed me, seeing as I read his book Ender's Game for school years ago and enjoyed it. However, as bad as that is (and it is quite bad), it is nothing to what I found out about Marion Zimmer Bradley. Her husband was a piece of work, but the author herself was also a nasty piece of work.
I loved this book when I read and will leave the review I originally wrote, but in all honesty I just have to say this. I do not condone her actions at all, and it is disgusting, upsetting, and inhumane. However, I cannot say that I didn't like this book because I loved it. I can't give this piece a lower rating because it isn't fair to the work, but as a person she is definitely on my blacklist. I will not be reading anything else of hers.
Here is the link for more information. Trigger Warning: article mentions child rape and abuse.
Original Review
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley is the epic cross-generational story of the women of King Arthur's Court including Ingraine, Viviane, Morgaine, Morgause, and Gwenhwyfar to name a few. The main prospective is Morgaine of the Faeries (as she is called) and her growth from a babe to an old woman. The story touches upon the influence of Christianity taking over the British Pagan roots, and how Avalon, the holy isle of the Goddess, is receding during this time.
Before I start my review I want write a comment that was on the back cover of my edition:
"The Mists of Avalon is a beautiful book. The characters are alive, multidimensional. I really care about them."--Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite authors of all time, and what she says matches my feelings about this wonderful book. Rarely, and I mean rarely am I awed by a book when I read it. What I mean, is that every single page I read in this epic book was beyond beautiful in its prose, meaning, structure, characterization, and pacing. This novel is a work of art. It is something to which I aspire to do in my life as a writer. It's a beautiful Arthurian retelling. There was another comment that said reading this book was an uncanny experience. It really is. There are few books that did what this book did for me.
There are topics in this book that are not beautiful. There is murder, betrayal, incest, rape, and talk of abortion within the 876 pages of this novel. Still, there are few writers who have the ability to write about such things with such beauty and balance.
When I was reading other reviews of this story, many were upset of the "religious bashing" in this book against Christianity. From a historical, and the characters' perspective, the characters who have Pagan roots see Christianity as a threat to the way they live their lives. They are seen as heathens, as sorceresses, and as people who should be condoned for their actions. Of course, they are not in favor in Christianity. This has nothing to do with M. Z Bradley's thoughts of Christianity in general, and if it does... through the book there is mention that "all Gods are one God." It might seem a bit extreme the on-going tirade of certain characters, but it goes both ways. The characters who are Christian see those of Pagan roots as less than human, even though they are not. As long as someone remembers the historical perspective don't take it too personally.
The characters are fully realized individuals. This might be a fantasy retelling of a well-known Western Canon legend, but it's breath and scale are certainly delightful. This is a feminist fantasy novel, and it looks at the female characters at what their lives were like. How they felt about what was happening, how they were treated and what their lives were worth. Every single character, even the one's I didn't like, I really cared about.
The writing is simple, but very (very) beautiful. Marion Zimmer Bradley makes writing look like a piece of cake, even though it cannot be further from the truth.
This is a novel that will stay with me for a very long time, and thought I am normally daunted by long epics like this I loved every single moment of reading it. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
There are times in my life I'm surprised, but the news I just found out is absolutely horrifying. I know there is a difference between the art and the artist, but sometimes it's really hard to do that.
When I found out Orson Scott Card's beliefs about homosexuality it really distressed me, seeing as I read his book Ender's Game for school years ago and enjoyed it. However, as bad as that is (and it is quite bad), it is nothing to what I found out about Marion Zimmer Bradley. Her husband was a piece of work, but the author herself was also a nasty piece of work.
I loved this book when I read and will leave the review I originally wrote, but in all honesty I just have to say this. I do not condone her actions at all, and it is disgusting, upsetting, and inhumane. However, I cannot say that I didn't like this book because I loved it. I can't give this piece a lower rating because it isn't fair to the work, but as a person she is definitely on my blacklist. I will not be reading anything else of hers.
Here is the link for more information. Trigger Warning: article mentions child rape and abuse.
Original Review
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley is the epic cross-generational story of the women of King Arthur's Court including Ingraine, Viviane, Morgaine, Morgause, and Gwenhwyfar to name a few. The main prospective is Morgaine of the Faeries (as she is called) and her growth from a babe to an old woman. The story touches upon the influence of Christianity taking over the British Pagan roots, and how Avalon, the holy isle of the Goddess, is receding during this time.
Before I start my review I want write a comment that was on the back cover of my edition:
"The Mists of Avalon is a beautiful book. The characters are alive, multidimensional. I really care about them."--Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite authors of all time, and what she says matches my feelings about this wonderful book. Rarely, and I mean rarely am I awed by a book when I read it. What I mean, is that every single page I read in this epic book was beyond beautiful in its prose, meaning, structure, characterization, and pacing. This novel is a work of art. It is something to which I aspire to do in my life as a writer. It's a beautiful Arthurian retelling. There was another comment that said reading this book was an uncanny experience. It really is. There are few books that did what this book did for me.
There are topics in this book that are not beautiful. There is murder, betrayal, incest, rape, and talk of abortion within the 876 pages of this novel. Still, there are few writers who have the ability to write about such things with such beauty and balance.
When I was reading other reviews of this story, many were upset of the "religious bashing" in this book against Christianity. From a historical, and the characters' perspective, the characters who have Pagan roots see Christianity as a threat to the way they live their lives. They are seen as heathens, as sorceresses, and as people who should be condoned for their actions. Of course, they are not in favor in Christianity. This has nothing to do with M. Z Bradley's thoughts of Christianity in general, and if it does... through the book there is mention that "all Gods are one God." It might seem a bit extreme the on-going tirade of certain characters, but it goes both ways. The characters who are Christian see those of Pagan roots as less than human, even though they are not. As long as someone remembers the historical perspective don't take it too personally.
The characters are fully realized individuals. This might be a fantasy retelling of a well-known Western Canon legend, but it's breath and scale are certainly delightful. This is a feminist fantasy novel, and it looks at the female characters at what their lives were like. How they felt about what was happening, how they were treated and what their lives were worth. Every single character, even the one's I didn't like, I really cared about.
The writing is simple, but very (very) beautiful. Marion Zimmer Bradley makes writing look like a piece of cake, even though it cannot be further from the truth.
This is a novel that will stay with me for a very long time, and thought I am normally daunted by long epics like this I loved every single moment of reading it. I highly recommend this book to everyone.