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readerturnedwriter 's review for:
The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights
by James Knowles
Having watched Merlin, reading the originals was something I was really interested in. Overall, it was a little interesting, though mostly disappointing.
I found the writing itself to be easy to understand and read. The stories were a mixed bag, some were fairly interesting and others were very boring to me (knights killing other knights for no good reason, etc). The end was depressing but not surprising (it's pretty famous and I knew what to expect).
The main problem I had with the book was that it was very obviously written in a different time and culture. Looking at it from our modern time, the motivations fall short, the way women and relationships are portrayed are inappropriate, and the medieval take on Christianity can be hard to read. The other main problem is that the book focused on things I didn't care about (like the actual fights between knights) but the parts I would have found interesting (like a long lost son being reunited with a father) were given one to two lines and the nuances of the situations downplayed. We rarely got to know characters past their actions and a vague, unbelievable motivation. This caused me to read more for discovering the plot rather than being immersed in the world and getting to know the characters.
I am glad to have read the originals and I look forward to reading adaptations in the future.
I found the writing itself to be easy to understand and read. The stories were a mixed bag, some were fairly interesting and others were very boring to me (knights killing other knights for no good reason, etc). The end was depressing but not surprising (it's pretty famous and I knew what to expect).
The main problem I had with the book was that it was very obviously written in a different time and culture. Looking at it from our modern time, the motivations fall short, the way women and relationships are portrayed are inappropriate, and the medieval take on Christianity can be hard to read. The other main problem is that the book focused on things I didn't care about (like the actual fights between knights) but the parts I would have found interesting (like a long lost son being reunited with a father) were given one to two lines and the nuances of the situations downplayed. We rarely got to know characters past their actions and a vague, unbelievable motivation. This caused me to read more for discovering the plot rather than being immersed in the world and getting to know the characters.
I am glad to have read the originals and I look forward to reading adaptations in the future.