Twilight of Avalon - Anna Elliott

Title: Twilight of Avalon
Author: Anna Elliott
Published: 2009 Pages: 426
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

Let me preface this review by stating that my knowledge of Arthurian legends are foggy at best. I've heard of Tristan and Isolde and have seen the movie with James Franco (yum!), but I don’t know the details of the story. I was going into this book with a nearly clean slate. For me this was a positive, but I wanted to note that Elliott’s retelling deviates a little from the most common elements in the Arthurian legends. In this book, Arthur’s wife, Guinevere, had an affair with Arthur’s son Mordred and mothered Isolde.

Twilight of Avalon is a beautifully told story of Trystan and Isolde and the beginning of their relationship during a time of change and tumult. As the story opens, Isolde, the young High Queen of Britain, is mourning the loss of her husband King Constantine. Since the time of Arthur, the kingdoms of Britain have faced constant pressure from the Saxons and with their High King dead the kingdoms need to quickly reunite in order to present a strong front against a possible Saxon invasion. After several days without a High King, Lord Marche finally takes the throne, but Isolde suspects him of murdering Con.

With Lord Marche's rise to the throne, Isolde's position in court becomes questionable, especially after advances come from the new king to be his wife and she is repeatedly facing accusations of sorcery and witchcraft from others in the court. Isolde flees the palace for her safety, and she runs into a small band of outlaws, among them Trystan, who she entrusts with her knowledge of her husband's murder and Marche's traitorous actions. I suck at summaries--this makes the book sound very soap-operay but I didn't find it to be so. Moving on to the part I'm good at--telling you what I liked.

Isolde is a strong character, even in her moments of weakness. Her grandmother Morgan (also Arthur's half sister) has passed her the ability of Sight but more importantly the knowledge of medicines and herbs. Even when her Sight fails her and she is left without being able to see her distant past or future, she relies on her quick-wittedness for survival. Her ability to mix salves and heal wounds not only helps save the lives of others but also her own. The question of whether Isolde is a witch surfaces throughout the book, and even though she does not necessarily have powers, so understands how to use the fears of others as an advantage.

Many of the other characters, though, were sort of a blur to me. Elliott does provide a glossary of names at the beginning of the book, but I forgot who many of them were and had to flip back through the story to see when they had appeared before. This is probably my biggest complaint about the book, and even then it is a minor complaint as the major characters are all well-developed. I enjoyed watching the characters interact with one another, especially as Trystan and Isolde's friendship and trust developed throughout the novel. The further I got into the story the harder it was to put the book down, and even though the plot might have been a tad predictable it was still very engaging.

I would recommend this book to those who like Historical Fiction, Arthurian retellings, or just plan adventurous love stories. The writing, character development, and plot all came together very nicely and evenly in this book, which was refreshing after reading several books that were out of balance in these three things. Elliott's writing is beautiful and if I hadn't been so absorbed in the story I would have a nice quote to provide for you. Twilight of Avalon is the first in a trilogy, so there are several loose ends left in the novel but the ending was satisfying enough to hold me over for a few more months. I didn't get quite enough of Trystan and Isolde in this book (romance speaking), so I look forward to that in the next edition. Hopefully.

For a balance of opinions:

Things Mean A Lot

S. Krishna

The Burton Review

Medieval Bookworm

(Let me know if I missed yours)

Many thanks to Anna Elliott for allowing me to experience her retelling of this legendary love story.

Ride the Wind - Lucia St. Clair Robson

Title: Ride the Wind
Author: Lucia St. Clair Robson
Date Finished: October 13, 2008 #58
Pages: 595
Published: 1982
Rating: 4/5

I'm tired and worn out so I'm taking the easy way out. :)
From the back cover:

In 1836, when she was nine years old, Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped by Comanche Indians from her family's settlement.

She grew up with them, mastered their ways, and married one of their leaders. Except for her brilliant blue eyes and golden mane, Cynthia Ann Parker was in every way a Comanche woman. They called her Naduah - Keeps Warm With Us. She rode a horse named Wind.

This is her story, the story of a proud and innocent people whose lives pulsed with the very heartbeat of the land. It is the story of a way of life that is gone forever.

It will thrill you, absorb you, touch your soul, and make you cry as you celebrate the beauty and mourn the end of the great Comanche nation.

My Thoughts (aka Ramblings):
If you will recall from my Death of a Salesman post, I hated the first part of this book. I think a lot of it was because I was frustrated that it was taking me longer than usual to read the lengthy descriptions and I had major time constraints the past two weeks. Scott and I were headed for New England, which would eat up a weekend of reading time (although no regrets there!!), so I was stressing myself out because I was afraid I wasn't going to finish.

I talked to my friend Kari, who finished the book early (her review here), and she loved the book and urged me to press forward. I did, and I'm so glad. The book is a tough read--the descriptions are incredibly detailed and there is little dialogue. The book is long (it is no secret that I don't do well with longer books--short attention span and little patience) and spans over 50 years. The material is oftentimes graphic in terms of violence (there is a little sex, but it is minimal and tastefully written) and at points I put the book down and told Scott there is no way I could proceed.

In the end, though, I really fell in love with this book. I think I have a special connection to the book and the story because I hail from Texas and I know the landscape and the history and many of the key moments. I've been to Fort Parker, outside of Mexia Texas, where the first scenes of the story took place. I lived in the Staked Plains (Lubbock) where Naduah and her husband, Wander, roamed. But on the other hand this was a glimpse into our past that was difficult to read and really made me reevaluate the Texas history that I was taught as a child.

I think that people who like historical fiction would enjoy this book and I would also recommend it to people who are looking to read an account of Texas history as well as the Comanche history. This is just one little piece to a very large picture, but I am glad that I persevered to finish this touching and heartbreaking story.

The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent

Title: The Heretic's Daughter
Author: Kathleen Kent
Date Finished: Sept 23, 2008 #55
Pages: 332
Rating: 3/5

To be fair and honest and going to preface this by saying that I don't think I would have been really drawn into any book I read this week, and so I'm not sure if it is the book or if it's me that failed. When I came home from work on Friday and saw the book leaning against my front porch I was so excited I started it immediately. I read and read but was never really drawn into the book. The problem is that I can't quite figure out why, which makes me wonder if it is simply me. The two reviewers below loved the book...

The Heretic's Daughter is set in the late 1690s in the settlements surrounding Boston. Well--you all know the basic story: Salem witch trials, heretics, people speaking against others, and finally witch hangings. The story is told through the eyes of young Sarah whose family has just been uprooted from their hometown as they unknowingly carry smallpox to their new residence. Along with the smallpox, there are several other incidents that make their neighbors wary of Sarah's family and when the names start being called out for those who are witches, Sarah's mother is one of the first to be called to trial.

Much of the book is about Sarah's struggle to come to terms with her life and the events that have changed everything forever. She struggles with her desire to be loved by her family but also with her age and inability to quite understand the adult world. I was often impatient with Sarah, but I think this is Kent's ability to craft a nine-year-old well and to write a believable narrative. The second half of the book deals heavily with the trials as well as the imprisonment of Sarah's family after they have been accused of witchcraft. The second half of the book was incredibly heartbreaking and speaks of the injustices that occurred in the late 1690s in Salem and the Boston areas. This time period has always been fascinating to me--if you like history and non-fiction I would recommend Governing the Tongue by Jane Kamensky--it goes into some detail about the Salem trials as well as other events in early colonial Massachusetts (link takes you to Amazon, not a review).

Overall even despite my lower rating, I would recommend this book. I think that many would find it enjoyable and interesting. There was something about it that never really drew me in, though. Most of the story is mostly introspective and so in many ways it seems as though Sarah is the only really developed character. Kent also uses the first half of the book to "set up" the story and so it wasn't really until I was two-thirds into the book that I was really interested in the events (i.e. the imprisonment). But that last third of the book--pretty darn good.

See what they thought:
Corinne; Wendy