Guinevere

Camelot tetralogy

by Norma Lorre Goodrich

An expert on mythology reveals the truths behind the legend of Guinevere, describing her complex nature, her aloof beauty, and the fascination she has held for fans of Arthurian legend for centuries

Genres: Arthurian, History, Nonfiction

273 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Norma Lorre Goodrich, a prolific author, was an Arthurian scholar known for her unconventional theory that King Arthur was Scottish -not English or Welsh. She was a professor of comparative literature and writing for many years at the University of Southern California and the Claremont Colleges.

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hoped this would have some interesting bearing on my essay on Guinevere. Unfortunately, it's such a mess that I can't even bring myself to keep reading it. I'm not sure what the original intent of this book was -- it appears to be part fiction, part attempt at historical biography, but the assumptions made and the claims unproven make it most unconvincing. Part of this is probably due to the fact that it's in a series, but even so, it should have explained properly the grounds for Merlin being a relation of Arthur -- something I've never read elsewhere, in medieval or modern sources -- or Guinevere being Scottish, given that her name is demonstrably Welsh, or claiming that Lancelot is a Scottish character originally called Angus. I didn't get far enough to see what Norma Goodrich made of Lancelot and Guinevere's affair, but it spent enough time talking about Lancelot as defender of Guinevere, the priestess who can't be touched...

I think it would have been much more interesting if I had any idea where all this was coming from. But I've never heard of any of these theories, even though I'm surprised that a professor emeritus would come out with unsupported theories. If I ever hear some more basis for some of these theories, I'll probably revisit this book and judge it anew.

[Velma]

I'm sorry, but this book is just unreadable. It is poorly written, poorly organized, & poorly edited. Very disappointing, & I'm abandoning it after only a portion of the first chapter, something I almost never do.

[Flint Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, even worse than the first two volumes of this series. She again takes a mainstay of the Arthurian universe and sorts through the romances until she gets a semi-coherent story. Goodrich manages to take a symbolic woman who had stood for Arthur's kingdom and makes her some sort of Pictish queen using an (imaginary) knowledge of Pictish and later and less credible romances that she carefully searches for the information she wants

[Nicole Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it has one star I liked it a lot
If it has two stars I liked it a lot and would recommend it
If it has three stars I really really liked it a lot
If it has four stars I insist you read it
If it has five stars it was life changing

[Calliope More · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complex, rich portrait of Guinevere’s life through linguistics, legend, history, and archeology—and I have the feeling that this book barely scrapes the surface. Sometimes Goodrich came across as overly biased when she argued in favor of her interpretation, and the book could have been better organized on both the paragraph and chapter level. But it was a great starting point for me, as someone who knows little about Arthurian legend but appreciates learning about powerful women of myth and history.

[Kim Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t usually read books in this format, “serious research” that aims to debunk commonly held beliefs on a certain subject or person. I was able to glean interesting facts and new points of view from the book, though I agree it could’ve been written better. If one has a great interest in the subject of Guinevere it’s worth the read. It will at the very least give you food for thought …

[sarahashira · Rating 1 out of 5]

The absolute worst book. Unfounded theories, which are poorly presented, with unrelated points/ideas being strung together without proper segues. All of this causing a disconcerting, disorientating read. I couldn't finish it. Absolutely. Awful.

[Naliza Fahro-Rozi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the acclaimed historical series that began with King Arthur and Merlin. The world's most important Arthurian expert presents a riveting portrait of the darkly complex woman known only through legend.

[K.C. Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few facts, mostly myth and lore. Not a bad read but seemed more like guesswork.

[Forest · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the back of mine says "history" but honestly there's a lot of mythic/symbolic/literature sort of analysis, both of people themselves and their actions. It's interesting, but can get kind of incoherent. It's not well cited, parts are poorly explained, and occasionally things come out of nowhere. Honestly it seems very ridiculous but I think that's because the book is presented as history when it isn't bothering with sticking to that. If you accept that Goodrich is at least as concerned with Guinevere as a metaphysical concept (wow I don't know if that's the right phrase just take it) as a human historical figure then it makes more sense.

While I'm not gonna take any of this as historical fact (or take Goodrich's interpertation of myths and symbols at face value), it would be very cool to read a novel using this concept of Guinevere, because the ideas are still interesting (where I can follow them).

It helps to have read King Arthur first - Goodrich keeps her conclusions from there but doesn't bring any of the argument with. The same is probably true of Merlin, but I haven't read that so I don't know.

[Ariel Paiement · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book presented many interesting facts and a new representation of Guinevere herself. It was mostly entertaining while being informative, but there were a couple of chapters I found difficult to follow and I was somewhat bored by them. However, over all, the book was entertaining and extremely informative. As non-fiction goes, Goodrich did a good job with this book. She made it comprehensive and informative while making it entertaining, which made it much more enjoyable to read. I would not recommend this book, however, to any who are not at least fifteen due to some of the content within the book. Other than that, I would recommend this book to others.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me a while to read, and I read it a long time ago. It started off slowly for me. I put it down repeatedly. BUT once I got into it, I loved the alternative viewpoint on a woman who is most commonly known for her adulterous actions.

[Jack Goodstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing defense of the character of Guinevere using folklore, myth, symbolism and historical research. The reader really has to know a lot about the different Arthurian accounts to make sense out of much of what she has to say. It does end with a convenient summary chapter.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read but not as good as Lancelot by the same author. Of course if you have read the others in her series you Must read this one!