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Guinevere #1
Guinevere
The neglected mythical girlhood of the ill-fated, beautiful queen of Camelot, Guinevere, is provided in a tale of the spirits, magical beasts, and characters who attended the kind but willfully thoughtless Guinevere
257 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
20 people are currently reading
1558 people want to read
About the author
Sharan Newman
52 books193 followersSharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.
Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.
For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.
The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.
Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.
The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.
On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.
This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.
Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.
She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.
(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )
Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.
For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.
The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.
Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.
The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.
On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.
This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.
Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.
She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.
(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 7, 2019
While the story was well written, the character of Guinevere was so distracting it made reading this book difficult. The interesting characters were given nothing to do, and it forced readers to follow along with the heroine who is so unbelievably remote; it seems that she is unfortunate and uninterested in the world around her, making her very unsympathetic.
July 16, 2011
I wasn't really impressed by this book. It follows the childhood of Guinevere, and her coming of age, until she meets Arthur. It's simultaneously fantastical -- there's a unicorn involved -- and historical, with a lot of focus on returning to Roman ways, etc. More or less standard fair. Guinevere's a bit of a Mary Sue: oh so beautiful, and mild, and she doesn't know about anything as coarse as sex, and there's something about her and Epona, and Arthur falls crazily in love with her and Gawain is pretty much her best friend...
The background characters are actually more interesting. I liked Guinevere's brothers, and I liked this version of Gawain, too. The side story about the Saxon girl was nice, I thought, and I am intrigued by the hints about the Round Table and about how Guinevere should've been sacrificed.
Not intrigued enough to order the rest of the trilogy immediately, though. It was competent enough, but not magical, to me.
The background characters are actually more interesting. I liked Guinevere's brothers, and I liked this version of Gawain, too. The side story about the Saxon girl was nice, I thought, and I am intrigued by the hints about the Round Table and about how Guinevere should've been sacrificed.
Not intrigued enough to order the rest of the trilogy immediately, though. It was competent enough, but not magical, to me.
March 7, 2019
This is a quite remarkable novel, and it is strange that its presence in the literary cannon seems to have faded with age. It is a novel primarily of Guinevere, explaining who she is and how she came to be the woman of Arthurian mythology. This portrayal of her was probably the most nuanced and least prejudiced to ever be written, eschewing the extremity of personality which defines her in other major Arthurian works of fiction, such as The Once and Future King and The Mists of Avalon. She is who she is and this neither condemns nor exonerates her.
January 11, 2015
This novel is the first of Sharan Newman's Guinevere trilogy and as for the others Guinevere trilogies I've read (Rosalind Miles, Nancy McKenzie, Persia Woolley) the first one is about Guinevere's childhood, her family and her meeting/marriage with Arthur.
I still don't know how is the whole series, but for now this is the first "book one" of any Guinevere series I have ever read.
It escapes readily the tomboy Guinevere clich・ Here Guinevere is simply a child, a bit spoiled, very loved by her family, surrounded by friends and the tragedies of a war against Saxons.
I particularly loved Guinevere's happy family. I don't recall anything so domestic and lovely in the other Guinevere series. Here Leodengrance and Guenlian (Guinevere's parents) love her very much, listen to her, love the idea of their family and are more than ready to ignore the "noble" behaviour of ones their status to help their children. Without mentioning the fact that Guenlian is a wonderful character and it was a while since I've read a novel that so openly condemns Uther's behaviour against Igraine (her rape) especially fromt the words of a female character. In particular I loved how Merlin, explaining to Guenlian how Arthur is to be trusted, try to show her the qualities of kindness and fairness that Arthur inherited from Igraine and that would qualify him as a good king.
The novel also talks about the problems of Saxons vs. Celts/Romans with a particularly realistic point of view and through Guinevere's prejudiced eyes. Guinevere, meeting two Saxon hostages, become friend with one of them and starts to learn that she is as much evil to them as they are to her.
I think I'll write the rest under spoiler now because I am going to talk in detail about the character of Guinevere and the centrail theme of the book.
As a conclusion I have to say that I hope the rest of the series will be as much as a pleasant surprise and a pleasant reading as this first book has been. In that case it will be very hard for me to decide between this series and Persia Woolley's one for my favourite Guinevere trilogy.
I still don't know how is the whole series, but for now this is the first "book one" of any Guinevere series I have ever read.
It escapes readily the tomboy Guinevere clich・ Here Guinevere is simply a child, a bit spoiled, very loved by her family, surrounded by friends and the tragedies of a war against Saxons.
I particularly loved Guinevere's happy family. I don't recall anything so domestic and lovely in the other Guinevere series. Here Leodengrance and Guenlian (Guinevere's parents) love her very much, listen to her, love the idea of their family and are more than ready to ignore the "noble" behaviour of ones their status to help their children. Without mentioning the fact that Guenlian is a wonderful character and it was a while since I've read a novel that so openly condemns Uther's behaviour against Igraine (her rape) especially fromt the words of a female character. In particular I loved how Merlin, explaining to Guenlian how Arthur is to be trusted, try to show her the qualities of kindness and fairness that Arthur inherited from Igraine and that would qualify him as a good king.
The novel also talks about the problems of Saxons vs. Celts/Romans with a particularly realistic point of view and through Guinevere's prejudiced eyes. Guinevere, meeting two Saxon hostages, become friend with one of them and starts to learn that she is as much evil to them as they are to her.
I think I'll write the rest under spoiler now because I am going to talk in detail about the character of Guinevere and the centrail theme of the book.
As a conclusion I have to say that I hope the rest of the series will be as much as a pleasant surprise and a pleasant reading as this first book has been. In that case it will be very hard for me to decide between this series and Persia Woolley's one for my favourite Guinevere trilogy.
April 28, 2015
I enjoyed reading Ms. Newman's interpretation of the story of Guinevere and Arthur. There are some new characters (for me) whom I thought added an extra twist to this story. and as a result, kept my attention tightly directed on the story. Guinevere's two best friends thoroughly entertained me. The character of Guinevere from a young child to marriageable age by the author was most different than any of the others I have read, and I liked that! I am looking forward to volume 2. 4 1/2 stars
September 21, 2012
It's been a long time since I read this book. What I most remember was the relationship of Guinevere to her unicorn. That has stayed with me for many years. I also enjoyed reading a book about Guinevere rather than King Arthur.
August 6, 2018
I would give this a 3.75!
May 30, 2008
I tend to like retellings of classic tales, especially fairy tales, so a retelling of the legend of Arthur through Guinevere's eyes is very appealing to me. I enjoy seeing the legend in the context of actual English history: the changing of a ruling society descended from Rome, battling for supremacy with both the native Britons and the invading Germanic tribes. Other series have used this same treatment (Jack Whyte's books, for example), but Sharan Newman's version is fairly tame, almost young adult in its perspective. She does a nice job of reflecting Guinevere's innocence (and cluelessness) by not dwelling too much on the harsh violence that takes place outside of the immediate plot. As the first book in the trilogy, we get small glimpses of the Guinevere's influence and chaos that she will cause - and I like that she isn't purposely malicious, just naive, really (I hated her in The Mists of Avalon). I'll definitely read the next two and see how I feel about the love triangle, which is almost universally the kiss of death for me in books. Not great, but quite enjoyable. The unicorn subplot is a little much for me, but I suppose it adds a fantasy element to the story that would appeal to others, and gives a driving force to Guinevere's thoughts and actions as well as some plot development towards the end of the story.
June 28, 2017
Guinevere is a bit of a Mary Sue (though I guess impossibly beautiful is pretty par for the course), and the thing with the unicorn is a little silly, but Newman's Guinevere books have some of my favorite characters in all Arthuriana.
January 22, 2016
I own this because I had to read it for my freshman colloquium, all those years ago. I can't remember what I thought of it back then, although I'm sure I had to write a paper about it, which means I probably still have it....
Well, now... I can safely say I have no interest in reading the remainder of the series. There are so many superior retellings of Arthurian legend to give your time to.
Guinevere is supposed to be perfect, but it's certainly not my idea of the perfect woman, let alone the perfect female protagonist! She's naive, clueless, and often described as "unfeeling" - yet somehow these traits are all supposed to combine with her incredible beauty and make her seem "otherworldly." I'm not sure how people in the novel were so enamored of this version of Guinevere. To me she seemed whiny, spoiled, and so dense that it had to be intentional on her part. (Like those girls who say "Oh, boys don't like smart girls so I am intentionally going to fail my trigonometry class.")
As the title implies, the other major Arthurian characters have minor roles. Arthur, Merlin, Gawain, and even Morgan Le Fay all make appearances, but none is really all that present in the story. (Arthur gets talked about a lot but physically isn't present for much of it.) They were all much more interesting to me than Guinevere was, although they are also quite one-dimensional.
If you want to read something about Arthur or Camelot (or heaven forbid, Guinevere - yes, I never really cared much for her in any retellings of the story), you'd be better off with T.H. White, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Mary Stewart, Stephen R. Lawhead, Jack Whyte, Bulfinch.... really, anyone else.
Well, now... I can safely say I have no interest in reading the remainder of the series. There are so many superior retellings of Arthurian legend to give your time to.
Guinevere is supposed to be perfect, but it's certainly not my idea of the perfect woman, let alone the perfect female protagonist! She's naive, clueless, and often described as "unfeeling" - yet somehow these traits are all supposed to combine with her incredible beauty and make her seem "otherworldly." I'm not sure how people in the novel were so enamored of this version of Guinevere. To me she seemed whiny, spoiled, and so dense that it had to be intentional on her part. (Like those girls who say "Oh, boys don't like smart girls so I am intentionally going to fail my trigonometry class.")
As the title implies, the other major Arthurian characters have minor roles. Arthur, Merlin, Gawain, and even Morgan Le Fay all make appearances, but none is really all that present in the story. (Arthur gets talked about a lot but physically isn't present for much of it.) They were all much more interesting to me than Guinevere was, although they are also quite one-dimensional.
If you want to read something about Arthur or Camelot (or heaven forbid, Guinevere - yes, I never really cared much for her in any retellings of the story), you'd be better off with T.H. White, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Mary Stewart, Stephen R. Lawhead, Jack Whyte, Bulfinch.... really, anyone else.
November 19, 2017
"The sacrifice was desecrated," the voice hissed. "She will not pay, but Britain will. And you. The child was mine. She was destined for me and no other fate. Now all who have her will reap only grief from her. She will come to wish she had gone with me this night."
4.5 stars. I don't know if it's just me, but all King Arthur retellings seem to have a similar, ethereal quality - there's just so much unexplained, so much mystery and symbolism. Guinevere was a good read for me, as it is written in beautiful, old-fashioned narration, and the characters are as shrouded in mystery as they are in The Seeing Stone, or in any of Rosemary Sutcliff's works. Written in the 80s, this book follows Guinevere through her childhood, unwrapping the early years of this young and beautiful queen who destroyed so much of her husband's kingdom without even trying to. It is steeped in Celtic lore and mythology, even bringing Epona in and validating the pagan rituals. It is written as though Celtic mythology was actually real.
It's also greatly accurate in a historical sense. We see in this book the struggle of the Brits to hold their land from the Saxons and the Irish raiders, we see the struggle of the new religion against the old, the tax of war upon innocents, the bent of humanity's heart towards evil. It is realistic and painful, and because of this, it is beautiful.
This book, like any other Arthurian retelling, contains all the immorality of Camelot, though no great detail is used. I would consider it above the level of middle-graders, but teens who aren't shy of deep books would enjoy it.
4.5 stars. I don't know if it's just me, but all King Arthur retellings seem to have a similar, ethereal quality - there's just so much unexplained, so much mystery and symbolism. Guinevere was a good read for me, as it is written in beautiful, old-fashioned narration, and the characters are as shrouded in mystery as they are in The Seeing Stone, or in any of Rosemary Sutcliff's works. Written in the 80s, this book follows Guinevere through her childhood, unwrapping the early years of this young and beautiful queen who destroyed so much of her husband's kingdom without even trying to. It is steeped in Celtic lore and mythology, even bringing Epona in and validating the pagan rituals. It is written as though Celtic mythology was actually real.
It's also greatly accurate in a historical sense. We see in this book the struggle of the Brits to hold their land from the Saxons and the Irish raiders, we see the struggle of the new religion against the old, the tax of war upon innocents, the bent of humanity's heart towards evil. It is realistic and painful, and because of this, it is beautiful.
This book, like any other Arthurian retelling, contains all the immorality of Camelot, though no great detail is used. I would consider it above the level of middle-graders, but teens who aren't shy of deep books would enjoy it.
February 27, 2013
This is a fantasy based on the original story. Guinevere as portrayed by Newman is a shallow individual from a wealthy family who focuses only on herself and her needs. Her parents and brothers pamper her. The one redeeming feature of her character is her bonding with the unicorn. This portion of the tale was sensitive and well done, a delight to those who love the unicorn myth like myself. In addition, there is a priestess who attempts to sacrifice Guinevere to her goddess, the unicorn who loves her, and a young man who is of the old people who adores Guinevere. Interesting take on a well loved story full of myth. Nice read.
November 8, 2008
Just finished re-reading this one. Still like it. Yes, it centers around Guinevere life, starting as a child up until her wedding night to Arthur...ouch! Much involves her special relationship with a Unicorn. I had forgotten how many other characters lives [Gawain, Geraldus, Merlin (who despises Guinevere), Arthur (of course), Timon & Gaia, & more!] are described so one feels like they are your friends as well as Guin's. An entertaining read.
I am now into the 2nd book of the series, The Chessboard Queen, which introduces Lancelot.
I am now into the 2nd book of the series, The Chessboard Queen, which introduces Lancelot.
July 16, 2008
This book is a wonderfully intimate look into the life of Guinevere as a young girl. The author brings in fantastic historical details layered with the mixing of Roman and Celtic cultures. It was a fascinating read that I would recommend.
March 20, 2016
Read this and the sequels around date of publication & loved this take on the Arthurian stories. Just enough magic to make it legendary.
Reread 2016- very good. Nice mix of realistic period detail and fantasy with the unicorn.
Reread 2016- very good. Nice mix of realistic period detail and fantasy with the unicorn.
January 18, 2015
Newman remade the story of King Arthur and Guinevere set in England several hundred years after Roman leaves the island. Ghosts, a unicorn, and some magic are just some of the twists added by Newman. Of course there are two more installments in this tale. Can't wait to dive in.
July 21, 2011
A novel about King Arthur's Guinevere. Very mythical (there is unicorn in it - I should tell my mom about this one).
June 26, 2015
I am somewhat addicted to anything Arthurian. I like what Newman has done to the world. For the most part. It's new and interesting, if a bit odd. But I'm not sure I really like her Guinevere.
March 30, 2016
This. Is. And. Extranoary. Book. I. Love. It. Doris.
June 29, 2017
I have loved everything Sharan Newman has written!
August 2, 2022
4 ⭐️
Guinevere is the first book in this trilogy by Sharan Newman and I have to say that I was really surprised by the book.
Plot
This book talks about Guinevere. In this one, the reader sees Guinevere childhood and when she meets and marries Arthur.
I have to say that it was really interesting. I don't think I have ever read a book that talks about Guinevere childhood and this was really good. I really loved to see how loved she was as a child and see how she interacts with her family. it was super interesting for me. There was only a part that left me extremely confuse and that was the unicorn. I can't understand what was the role of the animal, maybe to show how different Guinevere was? I hope his role can be explain in the other books.
Characters
Guinevere
The portray of Guinevere was different, but very interesting. She is a girl that was loved by her family and friends. She was always with her head in the clouds, but she was kind and good, careless and at the same time spoiled.
Leodengrance and Guenlian
These two are Guinevere's parents and what amazing characters they were. I loved the relationship they had with their daughter as well as the other people in their village. They were really good and I want to see more of them in the future.
Merlin
I also liked Merlin. He is mysterious, but very charismatic in my opinion.
Geraldus
Geraldus seems to be very interesting as well. He is friend of Guinevere and her family. He is called a saint because he can hear voices from the angels. I love the friendship he has with Guinevere and how kind he is.
Gawain
Gawain was so good. He was fostered with Guinevere in this one. One thing that I would like to know is why Gawain have strength during the day, but falls asleep as soon as the sun is set. I love his friendship with Guinevere.
Arthur
His character was a surprise for me. I really loved him. He was so sweet and shy, especially with Guinevere. I love his dreams and his ambitions for Britain and I cannot wait to see more of his character in the next installment.
Writing
I really liked Sharan's writing. It was good and it helped a lot with the story.
World-Building
I really liked the world-building here. The author spoke of the conflict between the new and old religion, through the perspective of Guinevere and I think she made a very good job with that. We also see the conflict between the britons and the saxons, especially when Guinevere befriends a Saxon girl.
Final Thoughts
The first book was really interesting and I wasn't expecting to enjoy the story as much as I did.
Guinevere is the first book in this trilogy by Sharan Newman and I have to say that I was really surprised by the book.
Plot
This book talks about Guinevere. In this one, the reader sees Guinevere childhood and when she meets and marries Arthur.
I have to say that it was really interesting. I don't think I have ever read a book that talks about Guinevere childhood and this was really good. I really loved to see how loved she was as a child and see how she interacts with her family. it was super interesting for me. There was only a part that left me extremely confuse and that was the unicorn. I can't understand what was the role of the animal, maybe to show how different Guinevere was? I hope his role can be explain in the other books.
Characters
Guinevere
The portray of Guinevere was different, but very interesting. She is a girl that was loved by her family and friends. She was always with her head in the clouds, but she was kind and good, careless and at the same time spoiled.
Leodengrance and Guenlian
These two are Guinevere's parents and what amazing characters they were. I loved the relationship they had with their daughter as well as the other people in their village. They were really good and I want to see more of them in the future.
Merlin
I also liked Merlin. He is mysterious, but very charismatic in my opinion.
Geraldus
Geraldus seems to be very interesting as well. He is friend of Guinevere and her family. He is called a saint because he can hear voices from the angels. I love the friendship he has with Guinevere and how kind he is.
Gawain
Gawain was so good. He was fostered with Guinevere in this one. One thing that I would like to know is why Gawain have strength during the day, but falls asleep as soon as the sun is set. I love his friendship with Guinevere.
Arthur
His character was a surprise for me. I really loved him. He was so sweet and shy, especially with Guinevere. I love his dreams and his ambitions for Britain and I cannot wait to see more of his character in the next installment.
Writing
I really liked Sharan's writing. It was good and it helped a lot with the story.
World-Building
I really liked the world-building here. The author spoke of the conflict between the new and old religion, through the perspective of Guinevere and I think she made a very good job with that. We also see the conflict between the britons and the saxons, especially when Guinevere befriends a Saxon girl.
Final Thoughts
The first book was really interesting and I wasn't expecting to enjoy the story as much as I did.
August 22, 2018
This is such an unusual mashup of the Arthurian legend. It's like an academic text on the governing and religious history of Saxon England had a threesome with female-centric fantasy and a middle school girl's Lisa Frank diary. Seriously, we've got intelligent passages about the relationships between noble Roman Christian families and their native, Pagan servants combined with unicorns and magic tables. I appreciate that the book isn't bitter or biased on these topics, something I really struggle with in works by authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Even though the book is titled after her, there are many other central characters. The book never really comes together so much as it's a collection of vignettes that ultimately lead Guinevere to meeting Arthur. She's the treasured only girl in her family and spends her days in bliss. She's so beautiful that her parents fear visiting military - including Arthur - will be to interested in her, so she's shipped off to some forest hermits for the summer. There she befriends a unicorn and it guided by a prophet who can hear fairies.
But they can't keep here away forever and eventually ship her off to be fostered with another noble family. This is where the creative bit about the interaction with Saxons comes in, really rewarding for readers with a decent knowledge of English history. Other stuff doesn't make sense - who are the mysterious pretty people that Guinevere can see but not hear? What's up with her father's round table? I'm assuming these questions will be addressed in the sequel. I also really liked the portrayal of young Arthur - a talented leader not yet fully aware of his strengths, a man who has to prove himself more than most might because of the circumstances of his birth (you know, his father tricking his mother and all that).
On a side note, I had Heilung playing on loop whilst typing this, which made for kind of a cool soundtrack.
Even though the book is titled after her, there are many other central characters. The book never really comes together so much as it's a collection of vignettes that ultimately lead Guinevere to meeting Arthur. She's the treasured only girl in her family and spends her days in bliss. She's so beautiful that her parents fear visiting military - including Arthur - will be to interested in her, so she's shipped off to some forest hermits for the summer. There she befriends a unicorn and it guided by a prophet who can hear fairies.
But they can't keep here away forever and eventually ship her off to be fostered with another noble family. This is where the creative bit about the interaction with Saxons comes in, really rewarding for readers with a decent knowledge of English history. Other stuff doesn't make sense - who are the mysterious pretty people that Guinevere can see but not hear? What's up with her father's round table? I'm assuming these questions will be addressed in the sequel. I also really liked the portrayal of young Arthur - a talented leader not yet fully aware of his strengths, a man who has to prove himself more than most might because of the circumstances of his birth (you know, his father tricking his mother and all that).
On a side note, I had Heilung playing on loop whilst typing this, which made for kind of a cool soundtrack.
July 25, 2023
I read this book to fill the PopSugar Reading Challenge prompt: A book you first read more than 10 years ago. I first read Guinevere in middle school, and the trilogy ignited my love of Arthurian mythos, especially the women who have been so often overlooked. I remember being obsessed with this book and its sequels when I was young, and so was excited to reread it for the first time as an adult.
It is a fine book. I like the author's emphasis on the Roman culture that Britain still longed for and attempted to preserve, and the peril posed by Saxons and other warring enemies felt real. The world she built was very lush, and the characters all had understandable motivations and actions.
The weakness is the title character. We spend so much time with young, naive, thoughtless Guinevere that it becomes kind of hard to root for her. We're supposed to see her as an ethereal being, not truly of this world, but she can come off as callow and disconnected. Other than her beauty, it is hard to understand what people see in her. I have a similar complaint about the unicorn - we barely get to know it, yet we're told that the unicorn and Guinevere have an incredible, transcendental bond - I don't know.
I will say, the character of Guenlian saved the book for me. Even though she wasn't the main character she felt the most real, and her raw emotions were incredible.
I enjoyed my reread, but I don't think I am going to pick up the sequels.
It is a fine book. I like the author's emphasis on the Roman culture that Britain still longed for and attempted to preserve, and the peril posed by Saxons and other warring enemies felt real. The world she built was very lush, and the characters all had understandable motivations and actions.
The weakness is the title character. We spend so much time with young, naive, thoughtless Guinevere that it becomes kind of hard to root for her. We're supposed to see her as an ethereal being, not truly of this world, but she can come off as callow and disconnected. Other than her beauty, it is hard to understand what people see in her. I have a similar complaint about the unicorn - we barely get to know it, yet we're told that the unicorn and Guinevere have an incredible, transcendental bond - I don't know.
I will say, the character of Guenlian saved the book for me. Even though she wasn't the main character she felt the most real, and her raw emotions were incredible.
I enjoyed my reread, but I don't think I am going to pick up the sequels.
April 1, 2025
2.5/5
There's some legitimately interesting stuff here about destiny (and implicitly the fact that this is a story that's been told many times before) but I think my main problem was just that I often found the prose voice to be too blunt for my personal taste.
There's some legitimately interesting stuff here about destiny (and implicitly the fact that this is a story that's been told many times before) but I think my main problem was just that I often found the prose voice to be too blunt for my personal taste.
July 23, 2018
I adore the King Arthur story. Guinevere was a sweet story, gently written and seemed geared more for middle school readers than adults. Simplistic and slow.
July 16, 2019
A nice book. Not all that exciting, but you could while away an afternoon.
April 27, 2019
I first read this at high school in the 1990's. If I had been asked to rate it back then I would have given it 5 stars. Because I loved it so then and re read it so many times, I will always think on it with pleasure and fondness. That makes it hard to review with clarity!
May 24, 2014
I'm a huge sucker for retellings of the legend of Arthur. And rightly so, in the past 15 or 20 years, there have been some amazing takes on this very old story ( e.g. Marion Zimmer Bradley's phenomenal 'Mists of Avalon). But this go-round is less than impressive. This felt very much like a YA version of what can be a most complex tale with mature themes. 'Guinevere' is too simple, too immature to be considered anything other than appropriate for young teens. In every version of this story I've come across, no matter how old it is, sex plays a huge part; who sleeps with who, who fathered who and so on. Here, Guinevere is nauseatingly ignorant of sex and is just too clueless to be believable. To her, sex is this icky gross thing that should remain apart from civilized life and is appalled when she is required to have it on her wedding night. And the battles in the book can hardly be called such. Here, wars and fighting, like sex, are treated as something other; as a necessary evil that must be done, but must not be discussed in any detail because it's upsetting to our character's gentle nature. You see why I think this needs to be classified as YA fiction? This take on Arthurian legend is woefully immature, but could be used to introduce this story to younger readers who aren't quite ready for more adult themes. A serviceable rendering, but ultimately very unsatisfying.
October 11, 2012
What a strange little book!!! Have read a lot of Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur mysteries, written much more recently than this story. It deals with Guinevere as a very young girl, who meets Arthur and marries him at the end of the book. It deals with her as the daughter of a "Roman" family, who want the old Roman ways to be restored --- and Guinevere wanders through life as a golden child, really unaware of the world, how protected her part in it is, and finds a unicorn!!! Don't remember exactly what made me get the book from the library - it was a quick read, and gave some interesting thoughts about life in pre-Arthurian Britain; but not sure I really enjoyed it, or would recommend it --- hmmmmmm
December 10, 2019
Mysticism and history
Guinivere is normally vilified. This first book in a trilogy reveals her life, and how her character was formed. The unicorn was interesting, and her only trusted friend growing up. Merlin is portrayed as a man torn and in need of family. Arthur becomes less legend and more human. The Saxons are a vital part of why Arthur wins Guin. Good start.
Guinivere is normally vilified. This first book in a trilogy reveals her life, and how her character was formed. The unicorn was interesting, and her only trusted friend growing up. Merlin is portrayed as a man torn and in need of family. Arthur becomes less legend and more human. The Saxons are a vital part of why Arthur wins Guin. Good start.
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