Based on The Lady of Shalott

[Samantha Tew]

Have there ever been any Arthurian novels/books about the Lady Shalott? It seems like such a waste of a wonderful tale since I can find no mention of her in anything besides Tennyson's poem. :-(

[Chris]

I don't personally know any, but Wikipedia gives some suggestions:
1.'The verse containing the words "the mirror crack'd from side to side" gave the title to one of Agatha Christie's detective stories (published in 1962) and parts of the poem are referred to several times throughout it.' But is it based on the tale? No idea.
2. 'A stanza is located at the beginning of each chapter in the book, Avalon High by Meg Cabot.' It's not clear if the novel is based on the story.
3. 'The poem is referenced in Jilly Cooper's 2006 novel Wicked! where the phrase The curse is upon me is given a humorous re-interpretation in an English Literature class scene.' Again, only referenced, not a re-telling.
4. 'Patricia A. McKillip uses an adaption of the poem as a primary theme of her novel The Tower at Stony Wood, published in 2000.' Getting warm here.
5. 'In the novel One of our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde, The Lady of Shalott possesses a mirror that allows characters in the Book World to see into the real world ("the Outland").' This sounds like something out of a Cornelia Funke Inkworld novel, or even her more recent Reckless. But not a re-telling.
6. 'The book 'Song of the Sparrow' by Lisa Ann Sandell is a retelling of her story.' Bingo!

[Melanti]

I just posted this in the other thread, but to keep things complete, I'll repeat myself here.

Chris mentioned McKillip's The Tower at Stony Wood which is wonderful.

For something completely non-fantasy, there's Sharyn McCrumb's Sick of Shadows. It's a cosy mystery with plenty of humor. It's not a retelling of the story but there's numerous parallels to Tennyson's poem. (Caveat: This wasn't my favorite book ever, but finding the parallels was fun.)

[Samantha Tew]

Thank you both so much! You've been a great help!

[Jess]

Felicity Pulman wrote a trilogy based on the legend, Shalott,Return to Shalott,and Shalott: The Final Journey

[Samantha Tew]

Felicity-- THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I'm going to have to check this trilogy out!

[Marina]

I know it's been over a year, but Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell is based on the Lady of Shalott. Such a beautiful tragic story...

[Chris]

Marina wrote: "I know it's been over a year, but Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell is based on the Lady of Shalott. Such a beautiful tragic story..."

I did mention it in my post but I didn't know if it was any good, so thanks for confirming that it is!

[Ayla]

Found this thread while looking for similar recommendations. The Guy Gavriel Kay book "The Fionavar Tapestry" has elements of both the Arthurian Legends, and there is a character based on The Lady of Shallot.