Featured Book Review
'Mist of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer-Bradley © Del Rey; Reissue edition (October 31, 2000) ISBN: 0345441184 912 pages Hardcover 30.00 (US)
I would be willing to make the sweeping assumption that in every witch’s Closet of Guilty Pleasures is the desire to live during the Arthurian times. I would further venture to guess that many witches would have liked to live in Avalon and hang out with Viviane and her crew- with the added benefit of central heating and running water, of course.
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer-Bradley doesn’t build a time machine and whisk you back to those times. However, it does get you really close without having to leave the comforts of home.
The basic plot summary is that it is the story of King Arthur as told through the eyes and voices of the women who brought him to power. Well, yes and no. King Arthur is in the story but it’s more about the women than it is about him.
The story is divided into 4 “books” and begins with Igraine contemplating her daughter’s future. She knows she has a Jedi, I mean a Priestess in training, and debates whether to send her to Avalon. A couple arguments with a nasty priest later and Morgaine is sent packing to Witch School. Here we meet Vivian, the Priestess of Avalon and Arthur also makes an appearance as the Stag when he and Morgaine perform the Great Rite.
What I like most about this part of the book is the level of detail Bradley uses to describe the surroundings and Morgaine’s training. You feel her hunger pains and her frustrations. You can feel the energy in Avalon and the smell of lavender is heavy in the mists.
In the next “book”, Morgaine has graduated from Witch School and run away from Vivian. She travels all around the English countryside while she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Again, the level of detail Bradley uses is almost breathtaking. I got cold, mad, and lonely just reading about Morgaine’s travels. In this chapter we also introduced to Gwenhwyfar.
In other books I’ve read Gwenhwyfar is a strong woman who is not afraid to walk barefoot in the mud and use a sword if she has to. In this book, however, Bradley casts her as a wishy-washy woman afraid of her own shadow. I got a little tired of her and wished she’d either join the convent again or just accept the fact that there is magick in this world and get over herself. I also wished she’d boink Lancelot and get that over with as well. But I digress. At the end of this chapter Morgaine has ended her pilgrimage for and returned the castle to live with Arthur. This is where the fun begins.
Back in Camelot, war is on the horizon and no one is allowed to leave the castle. Sexual frustrations are high and poor, poor Gwenhwyfar can’t get pregnant. She turns to Morgaine for help and admits her lusty thoughts for Lancelot. Morgaine smiles and tries not poison her wine because she too likes the way Lancelot uses his riding crop.
In between all the drama, Viviane shows up at the castle and there’s a murder and a few more people die. Everyone is sad. Morgaine is tricked into marrying an old guy but does it honorably when she finds out she’s been tricked. She really likes the guy’s son. There is more arguing back in Camelot when Gwenhwyfar takes her aggressions out on the local pagan contingent and demands that Arthur turn his life over to the Big Invisible Buddy. More arguing ensues and he final gives in to her demands, as there is more war on the horizon. The local pagan contingent is outraged and watches as Arthur forgets who put him into power in the first place.
The last “book” sums everything up nicely and Morgaine eventually returns to Avalon. She can still lift the mists and is reminded that Avalon is her true home. Morgaine narrates sections of the book as she sorts out her life and all that is going on around her. Her narration gives us glimpses into what it would have been like to be a priestess during those times.
My well-worn copy of this book is proof that Mists of Avalon is one of my favorite books. I usually read it about once a year and it never fails to take my breath away. It reminds me that this path is not always an easy one and it makes me wish I could have lived during those times.... with the added luxury of central heating and indoor plumbing.
Reviewer: Anna Alexander
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