Book Reviews
A monumental reimagining of the Arthurian legends.... Reading it is a deeply moving and at times uncanny experience.... An impressive achievement.
New York Times Book Review
Marion Zimmer Bradley has brilliantly and innovatively turned the myth inside out...add[ing] a whole new dimension to our mythic history.
San Francisco Chronicle
Gripping.... Superbly realized.... A worthy addition to almost a thousand years of Arthurian tradition.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
The Mists of Avalon is a beautiful book. The characters are alive, multi-dimensional; I really care about them.
Madeleine L'Engle
A most original interpretation of the matter of Britian by way of Celtic religion and the Great Mother...a remarkable feat of imagination.
Mary Renault
I loved the book so much I went out and bought it for a friend, and have told many people about it. Why did no one ever think before to tell the story of King Arthur from the perspective of the women!
Jean Auel
Masterfully plotted and beautifully written. The Mists of Avalon sheds new light on old characters—especially Morgan of the Faeries, Merlin, Lancelot, and Guinevere. An epic novel of violence, lust, painful loyalties, and haunting enchantments.
Publishers Weekly
There is no such thing as a true tale. Truth has many faces and the truth is like to the old road to Avalon; it depends on your own will and your own thoughts, whither the road will take you." The Mists of Avalon is a story of another time and place. It's the legendary saga of King Arthur and his companions at Camelot, their battles, love, and devotion, told this time from the perspective of the women involved. Viviane is "The Lady of the Lake," the magical priestess of the Isle of Avalon, a special mist-shrouded place which becomes more difficult to reach as people turn away from its nature- and Goddess-oriented religion. Viviane's quest is to find a king who will be loyal to Avalon as well as to Christianity. This king will be Arthur. Gwenhwyfar, Arthur's Queen, is an overly pious, fearful woman who successfully sways her husband into betraying his allegiance to Avalon. Set against her is Morgaine of the Fairies, Arthur's sister, love, and enemy - and the most powerfully believable person in the book - who manipulates the characters like threads in a tapestry to achieve her tragic and heroic goals. The Mists of Avalon becomes a legend seen through new eyes, with details, majestic language, and haunting foreshadowing that hold the reader through its more than 800 pages
Gloria Bauermeister - 500 Great Books by Women