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The White Raven
An evocative retelling of an enduring medieveal love story portrays the ill-fated triangle of Tristan, Isolde, and Mark, in a tale rich with romance and Celtic fantasy
480 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
9 people are currently reading
1624 people want to read
About the author
Diana L. Paxson
170 books409 followersDiana L. Paxson (born 1943) is a novelist and author of nonfiction, primarily in the fields of Paganism and Heathenism. Her published works include fantasy and historical fiction novels, as well as numerous short stories. More recently she has also published nonfiction books about Pagan and Heathen religions and practices.
In addition to her multiple novels and collaborations, she has written over seventy short stories. Her best-known works are the Westria novels, and the later books in the Avalon series, which she first co-wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley, then took over sole authorship of after Bradley's death.
Paxson was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards twice, in 1989 for the "White Raven" and in 1983 for "Lady of Light".
Paxson's non-fiction books include Taking Up the Runes, Essential Asatru, and Trance-Portation. She writes a regular column for the women's spirituality magazine, Sagewoman.
Paxson has been active in the leadership of a number of organizations. She hosted the first activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and was subsequently among that group's founding Directors and Corporate Officers when it incorporated[1]. She was the western regional director of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and is a frequent panelist at science fiction conventions, especially Baycon, where she was the 2007 Fantasy Guest of Honor.
A leader in the Neopagan and Heathen revivals, Paxson is the founder of the The Fellowship of the Spiral Path and has served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess. She has been Steerswoman of the Heathen group, The Troth, a member of its Board of Directors, and currently edits its journal, Idunna. She is a pioneer in the revival of Oracular Seidh, which she has taught and performed at many Neopagan and heathen festivals and retreats.
She composes and plays music for the harp. She currently lives at her home, Greyhaven, in Berkeley, California.
More can be found on her blog: http://dpaxson.livejournal.com
In addition to her multiple novels and collaborations, she has written over seventy short stories. Her best-known works are the Westria novels, and the later books in the Avalon series, which she first co-wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley, then took over sole authorship of after Bradley's death.
Paxson was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards twice, in 1989 for the "White Raven" and in 1983 for "Lady of Light".
Paxson's non-fiction books include Taking Up the Runes, Essential Asatru, and Trance-Portation. She writes a regular column for the women's spirituality magazine, Sagewoman.
Paxson has been active in the leadership of a number of organizations. She hosted the first activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and was subsequently among that group's founding Directors and Corporate Officers when it incorporated[1]. She was the western regional director of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and is a frequent panelist at science fiction conventions, especially Baycon, where she was the 2007 Fantasy Guest of Honor.
A leader in the Neopagan and Heathen revivals, Paxson is the founder of the The Fellowship of the Spiral Path and has served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess. She has been Steerswoman of the Heathen group, The Troth, a member of its Board of Directors, and currently edits its journal, Idunna. She is a pioneer in the revival of Oracular Seidh, which she has taught and performed at many Neopagan and heathen festivals and retreats.
She composes and plays music for the harp. She currently lives at her home, Greyhaven, in Berkeley, California.
More can be found on her blog: http://dpaxson.livejournal.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 30, 2017
Edited to mention, since people are telling me the other reviews didn't specify, that the perpetrator of the triggery behavior is not the man the heroine ends up with. Mark is cool.
I’m going to explain the premise, pitch, and demographics of this book first so you know whether or not you’re interested and then give you the recipe-blog ramble afterward, so that you aren’t sitting there for the first minute of reading, wondering where this is all going. The White Raven is a Dark Ages fantasy novel that’s heavy on the intimate relationships between characters and the politics between tiny states and relatively light on the actual magic. (You could almost call the magical elements quasi pagan inspie instead of ordinary fantasy, as they reflect the setting’s religious traditions.) The romantic end-game is a hunky older King Woobie archetype, which was my main draw, so if you’re into grizzled sad powerful charistmatic men who need comforting, I can recommend this one with some caveats. They are later down in the review and please do not take them lightly.
The main character is Branwen, the daughter of an Irish king’s brother. Unfortunately, she happens to be a daughter by a British captive he’d brought over, so instead of being raised as a princess, she grows up beside her actual-princess cousin, Esseilte (this book’s version of how to spell the name I grew up calling Isolde) as both a sister and a servant at the same time. The cousins are extremely close and devoted and the storms they weather together comprise a good portion of the book’s emotional upheaval.
I purposely sought this book out because for years I’ve been fascinated by a variation in the Tristan myth in which Isolde begs her handmaiden (i.e. Branwen) to take her place in the king’s bed on her wedding night so he won’t discover that his nephew Tristan has already helped her get her PiV badge. (Please note that in real life it’s probably not so easy to tell if someone has their badge or not!) Since my huuuuge opera crush regularly plays this particular king, it was a hop-skip-and-a-jump over to dreaming about what if Branwen felt like I do, i.e. what if became infatuated with the king based on his personal magnetism and also from her experience with him that one night. So I went to the Goodreads list for Tristan retellings and looked for any of them that had Branwen/Mark as a canon ‘ship.
Well, this is EXACTLY the Branwen/Mark relationship as I would have written it. From the moment she first sees him, she’s riveted–but not in a cheesy way, not like gold confetti fell from heaven, just in a way that makes her later reaction to that wedding night totally plausible. The wedding night incorporated a magical rite that made her literally the queen in a way that the legal queen wasn’t because Mark shared that intimate moment with Branwen, not Esseilte, and I loved that detail. And eventually they do wind up together, after the hardship and loss and grief of the regular Tristan plot that’s been told in a dozen other books and operas and legends. In between, though, Branwen nurses a deep, steady love for him while also maintaining her love for Esseilte through all of their relationships’s adult transformations and trials.
I’ve been around Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde since I was a teenager but this book was the first time I ever truly cared about the actual character of Tristan (or Drustan, as Paxson calls him.) Since there’s space for it within the sweeping epic length of an Eighties Fantasy Novel, we’re right there from the very beginning watching Branwen’s father stab Tristan with a poisoned blade as he dies by Tristan’s hand, we’re there watching him insinuate his way into Esseilte’s life so she can heal that poison, and for all the other bits that Wagnerians only get to hear about in long drawn-out flashbacks via aria.
The tone for the most part is pretty serious except for a moment halfway through the book on that fateful wedding night, when Branwen’s narration suddenly gives us “I felt my eyes widen, realizing that there was more than one reason they called Marc’h the Horse King.” Really? REALLY? I mean, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if not for the narrator’s utter earnestness until that moment.
As far as the rest of the book, I was scared on the first few pages because there was an overwhelming amount of Irish proper names without giving me time to figure out what they all referred to, but that died away pretty quickly and for most of the text, the focus is on the interaction between two to four characters at a time and the associated emotions and relationships. I couldn’t always follow the Dark Ages political landscape, but it didn’t really interfere with my appreciation of the main plot, i.e. the tragic connection between Tristan and Isolde (who in case you didn’t know got that way because of a potion they took accidentally) and the way it affects Mark and Branwen, both of whom love them dearly.
I loved every detail of Branwen’s love for Mark. When he’s away fighting in Gaul, for example…
“They are only moths,” came Drustan’s quiet voice. “We know that summer is almost done when the silver moths come home from Gaul.”
From Gaul, I thought, like the king… I straightened then, letting the moths spiral around me. Did you see him, my sisters, did the wind that bore you here also fill his sails?
I love this. I simply, simply love this.
But we’ve got to talk about the trigger warnings. Toward the end of the book, when Mark is absent again, Branwen gets manipulated into an abusive relationship with a man called Keihirdyn. You’ll have ample warning to tread lightly in this chapter because it’s labeled with his name. He sexually assaults her and then either manipulates her into thinking she wants more or she genuinely wants more physically but then feels gross about it emotionally. In either case she goes along with the relationship out of emotional exhaustion more than anything else, beating herself up about enjoying the physical component, until finally her anger at the situation propels her to finally drive the plot forward, since she partially blames Drustan and Esseilte for his behavior. And he does die — at Mark’s sword, which I found cathartic.
Here’s the thing. I hate that she ends up physically “liking” it. That’s a disgusting trope. There’s a nuance to this, though, that reminds me that it could perhaps be personal, and that many people have conflicting feelings about their abusers. It’s possible that it might resonate with people who have survived similar events. Personally, I’m seriously considering ripping those few pages out of the book since I loved the rest of it so much. It’s completely legitimate if the inclusion of this trope makes you nope out on the entire book. I do, however, want to make it easier for people who do want to read the book to do so without this scene ruining it, if that’s something you feel would help you.
The book is dominated by a woman’s love for the cousin she regards as a sister, and how their relationship changes over the course of half a decade as she ultimately loses her to her tragic destiny. How sweet that at least in this version, her love for Mark and the country he accidentally made her queen of without even knowing it can give her new joys once Isolde is gone.
Additional warning for some typical epic-high-fantasy type violence including death and morbid magic (hello, talking severed head! Not at all nice to meet you) and for a brief scene in which Branwen wakes up next to some random nameless dude because she wanted the king really badly and was lonely.
I’m going to explain the premise, pitch, and demographics of this book first so you know whether or not you’re interested and then give you the recipe-blog ramble afterward, so that you aren’t sitting there for the first minute of reading, wondering where this is all going. The White Raven is a Dark Ages fantasy novel that’s heavy on the intimate relationships between characters and the politics between tiny states and relatively light on the actual magic. (You could almost call the magical elements quasi pagan inspie instead of ordinary fantasy, as they reflect the setting’s religious traditions.) The romantic end-game is a hunky older King Woobie archetype, which was my main draw, so if you’re into grizzled sad powerful charistmatic men who need comforting, I can recommend this one with some caveats. They are later down in the review and please do not take them lightly.
The main character is Branwen, the daughter of an Irish king’s brother. Unfortunately, she happens to be a daughter by a British captive he’d brought over, so instead of being raised as a princess, she grows up beside her actual-princess cousin, Esseilte (this book’s version of how to spell the name I grew up calling Isolde) as both a sister and a servant at the same time. The cousins are extremely close and devoted and the storms they weather together comprise a good portion of the book’s emotional upheaval.
I purposely sought this book out because for years I’ve been fascinated by a variation in the Tristan myth in which Isolde begs her handmaiden (i.e. Branwen) to take her place in the king’s bed on her wedding night so he won’t discover that his nephew Tristan has already helped her get her PiV badge. (Please note that in real life it’s probably not so easy to tell if someone has their badge or not!) Since my huuuuge opera crush regularly plays this particular king, it was a hop-skip-and-a-jump over to dreaming about what if Branwen felt like I do, i.e. what if became infatuated with the king based on his personal magnetism and also from her experience with him that one night. So I went to the Goodreads list for Tristan retellings and looked for any of them that had Branwen/Mark as a canon ‘ship.
Well, this is EXACTLY the Branwen/Mark relationship as I would have written it. From the moment she first sees him, she’s riveted–but not in a cheesy way, not like gold confetti fell from heaven, just in a way that makes her later reaction to that wedding night totally plausible. The wedding night incorporated a magical rite that made her literally the queen in a way that the legal queen wasn’t because Mark shared that intimate moment with Branwen, not Esseilte, and I loved that detail. And eventually they do wind up together, after the hardship and loss and grief of the regular Tristan plot that’s been told in a dozen other books and operas and legends. In between, though, Branwen nurses a deep, steady love for him while also maintaining her love for Esseilte through all of their relationships’s adult transformations and trials.
I’ve been around Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde since I was a teenager but this book was the first time I ever truly cared about the actual character of Tristan (or Drustan, as Paxson calls him.) Since there’s space for it within the sweeping epic length of an Eighties Fantasy Novel, we’re right there from the very beginning watching Branwen’s father stab Tristan with a poisoned blade as he dies by Tristan’s hand, we’re there watching him insinuate his way into Esseilte’s life so she can heal that poison, and for all the other bits that Wagnerians only get to hear about in long drawn-out flashbacks via aria.
The tone for the most part is pretty serious except for a moment halfway through the book on that fateful wedding night, when Branwen’s narration suddenly gives us “I felt my eyes widen, realizing that there was more than one reason they called Marc’h the Horse King.” Really? REALLY? I mean, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if not for the narrator’s utter earnestness until that moment.
As far as the rest of the book, I was scared on the first few pages because there was an overwhelming amount of Irish proper names without giving me time to figure out what they all referred to, but that died away pretty quickly and for most of the text, the focus is on the interaction between two to four characters at a time and the associated emotions and relationships. I couldn’t always follow the Dark Ages political landscape, but it didn’t really interfere with my appreciation of the main plot, i.e. the tragic connection between Tristan and Isolde (who in case you didn’t know got that way because of a potion they took accidentally) and the way it affects Mark and Branwen, both of whom love them dearly.
I loved every detail of Branwen’s love for Mark. When he’s away fighting in Gaul, for example…
“They are only moths,” came Drustan’s quiet voice. “We know that summer is almost done when the silver moths come home from Gaul.”
From Gaul, I thought, like the king… I straightened then, letting the moths spiral around me. Did you see him, my sisters, did the wind that bore you here also fill his sails?
I love this. I simply, simply love this.
But we’ve got to talk about the trigger warnings. Toward the end of the book, when Mark is absent again, Branwen gets manipulated into an abusive relationship with a man called Keihirdyn. You’ll have ample warning to tread lightly in this chapter because it’s labeled with his name. He sexually assaults her and then either manipulates her into thinking she wants more or she genuinely wants more physically but then feels gross about it emotionally. In either case she goes along with the relationship out of emotional exhaustion more than anything else, beating herself up about enjoying the physical component, until finally her anger at the situation propels her to finally drive the plot forward, since she partially blames Drustan and Esseilte for his behavior. And he does die — at Mark’s sword, which I found cathartic.
Here’s the thing. I hate that she ends up physically “liking” it. That’s a disgusting trope. There’s a nuance to this, though, that reminds me that it could perhaps be personal, and that many people have conflicting feelings about their abusers. It’s possible that it might resonate with people who have survived similar events. Personally, I’m seriously considering ripping those few pages out of the book since I loved the rest of it so much. It’s completely legitimate if the inclusion of this trope makes you nope out on the entire book. I do, however, want to make it easier for people who do want to read the book to do so without this scene ruining it, if that’s something you feel would help you.
The book is dominated by a woman’s love for the cousin she regards as a sister, and how their relationship changes over the course of half a decade as she ultimately loses her to her tragic destiny. How sweet that at least in this version, her love for Mark and the country he accidentally made her queen of without even knowing it can give her new joys once Isolde is gone.
Additional warning for some typical epic-high-fantasy type violence including death and morbid magic (hello, talking severed head! Not at all nice to meet you) and for a brief scene in which Branwen wakes up next to some random nameless dude because she wanted the king really badly and was lonely.
June 17, 2009
I was really enjoying this book until about page 280 or so when the author suddenly felt it necessary to include a "rape her till she likes it" scene.
April 14, 2017
Does anyone else feel that Tristan and Isolde were the two most selfish people on the planet? So they drink a love potion--you'd think that two reasonably intelligent people could grit their teeth, say "You know, I hated you five minutes ago, and now you're the moon in my sky--something's gone wrong here." But nooooo, they proceed to destroy a kingdom, cuckold a King who'd done nothing to either of them, and lie to *everyone* just so they can carry on their torrid affair that ends in tragedy.
Fortunately, in this book, we have Branwen. Branwen is Esseilte's (Isolde's) handmaid, and in a usual telling of this tale, would be forced haplessly to pretend to be her mistress in King Marc's bed while Drustan and Esseilte are going at it like bunnies. This Branwen is intelligent, gentle without being weak, and can see what Esseilte (blinded by her own emotions and the love philtre) cannot--that the King is tied to the land, and a bad marriage for the King is bad for the land. Branwen and Marc (who in this book, is not entirely an idiot and is aware that there is a distinct difference between the lady in his bed and his alleged wife) grow to care for each other, and work to protect Marc's kingdom despite the varying degrees of havoc being wreaked upon it by Drustan and Esseilte's machinations.
This is, truthfully, the only version of this tale I've ever liked. Tristan and Isolde are portrayed as the selfish, self-absorbed children I always felt they were, Marc gets to show why he's King, and Branwen gets to step out of the shadows and have a story of her own.
Fortunately, in this book, we have Branwen. Branwen is Esseilte's (Isolde's) handmaid, and in a usual telling of this tale, would be forced haplessly to pretend to be her mistress in King Marc's bed while Drustan and Esseilte are going at it like bunnies. This Branwen is intelligent, gentle without being weak, and can see what Esseilte (blinded by her own emotions and the love philtre) cannot--that the King is tied to the land, and a bad marriage for the King is bad for the land. Branwen and Marc (who in this book, is not entirely an idiot and is aware that there is a distinct difference between the lady in his bed and his alleged wife) grow to care for each other, and work to protect Marc's kingdom despite the varying degrees of havoc being wreaked upon it by Drustan and Esseilte's machinations.
This is, truthfully, the only version of this tale I've ever liked. Tristan and Isolde are portrayed as the selfish, self-absorbed children I always felt they were, Marc gets to show why he's King, and Branwen gets to step out of the shadows and have a story of her own.
June 2, 2010
Dreadful.
The unique talent of an author to take one of the most romantic, heartbreaking legends of all time and make it completely boring is something I’ve thankfully, rarely experienced and hope never to do again. This book just plods along. I kept thinking, I’ll read just one more chapter, maybe it will get better. And by the time I realized it was never going to get better, I was halfway through and decided I might as well push myself and finish it. The last thirty pages make it a two star read instead of one star, but can't rescue the rest of the mess.
The weird spellings of people and place names was difficult to read. I kept having to stop and think, who is this, where is this? Why is this spelled like this and how do you pronounce it? Major distraction.Surely some of these names could have been modernized, at least a bit.
It's hard to me to even believe that this book was written by a woman since every single woman in it comes off in a negative way. Mairenn, Esseilte's mother is a witch or possibly a witch with the alternative 'b' spelling, casting her spells instead of being a mother to her daughter or even a role model for her. No wonder Esseilte turns out the way she does with this cold, fearsome woman as her example.
Branwen is a heroine I was never able to connect to, nor did she ever rise to the point where I hoped she’d find happiness. She finally decides to stand up for herself, sort of, and brings about Drustan and Esseilte’s doom, blaming them both for something for which they weren’t responsible. I truly didn’t understand the whole Kiehirdyn plotline; unnecessary and we’ve been presented with rape as foreplay. *shudders* This didn’t make any sense and turned Branwen, who up to this point had been at least somewhat likeable, into a slut, sorry, but there’s no other way to say it. Surely there could have been some other way to bring about this ending. It felt off and contrived and definitely came just out of nowhere. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
Esseilte was a scheming, selfish, spoiled, nasty little wench who caused herself and Drustan nothing but heartache as well as plenty left over for Marc'h and Branwen. They didn’t fall in love; she couldn’t stand him because he'd killed her uncle, the Morholt in an effort to save the king and his people.
If I read one more time about the killing of the Morholt, I was going to toss the book away. Let's talk about the Morholt for just a minute, shall we? Or as I like to call him the A--Holt! This man purposely broke the king's peace so he could go off to pillage and plunder. In my opinion, he got what he so richly deserved. No one should have been cursed because of the choices he made and since this all starts off the book, it all goes straight downhill from there. Nuff said.
Anyway, Drustan and Esseilte both drank a love potion which she thought was poison as she tried to kill him and herself, to avenge for the death of the Morholt and avoid a marriage to King Marc'h, whom she's never met. Yeah, that kind of rips the heart right out of the love story and replaces it with horse manure. She never matured past that point and later cursed Drustan yet again for trying to have a life without her even when she was married to the king. Could. Not. Stand. Her.
Marc’h the High King, was a character I liked a bit more, but I couldn’t keep track of all the various kings/lords and what the heck they were going to war about. Maybe it was simply too much testosterone built-up since he wasn’t getting any from the queen. I don’t know.
Drustan is sadly the only truly sympathetic character in the story. He is constantly torn between his love and loyalty to his king and the woman who has cursed him with loving her. No matter how he tries he can never get free of her and his death was truly heart-wrenching. He is blameless even as he continues his love affair with the queen. His life has been lonely since birth, he’s orphaned and homeless and not liked at Marc’h’s court, mostly because Marc’h loves him like a son and there is always jealousy and jockeying for position. His actions are only what he can ever logically do, what he must do. I liked him a lot, but the book wasn’t really about him. I’d have liked it more if it had been. I’d have liked to hear his side of the story, how he felt about what she did to him and having to love someone who did it as a curse. Oh well.
So, that’s it. Finished and have the pounding headache to prove it!
The unique talent of an author to take one of the most romantic, heartbreaking legends of all time and make it completely boring is something I’ve thankfully, rarely experienced and hope never to do again. This book just plods along. I kept thinking, I’ll read just one more chapter, maybe it will get better. And by the time I realized it was never going to get better, I was halfway through and decided I might as well push myself and finish it. The last thirty pages make it a two star read instead of one star, but can't rescue the rest of the mess.
The weird spellings of people and place names was difficult to read. I kept having to stop and think, who is this, where is this? Why is this spelled like this and how do you pronounce it? Major distraction.Surely some of these names could have been modernized, at least a bit.
It's hard to me to even believe that this book was written by a woman since every single woman in it comes off in a negative way. Mairenn, Esseilte's mother is a witch or possibly a witch with the alternative 'b' spelling, casting her spells instead of being a mother to her daughter or even a role model for her. No wonder Esseilte turns out the way she does with this cold, fearsome woman as her example.
Branwen is a heroine I was never able to connect to, nor did she ever rise to the point where I hoped she’d find happiness. She finally decides to stand up for herself, sort of, and brings about Drustan and Esseilte’s doom, blaming them both for something for which they weren’t responsible. I truly didn’t understand the whole Kiehirdyn plotline; unnecessary and we’ve been presented with rape as foreplay. *shudders* This didn’t make any sense and turned Branwen, who up to this point had been at least somewhat likeable, into a slut, sorry, but there’s no other way to say it. Surely there could have been some other way to bring about this ending. It felt off and contrived and definitely came just out of nowhere. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
Esseilte was a scheming, selfish, spoiled, nasty little wench who caused herself and Drustan nothing but heartache as well as plenty left over for Marc'h and Branwen. They didn’t fall in love; she couldn’t stand him because he'd killed her uncle, the Morholt in an effort to save the king and his people.
If I read one more time about the killing of the Morholt, I was going to toss the book away. Let's talk about the Morholt for just a minute, shall we? Or as I like to call him the A--Holt! This man purposely broke the king's peace so he could go off to pillage and plunder. In my opinion, he got what he so richly deserved. No one should have been cursed because of the choices he made and since this all starts off the book, it all goes straight downhill from there. Nuff said.
Anyway, Drustan and Esseilte both drank a love potion which she thought was poison as she tried to kill him and herself, to avenge for the death of the Morholt and avoid a marriage to King Marc'h, whom she's never met. Yeah, that kind of rips the heart right out of the love story and replaces it with horse manure. She never matured past that point and later cursed Drustan yet again for trying to have a life without her even when she was married to the king. Could. Not. Stand. Her.
Marc’h the High King, was a character I liked a bit more, but I couldn’t keep track of all the various kings/lords and what the heck they were going to war about. Maybe it was simply too much testosterone built-up since he wasn’t getting any from the queen. I don’t know.
Drustan is sadly the only truly sympathetic character in the story. He is constantly torn between his love and loyalty to his king and the woman who has cursed him with loving her. No matter how he tries he can never get free of her and his death was truly heart-wrenching. He is blameless even as he continues his love affair with the queen. His life has been lonely since birth, he’s orphaned and homeless and not liked at Marc’h’s court, mostly because Marc’h loves him like a son and there is always jealousy and jockeying for position. His actions are only what he can ever logically do, what he must do. I liked him a lot, but the book wasn’t really about him. I’d have liked it more if it had been. I’d have liked to hear his side of the story, how he felt about what she did to him and having to love someone who did it as a curse. Oh well.
So, that’s it. Finished and have the pounding headache to prove it!
July 21, 2019
2019 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book based on mythology
This book was OK. Until you got to the part where you learn that if a man rapes a woman enough times she will come to enjoy it.
This book was OK. Until you got to the part where you learn that if a man rapes a woman enough times she will come to enjoy it.
October 11, 2011
I loved this book in high school when I first read it. Nearly 20 years later, I picked it up again to see if I still do. I do.
The beginning has some standard set-the-stage scenes that felt "blah blah get on with it," but the story builds from there. Paxon's descriptions of setting are beautiful ( and relevant to the setting/stage/time period) and her characters are very interesting explorations of legendary figures. Sometimes I get tired of the main character's doubts and reflections, but that's the character. I don't have to like her all the time, and I'm happy that the author stayed true to her.
I don't usually like plots that contrive all drama from misunderstandings, but this is a story based on a known legend, so somehow I can relax a little about that. And the best part of the book is the end when, although I cry (yes, I did) because (we all know this) the hero and heroine die, the main character comes clean, so to speak, and clears up the misunderstandings. Oh yeah, and just before then when she and Esseilte have a tiff and she realizes her own shortcomings.
I also enjoy Paxon's explorations of sex and love and passion in it's various forms. Yowza.
The beginning has some standard set-the-stage scenes that felt "blah blah get on with it," but the story builds from there. Paxon's descriptions of setting are beautiful ( and relevant to the setting/stage/time period) and her characters are very interesting explorations of legendary figures. Sometimes I get tired of the main character's doubts and reflections, but that's the character. I don't have to like her all the time, and I'm happy that the author stayed true to her.
I don't usually like plots that contrive all drama from misunderstandings, but this is a story based on a known legend, so somehow I can relax a little about that. And the best part of the book is the end when, although I cry (yes, I did) because (we all know this) the hero and heroine die, the main character comes clean, so to speak, and clears up the misunderstandings. Oh yeah, and just before then when she and Esseilte have a tiff and she realizes her own shortcomings.
I also enjoy Paxon's explorations of sex and love and passion in it's various forms. Yowza.
December 10, 2019
A fairly dry retelling of the Tristan & Isolde story, from the point of view of Isolde's cousin/servant Branwen. The scenery descriptions were lovely, and the details of the festivals complete and scholarly, but the characters were pretty wooden. Isolde/Esseilte is just a selfish shrew the entire time. Tristan/Drustan was mildly more interesting, but we don't spend as much time with him. Branwen is supposed to be our heroine here, but she's pretty dull, for someone in constant contact with the spirit world. Still, it might have been 2 stars, were it not for the utterly gratuitous and pointless section of the book where Branwen is repeatedly raped by a side character but...likes it? Because she's just a weak woman ruled by her body? Despite this being utterly against her character throughout the rest of the book? But then the dude does something cowardly and THEN she decides she doesn't like it anymore and decides to blow up everything to bring about the denouement of the story? It's utterly gross and ridiculous. Not recommended.
June 21, 2010
4.5 stars out of 5.
I thought that this story was very lovely. 'The White Raven' tells the tale of Drustan and Esseilte (Tristan and Isolde)from the point-of-view of Esseilte's cousin and personal servant, Branwen. While we are all familiar with the tragic fate of the star-crossed lovers, Paxson introduces the idea that it would take a devoted and loving third party to keep the machinations of such a forbidden love from unraveling. This story is told with her voice.
Lushly written with haunting, sometimes achingly beautiful scenes, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Celtic mythology and Arthurian legend.
I thought that this story was very lovely. 'The White Raven' tells the tale of Drustan and Esseilte (Tristan and Isolde)from the point-of-view of Esseilte's cousin and personal servant, Branwen. While we are all familiar with the tragic fate of the star-crossed lovers, Paxson introduces the idea that it would take a devoted and loving third party to keep the machinations of such a forbidden love from unraveling. This story is told with her voice.
Lushly written with haunting, sometimes achingly beautiful scenes, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Celtic mythology and Arthurian legend.
May 25, 2021
I have never really been drawn to the whole Tristan and Isolde legend but this version, as told from the perspective of Isolde/Esseilte's cousin Branwen, made it interesting. Set during the sixth century in a time where the Roman empire was still respected, Branwen made it seem more real rather than legends as she narrates life in the Irish and British courts. I have to admit skimming over the many, many bard songs and Branwen's trips into the Faerie world.
February 6, 2025
I loved this re-telling of Tristan and Iseult when I first read it shortly after publication - a time when Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Mists of Avalon" was bringing secondary characters into the spotlight and into the main narrative.
I enjoyed it again when I re-read and added to Goodreads back in 2010.
My latest reading - only this week - I find myself wondering if I am really enjoying this at all. Yes, the story and characters were all too familiar; yes there were parts that I found to be not so PC these days; but I felt no sense of wonder when discovering a book for the first time.
I am glad to have re-read this one before cosigning it to the local second-hand book shop for a new reader to discover.
Star review based upon initial reading.
I enjoyed it again when I re-read and added to Goodreads back in 2010.
My latest reading - only this week - I find myself wondering if I am really enjoying this at all. Yes, the story and characters were all too familiar; yes there were parts that I found to be not so PC these days; but I felt no sense of wonder when discovering a book for the first time.
I am glad to have re-read this one before cosigning it to the local second-hand book shop for a new reader to discover.
Star review based upon initial reading.
September 13, 2011
This is a beautiful mix between historical romance and the fantasy of myth. It is a grand story that's been told impeccably well. I'm glad I picked this up when I randomly found it. It is a most enjoyable addition to my collection.
March 27, 2022
Reading this at 14 is probably the reason for my hatred of love triangles, and absolutely the source of my sensitivity to and intolerance for rape-her-til-she-likes-it scenes. Nope. Nopity nope nope nope.
March 2, 2011
MY FUTURE CHILD WILL B NAMED ISOLDA.. LOL
November 4, 2021
I re-read this book, some thirty years or so after the first reading. I was hunting through my book shelves for pre-Christian historical fiction to read and picked it up since I didn't really remember much about it but remembered liking it. Second time around, though, I can't say I liked it. I guess both times and I have changed.
I did still like some parts of it, like the spirit world connection and the descriptions of the feasts. Though the latter was lacking some historical facts, they were still enjoyable enough to read about. The general setting was also nice, since it mostly came out as more historical than fantasy. What I didn't like was mainly the character descriptions and the reasons for their choices.
The main character, Branwen, who's supposed to be this sturdy handmaiden, the grey little working mouse next to her waited upon pretty cousin, doesn't behave like that at all. Instead she is overcome with emotion and almost swoons, runs away, feels sick, or stomps out at the slightest thing. Although she is often described as working through all these emotions, the problem is having those to begin with. They are simply out of character for this I-will-take-it-all-person as well as strange given the time they live in. Iseult, on the other hand, feels like this self obsessed teenage girl (appropriate for her age, but not for her time) who's totally useless despite supposedly being brought up to become a queen in a world when queens weren't just waited upon. Drustan generally just feels like a self absorbed guy who thinks that no one has it as bad as he does, no matter what has happened to them. He's supposed to be torn between love and loyalty, but it feels like he's throwing loyalty away every time and don't really care who else have to get involved with their scheme. If he had any feelings of loyalty he would surely understand that others could have similar problems from his actions?
And then there's the "rape her to get her to do your bidding"-part. I think it's meant to show that abuse is complicated, and that someone coming from the kind of circumstances that Branwen comes from, might end up being abused despite showing strength in other circumstances, but that's not how it comes out, with all the descriptions of how she likes the dominating sex despite being abused. All this while she's supposed to be this strong person whom everyone looks to for advice and practical solution, who's also in love with someone else. It's out of character (again) and also romanticising sexual abuse in a really awful way. That it leads up to the betrayal of everyone she has shielded up until then, while still not actually pointing out her abuser, doesn't make things better. The book would have been much better without that part.
The only good thing about re-reading this book was that it made me see better what I like and don't like in a book like this, and this one had too much that I don't like.
I did still like some parts of it, like the spirit world connection and the descriptions of the feasts. Though the latter was lacking some historical facts, they were still enjoyable enough to read about. The general setting was also nice, since it mostly came out as more historical than fantasy. What I didn't like was mainly the character descriptions and the reasons for their choices.
The main character, Branwen, who's supposed to be this sturdy handmaiden, the grey little working mouse next to her waited upon pretty cousin, doesn't behave like that at all. Instead she is overcome with emotion and almost swoons, runs away, feels sick, or stomps out at the slightest thing. Although she is often described as working through all these emotions, the problem is having those to begin with. They are simply out of character for this I-will-take-it-all-person as well as strange given the time they live in. Iseult, on the other hand, feels like this self obsessed teenage girl (appropriate for her age, but not for her time) who's totally useless despite supposedly being brought up to become a queen in a world when queens weren't just waited upon. Drustan generally just feels like a self absorbed guy who thinks that no one has it as bad as he does, no matter what has happened to them. He's supposed to be torn between love and loyalty, but it feels like he's throwing loyalty away every time and don't really care who else have to get involved with their scheme. If he had any feelings of loyalty he would surely understand that others could have similar problems from his actions?
And then there's the "rape her to get her to do your bidding"-part. I think it's meant to show that abuse is complicated, and that someone coming from the kind of circumstances that Branwen comes from, might end up being abused despite showing strength in other circumstances, but that's not how it comes out, with all the descriptions of how she likes the dominating sex despite being abused. All this while she's supposed to be this strong person whom everyone looks to for advice and practical solution, who's also in love with someone else. It's out of character (again) and also romanticising sexual abuse in a really awful way. That it leads up to the betrayal of everyone she has shielded up until then, while still not actually pointing out her abuser, doesn't make things better. The book would have been much better without that part.
The only good thing about re-reading this book was that it made me see better what I like and don't like in a book like this, and this one had too much that I don't like.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2022
I really, really wanted to like this book. It just did not work out. Part of the problem is that the "love" story of Drustan and Esseilte is one of the worst in Celtic mythology, and possibly in all mythology. The two lovebirds do not fall in love on their own. They are under the spell of a magic potion. It's actually quite horrible, particularly in this version as Esseilte hates Drustan.
To her credit, the author does a very good job of presenting the story as the two being caught up in passion (lust, really) instead of genuine love. What also works is the narration from Branwen, Esseilete's long-suffering lady-in-waiting and cousin. Branwen is the real hero of the story who goes above and beyond to protect her charge and keep the affair secret, even disguising herself periodically in a Jacob-and-Leah type scenario to keep Esseilte's husband at bay.
My favorite part was the addition of Branwen's growing real love and admiration of King Marc'h, a good man who holds up his end of the marriage bargain and still shows mercy to the lovers.
The passage of time is difficult to determine as many months pass between paragraphs without any clue until a character says something like "Oh that was eight months ago".
I could not at all keep track of where the fudge they were, as they flit all over southern England and Armorica with the ease of teleporting.
Don't even start with the political stuff. I was bored to tears with all of the fighting and politics and multiple marriages and psycho grandfathers and illegitimate children. You need a chart at the start of each chapter to even attempt to keep this stuff straight.
I would have given it three stars simply for the effort and unique Branwen-focused perspective (plus I fangirled for King Marc'h) but there is a bizarre part where Branwen and . It is so random and useless that it detracts from the book's good qualities.
August 2, 2022
I would say I enjoyed this book! I wish there were a pronunciation guide for the names, because a lot of them turned to mush in my head. A lot of the historical and political stuff in the book got really dull for me after a while, and I couldn’t keep a lot of it straight. However, the adventure and excitement picks up around halfway through.
The depiction of early Christianity spreading out through northern France, the UK, and Ireland was really interesting to me. I thought it was a nice twist how Branwen had the connection to the old ways and Esseilte didn’t. The “romance” of Drustan and Esseilte is shown as this destructive passion and lust that I think fit really well, but man did I hate those two. I did not quite understand Branwen’s love for Marc’h, but maybe because a lot of the politics were over my head.
I definitely think the rape scene and relationship that develops needs mentioning. It didn’t ruin the book for me the way it did for others, but I do wonder about it’s inclusion. Branwen needed something to drive her to finally reveal D&I to Marc’h, but she has a lot of sex with K after he rapes her. Relationships are complicated and abuse is complicated but I just didn’t understand it’s inclusion. And trust me— I wanted Branwen to get laid!! But I do not understand the author’s full intent behind the way that chapter is written.
The depiction of early Christianity spreading out through northern France, the UK, and Ireland was really interesting to me. I thought it was a nice twist how Branwen had the connection to the old ways and Esseilte didn’t. The “romance” of Drustan and Esseilte is shown as this destructive passion and lust that I think fit really well, but man did I hate those two. I did not quite understand Branwen’s love for Marc’h, but maybe because a lot of the politics were over my head.
I definitely think the rape scene and relationship that develops needs mentioning. It didn’t ruin the book for me the way it did for others, but I do wonder about it’s inclusion. Branwen needed something to drive her to finally reveal D&I to Marc’h, but she has a lot of sex with K after he rapes her. Relationships are complicated and abuse is complicated but I just didn’t understand it’s inclusion. And trust me— I wanted Branwen to get laid!! But I do not understand the author’s full intent behind the way that chapter is written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2020
This was a very 80's book and there was a lot of melodrama involved. It doesn't make it necessarily bad and the characters behaved more or less realistically. I do like the integration of the magic because it felt wild and dangerous but absolutely part of the story and time period.
For me it's a well made story and an interesting story and great if you like torrid romances and oh we can't be together sort of thing. It wasn't exactly my thing. But there are some more triggering aspects to this book that are approached in a very 80s way.
Will I read this again? Eh, maybe. And then again...maybe not.
For me it's a well made story and an interesting story and great if you like torrid romances and oh we can't be together sort of thing. It wasn't exactly my thing. But there are some more triggering aspects to this book that are approached in a very 80s way.
Will I read this again? Eh, maybe. And then again...maybe not.
March 27, 2023
This book was a favorite of someone I loved and admired in another life. She wouldn’t lend it out because it was out of print. On my first trip to Powells, I bought out all their copies so she could have some to lend out. I kept one for myself. I know I tried to start it once and gave up. I picked it up again ages later after playing too much Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and getting interested in Dark Ages Britain. I don’t think I can re-read Mists of Avalon again because MZB turns my stomach. Also, my personal library is in bad need of weeding and the person who loved this book is no longer a part of my life.
In some ways, the best thing about this book was that I managed to read a full-length book printed on paper. It took me over a year, but I did it. I struggled with unheard of stresses and attention deficits galore and subterranean self-esteem, but I did it.
And how was the book? It was fine? Not really my thing. It probably would have been better if I’d taken less time to read it and lost the plots. The whole Goddess thing was a little corny, but it’s hard for me to turn down a Character Finding Her Own Power narrative (like others, I thought the way the book handled rape was pretty fucked up). And I was emotionally invested enough that I cried at the end. So it was fine.
In some ways, the best thing about this book was that I managed to read a full-length book printed on paper. It took me over a year, but I did it. I struggled with unheard of stresses and attention deficits galore and subterranean self-esteem, but I did it.
And how was the book? It was fine? Not really my thing. It probably would have been better if I’d taken less time to read it and lost the plots. The whole Goddess thing was a little corny, but it’s hard for me to turn down a Character Finding Her Own Power narrative (like others, I thought the way the book handled rape was pretty fucked up). And I was emotionally invested enough that I cried at the end. So it was fine.
March 12, 2018
In essence a telling of the legend of Tristan & Isolde, I felt at times I was back in my Medieval Lit class. This telling was from the perspective of Isolde’s servant and uses this character as a means to explain how the love affair could have been pulled off.
I’m usually torn about historical fiction style writing. I appreciate learning about past cultures and a fresh perspective on history, but I often feel the necessity to set a reader squarely into a period of time in which outdated language forms of many kinds existed drives the author to spend more time on explaining historical nuances rather than on developing relatable characters.
Interesting from the historical and spiritual point of view, I felt this book spent too long on what felt like minor detail.
I’m usually torn about historical fiction style writing. I appreciate learning about past cultures and a fresh perspective on history, but I often feel the necessity to set a reader squarely into a period of time in which outdated language forms of many kinds existed drives the author to spend more time on explaining historical nuances rather than on developing relatable characters.
Interesting from the historical and spiritual point of view, I felt this book spent too long on what felt like minor detail.
May 23, 2020
I couldn't keep reading after the whole "I know why they call him the white horse" thing. The first half or so of this book is not too bad, but then the whole literal insta-love between both sets of main characters was too much for me. The first sex scene with Marc was where I drew the line. That whole thing was way too effed up for me, and some of the magic/fantasy elements in the book really turned me off, like the potion that makes two people who hate each other fall in love and all the weird magics during that Marc sex scene. Ugh, count me out. One extra star for the really great history in the first half.
July 1, 2021
3.5, really. I have avoided reading version of the Tristan and Isolde story because the basic account does not appeal to me, however, I think Paxson has done about as much with this as possible by making the central character Branwen, Isolde's companion, and not the two lovers themselves. Positives are all the world-building and construction of the religious, social, and political system against which the events take place. Negatives are, well, the story itself and the way it forces sudden and poorly motivated transformations of affect on its characters -- that's not so much Paxson's fault -- and that fact that the last half or so is soooo repetitive -- that's on her.
December 1, 2021
Slow and overly academic start, but then it settles down and becomes more story, less 'look at the depths of my research'.
I started quite enjoying it - and then the novel goes horribly wrong in Ch 21 and doesn't recover. I considered not finishing and now wish I hadn't spent the extra time. Walk on, walk off character appears out of nowhere to drive the plot, revolting and gratuitous sexual violence, the main character acts completely out of character three times in quick succession (feels like the author couldn't figure out real character motivations so gave up), squib ending.
Ultimately disappointing.
I started quite enjoying it - and then the novel goes horribly wrong in Ch 21 and doesn't recover. I considered not finishing and now wish I hadn't spent the extra time. Walk on, walk off character appears out of nowhere to drive the plot, revolting and gratuitous sexual violence, the main character acts completely out of character three times in quick succession (feels like the author couldn't figure out real character motivations so gave up), squib ending.
Ultimately disappointing.
September 1, 2024
Paxson continues your write historical romances with a light dosing of fantasy. Based on the intro and the afterward, I can believe she has done a good bit of research for her books and the lores that inspire them.
As a book. Esseilte and Drustan were so damn frustrating. Just awful people lol, you felt bad for Branwen. Disappointed that the one time she finally outs them. She basically regrets it immediately.
As a book. Esseilte and Drustan were so damn frustrating. Just awful people lol, you felt bad for Branwen. Disappointed that the one time she finally outs them. She basically regrets it immediately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2019
While this was mostly a good book, it dragged on a bit after the dreaded Keihirdyn chapter (which other reviewers have critiqued and mentioned). Considering the fact that this book is from the 1980s, and thus a product of its time. I skimmed the chapter. It did finally bring the conflict between Esseilte and Branwen to a head. I just think the author could have found a better way of doing that.
July 10, 2020
Read this ages ago. (mid 90's) it was very hard to read ... It is Arthurian connected but rarely hear much about this tragic trail now. Was my first Diana L Paxon book and I didn't know then she was the sister of Marion Zimmer Bradley. I remember emailing her somewhere about the future of the series. either before or just after our move here.
December 26, 2023
Paxon has written an excellent re-telling of the well known Celtic myth. The main characters are all flawed but likeable and there are a few interesting twists and turns to keep the reader captivated. Overall, a very good book.
December 26, 2024
Well-written but a chore to get through. The descriptions are lovely and the book was clearly well-researched, but the characters are all either boring or insufferable and I wasn't invested in any of the love stories.
October 27, 2019
My favorite book when I was 13
February 8, 2022
I read this a long time ago and still think of it with some frequency.
It is a beautiful, rich read steeped in Celtic lore with enticing characters.
It is a beautiful, rich read steeped in Celtic lore with enticing characters.
February 15, 2022
A haunting retelling of Tristan et Yseult.
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