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Guinevere #2
The Chessboard Queen
In Guinevere , Sharan Newman told us the story of that lovely and legendary woman's childhood up until her wedding night. Guinevere is now the beautiful young wife and queen of King Arthur, a position much-coveted by all women of Camelot. But nothing in life is ever certain, and soon Guinevere discovers--most alarmingly--her deep and passionate love for another Lancelot, the most beloved Knight of the Round Table in all of Camelot. Here Sharan Newman brings the legend of Lancelot and Guinevere to life with the same blend of magic and history that has made her Catherine LeVendeur medieval mystery series such a success. As ambitious and striking as The Mists of Avalon and The Hollow Hills , The Chessboard Queen is a beautiful rendering of the world's most timeless romance, a tale of earthly passion and spiritual love like no other before or since.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
8 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Sharan Newman
52 books194 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 )
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 29, 2020
3.5 stars
March 13, 2009
Reading another Arthurian novel was an accident and not connected to the TV series craze; it was a chore to finish this book and yet I feel I should reread my White in English and get the other classical books from my shelf out of the way at the same time - or not, if it's such an annoyance at the moment?
I loathe Guinevere I think. I can see how the title indicates the book is about her, and how she's a pawn perhaps, or maybe pawning the others - the second option would be more to my liking, because although the author chose a mythical unicorn as the "reason" for that greatest love of all between Guiny and Lance - rather than the expected passion that conquers the milder love for Arthur (more about different clichés below) - Newman ads enough plot and opinions of people less antagonistic than Merlin to indicate that maybe she doesn't see G as that lovely darling either.
Of course all the hateful idiosyncracies of that woman might be intended to be appealing and make her 3D, when really all she is good at is "excelling at being beautiful" and having a mysterious superhuman je ne sais quoi about her that made perfect knight Lance fall for her when every other woman disgusts him.
G never does or even thinks a single interesting thing; she is below special; while I'd have disliked the sexual passion as excuse for their betrayal, making it about the mystic doe is worse, since they only look at each other and there is no other reason to fancy him or her - and her atrocious behaviour towards him was painful. If that was meant to indicate her struggle? Or subdued love pangs? Fail. It was awful and nasty.
I never enjoyed and wanted to avoid that pitiful triangle in general, but still Lancelot never seemed as pathetic as in this novel, first a naive fool, then a public fool (when I found him brave), then going insane, and then actually fucking G when I thought after being so vilely tricked out of his virginity he'd not do that to Arthur.
Arthur who breaks my heart, from waving to his stupid wife until she can't see him, even if she turned, to being so terribly alone. There is no description of the battles, and I wonder if he really was strong and fighting in book 1 or if Newman never writes them, and much too little of his relationship with L, although that could be gleaned, but I wish the book had been about him - I'm not sure if he was meant as anything as the foil that G could magnanimously grant a pity fuck out of her sexually liberated heart (vagina) or if the author only felt it could only be told by excusing fawn-friend G. But I can see Arthur's valid and grand vision, and the unbearable hurt at knowing his wife prefers him far away, even before L.
Newman seems to integrate White, as Gawain and his brothers feature prominently and mostly positively in this novel. It was also a few modern asides that made me like it towards the end, not sure if G and L "smiling idiotically at each other" falls into that. Sidra dying after having saved most of her fosterlings was good, like Chadwick and others who go in for realism unlike the fancy TV castle.
But even considering that the first novel might have made G more interesting and the next seen L not keep cookholding A, even with the background(?) romances going on (more than in Lechner but I'm starting to wonder if all novels today seem flat to me), and the strange Caet/Briacu (whom G also mistreats shamefully to the last page), considering all this and more it is Arthur whom I bleed for, used and discarded by absolutely everyone, and I wasn't ever much interested in him really, read about Parcival and Lancelot, Bedevere and Galahad and the Green Knight and all those the TV show kills off randomnly for their names. I will not get the other books, because Newman is really just retelling it exactly how I know it from Lechner and even White, but I'd like to know if the sexually unfulfilled wife and the virginal knight were really meant to be different to other adulterers overcome with passion (the blurb wants them to be that) - or if I just despise it like I despised The Piano woman.
I loathe Guinevere I think. I can see how the title indicates the book is about her, and how she's a pawn perhaps, or maybe pawning the others - the second option would be more to my liking, because although the author chose a mythical unicorn as the "reason" for that greatest love of all between Guiny and Lance - rather than the expected passion that conquers the milder love for Arthur (more about different clichés below) - Newman ads enough plot and opinions of people less antagonistic than Merlin to indicate that maybe she doesn't see G as that lovely darling either.
Of course all the hateful idiosyncracies of that woman might be intended to be appealing and make her 3D, when really all she is good at is "excelling at being beautiful" and having a mysterious superhuman je ne sais quoi about her that made perfect knight Lance fall for her when every other woman disgusts him.
G never does or even thinks a single interesting thing; she is below special; while I'd have disliked the sexual passion as excuse for their betrayal, making it about the mystic doe is worse, since they only look at each other and there is no other reason to fancy him or her - and her atrocious behaviour towards him was painful. If that was meant to indicate her struggle? Or subdued love pangs? Fail. It was awful and nasty.
I never enjoyed and wanted to avoid that pitiful triangle in general, but still Lancelot never seemed as pathetic as in this novel, first a naive fool, then a public fool (when I found him brave), then going insane, and then actually fucking G when I thought after being so vilely tricked out of his virginity he'd not do that to Arthur.
Arthur who breaks my heart, from waving to his stupid wife until she can't see him, even if she turned, to being so terribly alone. There is no description of the battles, and I wonder if he really was strong and fighting in book 1 or if Newman never writes them, and much too little of his relationship with L, although that could be gleaned, but I wish the book had been about him - I'm not sure if he was meant as anything as the foil that G could magnanimously grant a pity fuck out of her sexually liberated heart (vagina) or if the author only felt it could only be told by excusing fawn-friend G. But I can see Arthur's valid and grand vision, and the unbearable hurt at knowing his wife prefers him far away, even before L.
Newman seems to integrate White, as Gawain and his brothers feature prominently and mostly positively in this novel. It was also a few modern asides that made me like it towards the end, not sure if G and L "smiling idiotically at each other" falls into that. Sidra dying after having saved most of her fosterlings was good, like Chadwick and others who go in for realism unlike the fancy TV castle.
But even considering that the first novel might have made G more interesting and the next seen L not keep cookholding A, even with the background(?) romances going on (more than in Lechner but I'm starting to wonder if all novels today seem flat to me), and the strange Caet/Briacu (whom G also mistreats shamefully to the last page), considering all this and more it is Arthur whom I bleed for, used and discarded by absolutely everyone, and I wasn't ever much interested in him really, read about Parcival and Lancelot, Bedevere and Galahad and the Green Knight and all those the TV show kills off randomnly for their names. I will not get the other books, because Newman is really just retelling it exactly how I know it from Lechner and even White, but I'd like to know if the sexually unfulfilled wife and the virginal knight were really meant to be different to other adulterers overcome with passion (the blurb wants them to be that) - or if I just despise it like I despised The Piano woman.
March 13, 2015
I admit I was a bit disappointed by this novel because I truly loved the first one. This one instead seemed not to let Guinevere character grow too much and to mix different POV without a real direction.
Spoilers of what I liked and what I liked less:
The novel starts when Guinevere and Arthur have been already married for some years. Guinevere is still not particularly taken with Arthur and she is polite but mildly disinterested in him and Camelot.
I liked this new Guinevere, in book one, a Guinevere who wasn't a tomboy, who was very disinterested in the world around her a part for some very specific things, but during the whole book... she never changes. It felt a bit disappointing because the only time she did was with Lancelot. I hoped to see her more involved in politics or the world around her or the people around her, but I guess that is just a personal preference.
But let's talk first about what I liked in the novel.
I loved the whole part dedicated to the Lady of the Lake. She was interesting to discover, to read, to find out how little she knew human and how cruel in her goddess-like ignorance she could be. That was my favourite part of the novel, along with Nimue and how she met and saved (sort of) Merlin.
I also liked Gawain. He is, at the moment, my favourite character and I am glad the author took her time to write his friendship with Lancelot.
(By the way, I really liked Agravaine too, it's good to see some not-snake-like Agravaine in novels).
And to wrap this part up I really loved the Galahad plot twist. Again, here Lancelot is raped by Elaine (or well, mostly by others drugging him up, here Morgause and Morgana who want to destroy him to ruin Arthur and Guinevere) and she becomes pregnant... except for the fact that here she was already pregnant and Galahad is not really Lancelot's son. Lancelot accepts him as his son, because he really thinks he is even if he was born premature and everyone suspects he is not, and asks Guinevere and Arthur to raise him. Which I really liked and I can't wait to see more of this Galahad adopted by Arthur.
As I already said, instead, about the things I wasn't really convinced there was the lack of Guinevere's character growing. It was a bit tedious and I sadly ended up wanting to know more and read more of Arthur, Gawain and Nimue than her.
I also wasn't really enthusiastic about the unicorn. In the first novel the unicorn played a very important part (both in the story and in Guinevere's life) while here it just appears to touch/meet Lancelot... making Lancelot the future of Guinevere. I am not sure if the unicorn finds him because he is destined to love Guinevere or if it finds him and /then/ he is destined to love her. Either way, it felt like it cheapened Lancelot and Guinevere relationship.
Hopefully the unicorn will come back and there will be more explanations about it in the next book.
Spoilers of what I liked and what I liked less:
The novel starts when Guinevere and Arthur have been already married for some years. Guinevere is still not particularly taken with Arthur and she is polite but mildly disinterested in him and Camelot.
I liked this new Guinevere, in book one, a Guinevere who wasn't a tomboy, who was very disinterested in the world around her a part for some very specific things, but during the whole book... she never changes. It felt a bit disappointing because the only time she did was with Lancelot. I hoped to see her more involved in politics or the world around her or the people around her, but I guess that is just a personal preference.
But let's talk first about what I liked in the novel.
I loved the whole part dedicated to the Lady of the Lake. She was interesting to discover, to read, to find out how little she knew human and how cruel in her goddess-like ignorance she could be. That was my favourite part of the novel, along with Nimue and how she met and saved (sort of) Merlin.
I also liked Gawain. He is, at the moment, my favourite character and I am glad the author took her time to write his friendship with Lancelot.
(By the way, I really liked Agravaine too, it's good to see some not-snake-like Agravaine in novels).
And to wrap this part up I really loved the Galahad plot twist. Again, here Lancelot is raped by Elaine (or well, mostly by others drugging him up, here Morgause and Morgana who want to destroy him to ruin Arthur and Guinevere) and she becomes pregnant... except for the fact that here she was already pregnant and Galahad is not really Lancelot's son. Lancelot accepts him as his son, because he really thinks he is even if he was born premature and everyone suspects he is not, and asks Guinevere and Arthur to raise him. Which I really liked and I can't wait to see more of this Galahad adopted by Arthur.
As I already said, instead, about the things I wasn't really convinced there was the lack of Guinevere's character growing. It was a bit tedious and I sadly ended up wanting to know more and read more of Arthur, Gawain and Nimue than her.
I also wasn't really enthusiastic about the unicorn. In the first novel the unicorn played a very important part (both in the story and in Guinevere's life) while here it just appears to touch/meet Lancelot... making Lancelot the future of Guinevere. I am not sure if the unicorn finds him because he is destined to love Guinevere or if it finds him and /then/ he is destined to love her. Either way, it felt like it cheapened Lancelot and Guinevere relationship.
Hopefully the unicorn will come back and there will be more explanations about it in the next book.
December 28, 2011
I only finished reading this book because I need it for my essay, I think -- and because I'm being bribed to (I love my friends). It's not so terrible, but I'm just so totally bored by it -- Guinevere is totally unsympathetic, whatever the author was trying to do, and the humour in it just doesn't do anything for me. And the unicorn stuff makes me wince, and I'm not sure what the heck is going on with the Geraldus stuff -- it's always seemed fairly unnecessary. I hope it wasn't just for the Merlin/Nimue stuff.
There are plenty of strong female characters in the background -- it seems ridiculous that Newman could manage that and make Guinevere so bland. Even her love for Lancelot, which is supposed to be some great passionate thing for her... no.
There are plenty of strong female characters in the background -- it seems ridiculous that Newman could manage that and make Guinevere so bland. Even her love for Lancelot, which is supposed to be some great passionate thing for her... no.
May 12, 2015
Guinevere has begun to emerge a more believable character in this volume of Ms. Newman's trilogy. Lancelot has also become more realistic, but Lancelot, being Arthur's image of a perfect knight, can 'get away with' his more stringent behavior. Guinevere's character up to almost the end of Book 2 comes across as too spoiled, too selfish, and too immature to be Arthur's queen. The author has people staring at Guinevere because of her beauty, but I had difficulty picturing her as beautiful because she seemed too young and immature to be truly beautiful. I was pleased to see the change for the better. Book 3 should be intriguing as the author winds the trials of Guinevere and all the others especially King Arthur into a interesting ending.
August 3, 2022
Actual Rating: 3,75 ⭐️
The Chessboard Queen is the second book in the Guinevere trilogy and while the first book was better than this one, I still found this to be a very good experience.
Plot
Five years after the ending of first book, Guinevere is now married to Arthur and rules with him. He is constructing Camelot and recruiting knights for the round table. While that, a new knight comes to the court: Lancelot. The book also talks of some of main events of the legend such as the abduction of Guinevere and the birth of Galahad.
The plot was good, I liked how the author still decided to maintain many elements of the legend. A thing that I didn't like was the pacing, which was super weird for me. In some moments it was quick, but some scenes and chapters just dragged to much.
Characters
Guinevere
I think my main problem with the book was in fact her character. Guinevere doesn't change to much. In five years, she is queen, but it still so careless and for the most part it gives me the impression that she just doesn't care for her kingdom. I hope she gets better in the next and last book.
Lancelot
Lancelot appears for the first time in this book. He was raised in a lake by the Lady of the Lake. I liked him, for the most part and at the same time I felt sorry for him. He is a good person, but he suffers a lot, especially because he wants to become the best knight in the world and the love he has for Guinevere gets in the way.
Arthur
One of the best characters actually. Arthur is so kind and sweet. He is a person that seeks justice and wants what is best for the kingdom. I think this is one of my favorite representation of his character.
Gawain
Gawain is so good. He is so charismatic. I love his friendship with the main trio.
Gareth
One of Gawain's brother. He seems to be good and loves Lancelot. I honestly want to see more of him.
Morgan and Morgause
They are the villain here and just like the legend, Arthur's sisters. They were a little cliche if I'm honest, but they didn't appear here as much as I would like.
Writing
I really liked Sharan's writing in this one. I actually it was better than the first one.
World-Building
It was really good to see the lake and still see a little bit of the conflict between the old and new religion. I liked how the author showed their lives and how Arthur is trying to change the country.
Romance
I actually felt bad for Arthur. He truly loves Guinevere, but at the same time he knows that she doesn't return his feelings, or at least the way he would like.
I really loved the dynamic between Lancelot and Guinevere. While Lancelot felt in love at first sight, I love how Guinevere didn't like him in the beginning. I liked to see how she started to warm up to him and how she start to change her feelings. I like their chemistry and their story so far.
Final Thoughts
The book was good, not as good as the first, but still a very enjoyable read. Look forward to start the third and last book.
My rating and review for the other book in this trilogy
Guinevere - 4 stars
The Chessboard Queen is the second book in the Guinevere trilogy and while the first book was better than this one, I still found this to be a very good experience.
Plot
Five years after the ending of first book, Guinevere is now married to Arthur and rules with him. He is constructing Camelot and recruiting knights for the round table. While that, a new knight comes to the court: Lancelot. The book also talks of some of main events of the legend such as the abduction of Guinevere and the birth of Galahad.
The plot was good, I liked how the author still decided to maintain many elements of the legend. A thing that I didn't like was the pacing, which was super weird for me. In some moments it was quick, but some scenes and chapters just dragged to much.
Characters
Guinevere
I think my main problem with the book was in fact her character. Guinevere doesn't change to much. In five years, she is queen, but it still so careless and for the most part it gives me the impression that she just doesn't care for her kingdom. I hope she gets better in the next and last book.
Lancelot
Lancelot appears for the first time in this book. He was raised in a lake by the Lady of the Lake. I liked him, for the most part and at the same time I felt sorry for him. He is a good person, but he suffers a lot, especially because he wants to become the best knight in the world and the love he has for Guinevere gets in the way.
Arthur
One of the best characters actually. Arthur is so kind and sweet. He is a person that seeks justice and wants what is best for the kingdom. I think this is one of my favorite representation of his character.
Gawain
Gawain is so good. He is so charismatic. I love his friendship with the main trio.
Gareth
One of Gawain's brother. He seems to be good and loves Lancelot. I honestly want to see more of him.
Morgan and Morgause
They are the villain here and just like the legend, Arthur's sisters. They were a little cliche if I'm honest, but they didn't appear here as much as I would like.
Writing
I really liked Sharan's writing in this one. I actually it was better than the first one.
World-Building
It was really good to see the lake and still see a little bit of the conflict between the old and new religion. I liked how the author showed their lives and how Arthur is trying to change the country.
Romance
I actually felt bad for Arthur. He truly loves Guinevere, but at the same time he knows that she doesn't return his feelings, or at least the way he would like.
I really loved the dynamic between Lancelot and Guinevere. While Lancelot felt in love at first sight, I love how Guinevere didn't like him in the beginning. I liked to see how she started to warm up to him and how she start to change her feelings. I like their chemistry and their story so far.
Final Thoughts
The book was good, not as good as the first, but still a very enjoyable read. Look forward to start the third and last book.
My rating and review for the other book in this trilogy
Guinevere - 4 stars
May 21, 2021
I have read other works by Sharan Newman and this book seems weak comparatively. The characters are well-defined, but the plot and descriptive prose just did not engage my interest as well as her previous novels did.
June 11, 2008
I didn't enjoy this as much as the last one - I think because it seemed more firmly set in the typical Arthurian settings instead of the transition period from Roman Britain that I discussed in my review of the first book. I think I've figured out too that I find the development of the Arthurian legend more interesting than the culmination of it in the creation of Camelot. I also, as I predicted, really disliked the love triangle, especially since there was nearly nothing to like about this self-righteous Lancelot, and Guinevere seemed particularly vapid and boring. I suppose they're meant for each other...
However, I still enjoyed reading the book, particularly the subplots with the Lady of the Lake, Geraldus, Gawain, and Sidra. I realized that a lot of the sub-stories were kind of rehashing similar stories in the last book - Guinevere's friends fall in love with a knight, their ultimate happiness, etc. This isn't necessarily the fault of Sharan Newman (the characters are set already), but the way she presented the stories was very similar. And, frankly, the sub-plots were just more interesting in the last book (especially the story of Mark and Aswytha). I'd give it 3.5 stars.
However, I still enjoyed reading the book, particularly the subplots with the Lady of the Lake, Geraldus, Gawain, and Sidra. I realized that a lot of the sub-stories were kind of rehashing similar stories in the last book - Guinevere's friends fall in love with a knight, their ultimate happiness, etc. This isn't necessarily the fault of Sharan Newman (the characters are set already), but the way she presented the stories was very similar. And, frankly, the sub-plots were just more interesting in the last book (especially the story of Mark and Aswytha). I'd give it 3.5 stars.
November 15, 2008
This one picks up several years into Guinevere's marriage to Arthur and ends soon after her first complete coupling with Lancelot. Lancelot's life from infancy to when he makes love to Guinevere is a huge part of the book. For those of you who aren't into detailed love scenes you'll not be disappointed. The description is brief. The Lady of the Lake's life is described as well as Morgan, Morgause, and Modred. Many other 1st book characters are carried over and given more detail. Mostly the central theme is about Lancelot & Guinevere and how they deal with their love and their ties to Arthur. I wonder if it would be so inevitable had Lancelot not encountered Guinevere's dying unicorn & the unicorn transferred its feelings for Guinevere to Lancelot. I think not. The other central theme is Arthur's quest to build the Knights of the Round Table.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2013
I liked this fantasy version of this part of Guinevere's life better than its predecessor in the series, Guinevere. It seemed to me that Guinevere became more considerate of others and understood her place as Arthur's queen. In short, she had more depth than in Guinevere. Her sensitivity to those around her has developed and she cares about others. Arthur is delightfully real - a man who adores his wife and seeks to protect her against all danger. His goals for a peaceful kingdom were admirable. When Lancelot appears portrayed as an arrogant "perfect" rendition of a knight, I found I did not like the author's characterization. He is self-centered and full of himself. In my opinion, it's an ok read and better than the first novel in the series, perhaps rating 3.5 stars.
August 2, 2023
The second volume of a trilogy based on Guinevere. She and Arthur have been married and Camelot is being constructed. Lancelot come to court, Galahad is born, and the affair between the two begins.
Guinevere is portrayed as self-absorbed; she's got an attitude that makes you want to smack her. Lancelot starts out as a religious fanatic--overly penitent and superior. Arthur is the only one who is decent. He loves his wife and knows she doesn't return it. You wish something better for him.
Morgan is Lot's wife instead of Morgause--although Morgause is in the story also.
Not very impressed. Too easy to not like the main character.
Guinevere is portrayed as self-absorbed; she's got an attitude that makes you want to smack her. Lancelot starts out as a religious fanatic--overly penitent and superior. Arthur is the only one who is decent. He loves his wife and knows she doesn't return it. You wish something better for him.
Morgan is Lot's wife instead of Morgause--although Morgause is in the story also.
Not very impressed. Too easy to not like the main character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2015
okay, I'm stalled. I will focus on finishing this one! Nope, I'm putting the book aside for another day. I've renewed it 6 times and still can't make myself finish it. And I love Sharan Newman's other books. Oh well. I'll mark it read and move on.
So what's it about, Gunieviere and King Arthur, Merlin, Gawain, and Lancelot. All their stories, with interesting and magical twists, intersect in Britain while Arthur is building Camelot and creating a place for the Round Table. Adventure is certain to happen, I just can't make myself read until it does.
So what's it about, Gunieviere and King Arthur, Merlin, Gawain, and Lancelot. All their stories, with interesting and magical twists, intersect in Britain while Arthur is building Camelot and creating a place for the Round Table. Adventure is certain to happen, I just can't make myself read until it does.
January 10, 2009
I enjoyed the her first book, Guinevere, so much better.
July 20, 2022
I cannot believe the amount of spelling and grammar mistakes that were permitted in this book. Massively disappointed.
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December 27, 2012CHECK RECEIPTS FOR DATE OF PURCHASE
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