Guinevere Evermore

Guinevere #3

by Sharan Newman

Retells the story of the quest for the Holy Grail, the final days of Camelot, the adventures of Sir Percival, and the trials of Guinevere

Genres: Arthurian, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Medieval

277 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Sharan 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 )

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

The one redeeming feature of this book was Gawain. Unfortunately, his death came about halfway through. It was the most affecting part of the whole book, because he was the one character I actually honestly liked.

Mostly, I just couldn't like this trilogy because it was too much wtf that wasn't tied up properly. The stuff about Epona never really got anywhere, nor did the stuff about Geraldus. Gawain is the son of a sunbeam, literally, and gets taken off when he dies by his father... which just comes across as ridiculous. I really couldn't take this book seriously, at all.

There is some realism in it -- babies, for example, aren't just precious bundles of joy but also shit themselves and cry a lot. Guinevere's love for Galahad rings true enough, too. But. But. No. I just couldn't enjoy it.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4,25 ⭐️

Guinevere Evermore is the last book in this trilogy written by Sharan Newman and for me it was the best book.

Plot

The final book in this series talks mostly about the Grail and the consequences of the quest. We also have the moment when the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere is discovered and the final battle between Arthur and Mordred.

The book was really good. I really liked it. This one was more fast paced and it had a lot more action. However, for a book that was suppose to be about Guinevere, she didn't appear much in the first part of the book. The second was the best. I ending left me very emotional.

Characters

Guinevere

I wish I could have seen this change in the second book. Guinevere here was really good, especially in the second part of the book. I loved how she started to feel more secure about herself and how she started to noticed that she doesn't need a man to save her and that she can start to save herself. In this book, instead of going to a monastery, Guinevere decided to go back to her hometown and I really liked this idea, where she started to be happy and help people.

Lancelot

I really liked Lancelot in this book also. Just like the second he is still a man that feels confused because of his love for the queen.

Arthur

Arthur was one of the best characters in the book. Arthur is kind and loves his wife very much. He had a dream for Britain and I felt really sad by his death at the end.

Gawain

Gawain was also one of the best characters. Funny and sarcastic, I was also really sad when I read about his fate. But, we know for the first book that Gawain has strength during the day, but as soon as the sun sets, he falls asleep. The reader discovers the answer to this question in this book and I really loved it.

Galahad

Probably my favorite representation of Galahad. He was kind and supportive. My favorite part was seeing the relationship between him, Guinevere and Lancelot, In this book, Guinevere treats Galahad as her own son.

Mordred and Morgause

They were a bit cliche, for being honest. But they were good villains.

Writing

The writing was good and I love some of the quotes here.

World-Building

Seeing how Britain fell and how much the country changed since Arthur's last battle was really interesting to see and I think the author made a good job in this part.

Romance

Just like the other book, I felt really bad for Arthur. I know how much he loves Guinevere and he knows that she doesn't love him the way he do, but he still does everything he can to make her happy.

I really loved the romance between Lancelot and Guinevere. I loved their relationship and I definitely loved the ending. So happy that they finally had a happy ending.

Final Thoughts

In sum, I really liked this trilogy. I'm sure I'm going to read this again in the future.

My other ratings and reviews for the other books in this trilogy

Guinevere - 4 stars
The Chessboard Queen - 3,75 stars

[Merel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb er nogal lang over gedaan om dit boek te lezen, want het begint erg langzaam.
Halverwege het boek gebeurde er pas wat.
Het gaat over Guinevere, maar ze is nogal passief en naast een affaire met Lancelot doet ze niet veel.

Het is realistisch geschreven. Ik kan mezelf daar in die tijd echt zien rondlopen. Ik vind dit een leuke kijk op een 'Koning Arthur' boek. Ik weet niet of koning Arthur ook echt zo vlak na de Romeinen kwam, maar het klonk plausibel.

Ik heb het boek in het Engels gelezen en er zaten best veel woorden bij, die ik moest opzoeken, al zal dat vooral aan mij liggen waarschijnlijk.

Richting het einde kwamen de dingen bij elkaar en werd het ook emotioneel. Ik vond het een mooi gesloten einde met alle vragen beantwoord.

[Arthurianmaiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this novel just this moment and I can't lie, the end was very emotional for me even if it was a happy one. I cried a little bit.
This novel tells the tale of the Holy Grail, Camlann and what happens to Guinevere after Arthur's death.
I think it'll be safer for me to put everything under spoilers. I'll just say that even if this third book was not as good as the first one, in my opinion, it was much better than the second one also if only because of the last part of the novel itself.
I was very conflicted when I started this novel because the second one has been quite boring to me and I wasn't sure what to expect here. But while there were some parts that I think were slow and usless even here I still liked this third book.
I think the weakest point of this novel is Guinevere. The character of Guinevere is almost forgotten in the first part. She rarely appears, we know almost nothing of what she thinks and wants, her parts are very little while the most of it is about Gawain and Lancelot. It was mildly disappointing for me, because I expected more Guinevere in a book which was titled "Guinevere". Luckily the last part is mostly about her.
Another thing I wasn't too fond of was how some of the previous plots seemed to have been forgotten. Maybe I just tought they were previous plot twist/future and they weren't? I was very confused about the unicorn which really just appeared in the first novel and about Caet, a servant of Guinevere's house, in love with her and... who does nothing, Perciva whom appears suddenly and seems quite important until he is forgotten. At the same time the book took again the plot of Epona and Flora, Guinevere's nurse... leaving it just there. By the end I really did not understand why Guinevere was so connected with the magical world, was she the reincarnation of Epona? Who knows.
The part of the Grail confused me too. I can understand that the Grail needed to be left as something mysterious but I wish the author had decided to explain what it exactly was and what happened to Palamedes and Galahad.

But talking of happy things. I loved many things of this novel and I'll try to talk about them in a chronological order as they appeared in it:
- Palamedes and Galahad. Not a lot of novels have Palamedes in it so I was quite ecstatic when he appeared as one of the main protagonists of the Quest f the Grail. Galahad too, here Guinevere's adopted son, was an intelligent and kind boy instead of the snobbish religious obsessed whom I've seen in so many novels.
- The love story of Lydia and Cei which actually appears in the second novel. Mostly because it's not every day that Cei has his little love story and here they are quite enamoured and sweet.
- The Lady of the Lake. I think this was my second favourite thing after Guinevere's ending. The Lady of the Lake doesn't disappear after having raised Lancelot and she is nor evil nor good, just different, magical and unable to really connect with the world of humans. She only cares about Lancelot, in a sort of cold curious way, and she wants to help him and follow his quests and life. She decides to take in Arthur in her lake (Avalon) to heal his spirit as a favour to Lancelot, hoping to convince him to follow her and it's her who tempts him with immortality in the lake. And Lancelot refuses because he can feel that death will let him be with Guinevere, while at the same time Guinevere refuses the same offer (to go to the magical world leaving her body) made by Geraldus to be able to be with Lancelot after her death.
- Gawain, who was probably the most interesting character in the novel. And his duel with Lancelot after he has saved the queen accidentally killing Gareth. Gawain's mystery condition (strenght with the sun) is also explained by the end.
- Guinevere's character development. Here I am a bit disappointed because I feel like the author wasted two novels (the second and most of the third one) talking about everything but Guinevere and her character development. She is still passive and quite lazy, waiting to be saved, and it is alright, it's her character, but she changes suddenly and completely only after the traumatic experience of being raped by Mordred. After she is left alone she understands that she can save herself, she can be by herself and she can be things that she has never imagined before. I quite liked it, I loved the fact that after Arthur's death she also leaves Lancelot to return to her home in Cameliard and be with her family, heal people, trying to pass on the story of Arthur and his ideals- I loved it all, it was my favourite part, but it felt very rushed because she never even has a hint of character development before that last part.
- Mordred and Morgana are quite villaneous, and have many of the cliché villain traits but there are sparkled of deep in their character so I wasn't disappointed by them.

I am sure there is so much more to say, but these were the main parts I needed to talk about. I really enjoyed this last novel, especially the ending aprt about Guinevere and her happy ending. I am glad that here she doesn't decide to dwell on guilt in a monastery but she actually starts living a life that she loves and starts believing in herself.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the downer book of the series and has the most action. The book starts a few years after Lancelot leaves Camelot and is on his way back. It finishes with his death and the story of his grave. Modred, Arthur's son by his half-sister Morgan, plays a huge role in this one. Lots of character deaths too so be prepared to say goodbye to them. Guinevere's life experiences much joy, hardship, and pain. At one point she is convicted of treason. She does, however, finally take care of herself without the aid of anyone rescuing her. The quest for the Grail occurs & is found. I won't give away by who and how. Overall, the series is complete in describing Guinevere's life and a few of those around her. Not too deep to make your brain hurt. Quick enough to finish in a weekend. A pleasant read.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last volume of Newman's Guinevere trilogy. Slightly better than the second one but still doesn't paint that good a picture of the queen. The Grail is sought, Galahad and Palomides achieve it. Lancelot and Guinevere are caught, and she is convicted of treason and sorcery. Gareth is killed when Lancelot rescues her. Arthur goes to Amorica and Mordred takes Queen and kingdom. Arthur and Mordred kill each other at Camlann--Arthur taken by the Lady of the Lake. Guinevere returns to her parents' home. Lancelot retires to Glastonbury and dies there. When Guinevere dies she is buried with him at his feet--mistaken later as Arthur's grave.

Guinevere becomes somewhat likeable at the end, but only just, Arthur is definitely the hero, which is ironic since it is supposed to be her series.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the second book in the series, this was another 3.5 rated book for me. I can't stand Lancelot, and don't see any reason why Guinevere would love him besides her supernatural draw to him, which left me unsatisfied. I did like Guinevere a lot more in this book - she became more than just an ideal, but I still hate love triangles so it wasn't fun for me to read much of the book. I also missed many of the subplot characters who had extremely minor roles in this novel. However, the story was interesting, and the tragic, yet hopeful, conclusion of the story was compelling enough for me to continue reading, and Sharan Newman's writing is fairly clean - not the greatest, but not bad, either.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did the editors even look at this before it was printed? There were SO MANY TYPOS.

This is my first time reading this in 20 years. I don't remember hating it this much. Quinevere is a spoiled little airhead who just assumes people are going to do everything for her. Three books and she doesn't really progress as a character. It's mind-numbing

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun page turner. I like the take on Guinevere, she is sappy but then turns out to have a hidden strength. Lancelot was a bit sappy for me but Arthur was compelling. Not great literature but a great read.

[Martha Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting ideas. But Guinevere spends much of the trilogy just sort of floating along, above it all. Which is ok, but I wish there was more time devoted to the periods of her life when she has more agency, because that is the most interesting part.

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these for the first time during my sophomore year of high school when we were studying the Arthurian legends. I loved them then.

[Meltha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newman's Guinevere series is, for a change, a sympathetic view of the title character as opposed to making her the villain. Yes, it's pulpy in places, bu it's good pulp.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the ending. :)

[Natalie Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to make myself read this one, just to finish the trilogy. It actually ended better than expected but did not enjoy much of it.