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Merlin's Harp #2
Gawain and Lady Green
In the days of King Arthur the knight Sir Gawain, who is travelling through a foreign land, is abducted by farmers and crowned May King. He is also told he must sleep with Gwyneth, the May Queen to assure a good harvest. Sir Gawain is delighted, until helearns what befell the last May King when the harvest ended. By the author of Merlin's Harp.Inspired by the classic Middle English poem, this story about honor and chivalry introduces a mysterious knight who gallops into King Arthur's court and offers all gathered there a fantastic challenge
208 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1997
4 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Anne Eliot Crompton
22 books18 followersAnne Eliot Crompton was a critically acclaimed writer of fiction for children, teenagers, and adults. Many of her novels draw from legends and folktales. Three are based on Arthurian legends: Merlin’s Harp, Gawain and Lady Green, and Percival’s Angel. Crompton created new fictions out of old by concentrating on the perspectives and emotions of characters who are slightly removed from the traditional plots. Crompton raised Shetland and Welsh ponies on her farm in Chesterfield, MA, and wrote a series of horse stories for girls which focus on the emotional bonds between humans and animals. In The Sorcerer, she imagined the artistic development of a prehistoric cave painter.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 5, 2011
In this tale of Arthurian romance for young adults, Lady Green, witch and priestess to the Goddess, but decide between her people and her love when Gawain stumbles into their May Day celebration. Crowned the May King, Gawain must be sacrificed at summer's end to ensure the next year's crop and his fate is outside Lady Green's control. Or is it.
I had high hopes for this tale but was terribly disappointed. Gawain, the Christian Knight is portrayed as a prideful and arrogant fool. Yet, he is also portrayed as the more intelligent, rational, and "advanced" character. Lady Green, or Gwyneth, is portrayed as simple, overly sexual, and deceptive. It is Lady Green who is chased by evil, regardless of the love in her heart.
All in all, the book was difficult to follow, confusing, and did not kindly portray women or pagans. My money would have been spent better elsewhere.
I had high hopes for this tale but was terribly disappointed. Gawain, the Christian Knight is portrayed as a prideful and arrogant fool. Yet, he is also portrayed as the more intelligent, rational, and "advanced" character. Lady Green, or Gwyneth, is portrayed as simple, overly sexual, and deceptive. It is Lady Green who is chased by evil, regardless of the love in her heart.
All in all, the book was difficult to follow, confusing, and did not kindly portray women or pagans. My money would have been spent better elsewhere.
June 28, 2008
In this novel Crompton retells the Arthurian legend of Gawain and the Green Knight in such a way that is both enchanting and believable. Sir Gawain of Camelot has lost his companions, his supplies and his way when he stumbles upon a Beltane celebration in a rural Celtic village. Riding into the celebration with the intention of demanding hospitality, Gawain is unwilling crowned May King, an honor which may prove to be more dangerous than it seems. The only hope for the haughty nobleman to ever return to Camelot is to learn to see the villagers as equals, and place his trust in the beautiful May Queen, Gwyneth. As his biases fade and his world view changes, Gawain finds himself falling in love with Gwyneth. Love, however, may not be able to conquer all as the urban mores and norms of Camelot conflict with those of rural villages, and old traditions clash with new ideas. The plot deepens when Gawain is given the quest of confronting the monstrous Knight of the Green Chapel, whose nature may prove very different than the young man suspects. Danger lurks in unlikely places, things are not always what they seem, and even lovely Gwyneth may have dark intentions.
Anne Eliot Crompton is know for her Arthurian novels, of which this is one of the best. Told alternatively from the views of Gawain and Gwyneth, Crompton weaves a gripping tale in a moderately stark style similar to that of Maya Angelou.
Anne Eliot Crompton is know for her Arthurian novels, of which this is one of the best. Told alternatively from the views of Gawain and Gwyneth, Crompton weaves a gripping tale in a moderately stark style similar to that of Maya Angelou.
March 26, 2011
As the novel opens, Gawain is a big entitled git. Admittedly, he has reasons for being surly, since he's being kept in the village as the May King, and his horse has been killed, his weapons taken... Still, even before that, he just expects to be given whatever he wants, just because he's a knight. He's a very young Gawain.
The writing-style seems... amateurish. Gawain's thoughts, for example, are amateurish, and the transition between third person limited to Gawain and third person limited to Lady Green are clumsy.
The idea is that this is a 'subversive and deliciously witty' version of the Green Knight story. I actually sort of like the idea of Gawain as a May King and so on, but I didn't find this particularly witty. I suppose it's sort of feminist in that the final scenes -- Gawain facing the Green Knight with his axe -- are quite like the original anonymous poem, but sans the misogynistic tirade on Gawain's part!
The writing-style seems... amateurish. Gawain's thoughts, for example, are amateurish, and the transition between third person limited to Gawain and third person limited to Lady Green are clumsy.
The idea is that this is a 'subversive and deliciously witty' version of the Green Knight story. I actually sort of like the idea of Gawain as a May King and so on, but I didn't find this particularly witty. I suppose it's sort of feminist in that the final scenes -- Gawain facing the Green Knight with his axe -- are quite like the original anonymous poem, but sans the misogynistic tirade on Gawain's part!
March 16, 2011
To be fair, I didn't finish this book. I only was able to sit through about 25 pages and put it down, so keep in mind my review and judgement is based on this beginning.
This book didn't hold me. I couldn't read any longer.
And I have a major gripe with it. Mainly that this was placed in the YA section. This book should not be considered YA, it should be in the adult fantasy/sci-fi section. Reason being? Way too much sexuality and the fact that Lady Green is a teenage mother. I'm sorry but I simply cannot agree with literature aimed at young adults which showcases teen motherhood and promiscuity as a positive thing.
The writing itself is very lackluster consisting of mostly choppy and disorganized dialogue that reads more like a script than a book.
To say I was underwhealmed would be an understatement.
This book didn't hold me. I couldn't read any longer.
And I have a major gripe with it. Mainly that this was placed in the YA section. This book should not be considered YA, it should be in the adult fantasy/sci-fi section. Reason being? Way too much sexuality and the fact that Lady Green is a teenage mother. I'm sorry but I simply cannot agree with literature aimed at young adults which showcases teen motherhood and promiscuity as a positive thing.
The writing itself is very lackluster consisting of mostly choppy and disorganized dialogue that reads more like a script than a book.
To say I was underwhealmed would be an understatement.
May 19, 2017
Inept attempt at mashing SGGK into a Marion Zimmer Bradley-issue pigeonhole.
May 1, 2022
I really enjoyed the first book in this series - Merlin's Harp - but unfortunately didn't like this one as much. It was supposed to be the retelling of the legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight but it didn't work for me.
Retellings are some of my favourite stories to read and usually I'm eager to see the author's spin on the original story but in this case, it just didn't flow well to me. Instead of getting an interesting take on the legend, I felt like I read two separate stories - the first half made up by the author (which I didn't really enjoy as it had too many "nos" for me, both from Gawain and Lady Green and other character) and the second half that tied to the original tale. There is a connection between the two, but unfortunately reading through the first half of the book, I didn't feel like this story had any point, strong message or was needed.
I will continue with the series, as I saw the reviews saying it's better, but I'm quite disappointed with this one. Also, keep in mind that it's once again wrongly marked as YA (probably with the re-released covers) - I would definitely say that the whole series is better suited for older readers.
Retellings are some of my favourite stories to read and usually I'm eager to see the author's spin on the original story but in this case, it just didn't flow well to me. Instead of getting an interesting take on the legend, I felt like I read two separate stories - the first half made up by the author (which I didn't really enjoy as it had too many "nos" for me, both from Gawain and Lady Green and other character) and the second half that tied to the original tale. There is a connection between the two, but unfortunately reading through the first half of the book, I didn't feel like this story had any point, strong message or was needed.
I will continue with the series, as I saw the reviews saying it's better, but I'm quite disappointed with this one. Also, keep in mind that it's once again wrongly marked as YA (probably with the re-released covers) - I would definitely say that the whole series is better suited for older readers.
January 31, 2025
I hated this book! I originally picked it up in 7th grade and had to put it down because I was overwhelmed by the May Day festivities. I ended up holding onto it to read at a later day, which I did post-college.
When I first picked it up, I had no idea that it was an Arthurian tale. Gawain is a night of the round table that ends up in this small town after fighting in a war. He shows up, is crowned may king, and then sleeps with the may queen to make sure the crops grow (where I stopped reading in 7th grade). Then he learns that the may king is to be killed at the end of summer the next year, but oh no, he got the girl pregnant 🙄 So then he claims that he'll bring her along if she helps him escape, and then he leaves her for died in a cave in the MIDDLE of WINTER while she's like 8 months along....
I hated ALL of the characters in this book, the pay off was crap and I wanted the women that he abandoned to be the one that beat the s**t out of him. NOT the f***ing new fiance....
In closing, there is a reason that this book was at Goodwill, and there is a reason it is now in my garage sale pile.
When I first picked it up, I had no idea that it was an Arthurian tale. Gawain is a night of the round table that ends up in this small town after fighting in a war. He shows up, is crowned may king, and then sleeps with the may queen to make sure the crops grow (where I stopped reading in 7th grade). Then he learns that the may king is to be killed at the end of summer the next year, but oh no, he got the girl pregnant 🙄 So then he claims that he'll bring her along if she helps him escape, and then he leaves her for died in a cave in the MIDDLE of WINTER while she's like 8 months along....
I hated ALL of the characters in this book, the pay off was crap and I wanted the women that he abandoned to be the one that beat the s**t out of him. NOT the f***ing new fiance....
In closing, there is a reason that this book was at Goodwill, and there is a reason it is now in my garage sale pile.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2019
Choppy, awkward writing that's hard to follow and did not pique my interest at all. Didn't read very far, though since there are no chapters, I can't say how many I would have gotten through... yeah, that's obnoxious too. But maybe 25 pages in, I didn't really care about the story. Partly because of the awkward writing and partly because I found the premise (random man stumbles in to a village while they're celebrating May Day, crown him the May Day king, and in so doing, invites him to sleep with anyone in the village he wishes - primarily the May Day queen, who's apparently done this sort of thing many times before - for a certain length of time before they kill him in hopes of a good harvest) pretty disgusting.
December 11, 2018
This is a feminist take on a retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Captured on the road, Gawain's life is spared when he agrees to marry the Lady Green. However, he reneges on this promise as soon as he is safely back at Camelot. From there the story follows the poem with some sly feminist refinements. Tracking the original story, a Green Knight comes to Camelot and challenges the Knights to deliver a blow that he will return in one year. Gawain, guilty about Lady Green, volunteers and beheads the knight. He picks up his head and leaves. When a year is almost up, Lady Green arrives. Will she help her betrothed betrayer?
August 24, 2023
Finished it but it was a strange read.
September 22, 2012
The last section of this book is based firmly on the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, even lifting lines from the fourteenth century Middle English original. However Gawain is a chaste and virtuous 'gentil parfait' knight in that poem and he is certainly not in Crompton's retelling.
In fact, her beginning has much in common with the French versions of Gawain’s story, where he is very much the lady's man. However, the parallels are only very loose. Nothing French fits the start with the same exactness of the latter section and the original Middle English poem.
Crompton makes a significant departure from that story towards the end, however, to fit the premise of the first part of her re-telling: that Gawain is a May-King, destined to die at Summersend, after a protracted fertility ritual with Lady Green. A peasant girl with ample curves, she is in training to become the next representation of the Goddess in her tribe, bringing health, healing, abundant crops and love.
Gawain blunders into the village as the May-dance is about to start and is chosen as May-King. Although he quickly realises he is a prisoner, it takes him some time to work out how this knightly adventure is likely to end: his head will be reaped like the scythes of the villagers reap the heads of grain.
Lady Green has however fallen in love with him and helps him escape when he promises to take her to Camelot as his bride. However, he leaves her in a cave on the moor – taking the only weapon they have between them. A knife.
Thereafter, with the return of the story to Camelot, the more traditional version takes (mostly) over.
By far my favourite ‘character’ (if I can call it that) in the whole story was Gawain’s Inner Mind. It continues to conduct a subordinate respectful conversation with him throughout the story, coming into its own in the last half of the book. Like the perfect squire or quintessentially ideal butler, constantly trying to draw his master’s attention with finesse and discreetness to the screamingly obvious dangers lurking about, the Inner Mind is a truly outstanding 'character'.
In fact, her beginning has much in common with the French versions of Gawain’s story, where he is very much the lady's man. However, the parallels are only very loose. Nothing French fits the start with the same exactness of the latter section and the original Middle English poem.
Crompton makes a significant departure from that story towards the end, however, to fit the premise of the first part of her re-telling: that Gawain is a May-King, destined to die at Summersend, after a protracted fertility ritual with Lady Green. A peasant girl with ample curves, she is in training to become the next representation of the Goddess in her tribe, bringing health, healing, abundant crops and love.
Gawain blunders into the village as the May-dance is about to start and is chosen as May-King. Although he quickly realises he is a prisoner, it takes him some time to work out how this knightly adventure is likely to end: his head will be reaped like the scythes of the villagers reap the heads of grain.
Lady Green has however fallen in love with him and helps him escape when he promises to take her to Camelot as his bride. However, he leaves her in a cave on the moor – taking the only weapon they have between them. A knife.
Thereafter, with the return of the story to Camelot, the more traditional version takes (mostly) over.
By far my favourite ‘character’ (if I can call it that) in the whole story was Gawain’s Inner Mind. It continues to conduct a subordinate respectful conversation with him throughout the story, coming into its own in the last half of the book. Like the perfect squire or quintessentially ideal butler, constantly trying to draw his master’s attention with finesse and discreetness to the screamingly obvious dangers lurking about, the Inner Mind is a truly outstanding 'character'.
August 30, 2023
What did I just scar my eyeballs with.
This book takes a truly gorgeous story and twists it into a novel where:
- A young man is kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a cult who plans to slaughter him, and this is somehow supposed to be a good thing.
- His rapist agrees to run away with him. They run, and he abandons her, and this is somehow a Bad Thing.
- Somehow, all of my known ancestors were insulted within the first two pages.
Ignoring all of my many-and-detailed complaints about the portrayal of "Gawain", and of the overall historical accuracy, please allow me a moment to rip into the portrayals of the story's religions.
Firstly, the Druids are... just... no. I'm not even sure the author is aware that that was a real religion. A serious, scholarly, easy-to-research religion. There's only so much information we have on it, and she has managed to ignore all of it.
There were no fertility rituals involving teenagers and random, kidnapped, Catholic knights. (I don't think even the Snakes were so... weird about their human sacrifice.) They were very big on wedlock and virginity (remember how Merlin lost his powers?). Catholics, especially Catholics of Arthur's time, have absolutely no issue believing in magic in the same way we have no issue believing in gravity or hurricanes. We do, however, have more than passing objections to being kidnapped by cults.
Tl;dr: This is #Girlbossified Midsommor. If what you're looking for is a reference for your thesis on how Druids/Christians/men are portrayed in fiction, this might be a very useful read. Otherwise, go read The Loathly Lady, The Marriage of Sir Gawain, or the back of a cereal box.
This book takes a truly gorgeous story and twists it into a novel where:
- A young man is kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a cult who plans to slaughter him, and this is somehow supposed to be a good thing.
- His rapist agrees to run away with him. They run, and he abandons her, and this is somehow a Bad Thing.
- Somehow, all of my known ancestors were insulted within the first two pages.
Ignoring all of my many-and-detailed complaints about the portrayal of "Gawain", and of the overall historical accuracy, please allow me a moment to rip into the portrayals of the story's religions.
Firstly, the Druids are... just... no. I'm not even sure the author is aware that that was a real religion. A serious, scholarly, easy-to-research religion. There's only so much information we have on it, and she has managed to ignore all of it.
There were no fertility rituals involving teenagers and random, kidnapped, Catholic knights. (I don't think even the Snakes were so... weird about their human sacrifice.) They were very big on wedlock and virginity (remember how Merlin lost his powers?). Catholics, especially Catholics of Arthur's time, have absolutely no issue believing in magic in the same way we have no issue believing in gravity or hurricanes. We do, however, have more than passing objections to being kidnapped by cults.
Tl;dr: This is #Girlbossified Midsommor. If what you're looking for is a reference for your thesis on how Druids/Christians/men are portrayed in fiction, this might be a very useful read. Otherwise, go read The Loathly Lady, The Marriage of Sir Gawain, or the back of a cereal box.
November 2, 2011
Pretty good read. I was kinda bored in the beginning, having read Gawain and the Green Knight, I kept waiting for *that* portion of the story to begin. This story actually has a pre-story to the original that's important for the set up of the retelling of the rest of the tale. So, it's important to read and then you get it and it's like "oh"!
And for some reason this is marketed as a YA book, but it's not really. I mean someone 14 years old could read it and enjoy it and it would be fine, but it's a pretty complex story about love, courage, honor and the conflict of religions, in this case, Christianity and Druidism. So, there's a lot going on.
And for some reason this is marketed as a YA book, but it's not really. I mean someone 14 years old could read it and enjoy it and it would be fine, but it's a pretty complex story about love, courage, honor and the conflict of religions, in this case, Christianity and Druidism. So, there's a lot going on.
March 28, 2016
I didn't and couldn't finish it - I read about a third of the way through, skimmed a bit more to see what happened, but the book just didn't hold my attention enough to even skim to the end. A disappointment, considering that the blurb sounded great. Neither Sir Gawain nor Lady Green were sympathetic characters; they both seemed duplicitous and not genuinely communicating / developing a relationship. Interesting message that the rules of chivalry (seen as orderly and civilised) were essentially chauvinistic compared to the more pagan culture of Lady Green's community, which gave women more autonomy.
April 14, 2011
I went back and forth between thinking this was an okay book and being utterly disgusted with it. its suppose to be a feminist retelling and the premise is good... a woman who is priestess and a powerful figure in her community would be a powerful feminist figure if she wasn't portrayed as manipulative and evil. mostly it was just insulting.
October 7, 2015
Well, I actually abandoned this at page 30. I just don't like how the author writes, the story was confusing and the characters not interesting. Maybe it was too early to stop reading but I was too bored.
July 1, 2014
Four stars for the high quality of Crompton's prose, although the story didn't come together as well as Merlin's Harp did, in terms of character development. A very inventive retelling of Gawain and the Green Knight.
August 28, 2009
Interesting variation on an old tale.
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October 27, 2013Marked as read so I don't accidentally get it again. How absolutely boring! I struggled to get through the first quarter and just couldn't read anymore.
August 23, 2015
I should have known any novel about Arthurian romances never quite get it. Well at least it got me to re-read the original again!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews