Masterful retelling

If you could sum up The Mists of Avalon in three words, what would they be?

Heartbreaking, empowering, well-crafted

What other book might you compare The Mists of Avalon to, and why?

The Once and Future King, for its masterful retelling of Arthurian legend that brings the timeless tales into a new light.

What does Davina Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She really gives voices to all the characters - I never felt uncertain about who was speaking. She also keeps my attention amazingly.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way

Any additional comments?

The one downside is that I found the ending quite anti-climactic, and I also questioned some of the characters' actions, finding them out of character.

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9 people found this helpful

Wonderful tale of women's mysteries

I read The Mists of Avalon many many years ago, and loved it then, as so much of it simply felt true - the magic, mysteries, the training the priestesses undergo, the Arthur legends told from a sympathetic feminine or feminist perspective as a turning point in time when patriarchal religion was in the ascendant and the old mysteries fading.
I found the audiobook every bit as engrossing as the book. The narrator, Davina Porter, does a good job of it, with easily distinguishable voices for the characters.

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Amazing

Once I started listening to this book I could not stop.
It’s the first book to reduce me to tears. Not because of it being sad but because of then uplifting finale

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A wonderful experience

What a wonderful experience being taken through the mists of time to those days of Arthur and the lady of avelon

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Enthralling

Knights, King Arthur, Morgaine Le Fay... ingredients for a story of fantastic reach. A subtle criticism of the Christian faith but more than that a cry for a revised opinion of the role of women in the world. And all that through fantasy.

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The Mists of Avalon an Epic Tale

I have reached the end of this book and literally feel bereft.
This is a fantastic retelling of the Arthurian legend but from the perspective predominantly of his sister Morgaine and other significant female characters.
I have a natural curiosity for this legend having been taken to Glastonbury and Tintagel as a young girl and this has reignited my passion.
I am already looking forward to re reading this in the future and passing it on to the girls in my family. It is such a richly embroidered saga that covers many twists, turns and eras.
An absolute gem of a book. The best retelling of the legend of Arthur.
Davina Porter is a convincing, eloquent and versatile narrator which has greatly added to my enjoyment of the book. Well worth the 50 hours of listening, off to download book 2!

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Really Enjoyed

After reading this book in my teen's I had fond memories of it. Thirty years later and still enjoyed it just as much.

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Magical

Though hard going at the start it's well worth sticking with it just gets better and better!

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A Revelation and a Mystical Experience

Marion Zimmer Bradley is a controversial figure, due to her own actions and those of her late husband. However, if you can find it in yourself to look past that, you will enjoy one of the single best interpretations of the Arthurian myth cycles ever written.
Bradley's biggest innovation was to take a tale of knightly adventures and to tell it entirely from the perspective of those characters who had either been marginalised or demonised, namely the female characters. Some of these characters you will have great sympathy for, and others, like Gwen, you may find yourself hating at times, but they are not one-dimensional portraits and every character has enough depth of characterisation to wring a gamut of emotions from the reader.
Great praise must also go to Davina Porter for her standard setting performance of this epic work. I doubt there has been, or will ever be, a better audiobook reading.

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1 person found this helpful

perfect

absolutely love this book. have now listened twice to all 50 hours of it. perfect.

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