Avalon: A Novel | Anya Seton | One of the most vivid and haunting historical novels ever written.

Avalon: A Novel | Anya Seton | Not as good as Katherine, but ...

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Avalon: A Novel

	Avalon: A Novel Anya Seton Chicago Review Press, 2006 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 34 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One of the most vivid and haunting historical novels ever written.

Seton has taken a few obscure facts and woven them into this beautiful and evocative tale. Historical novels don`t come much better than this!

Not as good as Katherine, but ...

Anya Seton is a masterful storyteller, transporting the reader back to the Dark Ages, to be immersed in a period of Viking raids on the British Isles and deceit, treachery and murder on the English throne. As is an indicator of good historical fiction, I was inspired to find out more about this time period, to learn which characters and events were historically documented and which were products of the author's vivid imagination. I also highly recommend Seton's "Katherine" for those who enjoy historical fiction.

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The Search for Avalon

Anya Seton is my favorite author and historical fiction writer. Her writing is perfect, characters well rounded, and her stories researched. "Avalon" was not a disappointment because she did not fail in any of those respects. However, "Avalon" was not nearly as good as her other books. I did not feel attached to the characters as I usually do, at some points I felt the story dragging on, and you wait throughout the whole book for something that Ms Seton continuously builds up to, but does not come to pass.
During the 800's in England, it is about two fictional characters in a historically correct setting. The novel is basically about their relationship that never truely develops.
I recommend this because Anya Seton has a way with her writing and stories, even though it's not personally one of my favorites by her.

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ENGLAND BEFORE THE NORMAN CONQUEST...

Based upon a true story, this is the epic telling of the life of a woman named Merewyn, who lived during the tumultuous tenth and eleventh centuries. Her mother had been the victim of one of the Viking raids on the coast of Cornwall. As a result, Merewyn was born. Her life was to change when a Prince of Provence named Rumon, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, was washed upon the shores near Merwyn's home.

As Rumon is a Prince of the House of Atheling, he is looking for his royal kin. Fourteen year old Merewyn, her mother having died of illness, acts as his guide. When they get to Court, Merewyn, who believes herself to be descended from King Arthur, is afforded a place in the Queen's retinue, while Rumon becomes great friends with the King. The King has two sons, Edward by his first wife, and Ethelred by his second wife, the beautiful Queen Alfrida, who is as evil as she is beautiful.

The years pass, and Merewyn, who was originally fond of the Queen, finally sees her for what she is. Rumon, however, falls under her thrall, much to Merewyn's dismay, as she has fallen in love with him. When the King mysteriously dies, Edward ascends the throne at the age of fourteen. Unfortunately, he, too, meets an ignominious end, and his younger brother, Ethelred, becomes King. He will eventually be known as Ethelred the Unready.

Against this historical backdrop, Merewyn and Rumon live out their lives, star-crossed lovers whose lives, though intersecting, are never able to be joined. They would each find themselves on a path in which happiness would elude them. How they reconcile their respective fates and where the road of life leads them makes for an enjoyable tale told by a master storyteller. Set against the backdrop of Viking raids, battle, and adventure, this is a well-researched and well-written work of historical fiction that those who enjoy this particular genre will relish.

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The Title is Subtly Misleading. . .

Unless I dive into a scholarly interpretation of the title and decide that Avalon is somehow meant to be symbolic of the youthful and innocent part of ourselves we allow to be free enough to love, I have to say that the title and its relationship to the pale Arthurian thread is somewhat misleading. Even the small blurb about the what to expect in Avalon is a bit off, as I dove into this expecting a truly heart-wrenching love affair between Rumon and Merewyn, but wound up disappointed. This is not to say that Seton's flare for period writing is not at its best. I found myself wrapped up in her descriptions of life in the Viking settlements, and her court-life accuracy never fails to impress, but I truly feel that she focused so much on trying to develop a relatable Dark-Ages experience through what little history exists from that time, that she failed to create relatable and human characters. There is very little time to feel close to either Merewyn or Rumon as characters. There is hardly any lead into Rumon's sudden "awakening" in his love for Merewyn, and I truly believe that this evident lacking is a direct result of her not fleshing out the characters as well as could be. I dove into this expecting to have my breath taken away, much as I did while reading Katherine, and it just didn't happen. That is not to say it isn't a fine example of historical imagination. It just isn't the best Anya Seton book I've ever read.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7

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