Reviews for Avalon

The average rating for Avalon based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-04-17 00:00:00 Judson Spangler A historical novel based on events that occurred in the 10th Century in England, Iceland, and Greenland, Avalon did not live up to my expectations of Anya Seton. The plot of a bit plodding and fairly unsophisticated. However, I did enjoy getting a glimpse of this time period, which is not one that is encountered that often. I now have a better understanding of how the very important Norman conquest came to be and why the Normans came to sit on the throne of England. The story traces a Cornish girl, Merewyn, who is revealed to be a result of a Viking raid, and Rumon, a French descendant of Charlemagne. Their lives intersect several times, as they thread their ways through the royal house of first King Edgar and then Ethelred the Unready. The influences of both the raiding Norsemen and the Christian church are well-presented. It is primarily the person stories that lack impact. Merewyn, to whom we should feel attached, falls a bit flat for me, and displays a kind of inconsistency of character that bothers me as well. I do feel the section that deals with her life among the Iceland/Greenland Norse is better-written than her time in England. I have had this book sitting on my shelf for years and have always believed it was going to be a book I would love if I could ever get it into the schedule. It was not that, but I am pleased to be able to say I have read it and that I did walk away with information and impressions of the time period that I did not have at the outset.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-03-25 00:00:00 Katherine Taft A wonderful historical saga of the tenth century. Rumon, descendaant of Charlemagne and King Arthur journeys from his native Provence to England, which is being torn apart by rifts between Christian and pagan, and violent invasions and raids by Vikings and Danes. He meets the beautiful and valiant Merewyn, in Cornwall, but is bewitched by the evil Queen Alfreda, who after Edgar's death has Edgar's older son Edward assassinated, and replaced by Alfreda's own son Ethelred. Merewyn is later captured by vikings and the epic takes us to Iceland, Greenland and North America. A fine work of engaging and event-filled historical fiction and romance, taking us to the heart of 10th century England and beyond. Impossible to put down