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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great story depicting the early twelve hundreds, but with reservations., November 14, 2005
I usually do not read the reviews of others until I have written mine so I won't be influenced. I very much enjoyed the first book in the series, The Seeing Stone. I was surprised at how many "kid reviews" were run and have to repeat something I did in my first review. I consider these works by Kevin Crossley Holland outstanding and gave it five stars just as I give this one. However, I am concerned about the emphasis that the books are for children. It is true there is no profanity to the extreme, I refer to the implications of sexual activities that children under their teens may have problems with. If young children are to read these then their parents should screen them to discuss certain elements. There are also very good philosophical concepts that may be beyond the understanding of young children. This comes from a retired teacher and principal now turned author and magazine publisher.
Now on to the very excellent At The Crossing Places. This is a continuation of the story of Arthur formerly of Caldicot now of Holt, in the early twelve hundreds. Now aged 15, Arthur is a squire and has learned that his parentage is not as he long believed. He has a real father who is a murderer and a real mother he wants to find. Arthur's desire is to be a knight and to build a life for himself, almost his own little kingdom. He is realistic about things around him and has a sense of justice beyond any of the other characters in the book. What Holland does so well is depict the times with more information than you'll find anywhere else about the way people lived in England at this point of history. It covers their life styles, beliefs, and their environment better than any such I have read before. Holland has done his research. His characterizations are excellent and far ahead of the society in the "seeing stone". Like the first book, this is a double story as in the "seeing stone", given Arthur by Merlin, he sees scenes from the life of the legendary King Arthur. There are definite parallels in the lives of both Arthurs which is the justification for combining the two tales. The only real justification in my opinion as the books would stand alone without the Arthurian legends which are in many ways flawed.
My only quarrel with Holland is that the Kind Arthur whose story he follows is too much Thomas Mallory and T. H. White. I was glad that some of the young readers were newly introduced to King Arthur, but would want them to read much better books like the series of books by Stephen Lawhead and Mary Stewart. Both have researched King Arthur to the point that you have no doubt that such a king once lived. I have had the pleasure of twice visiting some of the locations connected with Arthur in England and this too has added to my own understanding. There are many other authors beyond the two I recommended and many have written for children. Certainly Holland's books are much healthier reading than the Harry Potter series and those few who hailed Potter in their reviews would do well to read the Narnian series by C.S. Lewis.
I look very forward to the third book in this series. I love the books, but must be realistic about them.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great sequel to the Seeing Stone, February 17, 2004
This review is from: At The Crossing Places (hc) (Arthur Trilogy) (Hardcover)
After reading The Seeing Stone, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I quickly bought this book. I must first say the faults about this book. I admit that in the first book I found myself thinking that Arthur's life was a bit more boring than teh Arthur-in-the-stone's life and I was always waiting for the Arthur-in-the-stone stories to come. It was quite the oppisate for this book. This one was filled with Arthuran lengends and Kevin Crossley=Holland (the athor) poorly made the legends reflect the book. I found myself waiting for more of Arthur (the real one) 's life. His new life got much more exciting when since he is now a squire for Lord Stephan. He learns about who his new father is and he goes on a desprete quest to find his mother. He also meets a new girl named Winnie who he complely swoons over. Winni has red hair and most people can tell that she is the Gueniver in the stone. The only prob. is that Winnie nad Arthur have no chemistry! There is a lotta chemistry between Gatty and Arthur and the reader is always hoping for Gatty and Arthur to get togther...but we all know that King Arthur ended up with Gwen... Also. There was no Merlin. That was a bit of a dissapointment. But Ive been sayign all the bad stuff. There are much more good things in this inspiring novel. There is a whole bunch of new characters and mysteries. If you liked the first book in the trilogy I highly recomend this book. And although the third book (THE KING OF MIDDLE MARCH) has not been released in the US (4 reasons I know not) it has been realeased in the UK and you can order it on Amazon.co.uk (the British amazon so to speak). So if you have enough cash go out and buy it or rent it from teh library or borrow it from a friend, because it is good. I congradulate Kevin Crossely=Holland on his Arthur trilogy. :)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An admirable sequel - poetic and enthralling, August 31, 2010
"At the Crossing-Places" is the second instalment in Kevin Crossley-Holland's Arthur trilogy, and the sequel to the award-winning "The Seeing Stone". Set on the Welsh Marches in the year 1200, it continues the tale of thirteen-year-old Arthur de Caldicot. Arthur has recently been made squire to Lord Stephen de Holt, who is preparing to go on crusade against the Saracens. But as Arthur readies himself to go with his lord, he also begins his own quest to find his real mother, whose identity has been kept from him his entire life.
Just as in "The Seeing Stone", the story is narrated by Arthur over the course of 101 short chapters, each one no more usually than a handful of pages in length. In these he describes not only daily life on the manor at Holt, but also the visions he receives through his obsidian seeing stone, of his namesake King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Compared with the previous volume, however, the sections set within the seeing stone lack coherence, and do not seem to bear as much relevance to Arthur's real life, even though they take up a greater proportion of the book. This can prove frustrating at times, particularly since Arthur's own quest takes some time to develop.
Nevertheless, the writing is still as poetic and evocative as before, with touches both of humour and of sadness, and an authentic feel which is never heavy-handed. Crossley-Holland has an exceptional eye for detail; the depth of his research as well as his passion for his subject are evident. Every location is expertly and clearly evoked - the splendour of Holt castle forms an excellent contrast to the humble manor of Caldicot, the place of Arthur's childhood. Meanwhile the characters - from kind Lord Stephen to two-faced Haket, the village priest - are well-drawn and each have their own characteristics. In particular it is hard not to be touched by Arthur's relationship with Gatty, the daughter of the reeve at Caldicot, especially as their close friendship blurs into love. Indeed it is the lightness of the author's touch that makes these scenes all the more powerful.
"At the Crossing-Places" is, all in all, an admirable sequel. While it may lack some of the drama of "The Seeing Stone", it nevertheless lays firm foundations for the final book in the trilogy, "King of the Middle March".
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