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34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great subject, poor writing/editing, March 31, 2001
This review is from: Circle of Stones: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
It's rare that I put down a book without finishing it, but I found myself in just such a position with Circle of Stones. I adore well-written historical fiction: well-researched fact woven into a compelling story, written in a style that engages and draws the reader into the middle of the action. The story must seem plausible, as though it *could* have happened the way the author tells it. Unfortunately, this book falls far short of the mark. The book is moderately well-researched (which is the reason for the 2-star rating), but the writing style is stilted (Brenda's lengthy narrative recounting her first experiences with Owain, is, frankly, silly), and the plot totally improbable. As an example: Why, if Owain's love for Brenda is as strong as he claims it is; why, if Owain values Brenda's keen intellect as much as he claims to; why, despite all this, would he give her the dubious choice of giving her newborn son to another woman *or* having it drowned all because of an off-hand statement made during an evening of drinking with the guys? This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, given the portraits of the characters drawn by the author. And it only gets worse. Then there's the issue of typos. While I realize that a mass-market paperback isn't of the same high quality as a hardbound edition, there's simply no excuse for the many typos I found before I finally put the book down. I haven't found another account of the Madoc legend, other than non-fiction versions. I'd love to see this story in the hands of a skilled writer. Meanwhile, if you find this period of history interesting (mid-12th-century and the civil war spawned by the struggle for the English crown between Stephen and Matilda), check out Sharon Kay Penman's "When Christ and His Saints Slept." It's extraordinarily well researched and well-written, with complete consistent characters and a believable story.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Story of Brenda the Mother of Madoc., August 5, 2000
This review is from: Circle of Stones: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is the first of a planned trilogy dealing with Madoc the legendary Welsh hero who is rumored to have visited America before Columbus and set up Welsh speaking settlements there. These settlements, which subsequently vanished, were the basis of those fascinating rumors in early America of a tribe of Welsh speaking Indians. After the birth of Madoc his mother, Brenda, flies to Ireland wish her new born son in order to save his life. She leaves Madoc in the care of Irish Druids and after she is re- captured by Madoc's father, Prince Owain of Wales, tells Owain that Madoc is dead and resumes her life in Wales, with it's royal intrigues, it's threat of an English invasion and the battle between old and new religions. Waldo has certainly done her research on 12th century Britain and sometimes it seems she doesn't want to waste any of it. We read much of Druid remedies and diets which sometimes hinders the narrative flow. The plot is slow moving sometimes, and there is the rather clumsy device of heading each chapter with a quote from a text to inform us of the historical events. I was grateful for the knowledge, for these were turbulent, confusing times, however it does lead to a rather jerky story line. The story is told almost exclusively from Brenda's point of view which means much of the action seems to be happening "off stage" and we hear of dramatic incidents second hand. The action does pick up as the story progresses and the book ends with Madoc preparing to sail on uncharted waters. The book has it's faults but I did enjoy it, largely because of it's subject matter and I look forward to the next in the series.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing storytelling, December 22, 2001
This review is from: Circle of Stones: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
I love good historical fiction. I agree with a previous review that this story had much potential, and in the hands of a skilled writer it could be wonderful. However, this particular version of the Madoc story is shallow, unbelievable, and at times downright irritating. My biggest complaint is that the heroine was supposed to be so wise, yet throughout the book she made clueless and weak decisions. She returned to a man who wanted to kill her son, and stayed loyal to him for the next 20 years, even putting up with his abusive family and endangering her own life. This makes no sense, and makes the heroine seem weak and submissive.
My other big complaint is the total lack of sensory description in the story. We do not ever get to know the textures of clothes or other items, nor are there any vivid descriptions of smells or tastes. The 'feast' scenes were dry and dull. The writing is often textbook-style, telling "just the facts" with nothing to draw the reader in and make them part of the story. The characters were very poorly drawn, and their actions were illogical and unlikely. I didn't believe this story, and I'd wager the REAL people on whom this story is based would be insulted by the way they are portrayed.
It also seemed like a very shallow rip-off of "Mists of Avalon," telling basically the same tale using different characters. This book was truly disappointing. Skip it, and read "Druids" by Morgan Llewellyn instead.
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