Customer Reviews

Daughter of the Shinning Isles (Magdalen Trilogy)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have long been a fan of Elizabeth Cunningham's work; I expected Daughter of the Shining Isles to be equally wonderful. I was stunned to discover just how rich and powerful this book is. Volume I of the Magdalen Trilogy, Daughter of the Shining Isles speaks with the heroine's voice. Not just any old heroine, Maeve is wild, magical and young, growing into her wisdom with all the mistakes and passion of questioning youth and growing womanhood. Maeve was born on the Isle of Women, Tir na mBan, on the same night that Esus of Nazareth was born across the world, both births heralded by glorious twin stars. Ever prone to following her heart and desires, Maeve learns all that her eight mothers can teach her, and eventually goes to the island of Mona, home to the illustrious Druid College. It is there that she comes face-to-face with Esus of Nazareth, whose life is intricately woven with Maeve's. Together they learn--academics, magic, and the power of love. And together they learn that neither faces a future that will flow easily. Both have destinies that we only think we can foresee. Daughter of the Shining Isles leads us through magic, intrigue, passion, power, grief and joy...and this is only volume I of the Magdalen Trilogy! There are secrets and surprises, love and pain, familiar names in new contexts, and people you will never forget. I loved this book, from the first sentence to the last. This is a work of historical fiction, and yet, one can't help but wonder...this book often feels as if the words are truly Maeve's, and the story feels as though it could be a truth to a history often speculated about but never really proven. It is as though Maeve chose Elizabeth Cunningham to tell her story, now, for all to finally hear and know. Cunningham writes with a richness, a lushness, rarely seen in modern authors. Her descriptions paint scenes as clearly as if we are there, watching, participating. She combines vivid characterization, earthy realism and luminous fantasy, humor and tragedy, to create a book that speaks to us with its own voice, with Maeve's own voice, in a story that must be told...must be heard.

This is the Magdalene.org review: "Daughter of the Shining Isles" is the first part of an ambitious trilogy by Elizabeth Cunningham. She takes us to the Celtic-speaking world of 9 C.E. where the main character, Maeve Rhaud, is born and raised by eight weather-warrior witches on the island of Tir na mBam. There, she has a startling vision of her cosmic twin, Esus, in a back alley of Jerusalem: he is relieving his bladder.

If this is a startling image for you, then you should avoid the book. Cunningham's Maeve Rhaud is a headstrong, earthy character with no qualms about speaking of bodily functions, and she does so with great frequency. They are, in fact, important plot points in the story. This was a great drawback for me when I first started the book, and it wasn't until I was halfway through it that I decided the story was entertaining enough to compensate for Cunningham's Celtic witches' apparent scatalogical fascination.

A majority of the story takes place at the legendary Druid college of Mona, where Maeve Rhaud undertakes bardic training. The author accounts for the "lost years" of Jesus (Esus) by placing him in the college with her. He has a difficult time believing that his cosmic twin is someone so "unclean," and they have frequent theological arguments about monotheism versus her polytheistic ways. Maeve is constantly in trouble with the faculty of the college, clashing with personalities and breaking taboos. It is in this setting that she falls in love with the 15 year old man from Jerusalem and pledges her life to him.

Cunningham's novel is narrated by Maeve, who uses modern metaphors to describe the events in her tale. In spite of this chronological inconsistency, the story is extremely entertaining and told with good humor. It moves along quickly, and the main characters are well developed. If you are familiar with biblical accounts of the life of Jesus, you will be amused by the references to how his legend was shaped by people after his death.

If you're able to laugh at bawdy humor and don't have an easily tweaked sense of the blasphemous, this book will leave you satisfied and waiting eagerly for the next novel in the series.

After reading other customers reviews, I was really looking forward to this book, however, I found myself surprisingly dissappointed. The modern humor with which the author flavors 90% of the novel, mixed with the time period of centuries ago was not well executed, and came across as cheeky and immature. I found the combination didn't work for me at all. The book comes across as very superficial and impotent.

Maeve is a hero for the new millenium, but she's also funny, bawdy, and profound. Cunningham tackles stereotypes and conventional thinking and comes up with powerful archetypes that must come from deep within all of us. The writing is fresh and original, the story is riveting, but this book is more original still. It doesn't fit in the conventional historical genre, because it is told, or commented on, by Maeve in her contemporary voice, a point of view that is at times outrageous, funny and deeply meaningful. This is a wonderful read, and I look forward to the next book in the trilogy.

"Daughter of the Shining Isles" was my first exposure to the work of Elizabeth Cunningham, and now I understand why the word "luminous" is so often associated with her writing. Her imagery is luminous, and her Maeve...her Maeve shines so brightly!

On top of that, Ms. Cunningham has a fine ear for dialog...her use of modern idiom in dialog--of _course_ a person would speak her/his own language fluently and fluidly. Too many writers rely on the crutch of stilted dialog--often Elizabethan English, of all things!--as a...way of slapping a patina of antiquity on a historical story. Ms. Cunningham's characters are that much more accessible without the language barrier, and she is able to convey much more subtlety and nuance using familiar language.

I see a trend in the reviews that I want to counter: This is not a "woman's book", nor is it a book only for believers. As a man and an agnostic, I was nevertheless deeply moved by the conclusion of the first installment of Maeve's life. And yet, Maeve is such a strong character--"luminous" again comes to mind--that I don't worry about her. I eagerly await the next installment to share the journey with her, the good and the bad, the pain and the pleasure, the setbacks and triumphs. Maeve is heroic and human, wise and foolish, young and timeless, strong and frail. It would take a heart of stone to not fall in love with her.

I was also disappointed with this book. I had saved clippings and ads about it and looked forward to reading it, even lucked upon a signed copy. But this modern style is not for me. Both the premise and the setting (Christ and Mary Magdalene's love story in a Celtic world) were great, but I didn't like the execution. The author often intrudes with a narrator's voice, which works in many novels but would probably have worked better here if she had chosen one style and stuck to it. There are probably a lot of modern writers and readers who enjoy this mixture of archetypal subject and words like "piss", but I'm not one of them. Too many cuss words and not enough mythic flavor. If you are still hungry for that special work, I would suggest Evangeline Walton's retelling of the Mabinogion, perhaps. Or anything by McKillip or MacAvoy. I do still want to try reading some of Ms Cunningham's other titles, however. She's obviously got spirit.

Elizabeth Cunningham's new book is so funny that I can't keep my laughter to myself. I insist on reading passages aloud to whoever is within earshot. And because her humor is wise and witty and bawdy and needle-sharp, I'm almost embarrassed by what I've heard myself say--almost. Then I cackle again. "Daughter of the Shining Isles" is not for the faint-of-heart, not for the humorless, definitely not for readers who insist that a novel of historical fiction follows a strict path of keeping the past in the past. Maeve, the main character, leaps with abandon across centuries, but her heart and soul are anchored in one young man, Esus, who lived 2,000 years ago. It's a love story of great passion and compassion, and I can't wait to read volume 2. But I don't know how the author will ever top her incredibly funny chapter on the entrance exams for the college of druids (and my kid thinks it's tough to get into MIT...)

If you're reading this review to decide whether or not to buy the book, hesitate no longer. Buy it. Daughter of the Shining Isles is destined to become a classic, with writing unsurpassed for its sheer beauty and wisdom, and a theme of real magnitude. It's also a great read, with an edge-of-your-seat page-turning plot and a completely irresistible heroine. Maeve, the Celtic Mary Magdalen, is strong, feisty, and ireeverent--self-esteem issues she has NOT got. The lippy modernity of her language is a delight, with a venerable antecedent in Shakespeare's use of anachronism. Upbeat, moving, and magical, Daugher of the Shining Isles has something for everyone. I can't praise this book highly enough.

Elizabeth Cunningham has given us a saga in the tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon with powerful Goddesses and heroines, wrenching emotions, and spiritual discovery. An interesting feminist/pagan take on the figure of Jesus and the enigma of Mary Magdelene.

Anyone familiar with Cunningham's work knows about her deep connection with women's issues. But she has outdone herself with this book! Maeve is a spunky redhead raised by eight (count them!) mothers who goes on to incredible adventures. This is one of the best love stories I have ever read.