Customer Reviews

Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a retired elementary teacher, I am always on the lookout for engaging new literature for young readers. Guinevere is a wonderful book for the student beginning to master chapter books and longer stories. I loved the imagery, new vocabulary and page-turning storyline. It is a story that will capture the modern reader, even as it takes her back to times of long ago. Highly recommended!!!

Adorable, little story! Enjoyed all the delightful characters, and read very quickly through...I was even disappointed it was over, so quickly!

This is a Great choice for anyone seeking a fun, adventuresome, read... Would also recommend & enjoy reading more from this author!

Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend - Arthurian Fiction for Tweens

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Format: Kindle, Paperback

Life as a young princess was perfect! Playing and hunting with her seven-year-old friend Cedwyn, Guinevere filled her days with joy and merriment. Unfortunately, much was set to change as her thirteenth birthday approached. She was expected, of course, to master Latin--a language few spoke. But it would be her duty as princess to liaise with the officials who would visit court. There were other responsibilities as well as she came of age and no matter how much she wanted to avoid them, the march of time would not yield to her wishes. Already overwhelmed with these changes, Guinevere learns of her arranged betrothal and her world collapses.

Cheryl Carpinello's Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend, is a unique introduction into Arthurian Legend focusing on the life of the young princess. It is perfect for tweens interested in this genre. While most young people aren't royalty, they will likely relate with the emotions associated with wanting independence while struggling with the responsibility that comes with it.

I also enjoyed the simple line drawings introducing each chapter. They are wonderfully illustrated and provide additional texture to the novel. While the author provides and epilogue foretelling Guinevere's future, I believe additional volumes continuing the story from these early years would make a wonderful series.

Teachers are always on the lookout for books that fit well with the curriculum they teach. Any teacher of higher elementary through middle school, and even high school, who needs resources for teaching the Middle Ages, especially Arthurian Legends, will value this book. I recommend it as a veteran teacher myself.

I was intrigued to read a book concerning the early life of Guinevere, as we only meet her when Queen in the King Arthur story. Cheryl Carpinello has done her homework, essential when writing about history, and I found the descriptions of the food interesting. As a childrens' writer myself, I was puzzled when reading about carrots, asparagus and lettuce,and did some research, but-hey-this lady was not wrong, when these vegetables appeared in the banquets. As a child, the heroine plays, is feisty, and cannot come to terms with the idea of marriage as her thirteenth birthday approaches, but there are countries even today when girls are married at that age. I loved some of the descriptions,eg the gathering to celebrate her birthday, and the banquets. These were prime examples of the hard excercise every author must learn: show, don't tell. Naturally, as someone being English, I found some of the USA idiom jarred, but this does not detract from the writing excellence. A bonus, Cheryl being a teacher, comes at the end with a series of questions for discussion by her young readers. I unhesitatingly recommend this book for use in schools. What about the life of a young Launcelot, Cheryl!

Refreshing and fanciful, a perspective on Guinevere that people don't consider, what with the focus on Arthur's childhood. The rural homespun castle and kitchen are illuminating of the time. Guinevere's adventurousness, as a girl who will someday be surrounded by courageous knights, is well-imagined. The detail is delightful at times. Storyline with bards and Merlyn is clever and in the tradition of the Arthurian legends.

Review for: Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend
By Cheryl Carpinello

Guinevere was always part of the Arthurian legend, however much of the time the only mention of her was with Lancelot and their betrayal of Arthur. Recent books have been written about Guinevere in a more positive attitude and from her point of view.

Cheryl Carpinello brings Guinevere to a new generation of readers with this delightful book. She shows a young girl sharing adventures with her best friend, Cedwyn. As her thirteenth birthday approaches, young Guenivere is aware that her life will change whether she wishes it or not. Ms. Carpinello shows the introduction of Guinevere and King Arthur with gentleness. Merlin the Wizard advises Guinevere as she matures and eventually fulfills her destiny. Upon her marriage she becomes part of the great legend of Arthur and Guinevere.

This story is enjoyable and easy to read. It is interesting and filled with enough Arthurian legend to keep young readers entertained. The questions at the end are great for comprehension and give the readers a chance to discuss their own take on the story.

Overall, this is wonderfully written and filled with all the elements of a good story.

The Arthurian legends have timeless appeal and Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: On the Eve of a Legend is no exception. As an educator dedicated to encouraging reluctant readers, and having taught the legends of Arthur to high school classes for nearly 20 years, the author knows her stuff and her love of the legend shines from every page. Although much has been written about Arthur both as boy and king, and books have been devoted to the adult Guinevere and her ill-fated marriage to Arthur, this book comes as a surprise by introducing Guinevere as a young girl. In fact, our heroine is truly on the eve of a legend as the book centers around Guinevere's 13th Birth Day, the turning point for her, when she crosses over from being a child to a young woman. We find Guinevere in the opening pages having the time of her life. With her friend, seven-year-old Cedwyn, she spends most of her time playing, roaming the castle grounds and occasionally the forest, hunting for rabbits or mythical creatures. But life has plans for her, as Guinevere finds out, and life's plans, a combination of what her father and the wizard Merlyn have decided for her, do not sit well with this fiery-tempered and independent young girl. Upon hearing she will be betrothed to the young brave King Arthur and then married to him on her fifteenth Birth Day, Guinevere decides to run away from home. She is not interested in being married and is even less interested in becoming a queen. Her attempt at fleeing is short-lived, partly because Cedwyn's legs are too short to do much running, partly because foraging for food in the wilds loses its appeal very quickly, and partly because Guinevere realizes that she must eventually grow up and grasp her destiny with both hands. In this coming-of-age story, her friend and advisor Merlyn is there to guide and instruct her. With magicality, tenderness, and spinning a sense of enchantment, Merlyn uses the teachings of legends and the forest to illustrate the lessons one must face in life. In this way Guinevere realizes that if she enjoyed being a princess so much, it is just a small step to enjoying being a queen. She also understands how much her father loves her and that her happiness is all he desires. Besides, she still has two whole years to enjoy before having to really grow up.

Cheryl Carpinello's take on the Arthurian theme is unique and enchanting. Her descriptions of everyday life, food, behavior, weapons, and attitudes of the early Middle Ages display a wealth of research. Information is subtly introduced to enhance the story and does not overpower the reader. Her descriptions are rich, palpable, and appropriate to whatever scene one reads. The moment when the children see the unicorns is one of poignant magicality. The scene with the brachet, the rabbit, King Pellinore, and the hapless Painted Dragon is roaringly funny! Cheryl Carpinello has created a book along the lines of The Once and Future King, with the same kind of appealing humor and dry wit in her Merlyn. She has included an interesting glossary for young readers to fully enjoy their understanding of an historical environment; as well as Q&A for educators, and a recommended reading list. I look forward to reading Cheryl's next book Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom.

Guinevere is a young princess who doesn't want to grow up. She wants to stay young for as long as possible but on her 13th birthday--she must become what she fears most and with that fear comes choices that would make any child of thirteen or thirty quake in their books.

If you like stories based on King Arthur and fantasies based upon wizards, creatures of myth and books with excellent vivid imagery then this book is for you. It is clean and suitable for children aged 10 to 12 and even enjoyable for those with a young heart.

I enjoyed this book very much and found it to be quite clever.

There is no end to the number of novels being written about the Arthurian legend, and exciting new children's author Cheryl Carpinello can now be added to the number of writers recreating the legend for new generations with "Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend." Carpinello has been teaching the Arthurian legend to her high school English classes for nearly twenty years, and now that interest has resulted in her first novel about a young Guinevere, on the eve of her thirteenth birthday, when her life is about to change forever.

The reader is first introduced to Guinevere when she is in the forest hunting rabbits with her seven-year old friend Cedwyn. She is not quite as ladylike as a princess should be, considering she is the daughter of King Leodegrance. Nor is she happy that as her thirteenth birthday approaches, she will be expected to take on a more adult role in the castle and prepare for possible marriage.

Guinevere finds that things get a bit easier when the wizard Merlyn arrives to participate in her birthday celebrations. But King Arthur also comes, and through her father, he makes a proposal she is uncertain is in her best interests.

After a fantastic birthday party and a couple of encounters with a magical beast in the forest, Guinevere starts to accept what her role will be in the future. She also realizes she still has some time left to enjoy her youth, and she is happy that her adult role will allow her young friend, Cedwyn, eventually to fulfill his own dream of becoming a squire and then a knight.

"Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend" is not a long or complicated story. It is just over one hundred pages, but it is a pleasant reading experience. It does not try to accomplish too much, but rather it is one of those rare books where the author understood that less is more and fully delivers in making each page valuable and interesting. The sighting of a unicorn in the book is an example of this--the delicate handling of the scene leaves the reader as much in awe as Guinevere over the magical beast. Similarly, the illustrations are not elaborate but simple drawings, yet they are magical for what they leave to the reader's imagination. While the influence of T.H. White can be felt in the novel's pages, and perhaps a bit of Disney's film version The Sword in the Stone in the illustrations, Carpinello manages to create a unique and original version of Guinevere's childhood.

Carpinello is obviously enthusiastic about sharing the Arthurian legend with young readers. Her biography states that "The focus in her writing is on reluctant readers." I felt she provided enough magic and detail to appeal to readers of all ages, especially in her realistic portrait of Guinevere coming of age. I also appreciated her short, educational section at the book's end, including a discussion of the King Arthur Legend, a glossary, discussion questions, and some additional reading. The book is suitable for readers, depending on their reluctance or proclivity to read, from about third grade through middle school, although as an adult, I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

Well done all around, "Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend" is a novel sure to win readers' hearts and add to the many fans of the King Arthur legend. Perhaps best of all, Carpinello is now busy writing "The King's Ransom," the first in her prospective "Young Knights of the Round Table" series. [...]