Customer Reviews

Child of the Northern Spring (Guinevere Trilogy)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first book in a trilogy. I have never read anything by this author before and I liked the writing of this book. It reminded me of Phillipa Gregory, one of my favorite authors. This book was about Guinevere and her life and legend. It was interesting to read about Guinevere's family and childhood; that was something that didn't happen in Morte D'Arthur, which I read in college. Guinevere was a tough female character and I liked that about her. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. The writing was sophisticated, the characters stem from legendary stories and there was enough action and romance to keep readers engaged.

This book was sent to my by Source Books to review.

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I finished reading all 3 books, back-to-back within 5 days a couple weeks ago. I laughed out loud, cried my heart out and cheered Guinevere, Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table onwards in their quest for honor, truth and civility.

Child covers topics I'd not thought of before (even after reading heaps of stories about Avalon, Merlin, Excalibur, & more for over 40 years!) Who was Gwen before she married? What of her father and their relationship, their kingdom? Horses? Her love of horses is right up front and center. I almost stood up and dusted my boots off it was so real! When she and Arthur first meet, what happens? They end up racing their horses to see who wins! Now that's my kind of story! A fun, realistic, tough and intelligent Gwen. And the historical detail gives the story its deep roots of stability.

The trilogy continues with stories that describe what it was like to run a kingdom with these characters, how they establish the "Knights of the Round Table", and how they defend the people of the realm. As the years unfold - you see that no matter what shortcomings there may be, Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot support each other with a depth of soul that helps them rule a land together, in harsh times & good, to unite a divided Britain.

Persia's attention to historical details of this period is backed by "eleven years of research," she told an audience recently at the local bookstore (Copperfields-Sebastopol, CA) during "An Evening with King Arthur." This lady is a walking, talking Arthurian library!

Live long and prosper Queen Persia!

Guinevere, who prefers to be called by Gwen, is a feisty Celtic tomboy who has no desire to adopt the ways of a "proper" lady. She feels no need to speak Latin, wear dresses, or be married off to some unknown King. She honors the old ways and the Pagan Gods and Goddesses and has no desire to move away from her own kingdom to be forced to adopt Christianity and the other Roman ways. She simply wants to rule the people she's always known in the land she's grown up in and marry the man her heart would choose.
Regardless of her own desires, Gwen soon realizes that though she isn't required to give up her free spirited ways, she does need to learn the ways of a proper lady in preparation to rule whatever Kingdom she eventually marries into. Gwen finds that though she finds dresses and sewing a tedious chore, she does enjoy gaining knowledge of a world she has yet to see. She finds herself betrothed to the newly crowned King Arthur and although she promises herself that she will not become a Roman Christian, she doesn't object to the young king as much as she thought she would.
Persia Woolley weaves the traditional tale of King Arthur into the story of Gwen, future Queen Guinevere. It follows the life of Gwen as she grows from a young child to a young woman who must learn to rule a kingdom and gain the love and trust of her people. We are allowed a peek into what life must be like for a young princess who only wants to live her life the way she is used to while accepting that she has responsiblities as a child of nobility.
I found it interesting that Child of the Northern Spring was interesting enough from a publishers point of view to be republished a second time by a second publisher. It was originally published in 1987 and picked back up in 2010. Straight from the beginning I was impressed and eager to see what this book had in store for me. The story starts off by hopping back and forth from past and present. We skip from Gwen growing up and learning what it takes to be a Queen to her travels as she meets the mysterious young King that she is soon to marry. Eventually the story catches up to the present and we watch as Gwen meets Arthur and the people she is to rule by his side. We see her realize that her new life might not be as bad as she thought it would be. I loved how the story skipped back and forth. I couldn't pull myself away due to the anticipation of the eventual wedding. Child of the Northern Spring is the first in a trilogy and I can't wait to continue the story.

I have to state up front that I love all tales Arthur. This book takes a new look by telling the legend from Guinevere's point of view. How refreshing! It was such a delight to meet her as a young girl, then a strong young woman riding out to meet her fate with questions and a bit of disquiet at leaving all she knows.

The book is written in such an easy way I found myself lost in the story; lost in time. I found that I really enjoyed getting to know this Guinevere. Most times when reading of Arthur Guinevere is an adjunct to him rather than her own person. In this book, the first of a trilogy, she is definitely as in charge as she can be.

I am very much looking forward to the next books so I can follow her adventure. It will be interesting to see how Ms. Woolley writes of Lancelot and all that befalls Camelot from Guinevere's point of view.

Persia Woolley has walked the walk in her research on King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere. She brings the times (6th century Britain) alive with poetical visions and imaginings of the people and characters of Camelot and its origins. Accurate in detail and filled with the tone, habits and customs of the day, we are thrust back into an historical time coated with mystery and mythology. More than this, Woolley develops stories of what might have been the early lives of Guinevere and Arthur, drawing on legend, history and extrapolations of her imagination. The characters come alive as people with strong feelings, dreams and hopes...and flaws. The reader is granted a glimpse into the strife, political and religious, that was the emergence of a united Britain. Woolley is, indeed, a gifted writer and Arthurian specialist. Sourcebooks is to be commended for re-issuing this wonderful trilogy.

A novel that brought Arthur's Gweneveire to life. A really enjoyable story. I will definitely read the next two books of the trilogy.

Child of the Morning Spring is the first in a trilogy by Persia Woolley, originally published in 1987 and reissued by Sourcebooks November 2010. For me this historical novel about the King Arthur and Guinevere legend is very informative. Sure I knew the jist of the story from watching movies and reading other books. But what I did get from this well written novel is the feelings of the characters of Guinevere, King Arthur and other people important to the tale. The story tells of Guinevere leaving her home to travel to Logres to be wed to King Arthur. It is told in the first person as Guinevere being the narrater. A good friend and confidante of King Arthur, Bedivere, accompanies Guinevere on her journey and he tells her of Arthur's rise to the throne. He tells her about Arthurs relationship with his father, King Luther, Merlin and the Lady of the Lake Vivien and the investiture with Excalibur. As the story progresses to the time of the wedding, Guinevere tells of events in her life from a young girl in Rheged. Other characters include Morgan le Fey, Igraine, Gawain and many more. I found the book easy to read as it was told in more of a modern language than other books of the same story are written and what with all the different people and events that if they were written differently could have made this a difficult read. I am eager to read the rest of the trilogy.The next book in this trilogy is Queen of the Summer Stars.

This book, which is the first in a trilogy about Guinevere's life, is told in first person from Guinevere's perspective. There were some kinks for me, mostly in the first third of the book, but overall it was quite an enjoyable read.

My first problem was the pacing of the book. I just didn't find myself becoming interested in Guinevere's early life as a child in her father's kingdom. It was sort of slow and unexciting - and I found myself not wanting to pick it back up. But, I noticed that once Arthur was introduced to the story, it became better. I'm not sure if this was because it added a new exciting layer to Guinevere's somewhat boring home life, or if it was because I really liked the character of Arthur. After she meets Arthur, I started to like her as a character much more.

My second problem was again during the early portion of the book. In an effort to give us some back story while being in the first person narration (which I'm not a huge fan of), we have memories of these earlier events in her life. Which would be fine, but there is no delineation when time shifts. You are forced to figure out for yourself what is going on. While that wasn't too difficult, it just made for more difficult reading, not quite as smooth as it could have been. This could have been solved with including some dates at the beginnings of chapters or sections.

That being said, I really loved the detail of the book. The world of Arthur and Guinevere was masterfully created. You really felt what it was like to living during that time. The author also did a wonderful job of creating epic characters that felt real, rather than legendary. It was wonderful getting the backstory of these characters (even with my problems with Guinevere's) because it helped to see the legend unfold. You learn about Excalibur and the creation of the Round Table.

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for a review and this was also posted on my blog.

Celtic widower King Leodegrance arranged for his only child Guinevere to marry the High King Arthur in a marriage of political convenience. The betrothed meet to finalize the deal and although she finds him fascinating she has doubts that an uncouth princess from the north, who never left her home or took over her mother's duties, is the right person to serve as queen.

When the time comes for the chosen one to go top her fiancé to marry him and be his queen, the eighteen year old Guinevere does not want to leave her beloved home, but does her duty. On her trek from the north of Britain, she learns of her future husband's war prowess as Arthur attempts to unite a divided nation. As the Saxon threat goes unabated and the spread of Christianity appears ready to supersede the mystical Druids, priestesses like Morgan le Fey the Lady of the Lake distrusts the new queen's ability to rule at Arthur's side.

The opening of Guinevere trilogy is a terrific coming of age ancient historical thriller. The teenage Child of the Northern Spring lacks confidence when she marries Arthur, but grows into the job as she realizes she has the tenacity and courage to do what is needed for her country. Camelot fans will relish Persia Woolley's tale as the unsure of her worthiness child starts to transform into a confident blossoming queen.

Harriet Klausner

If you like immersive writing that really creates a strong mental picture, this is the book for you. The crisp air, the scent of smoke from a fire on the breeze, the warming sensation mutton stew creates in the belly of the one who eats it on a cold winter night... it's like a portal to a different time.

I have absolutely no affinity for Arthurian mythos but this book stands on its own as a great read with an interesting, strong female lead character. Guinevere is a very believable character and it is enjoyable to see the world through her eyes.

For anyone who likes to escape into faraway realms, this is an excellent addition to the library.

Note: I'm about 1/3rd of the way through the book.