Customer Reviews

The Tale of Sir Gawain

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The Amazon.com entry for this book recommends it as reading for ages 4-8. This book is grossly inappropriate for young children. This novel tells the entire cycle of Arthurian legend from the point of view of the dying Sir Gawain who is dictating his memoirs to his young squire. As such, the novel focuses on the violence and sexuality inherent in the subject matter and uses sophisticated language appropriate for the young adult (12-14 and above), but not for the pre-school and elementary school set. For the right audience, this is a very interesting and unusual take on the legend of Arthur and well worth the reading. And Charles Keeping's illustrations (too intense for the very young) are a bonus for those old enough to appreciate them.

This is a great book! I being an adult enjoyed it and I feel that it would be enjoyed just as much by a young child as well. This book gives the reflections of Sir Gawain as he lies dying outside Lancelot's castle towards the end of the time of arthur

Brave and Bold

Neil Philip writes the book, The Tale of Sir Gawain. He also is a critic who has written many other books such as: Guteesh and the King of France's Daughter and Drakesdail Visits the King. The story is made up of many different tales and legends that tell about Sir Gawain numerous ventures. The tales vary from quests, to banishment, marriage and death. Although it does have a few differences, the book doesn't have many contrasts. For one, it's the fact that the story is not based on King Arthur, but the brave and loyal knight Sir Gawain and the hardships he journeys through. He tells the story of his years at the round table, from his perspective.
I would not recommend this book for younger children because I think that the story is confusing and with so many of the tales, you can't tell who is speaking. I also believe that the word choice is also confusing from the way we speak today. I may not have enjoyed this book but they're still others who would be delighted to read this book.