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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A horrible misshap for the Beowulf Poet,
This review is from: Wealtheow: Her Telling of Beowulf (Paperback)
Ashley Crownover's retelling of Beowulf from the perspective of the Dane's queen Wealhtheow is a retelling that was not at all well done. Beowulf scholars everywhere can cringe over this work of what Iroquois Press has decided literature to be. While having a few good historical connections, Crownover creates in Wealhtheow a character who has no agency of her own, but is at the beck and call of her husband.
It's not only that Wealhthoew has no agency of her own, but she is an immature 15 year old the whole book, even when it is some time later after Grendel has been ravaging Heorot and Hrothgar's people. There is no character development, and the chapters in which Wealhtheow and Hrothgar are intimate with each other seems to be written by a twelve-year-old girl who hasn't been allowed to watch the dirty parts of Titanic (1997) but is imagining what they were like. The only redeeming part of this horrible retelling is Chapter 3, in which the story of Grendel is told from the perspective of Grendel's Mother (which is also interesting since it isn't really her story.) After that one chapter, the perspectives change so much that the reader soon loses track of which woman is telling the story. Following up with this, in the scene with the lake that Grendel and his Mother live in, the water in the lake changes so quickly that the author suggests instantaneous time transposal - which is something I just made up on the spot, which is accurate because that is exactly what half this book seems to be. There is no real historical link between this book and the historical Norse, except for the use of the gods. I believe that the Beowulf Poet, John Gardner, and Michael Crichton are all turning over in their graves because of this adaption which is on par with the Neil Gaiman/Roger Avary translation of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem - which was a complete flop (THERE ARE NO MOUNTAINS IN DENMARK). I do not recommend this book to anyone who knows anything about Beowulf at all, and please read Beowulf and appreciate it before you read this "book".
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Twilight-ization of Beowulf,
This review is from: Wealtheow: Her Telling of Beowulf (Paperback)
This novel would be enjoyable if you were a 13-year-old girl. However, it is a disgrace to the original epic and to writing in general. The author uses adverbs as a crutch and often resorts to anachronisms. Oh my Thor! It does not add new light to the original story, even though the idea of Wealtheow's perspective fascinated me. In the end, I can only recommend this novel to those trying to get a young teenager somewhat familiar with the basics of the Beowulf story.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read!,
By
This review is from: Wealtheow: Her Telling of Beowulf (Hardcover)
I admit that I'm rather jaded against the "feminist revision" of numerous traditional tales. I enjoyed MZB's Mists of Avalon way back when, but got tired of the "Women are always good" vibe I got after a while (as well as the Avalonian-Goddess-worship-is-historical movement that also rose up in response to the novels). And I continue to see rather awkward, "GIRL POWER!" reworkings of various stories and themes, including in fantasy lit.
Wealtheow manages to avoid the cliched pitfalls while maintaining a unique perspective on the story of Beowulf. The story centers on Hrothgar's wife, Wealtheow, from the time of their marriage through Grendel's siege and on into Beowulf's arrival. Rather than presenting a simpering maiden or a GODDESS! worshipper, Crownover gives us a Wealtheow who is dedicated to her people (both those she grew up among, and those she married into), as well as to the sanctity of the land. Though she shows strength of character, this is no Mary Sue; not everything is perfect for her. And the devastating secret that brings about the creation of Grendel becomes a burden only she can truly carry. And I like how the story doesn't turn into "Women are always good, men are the bad guys" dualism; Grendel's mother has a surprising origin in this tale! This is a very quick read; I finished it in a day, and it would be a good book to take on a plane trip. It's well-written, though. I had no trouble remembering which character was which, and she manages to tell a relatively short story without using cardboard characters. She weaves the traditional tale of Beowulf with her own embellishments that are believable and blend well with the original. I can't speak to the historical accuracy, so I can't guarantee that modern heathens won't be having similar wincing moments that other pagans had in response to the Avalon books. However, the descriptions of Danish culture and religion didn't strike me as nearly as fanciful as some other modern revisionist tales, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the tale rather than groaning in pain from some poorly executed "update" or "improvement". Overall, this is a great debut novel, and I very much look forward to more from this author.
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