Customer Reviews

The Maid of the White Hands (Tristan and Isolde Novels, Book 2)

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

 

 

In the continuation of the Isolde and Tristan saga, the star-crossed lovers are re-united only to be separated again.
Isolde becomes queen in her own right and Andred continues to conspire against Tristan to secure his own place as the named successor of King Mark of Cornwall. The newest character in the mix will not be new to anyone familiar with the Isolde and Tristan tragedy...Blanche - Princess of France. It certainly gives nothing away to say that ruthlessness, treachery, and deceit continue to work against the steadfast love between Tristan and Isolde. It would, however, give much away to tell you if their love endures... in life...or in death.
Miles continues her skillfull mastery of English and Irish legend in a way that makes this book enticing, exciting, and well worth reading. The only thing preventing me from giving this book 5 stars is that I cannot help but compare it to the Guenivere series and I found her take on that tale just a bit more unique to a ledgend I had heard before. This book does follow the traditional tragedy a bit more closely but she spins a wonderful new tale despite the longevity of the original source.

I was reluctant to read this book because I didn't enjoy the first installment of the trilogy much. Wow, how right I was!!!
Since I first read the story by Beroul, in High School, many, many years ago, I loved it. So beautiful yet so tragic. Cross-stared lovers in the resemblance of Romeo and Juliette. How magnificent!
But I have never read of a sadder Tristan, even to the point of being ridiculous, and taking this book into account, I wonder how Tristan and Isolde and their love story have made it through time.

This is the second in Rosalind Mile's Tristan and Isolde novels. The first was "Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle." The story of Isolde and Tristan continues as Isolde prepares to succeed her mother as Queen of Ireland. Treachery abounds with King Mark, his nephew and Tristan's cousin Andred, and finally with Blanche, another Isolde, Princess of France.

The story plods on with Tristan and Isolde losing each other, and finding each other again and again. It is an okay read but the tale is not told with much passion or intensity. The mushy prose expressed by Tristan and Isolde, of their inner thoughts, is at times somewhat nauseating.

I've read all of Rosalind Miles novels and this is by far the worst one to date. It's passable read if you have no other book to occupy your time. It is not in the same class of novels as Mile's novel "I, Elizabeth." This was a novel that surpassed all my expectations of a captivating, all encompassing novel.

I do not like being solicited to write a "review" about any product I have ordered. I have not read it yet.