The White Raven [Hardcover]

Diana L. Paxson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This haunting retelling of the tale of Tristan and Iseult (here called Drustan and Esseilte in accordance with Celtic legend and language) goes back to early versions, before Mallory and Wagner, to explore the nature of love, duty and loyalty. The story is told by Branwen, cousin and companion to Esseilte, daughter of the High King of Eriu (Ireland). The two young women save the life of a badly wounded harper, later discovered to be Drustan, who had killed Esseilte's beloved uncle and Branwen's father, Morholt, in battle. Drustan seeks Esseilte's hand for his uncle, Marc'h, King of Kernow (Cornwall), an alliance arranged for political reasons. On the way to Cornwall, Esseilte tries to poison Drustan, but the potion they both drink turns out to be a love filtre prepared for Esseilte and Marc'h. Thus the tale is set in motion, with passion and hate binding the lovers together. With Branwen's aid, they are able to deceive Marc'h on the wedding night: Branwen, close in appearance to the queen, sleeps with the king and falls in love with him. For a while Esseilte and Drustan escape detection, but eventually they are caught in cir cumstances that cannot be ignored, leading to the tragic denouement. This is a complex tale, interweaving the political and religious conflicts of the sixth century, when the ancient Druid religion still had a strong hold. Paxson ( The Paradise Tree , White Mare, Red Stallion ) breathes life and wonder into one of the most romantic of the CelticGermanic legends. $60,000 ad/promo .
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 411 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (August 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688074960
• ISBN-13: 978-0688074968
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,325,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was brought up in southern California, but came north to attend Mills College and never left. I got my M.A. in (medieval) Comparative Literature from the University of California in 1966, the same year I put on the first tournament of what was to become the Society for Creative Anachronism. Since 1971 I've lived at Greyhaven, a hundred-year old house in Berkeley, with successive generations of family, friends, cats and dogs.

It's a literary family, including my husband, Jon DeCles, and the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, who was my mentor as a writer as well as colleague in founding Darkmoon Circle. My first published novel was Mistress of the Jewels, which began the chronicles of Westria. After I had written several historical fantasies, Marion, whose health deteriorated after she wrote Mists of Avalon, asked me to help her with The Forest House, which is how I ended up writing the Avalon series.

Much of the spiritual experience in my novels comes out of my work in the pagan community. I have now begun to publish that material in a series of non-fiction books, the most recent being Trance-Portation. My most recent novel is Sword of Avalon, set at the end of the Bronze Age, which gave me an opportunity to explore the end of the Homeric Age and the techniques of bronze- and iron-forging.

For more about my work, see:

www.westria.org
www.avalonbooks.net
www.seidh.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rivetign read, January 13, 2000

By 

Suriana (Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The White Raven (Hardcover)

Diana Paxson writes so eloquently of Branwen's story against the backdrop of Tristan and Isault's. Her presentation of Branwen's sacrifices in the face of Isault and Tristan's somewhat selfish love affair made compelling reading! Far from being a soft love story, Paxson's tale gives a fascinating account of relationships, unrequited love and selfless/selfish ambitions. I have read this years ago and still do re-read it occasionally...and the magic is still there! Highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Odd perspective on this classic tale, April 10, 2006

By 

Lilly Flora "by Lilo Drandoff" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The White Raven (Hardcover)

The White Raven is the classic love story of Tristan and Isolde, but it is told by someone who was slightly outside of the story. Her name is Branwen and she is Isolde's (spelled differently in the book: Esseilte) cousin and best friend and they were raised as sisters.

As the author points out in her ending authors note Branwen is essential to this love story. Esseilte is married to Tristan's (in this novel Drustan) uncle, the high king of Cornwall. But on the voyage from Ireland to Cornwall Esseilte and Drustan manage to drink a love potion accidentally and are forever entwined. (In this version Esseilte was trying to poison Drustan and herself because he killed her uncle, Branwen's father.) Anyway, the point is, none of it would have worked without Branwen to stand guard and make us excuses for the sometimes absent queen of Cornwall. She even has to take her cousins place on her wedding night so that the king, Mark, will think he married a virgin.

Only something happens. Branwen and Mark don't just consummate his marriage to Esseilte, they make the great marriage and become in a sense the green king and queen-living representations of the land and its forever servants. Of course, Esseilte doesn't know that. Branwen is also in love with Mark, but he doesn't know it wasn't Esseilte on his wedding night. And Esseilte and Drustan can't keep their hands off each other.

The situation is a mess and Branwen has to clean it up again and again. So her point of view is interesting, but I feel a little cheated on the romance-you get nothing really of Tristan and Isolde in this book because Branwen is telling the story. Her own love life is interesting-but this is one of the greatest love stories of all time and we get so little of it in this book.

Other than the political mish-mash in this book is impossible to follow. Too many old names that are hard to remember and track. The genealogy charts are no help what so ever.

Basically, three stars. Nice writing, but I'm still looking for a really good retelling of the tale.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that haunted me for years...., February 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The White Raven (Hardcover)

I first read this book quite a few years ago when it first came out. I loved it then but after moving several times I lost my copy. This book haunted me. I recently found another copy through Amazon and was able to read it again. Ms. Paxson's detailed imagery and entrancing writing style carry you along on currents of emotions. Her re-telling of the love story of Tristan and Iseult is ingenius. If you can find this book, get it! You won't regret it!