Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Priestess of Avalon is more than just a priestess, June 15, 2001
The title of the book is a bit misleading, Elian, or Helena as she's know for most of the book, isn't just a priestess of Avalon sent out into the world to do the work of the goddess. In fact, the book deals mostly with her life outside of Avalon, first as the wife/concubine of Constantius, and later as the mother/empress of Constantine.The book is carried out in the same style as the other Avalon books, although I can detect a bit of Paxton's writing as well. All in all, it's not a bad book, if you take it from the view that it doesn't center around Avalon, but on a priestess who makes a life for herself after losing the blessing of Avalon. If you're looking for another novel about Avalon, King Arthur, or the Forest House, you're out of luck. In fact, the book fits into the time line around the time of the high priestess Dierna and Teleri's marriage to a man not of Avalon in Lady of Avalon. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who aren't familiar with at least Mists of Avalon, unless they have plans to read it. It's not the same type of book as Mists, it's more like The Forest House, which struck me as a totally different kind of book than mists, a historical romance instead of a retelling of a legend. All in all though it's not a bad book, and if you've read the other three books, you should probably read this one as well.
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44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good, July 22, 2001
I glanced at a few of the reviews here before buying this book, and had low expectations. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did.Contrary to previous comments, I thought this book provided fans of the series with some fascinating scenes regarding the making of a priestess, and Eilan's training. And latter two-thirds of the book, although not taking place in Avalon and focusing on Eilan's life in the Roman Empire, still addressed the Goddess and pagan religions and the spread of Christianity, which gave a wonderful historical perspective. As a life-long fan of "The Mists of Avalon" and a non-Christian, I found the domination of Christianity depicted in this book to be oppressive, as did other reviewers. But it is historical, after all, and I would rather explore how such a thing came to pass and better understand it, in any case. Let's face it, MZB fans: nothing in this series was ever going to be as great, as magical, as special as "Mists". It's a once-in-a-lifetime book, and it touched a lot of our lives. I though "The Forest House" was disappointing, and "Lady of Avalon" less so, but the comparison to "Mists" is what doomed both of them, for me at least. This book, "Priestess of Avalon", was from such a different perspective that I was less inclined to compare it to the progenitor of this series, and therefore I enjoyed it more, on the whole. Give it a chance, if you haven't read it yet, and just go in with an open mind.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Priestess of Avalon is a walk through Ancient Rome, May 6, 2004
From the best-selling author that brought you The Mists of Avalon, comes another timeless, realistic Roman tale called The Priestess of Avalon, the story of a sacred priestess that leaves behind her religious life to follow a life of love, wisdom, and power. Marion Zimmer Bradley brings to life a world of Roman history, pagan wars, and religious controversy in this soon-to-be-classic.
The spectacular style in which the story is written sends the reader into the body of a young girl. Each chapter is headed with a span of five years ranging anywhere from 259 and 329 A.D. as this epic saga continues. We see the story through Helena's eyes and become one with her and her many complex emotions. We are drawn to this personal point of view because it again gives us the feeling of familiarity and intimacy with the characters as our own sentiments are fused with Helena's.
The dialect isn't very modern but it isn't written in Elizabethan dialect either. It is very simple to understand, except for the slight difficulty a reader may have with the Roman names. Besides that, the words are very common and the dialect is comfortably proper. A helpful tool Bradley provides is a glossary containing all of the names and places in the story and their correct pronunciation. There is also a map at the beginning of the book to tell you how far Helena's travels range.
The situations are quite normal for the belligerent Roman period but very entertaining for the historical yet fantasy-craving mind. Chapters about battles and wars are not uncommon in this text and neither are family disputes and love affairs. The situations are based on real Roman battles, history, and gods so the book could be named some type of historical fiction. I'd also say that Bradley has captured the essence of the ancient Roman government quite well. Despite its historical accuracy, this novel is still considered pure fantasy because of fairy apparitions and such appearances by legendary characters in the book.
The breath-taking setting is definitely one of the elements that make the story so impactful. The lush, green valleys of Britannia and the warm humidity of bustling Rome intertwine with the spice-perfumed streets of Palestine and trade-posts in between the many voyages in the story. The descriptive language that describes each place helps transport the reader do that the events are more understandable. These settings already add some seasoning to the already favorable plot so that it's impossible to want to put this book down.
The characters are very interesting and they vary from angry, power-hungry sons to secretive, mysterious faeries. The characters definitely keep the plot going because of their human and complex personalities which keep the story chopped full of surprises, very similar to real life. Constantine, the power-hungry Emperor that is the son of Helena, keeps the story full of tragedy and murder. Constantius, Helena's devoted lover, gives the story romance and a love for life. Ganeda, the hateful, serious priestess, keeps the tale full of punishment, scolding, and vindictiveness. In other words, the characters keep the story well-rounded.
This story is full of small themes but probably the two strongest themes are: "It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all" and believe in yourself or trust your own judgment.
I highly recommend this book because of its life-like qualities, situations, and characters. It teaches important lessons that are, again, able to be applied to life. The book is a lifetime in only 298 pages. If you're willing to live another life, then I suggest you read the incredibly realistic The Priestess of Avalon.
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