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The Mists of Avalon cover art

The Mists of Avalon

By: Marion Zimmer Bradley
Narrated by: Davina Porter
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Summary

A posthumous recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, Marion Zimmer Bradley reinvented - and rejuvenated - the King Arthur mythos with her extraordinary Mists of Avalon series. In this epic work, Bradley follows the arc of the timeless tale from the perspective of its previously marginalized female characters: Celtic priestess Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar, and High Priestess Viviane.

©1982 Marion Zimmer Bradley (P)1993 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“[A] monumental reimagining of the Arthurian legends...” ( The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about The Mists of Avalon

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Spellbinding. Truly.

Where does The Mists of Avalon rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Oooh. Top ten, I think. Counting all the Sherlock dramatisations as one.
Mostly for the length (don't be intimidated, it's a really easy listen) - you get a *lot* of book for your £7 credit (and it downloads in parts, so each part doesn't take ages).

I had been working my way through Tolkien, Susan Cooper (Dark is Rising) and the Alan Garner books - the last two authors fond memories from childhood, listened/bought for old times' sake (still good!). I was looking for other things based on folk tales/Arthurian/Norse/Celtic mythology (in a bid to get away from traffic jams and checkout queues) and this was a "other listeners bought..." suggestion by Audible.
Well done Audible, and many thanks!

What did you like best about this story?

Content - it's a retelling of the Arthurian legend (in accessible language) but with a slightly different focus - re-told from the perspective of the women in the tale (Morgaine, Igraine, the Lady of the Lake). The writing and language is good (no glaring anachronisms) - convincing but accessible. Some books you get to the end of a sentence and cannot remember what the beginning was about - not so with this one.
The setting and history of the characters is good - a lot of the characters make much more sense to me now (although it isn't dry like a factual book). The juxtaposition of the demise of paganism (feminist/matriarchal society) and rise of Christianity (masculinist/patriarchal society) provides a good historical background and context for struggles.
You do get transported to another world (exactly what I'm looking for whilst cleaning the bathroom).

Which scene did you most enjoy?

So far, the Uther and Igraine scene. You know, if you've watched Excalibur (not in a rude way though - there's no toe curling stuff).

Any additional comments?

Narrator. Absolutely brilliant. Have had a few dud ones recently but Davina Porter is great - will look for more books narrated by her.

If you like Philippa Gregory, Ken Follet, Bernard Cornwell, Jean Plaidy, Tolkien and you are willing to listen to a different take on a legend, you might enjoy this.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A life time

I read this book over 25 years ago and it made an impression. Never did i think listening to it, the book would still provoke those emotions within. Well worth taking the time to listen to the Goddess in this book.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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Enter into another world

What made the experience of listening to The Mists of Avalon the most enjoyable?

The story and the brilliant reader.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Morgaine. Much misrepresented in other Arthurian stories as the villainess, here she is a woman in the grip of fate she did not make, and its consequences. A believable well-rounded character, not an archetype of the wicked witch.

Have you listened to any of Davina Porter’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I would like to listen to more. She is one of the best readers I have come across, and it really does make all the difference.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I have read the book, so I know the story. I wanted to savour this, and I know I'll listen to it again.

Any additional comments?

If you want to dive in to Arthur and the Celtic imagination, here would be a good place to start.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful retelling

If you could sum up The Mists of Avalon in three words, what would they be?

Heartbreaking, empowering, well-crafted

What other book might you compare The Mists of Avalon to, and why?

The Once and Future King, for its masterful retelling of Arthurian legend that brings the timeless tales into a new light.

What does Davina Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She really gives voices to all the characters - I never felt uncertain about who was speaking. She also keeps my attention amazingly.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way

Any additional comments?

The one downside is that I found the ending quite anti-climactic, and I also questioned some of the characters' actions, finding them out of character.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The best version of the Arthurian legends

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It will make you think about many topics and question your understanding.

What did you like best about this story?

The fact that's is such a long story yet the narrative keeps it interesting to the end.

Any additional comments?

This story is written from the point of view of the women of the legends, roles are reversed and deserved homage is given to the 'old' religion and it's tolerance of 'new' religions.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

superb and magical

What an amazing book. This has easily become one of the best books I have ever read or listened too. superb and it get 10 out of 10 from me. just magical.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Family and friends.

At the moment the length of story is a bit daunting. But it puts a new spin on this legend. You also need to watch for all the twists and turns and remember that people had different views, beliefs and maybe morals than us. Good book and good narration.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Arthurian story

This is one of my favourite books and I never tire of listening to it. It's rare and compelling to find a retelling of the Arthurian legends told from the woman's viewpoint. We get a real insight into the emotions and lives of the characters, alongside a very atmospheric detailed recreation of the times.

The one and only criticism that I have is the narrator is a little emotionless. It's a sweeping saga encompassing anguish, pain, joy and all that. The characters are often portrayed screaming in anger or desperate intensity, in pain, tearful, weeping or excited, but the polite, cultured voice of Davina Porter carries on in the same measured tones throughout. I wouldn't say expressionless, but certainly pretty emotionless. She never screams /cries /weeps/ has a break in her voice, despite very clear directions in the text requiring the narrator to show extreme emotions. She also ignores text cues such as "she said in a shaky little voice", "his voice broke", "she said tearfully" or "spoken in a North country accent" etc - everything is spoken in the same polite level tones, which does detract somewhat from the drama. She also misses cues that would help with the intonation of sentences, so the emphasis falls on the wrong word several times on every page. She barely changes tone between the male and female characters, so often you can't tell who is speaking until we hear their name. The only exception to this is King Lot and his sons, who are from Orkney. Here she attempts a badly mangled Scottish accent.... although Gwydian, who is fostered with this family, ends up with a Yorkshire accent!?? (which is described in the text as north country). I can't figure this out at all, as he would surely have a Scottish accent - he lived until early adolescence in Scotland and then went to Avalon. Possibly this why she doesn't attempt any more ambitious accents! Davina's cultured, gentle voice, while certainly suitable for the subject of the book, could be a little more expressive and she needs to have read through the book more carefully first.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story

I love this book. It’s a great story of love and loss and betrayal. Will definitely listen again and again

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • H
  • 06-12-19

Blessed

Something I had been searching for,
a deeper connection and awakening of what is already a part of us

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4 people found this helpful