T
itle: Le Morte d' Arthur Author: Sir Thomas Malory, adapted by Keith Baines
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table, first written in English by Sir Thomas Malory and published in 1485. This is a translation by Keith Baines into modern English.
My Thoughts
I decided I wanted to read this book while I was reading The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett. The protagonist in the novel referred to it constantly as his inspiration for studying history and his obsession with the holy grail. With that kind of recommendation I figured I couldn't go wrong. Plus the idea of reading something written in the 15th century really appealed to me and my love of history.
Unfortunately, this book was not all I had hoped it would be. Sure, it is about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table but to the modern reader, it is not written in a way that captivates the mind or endears one to the characters. It is very much like: 'This knight goes off, he meets another knight, neither will say who they are, they joust, one is wounded. They then realize they are actually good friends who didn't recognize one another, they weep and embrace, they swear to never fight one another again.'
That happens over and over again for 500 pages. It is boring, mistaken identity must have been such a hilarious joke at the time but it is tired in 2019. In addition, any time a woman is encountered she is either a damsel in distress, a paramour, or an evil sorcerous. This is a nice reminder that it was not ideal to be a woman in the middle ages.
All in all, I am glad I can add it to the list of things I have read but it's not one I would recommend for pleasure reading.
To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above
I decided I wanted to read this book while I was reading The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett. The protagonist in the novel referred to it constantly as his inspiration for studying history and his obsession with the holy grail. With that kind of recommendation I figured I couldn't go wrong. Plus the idea of reading something written in the 15th century really appealed to me and my love of history.
Unfortunately, this book was not all I had hoped it would be. Sure, it is about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table but to the modern reader, it is not written in a way that captivates the mind or endears one to the characters. It is very much like: 'This knight goes off, he meets another knight, neither will say who they are, they joust, one is wounded. They then realize they are actually good friends who didn't recognize one another, they weep and embrace, they swear to never fight one another again.'
That happens over and over again for 500 pages. It is boring, mistaken identity must have been such a hilarious joke at the time but it is tired in 2019. In addition, any time a woman is encountered she is either a damsel in distress, a paramour, or an evil sorcerous. This is a nice reminder that it was not ideal to be a woman in the middle ages.
All in all, I am glad I can add it to the list of things I have read but it's not one I would recommend for pleasure reading.
To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above
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