Avalon

A Novel

De: Anya Seton

Narrado por: Anne Flosnik

Princes, Vikings, and the history of 10th-century England come together in this saga of exploration and unrequited love.

Prince Rumon of France, descendant of Charlemagne and King Alfred, is a searcher. He has visions of the Islands of the Blessed, perhaps King Arthur's Avalon, "where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow".

Merewyn grows up in savage Cornwall - a lonely girl, sustained by her stubborn courage and belief that she is descended from the great King Arthur. Chance - or fate - in the form of a shipwreck off the Cornish coast brings Rumon and Merewyn together, and from that hour their lives are intertwined.

Bound by his vow to her dying mother, Rumon brings Merewyn safely to England and keeps from her and all others the shameful secret of her birth. But there his responsibility ends. At court, Queen Alfrida dazzles him with her beauty and holds him in subjection to her will. When her murderous bid to capture the throne for her son comes to light, Rumon is finally freed, and he turns to Merewyn, only to find that he has lost her. His search leads him across the Atlantic to an unknown land, disappointment, and, at last, fulfillment and peace.

©1965 Anya Seton Chase; copyright renewed 1993 by Pamela Cottier Forcey and Clemency Chase Coggins (P)2020 Tantor

Close to perfect

I have loved everything I have read by Anya Seton and this book is no exception. The pleasant and palatable combination of history and fiction and the peripeteia of the plot, make this a winner.

Avalon

I did enjoy this program, very much. I am a bit of a romantic. I enjoyed the historical references of people, places and events. The descriptions created lovely visions mentally. Thank you!

good story

Story was good, narrator put me to sleep, just couldn't stay with it. Thought I would love it.

Favorite

A very old favorite of mine. I have read it multiple times and enjoyed this Audible version

loved as a child

I read this as kid in the 90s and loved it. Listening to it now I was able to understand it better and I'm not sure if it was the horrible narration or the shallowness of its characters that I disliked the most.

it's isn't about King Arthur

the only thing this has to do with Avalon or King Arthur is a lofty goal that one of them has and a lie that another one unknowingly is a part of. I read this for a book club and to be quite honest if you're really into learning about medieval Christianity. this is probably the book for you. however, this is not something I enjoy listening to.
personally, I liked the lead female character for most of the book until the end (which by the way, I understand the author was trying to put us into history but I feel like it should have ended when they went to Greenland) and hated the lead male character and wanted him to get punched in the face a lot.

to each their own... but I definitely will be reading it again. but again, if you like medieval Christianity, a coming of age story, a historical fiction with an original character placed in it, a lot of nice guy attitude. then this is the book for you