Avalon: A Novel | Anya Seton

Avalon: A Novel | Anya Seton | Anya Seton's Avalon speaks of eternal dreams, mystical love

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Avalon: A Novel

	Avalon: A Novel Anya Seton Chicago Review Press, 2006 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 34 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Loved it!

Very enjoyable. It was nice taking a travel through history in a period of time not so frequently written about. The up and down see saw of Merewyn's and Ruman's star crossed love was heartbreaking at times. I don't want to say more to give out the end.

It isn't Katherine by a long shot, but still a good read, and I would recommend to any lover of historical fiction.

Anya Seton's Avalon speaks of eternal dreams, mystical love

Recently, the works of novelist Anya Seton have been coming back into print, with introductions written by fellow writer, Philippa Gregory. With most of Seton's work being produced between the 1950's and 1980's, it's been interesting to reread these stories, mostly of thwarted love and romance, with a generous dash of the mysterious stirred in for good measure.

Set in England just before the year 1000, it takes the story of two young people who meet by happenstance, and form a bond that is by turns resentful, friendly and at times, romantic. Rumon, a young princeling from Avignon, descended from the early Saxon kings of England, has been sent to that land by his exasperated grandmother, Queen Edgive. Rumon, unlike the other young men, has not one bit of interest in the arts of war, preferring instead to follow gentler arts, such as reading and music. When he is shipwrecked off the coast of Cornwall, he finds himself in a strange place that seems to hover on the edges of the earth itself.

And it is here that he meets Merewyn, a young girl that is everything that he is not -- illiterate, destitute and burdened with a mother that is both crippled, and likely to be mad to boot. But there is one thing that she has in common with the fastidious, aloof Rumon -- a touch of royal blood, claiming descent from King Arthur himself, and proud of her heritage. But from her dying mother, who wrings a vow from him to never speak of it, Rumon learns something else entirely, a secret that both haunts and poisons him, but his own sense of honor has him taking Merewyn with him to the protection of her Aunt, Abbess Merwinna of Romsey.

We follow them along to the court of King Edgar, and his beautiful vain wife, Alfrida, meeting courtiers and bishops along the way. One of them, Dunstan, will play pivotal roles in the futures of the young couple, and gives a glimpse of the mystical and religious life of England just before the turn of the first millennium. Religion was at the time, a serious matter, and people believed strongly in the power of visions, superstitions and at times, rather convoluted ways of doing things. Rumon, especially, is rather naïve, even more so than Merewyn, with his insistance on his quest to find Avalon, the mystical resting place of King Arthur, and his strict adherence to doctrine, even when it costs him both self-respect and love. Both of them embark on adventures across the sea, Merewyn to the Norse lands of Iceland and Greenland, and Rumon even beyond that. Throughout their troubles and questioning natures, one thing remains solid -- their bond, and the thirst for happiness.

One thing that I really enjoy about Anya Seton's work is her ability to create a world that is both believable and entertaining. I tend to be a stickler for historical accuracy in novels, and Seton goes far beyond what is required. She stays true to what is known, but also isn?t afraid to explore some of the more controversial aspects of history. Of her characters, only those of Merewyn and her family are fictional, but Dunstan, Merwinna and Rumon all lived, along with the English royalty at the times. Too, so are the stories of the Vikings settling in Greenland, which was much warmer than today at the time, and making it as far as the North American continent. So too, might have the Irish monks, and the tales of the Culdees, an early Irish-Christian sect. One of the pivotal points of the novel occurs in North Salem, New Hampshire, and the site known as Mystery Hill.

(Warning - there are a couple of spoilers here, so just skip to the end if you don't want to read them, but they're important to the review, so...)
In retrospect, this isn?t going to be a novel that appeals to everyone. Many will be upset about the fact that the two leads never really do get to have a future together. Many consider this to fly in the face of a 'romance' novel, but I think that Seton was aiming for something different than the usual romance, and decided to really put the characters through trying times. While Merewyn is able to find happiness of a sort in both of her marriages, there isn't any sort of the grand passion that is expected in most books nowadays.

But then, Avalon was written in a very different era than today. Written in 1965, most women were expected to marry, be faithful, and raise several children, all the while denying that there could ever be something more satisfying in life. Certainly novels, if they were to be successful and mass-marketed kept sex and adultery to a minimum, unless the woman involved was a Bad Woman. But times have changed in the last forty years. Nowadays, Rumon and Merewyn would have had little self-doubts and hesitations, and would have been busy steaming up the sheets, and the interest and charm that make this such a readable novel would have vanished.
(End spoiler)

No, this is not a traditional sort of romance. Here, the longing may or may not be fulfilled, which is left to the reader to guess at until the very end. Instead, the focus is as much on the inner world as it is about Viking raids, adventures, treacherous queens and scholarly monks. Rumon's own arrogance and at times, priggishness, hold the seeds of his own downfall, and the character of Queen Alfrida is certainly one to give anyone pause before getting entangled with her.

What I did not like about this edition is Philippa Gregory's forward to the story. Towards the end, she denigrates the very work that she is talking about, an action that I find rather underhanded, after all, Ms. Seton has been dead for several years and it's rather bad form to take a slap at someone who can't fight back. The afterword, however, is excellent, where the author explains her sources and some of the more unlikely - but quite possible - actions in the story.

Not everyone will like it, but if you are hunting for a novel that has a solid historical base, keeps away from the sticky, syrupy romances of today, and manages to create a world that is believable - and unusual - then this is one to take in. Five solid stars.

Recommended

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A Romantic Adventure

I picked up this book at a library sale and had it for two years before I read it. I now want to read all of Anya Seton's books.
My copy was issued in 1965, I was 3 years old at the time. I am an avid book reader and I am especially fond of historical fiction, (learn and be entertained at the same time). I agree with the other reviewer's. A newly re-published boxed set of Seton's works would be high on my list!

I don't understand the rave reviews

After reading three of her books I still don't get all the hype about Anya Seton. I mean, her books are ok but not wonderful and her storylines aren't really that interesting. I did find this book, Avalon, to be better than the others of hers I've read-if simply because it has less of the history textbook quality that "Katherine" and "Green Darkness" had.

But over all, this story isn't really about anything, has no discernable plot or love story or adventure story and has gigantic gaps in the writing-way more explanation was needed on the basic story.

I know everyone seems to love this book but it didn't grab me.

Three stars.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6, 7

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