Book Review: The Mists of Avalon

Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley
Date Originally Published: 1983
Start Date: May 16th
Completion Date: June 12th

My last book for the Once Upon a Time Challenge is also one of my all time favorites! The Mists of Avalon is basically a retelling of Arthurian Legend from Morgan le Fay's (Morgaine) point of view.

My first taste of King Arthur was T. H. White's The Once and Future King back in the tenth grade. I wasn't very bookish in high school, and I had to read the book as an assignment, so I wasn't exactly interested in the plot. I imagine that I would thoroughly enjoy the book today, but my 15 year old mind found White's version left much to be desired.

Fast forward three years or so as I'm browsing my local book store. I came upon The Mists of Avalon and recall class discussions and positive reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I fell in love from the first page. MZB manages an emotional retelling of the legend that is also unique for its sympathy to Morgaine, who is normally portrayed as a sorceress. The book also features other women such as Igraine, Morgause, and Gwynhwyfar, some who had previously been auxiliary to the legend. She also portrays several religious truths, without being biased towards one particular form of worship. She finds common ground between the Pagan and Christian religions. She also expands on this theme in other books in the Avalon series (these books aren't as good overall though.) I

Anyways, I fell so in love with this novel, that when the time came to planning my England trip three years ago, I knew I had to visit at least one of the landmarks mentioned in the book. So, I dragged my aunt and cousin to Glastonbury to see the Tor, what was left of the abbey, and the Chalice Well gardens for one day during my week based in Reading, which is luckily a train hub.

We ended up climbing the Tor, which was much more difficult than I thought it would be because it was fairly cold and very windy. While my cousin discovered her fear of heights, my aunt and I enjoyed the view of the country and the town filled with New Age shops and vegetarian restaurants. Also, apparently Marion Zimmer Bradley's ashes were also scattered there.

The abbey ruins were beautiful. Pictured above in the background is the oldest intact dining hall in the world (or the country, I can't remember.) King Arthur and Queen Guinevere's supposed graves are also here, but my camera decided to die before I could actually take a picture of the site.


The Chalice Well Gardens attract a lot of Pagans and Christians alike who come to drink the red water (it's supposed to have healing properties) and see the Chalice Well. It was a beautiful and interesting place.

Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to Glastonbury. My aunt was happy to visit a place that she previously would not have considered, and I was excited to see many of the places I had imagined while reading The Mists of Avalon.

This was a great way for me to end the Once Upon a Time Challenge. I will definitely be back for the R.I.P Challenge in the fall again this year, because Carl's challenges are always so much fun!