Child of the Northern Spring

I really wasn't impressed by Persia Woolley's version of Guinevere's story, to begin with. The transitions between past and present were clumsily done, and this version of Guinevere wasn't anything particularly new. It reminded me very much of Mercedes Lackey's version of the story, Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit, except that this Guinevere is less of a warrior-type. They had definite similarities, though, with the deaths of their mothers, their links to Epona, etc.

However, as it developed, I came to enjoy it much more. The prose never really rose above mediocre, in my opinion, but the characters were well presented, and their relations to each other well thought out. The glimpse of a young, angry Gawain was fantastic, though too brief for a Gawain-lover like myself, and I particularly liked Bedivere. The relationship between Arthur and Guinevere also felt real, and I sort of don't want to read the rest of this trilogy, because it will separate them. Although not inevitably, I suppose: Sarah Zettel's books sidestep that issue, why can't others?

Another thing I appreciated was her care in the author's note regarding the choice of place names and such. She chose to call the Welsh people the Cumbri, which is nice, given that the word "Welsh" actually comes from the Saxon word for "foreigner". I think she navigated that well.

So, all in all, surprisingly satisfying -- I think I will track down the other books. ( )

Story starts when Guinevere is a child, the Romans has left and the Saxons are coming. Arthur isn’t King yet and there is no round table. I liked that there’s no dragons, magic or anything like that but it’s more based on fact.

I like that Guinevere is strong and independet who loves horses but the first half of the book was rather boring. It gets better after she mets Arthur. And the time jumps were annoying! I don’t like when time jump happens and it’s not clearly stated and you spend 2 pages wondering what the hell is going on.

This was a good start in a series and I’m curious to see how the story continues and hoping there’s more action in the future! ( )

Guinevere, a young woman barely 18 years-old and while a strong and intelligent person, she’s out of her element when it comes to practices of the court. The chosen bride of the newly minted King Arthur, she’s leaving her father and the only home she’s ever known to meet him and prepare to be his wife and queen. Their first meeting a few years prior to the marriage arrangement left her interested but not fully convinced she was the right woman for him. Without a better marriage offer and wanting to protect her homeland, she undertakes the journey to become his partner.

Arthur and Guinevere’s match is a good one --- they’re both strong people and have an affinity for each other. When the Saxons, always a threat to the country at this time, decide to attack, Arthur moves his armies to meet them and they both find out what it means to be king and queen and husband and wife.

I prefer Arthurian legend stories with a touch of historical reality rather than magic. There is some magic in Child of the Northern Spring but it’s more in the form of religion and gods which is fine. Merlin does make an appearance and there are moments when he calls down the gods and their wrath and the same can be said for Arthur’s sister, Morgan. I’m all right with magic in that capacity though. For as much as I adore fantasy, I don’t always like it mixed with my Arthur and Guinevere. Go figure.

This book does move slowly and is told in more flashbacks than I felt necessary but it provides a nice background and history for Guinevere and who she is as a person. I like that she isn’t a meek woman in this story and even though she’s unsure of herself, some of that is due to her age and that she’s never lived at court or even ran her father’s household after the death of her mother. It’s a lack of confidence and she begins to gain more at the end of the book.

Child of the Northern Spring is the first in the Guinevere trilogy and with my ability to never walk away from a series, especially one that involves Arthur and Guinevere, I see myself reading more. If you enjoy Arthurian legend, this one is worth a look. ( )

Guinevere has never been a character I enjoyed. In fact, I often find her the spoiled and nettlesome one from Arthurian legend and much like Viviane says of her in of The Mists of Avalon, a bit of a ninny. Indeed, the only version of Guinevere I have ever found myself rallying behind was Angel Colby’s adaptation on BBC’s Merlin.

In my mind (and if the adage of a man only being as strong as the woman behind him holds true), Arthur—High King and unifier of a warring Albion—would not fall in love with a mollycoddled and sapless damsel. He would fall in love with someone with spirit, with fire, someone multi-faceted and with such devoted belief in him and his abilities to rule Britannia that he would never need doubt himself … and this is what Persia Woolley delivers in Child of the Northern Spring and why it has garnered itself a spot in my permanent collection.

As far as historical accuracy goes, Persia stayed true. We have a post-Roman England being invaded by the Saxons, England and Wales stand as two separate kingdoms and the pagan ways of the land are being tried by the new religion of Christianity. Child of the Northern Spring delivers the tale of Guinevere’s journey South to marry Arthur. On this journey Guin does a lot of reminiscing. As such, the book does include a great deal of flashbacks but it isn’t overly confusing or anything.

We learn that Guinevere is a very independent tomboyish girl, tempered with a kindness above her station as Princess of Rheged and sole heir, and loves to ride horses. Unlike what we have come to know as far as princesses go, Guinevere is known to give a hand to the servants and even helps commoners in the kingdom. This book did for Guinevere what The Mists of Avalon did for Morgan Le Fay: gave her a voice and showed us the events in Arthurian Legend as seen through her eyes.

Child of the Northern Spring is somewhat “and they lived happily ever after”, so if you are a fan of Arthur and Guinevere sans Lancelot, you will love this book. However, if you are like me and revel in angst and agony, you are very much looking forward to see what Persia does, if anything, with the infamous Lancelot/Guinevere/Arthur love triangle.

All in all, I am absolutely thrilled that Sourcebooks has revived this late 1980’s out-of-print trilogy for future generations (though I still cannot wrap my head around why such a strong novel would even go out of print to begin with), and I wait with bated breath for the next installment!

http://www.read-all-over.net/fiction/historical/book-review-child-of-the-norther... ( )

"Child of the Northern Spring" by Persia Woolley intrigued me, because I have not studied much on King Arthur historically and I was interested in learning more about it.
This story was well written from the perspective of Guinevere, from her childhood through the beginning of her marriage to King Arthur.

There were several characters I am familiar with (Merlin) and some more vaguely (Morgan and Morgause). I was not aware of the relationships of the characters to one another, which I believe is the historical part of this fictional book. I appreciated that the author did not attempt to write this in the Old English tongue, which made it easier for me to follow. This story definitely left me wanting to read the next in the series to see what happens to our heroine. It has set up some very good questions that I am hoping to have answered by continuing on in the series. ( )