I've been in the mood lately for novels in verse. Novels about basketball, soccer, the Titanic, the Donner party. . .I decided to keep the trend going and today I searched for a new one. I found one that I remember adding to the collection a few years back because it was a donation, but it never really enticed me.
The cover is a little plain, and even though I try not to judge a book by. . .well, you know. . .it just didn't draw me in. But I decided to give it a chance anyways when I saw it on my running list of novels in verse in our collection.
I've never been really into the Arthurian legends, but I always strive to have a general knowledge of the classics, and most of the time even if I don't enjoy them, I can at least appreciate them. I remember bits and pieces of Le Morte d'Arthur from high school, and of course I know Disney's The Sword and the Stone, but The Lady in the Lake and Merlin and Lancelot always kind of run together in my memories when I search for that knowledge, so I figured I might as well try to refresh my memory a little.
This book was an easy read- it's in verse and all the sections are fairly short, but I was also relieved to see that it's written in plain English- much more accessible than Middle English. The story isn't anything especially creative; Elaine lives with her father and two brothers in a soldiers' camp. She develops a school-girl crush on Lancelot, but of course he is bewitched by Guinivere, who is already married to Arthur. So no big surprises here, but this would be a good book for a young reader who is interested in the Arthurian legends, but isn't ready to read the original texts.
It's also a good read for adults who like to giggle and say "m'lady".
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