Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings.     Today’s blog post is a review of The Road to Avalon by Joan Wolf.   This book is an Arthurian novel originally published in 1988, but the copy I own is the 2007 re-release with the forward by Mary Jo Putney.    

I was highly intrigued by this novel when I first found it (while looking for even more Arthurian novels I had not yet read, as I’ve read many).    Clearly, the title including Avalon made this one I had to look at a synopsis for.    What sold me on knowing this was a book I just had to read was that this one does place a focus on the love stories within the Arthurian legends, but it does not place the focus solely on the famed love triangle!

The novel takes a very interesting approach to how the legends are reimagined.   By this, I mean that this novel is a very grounded take on the legends, and normally, that would actually be something I would not care for very much, as I am always up for the high fantasy and magickal aspects of the legends.   However, this novel is so beautifully written, with characters that are so well thought out, that I did not find myself missing the fantastical elements, as I normally would with a grounded take on the Arthuriad!

I really appreciated that Joan Wolf did not seek to make any of the most beloved Arthurian figures out to be the bad guys, villainizing them just to make the plot more dramatic.    Instead, she rooted the drama in the battles of the Dark Ages, the struggles with running a Kingdom, and the emotional lives of her characters!    This was a highly refreshing way to see the legends portrayed, and the novel was written in such an engaging style that I could not put it down.   I admired how each of the Arthurian figures was utilized, even if I was sometimes taken aback by a choice (notably the choice of making Culwch Olwen’s brother, instead of her husband).    The novel uses the Welsh names of many of the figures, meaning Guinevere is spelled Gwenhwyfar, and Lancelot is not technically present.    That being said, Bedwyr does take the place Lancelot would normally hold in these types of retellings.   I was happy to have the consistency of using the older names, and not randomly inserting Lancelot by name, plus in the older legends (predating Chretien de Troyes’ introduction of Lancelot), Gwenhwyfar did have other Knightly lovers.   I will note that it is clear that Bedwyr is very much meant to be Lancelot, as he is the son of a King named Ban, and his being Pagan is a likely nod to Lancelot having been raised by the Lady of the Lake!  

I do want to reiterate that no one here is made to be the villain, as yes, Gwenhwyfar does have an affair with Bedwyr, but Arthur never loved Gwenhwyfar, having been in love with Morgan since childhood!   As another note,  the family tree is altered a bit in this telling, but I will not spoil exactly how everyone is or is not related.   Anyway, what we end up having is really two side-by-side love stories full of complexity, as a political marriage and different levels of feelings are also at play.    I love just how the author has interwoven all of this!

At the end of the day, I cannot recommend this novel highly enough for all of my fellow Arthurian nerds out there.    While it is not a straight re-telling of the most famous versions of the legends, that is what I love the most about it.    I hope you have enjoyed this review.   Have you read this novel?   Do you want to read it now?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the cover of the novel.   I found the picture on https://www.amazon.com/Road-Avalon-Rediscovered-Classics/dp/155652658X. 

LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries

Further Reading

• The Road to Avalon by Joan Wolf