I picked up Eilish Quin’s Medea from my library’s New Book shelf on a whim. I’m always interested in modern interpretations of Greek myth, and as MedeI picked up Eilish Quin’s Medea from my library’s New Book shelf on a whim. I’m always interested in modern interpretations of Greek myth, and as Medea is my favorite figure from that genre it was a foregone conclusion that I would check it out.
I’m going into spoiler territory so let me get the recommendation out of the way: I liked this version. Despite the presence of the gods, Quin manages to make her Medea a person with agency who does what she does because it’s what she believes is the best course, not because Zeus has ordained it. The author also explores the dynamic of an abusive relationship (Medea vis-à -vis Jason, as well as her father, Aeëtes), which I suppose is a trigger warning for a potential reader.
(view spoiler)[In reinterpreting Medea, an author must make choices. Primarily, do the gods exist and influence human affairs? Do you accept that Medea murders her stepbrother, and children & all the other infamous deeds ascribed to her? Or does your narrative present the “real story� and exonerate her?
Quin has chosen to go with choices #1 and #3 � the gods exist, and they act in human affairs, and Medea is not the murderous virago Euripides gifted us with. As implied above, despite the gods nudging things in particular directions, Quin manages to walk that tight rope fairly successfully, and Medea gradually emerges as a person with agency who’s not entirely captured by Fate. Similarly, Quin’s exoneration of Medea for murder (at least deliberate murder) rings true enough that I was convinced in this context.
As the author writes in an “Author’s Note�:
“I do not know if the work before you exists as a defense of its protagonist. I do not know if certain annihilations can be defended. I possess only the knowledge of my own feelings about Medea, feelings that range from steadfast admiration to breathless unease to rueful recognition. As her agent, I have no choice but to trust her fully, although even if it was not so, I still think I should.
“The story I have attempted to tell is one that has been polished in the minds and mouths of much more skilled and eloquent composers. I have crafted it, then, not to copy or detract from its original tellings, but rather to explode it. In this novel, I propose that Medea is not simply misunderstood � for that would be overly simplistic � but that she is, in all her complexity, a product of the impossibility from which she emerges. My Medea is superficially interested in feminist reimaginings of a classical text, but more than that it is concerned with monstrosity in an age and setting where monsters existed everywhere� (p. 383).
A delightful retelling of the princess-in-a-tower fable that comes alive in Moira Quirk's reading. I've been a fan of Tamsyn MuiRating: 3.5-3.75 stars
A delightful retelling of the princess-in-a-tower fable that comes alive in Moira Quirk's reading. I've been a fan of Tamsyn Muir since I first cracked Gideon the NinthGideon the Ninth but I would also recommend any Quirk narration. She's quite good.
If my nieces were 10 0r 12 years younger this would definitely be in someone's Xmas gift pile....more
The Great Book of King Arthur collects the Arthurian tales that Mallory left out of Le Morte d’Arthur. Many are legends from the pre-Lancelot era whenThe Great Book of King Arthur collects the Arthurian tales that Mallory left out of Le Morte d’Arthur. Many are legends from the pre-Lancelot era when Gawain was Arthur’s premier knight.
For anyone in love with the Matter of Britain, Matthews has put together a thoroughly enjoyable collection, and Gareth Anderson does a fine job narrating it in the audiobook version. Recommended. ...more
I’m glad that The Excalibur Curse and the second book, The Camelot Betrayal, improved considerably over The Guinevere Deception.
I thought White createI’m glad that The Excalibur Curse and the second book, The Camelot Betrayal, improved considerably over The Guinevere Deception.
I thought White created an interesting version of Camelot that gave the women of the court a bit more agency than they usually have, and I was intrigued about the relationship between Guinevere and Arthur. I don’t think White gave it enough room to mature, however, and rushed to tie up loose ends rather than explore it. Both are essentially fundamentalists � fanatics for the goals they desire. In Arthur’s case, it’s to bring order to Britain and banish (ideally, destroy) the chaos of magic. An order only he perceives. Guinevere’s desire is perhaps less “lofty� but it still amounts to a single-mindedness that invariably makes things worse. I wanted a more extensive examination of how means determine ends, regardless of how “good� those goals may seem.
I think that was my chief disappointment with the books � the author began but never developed a number of significant relationships, especially Guinevere’s with Lancelot (in this version, a woman).
I don’t want to seem too harsh in my assessment. This is a pretty good series for younger adults and older children. If you’re looking to introduce your sprouts to Arthurian myth, you could do worse.
Recommended for a younger audience but not so much for someone looking for a more mature consideration of the myth....more
A young woman has come to Camelot to wed Arthur, the young high king who struggles to create a land ruled by laws and justice and not the caprice of mA young woman has come to Camelot to wed Arthur, the young high king who struggles to create a land ruled by laws and justice and not the caprice of magicians (like the fey Dark Queen) and tyrants (like his father Uther Pendragon, whom he had overthrown in a bloody civil war). Ostensibly, she is Guinevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance. The real Guinevere, however, died in the convent where her father had sent her. Merlin, the king’s banished wizard, uses the opportunity to plant this faux Guinevere in the heart of Arthur’s kingdom to protect him against unnamed, unidentified magical threats.*
Or so she believes. She’s part of an elaborate scheme cooked up by Merlin with Arthur’s knowledge and only remembers that she is the old wizard’s daughter. Even before she reaches Camelot. cracks begin to appear in her life’s façade. Like her inexplicable horror of water; a terror so great, she becomes nearly catatonic at the prospect of even crossing it. As she tries to fit in with the alien world of Camelot, Guinevere comes to realize that nothing and no one is as they seem, even her “father� Merlin, and that she’s part of a even more elaborate scheme of which she knows next to nothing.
The first installment in White’s Camelot Rising trilogy ends with Melagant’s kidnapping of the queen and her rescue by Lancelot (a traditional episode from the Arthurian mythology, often used to show the beginnings of the cracks between Arthur and Guinevere as husband and wife. ((view spoiler)[White similarly uses it here but with a queer twist. (hide spoiler)]). Hidden motivations are revealed and Guinevere must choose between a world of magic and one without.**
I’m really on the fence between two and three stars. If I did break three-ward, it would be because there are elements of a good story here and I want to know what’s going on � who is Guinevere? Why did she agree to Merlin’s scheme? Who is the Lady of the Lake? What is Arthur’s sword Excalibur and where did it come from? Is a world without magic really so much better than a world with? And must the choice be so black and white? � and I think White does a good job of remaining true to the ideal that the Matter of Britain represents while making the story her own.
If I broke two-ward, it would be chiefly because the writing had an unfortunate tendency to drag me out of the 9th century world the author was trying to create with jarring modern idioms like “he’s not my type� and “thanks for the vote of confidence� or the ludicrous anachronism of a modern (or at least a Tudor-era) play in the midst of a Medieval city.
For the moment, I’m going to give this first book two stars but I’m going to finish out the trilogy and see where White goes with the story. The rating may change.
* A decided challenge since Arthur has banished magic from his realm, and anyone caught using magic is banished or executed.
** A rather stark choice whose implications I hope White explores in the remaining trilogy.
*** I wanted to give credit to ±·²¹±¹±ð²õ²õ²¹â€™s insightful review, which helped me focus my thoughts on whyThe Guinevere Deception was so unsatisfying. Check it out. ...more
Loading...
