Persia Woolley has successfully put a new spin on an old Legend with her Arthurian
trilogy books.
Queen of the Summer stars picks up where Child of the Northern Spring left off – a few years into the marriage of Guinevere of Rheged and the
High King of Britain, Arthur Pendragon. The uniqueness of Woolley’s trilogy lies in the fact that they are presented from Guinevere’s point of view. As was discovered in the first
book of the trilogy, Guinevere is not a stereotypical Old Britain queen – all pomp and circumstance. Quite to the contrary, Woolley’s Guinevere is a down to earth, hands-on woman who comes from tomboy beginnings and a proud Celtic heritage.
In this volume, Woolley involved the major Arthurian Legend points. She
tells of the coming of the Companions to the Round Table and the creation of Camelot. She details the treasonous plans of Morgan LeFey (Arthur’s half sister) as she tries to usurp the throne and place herself as High Queen of the land. She tells of the abduction and rape of Guinevere by her jealous cousin Maelgyn. Woolley describes the binding together of the different factions to create a united Britain, which then repels the Saxon invaders. She also briefly delves into the coming to court of Arthur’s son by his half-sister Margause, the dreaded Mordred. (This is done at the end of the book, obviously to continue in the third book of the trilogy.) And of course she tells of the famed affair of Sir Lancelot. Wolley succeeds in portraying the
love between Lancelot and Guinevere as much more elevated than a simple physical attraction. Their love for each other is successfully over-ridden by their love and loyalty to Arthur and Britain.
Each of these major points is tied together with a captivating web of Guinevere’s perceptions. Through her eyes we’re able to understand the demands placed on the High Queen. She longs to be a simple wife with a loving husband and children, but must try to be queen and mother to an entire country. We feel for her as she struggles through childlessness, fear for her husband gone to battle, frustration with Arthur’s lack of communication and triumph at Arthur’s side as they bind Britain together.
Although this book is written from a woman’s perspective, Woolley has avoided letting the book get too mushy and sentimental. I found it brilliantly written and enthralling. With just a touch of foreshadowing at the end of each chapter, Woolley keeps your interest piqued and you want to read on and on.
<B>Summary: </B> Woolley has created in Guinevere a highly believable character. It’s easy to identify with the High Queen because she goes through many of the ups and downs of life that we all must. In her own words, “A Celtic Queen does what has to be done.” This was a very refreshing look at the Arthurian legends.