Child of the Northern Spring

Starred review from September 20, 2010
The standout opening volume of Woolley's Guinevere trilogy, first published in 1987, describes the Celtic princess's childhood in loving, sensuous detail with an uncannily accurate historical eye for day-to-day details. As Guinevere comes of age to marry Arthur, the recently crowned high king of Britain, Woolley does a marvelous job of portraying the political upheaval of the time. Despite the struggle between Celtic and Roman culture, Guinevere finds herself working with Arthur to unify a divided country and repel the onslaughts of Saxon invaders and rebellious kings. The sharply delineated cast will be familiar to any fan of Arthuriana, though many characters get new twists. While hardly the first book to retell these myths from a woman's perspective, this is an engrossing and satisfying addition to the canon.

May 1, 1987
Arthur's Queen Guinevere is a tantalizing and controversial figure, metamorphosing in legend from ancient Britain's gracious first lady to an imperious adulteress, Lancelot's lover, tried for treason and held responsible for the Round Table's decay. Woolley's pleasing first novel, the inaugural volume of a planned trilogy, portrays a sensitive young woman who will appeal to modern readers. A princess of Rheged in Northern Britain, Guinevere is betrothed for political reasons to the High King, Arthur. Riding to meet her husband, Guinevere learns about Arthur's conquests as a rising warrior. The new Christian religion threatens to displace the Druid mysteries and their priestesses, one of whomMorgan le Fey, the Lady of the Black Lakeviews Guinevere askance. Lancelot is as yet an off-stage character, but other companions of Camelot (Merlin, Gawain and a gangly Tristan) are introduced as Woolley leads up to the royal wedding and prepares the scene for Guinevere's future troubles. The author's inventive use of research enables her to vividly recreate sixth century Britain in the throes of change. BOMC alternate.