The Girl’s King Arthur: Tales of the Women of Camelot
3 stars: A Good Read
Format: Paperback
Publication: May 14, 2010
Pages: 177
Publisher: Scriptorium Press
Buy it: Amazon | B&N
King Arthur is gone now. His Order has been relegated to legend. And I alone survive to tell the tales of that fabulous and mystical time, when men ruled and fought but women shaped the destiny of that place called Camelot. In The Girl’s King Arthur, an original retelling of the Arthurian stories introduced by the Lady of the Lake, Barbara Tepa Lupack recounts the tales of Guinevere, Elaine of Astolat, Iseult, Vivien, Morgan le Fay and the other legendary women who had a hand in the making and unmaking of Camelot. Told by the women in their own distinctive voices, the stories offer a nontraditional perspective on the familiar tales by emphasizing female achievement. They also paint an exciting new picture of the Arthurian world a world of magic, both black and white; of loyalties, both binding and broken; and of dreams, both frustrated and fulfilled. An invaluable counterpart to The Boy’s King Arthur, this volume is sure to delight readers, young and old.
I love medieval legends. If I had all the time in the world, I would dig up every book with a medieval focus and read it. However, many books don’t focus on the girls. While I love reading about the adventures that the men went on, it is nice seeing the girl taking center stage, and I appreciate how Barbara Tepa Lupack takes the time to spotlight girls of medieval legend in The Girl’s King Arthur.
Many of the girls’ stories are well-known. As their fates were tied with famous men in medieval literature, these girls end up giving us summaries of the adventures of men such as King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Galahad. Their fates were so entwined. The dense summary in the narration had me wishing that the stories were drawn out more with more imagery and dialogue; however, the concise nature of the storytelling will hold the attention of a younger child who isn’t ready for long chapter books.
This is a wonderful book to give to the young readers of your family. As an academic book, it will teach children famous medieval legends from the girls’ perspectives. As a book for a reader, it will entertain them with medieval tales. If you are interested in the companion novel, there is also a Boy’s King Arthur, which will tell them medieval legends from the boys’ perspectives.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. No payment was received in return for a review. The receipt of the book had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Natalie Aguirre says
This sounds like an awesome book. Thanks for sharing about it.
Christina Kit. says
I love Arthurian romance and all the legends!
This is awesome!