The White Raven

This is a must for any helpless romantics out there. I believe its the best telling of this myth by far. There is not only one romance, but two..and both are told beautifully and with their own complications and twists. Everyone should read it!! one of my favourite books of all time, and just simply stunning Simply beautiful. no other version ends it better... i dislike the movie ending, and many other endings dont have such a powerdul impact and leave me upset. it's a must readdd for lovers of this tale!!! **Spoilers about the beautiful ending** i love how isolde (( named Esseilte in this book)) dies after finding tristan (( named drunstan in this book)) dead. It shows how deep their love was for each other. Although Drunstan remarried another woman, he never loved the other woman and when severely wounded called for Esseilte to come back to him. His wife, also name Essilte, lies to him about what colour the sails of the boat are ((indicating whether essielte of ireland (his true love) has agreed to come to him)) his wife is jelous of tristans love for essilte so she lies to him about the colour of the sails, and he dies of dispiar...she dies once she finds him dead. and this version goes on to discribe them being burried together and even a glimpse of them as spirits together. ***

I absolutely loved this book. I really couldn't put it down. I felt like I WAS Branwen. I love mythology, but I didn't feel like I was reading a myth. A beautiful story!

Diana Paxson writes so eloquently of Branwen's story against the backdrop of Tristan and Isault's. Her presentation of Branwen's sacrifices in the face of Isault and Tristan's somewhat selfish love affair made compelling reading! Far from being a soft love story, Paxson's tale gives a fascinating account of relationships, unrequited love and selfless/selfish ambitions. I have read this years ago and still do re-read it occasionally...and the magic is still there! Highly recommended.

Anyone who believes this book to be about the romance of Trystan and Iseult has missed the point of this book entirely. The legend only provides the base for the events in the story. The real heroine in the book is Branwen who growns from maidenhood to adulthood with Iseult and learns to tap into the power of the Goddess. The book in itself is good, but not for its Arthurian content. Some scenes of pagan worship may disturb the quesy reader.