Avalon

A Novel

By: Anya Seton

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Princes, Vikings, and the history of 10th-century England come together in this saga of exploration and unrequited love.

Prince Rumon of France, descendant of Charlemagne and King Alfred, is a searcher. He has visions of the Islands of the Blessed, perhaps King Arthur's Avalon, "where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow".

Merewyn grows up in savage Cornwall - a lonely girl, sustained by her stubborn courage and belief that she is descended from the great King Arthur. Chance - or fate - in the form of a shipwreck off the Cornish coast brings Rumon and Merewyn together, and from that hour their lives are intertwined.

Bound by his vow to her dying mother, Rumon brings Merewyn safely to England and keeps from her and all others the shameful secret of her birth. But there his responsibility ends. At court, Queen Alfrida dazzles him with her beauty and holds him in subjection to her will. When her murderous bid to capture the throne for her son comes to light, Rumon is finally freed, and he turns to Merewyn, only to find that he has lost her. His search leads him across the Atlantic to an unknown land, disappointment, and, at last, fulfillment and peace.

©1965 Anya Seton Chase; copyright renewed 1993 by Pamela Cottier Forcey and Clemency Chase Coggins (P)2020 Tantor

Close to perfect

I have loved everything I have read by Anya Seton and this book is no exception. The pleasant and palatable combination of history and fiction and the peripeteia of the plot, make this a winner.

Avalon

I did enjoy this program, very much. I am a bit of a romantic. I enjoyed the historical references of people, places and events. The descriptions created lovely visions mentally. Thank you!

good story

Story was good, narrator put me to sleep, just couldn't stay with it. Thought I would love it.

Favorite

A very old favorite of mine. I have read it multiple times and enjoyed this Audible version

Fascinating period piece

I read it many years ago and it always stuck with me. It holds up. It is fun reading it again with the ability to Google the historical characters. It’s like Forest Gump or Little Big Man a fictional character inserted into historic events. The period itself is usually only dealt with in fantasy. Also, I quite liked the penitent ending. Not the greatest narrator I’ve ever listened to but she does a passable job.