Oh, Tristan and Isolde. There's a reason your legend isn't as well known as Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot's. Sigh.I love Rosalind Miles. Love her. Her writing is evocative, lush, vivid...I could wax poetic with superlatives all day, but suffice it to say I'll read just about anything she writes even if the actual subject matter isn't engaging me as I'd like it to.And Tristan and Isolde's love story is not engaging me. The Maid of the White Hands picks up shortly after Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle ends. Isolde has married Mark, King of Cornwall, thus uniting Ireland and England. Tristan is her knight and the two of them are able to carry on their love affair in secret. Well, sort of in secret.All of the wrong people seem to know what's going on between the two of them and it puts their happiness as well as their very lives in danger. When the Queen of Ireland dies, Isolde is called back to her home country and in order to keep up appearances, Tristan stays in England. These two should never be separated. Seriously, the majority of their problems would go away if they'd just stick together. A lot of drama unfolds. A lot of political intrigue, presumed betrayal, imprisonment, uprisings, lies and angst goes down in the plot of this book and Tristan and Isolde are apart for most of it. I won't go into a detailed description of the plot, but suffice it to say that Miles throws just about everything she can at these two lovers and it nearly works in destroying them both. I'm determined to finish this series, but unlike the Guinevere trilogy that I want to read again someday, I won't feel the need to revisit Tristan and Isolde. I just don't like them that much. Isolde is awesome. I do love her. She's strong and fights her own battles. She understands the price that she has to pay for being queen, the things that she has to give up to serve the people that she's sworn to lead. Tristan, on the other hand, drives me nuts. I understand that nobility and honoring one's promises/word was basically all that these knights had to call their own, but could Tristan be a little less whiny about it? I should take into account that the man is injured or sick through about 80% of this book, and therefore prone to dramatics, I suppose, but still. I don't think it's a good idea for the hero of a sweeping and epic love story to come across as a whiny, weepy, lovesick puppy. Either honor your vows as a knight or honor your vows to Isolde. Pick one and quit all of this quibbling. I'm going to try to read the third and final book soon because I know that I waited far too long between the first and second. I will never not recommend Rosalind Miles to people who enjoy excellent writing and epic storytelling, but I doubt that this trilogy will be the one I tell them to try.
Unlike some movie franchises, books do seem to improve upon their sequels. In" The Maid of the White Hands" it is ten years after Isolde's marriage to King Mark of Cornwall. The couple remain childless and Isolde has managed to keep her affair with her knight, Tristan, King of Lyonnesse a secret. But that is only because King Mark remains a little dumb and won't listen to any of his advisors tell him anything different. Isolde soon hears the news that her mother, Queen of Dubh Lein has died. Isolde is sent the message that she must hurry to the Western Isles to secure her place on the throne. However, Isolde dallies; first, to return home to King Mark and second, to try and heal her sick lover. Meanwhile there lay men in Dubh Lein that seek to steal the throne from Isolde and restrain the power of women in the land. Isolde faces many foes at court and abroad and what will she do when her knight is sent to the court of France and attracts a younger woman?
Do You like book The Maid Of The White Hands (2005)?
The second book in this series was okay. It was definately a faster read than the first installment. I have made a promise to myself to finish this series and Im going to. A nice thing about reading the second book in this trilogy is that the relationships are starting to blossom. By that I mean that some depth has been attained (FINALLY!!!) But I need to stress the *some* part in my summary. I feel that there is no real voice behind any one of the characters. At a few points in the story, I really did feel like depth was beginning to form and I would be able to really connect with them. But that never happened. It was always right on the verge, but never really followed through with. I understand that "Goddess, Mother!" and "Oh, my love. My love!" may be real expressions and these characters may very well have used them to exclaim and express themselves the way that we would say something in todays time like, "Cheese and rice!" or "Oh my goodness!" But that does not negate the fact that it gets incredibly repetitive and old. Especially by this time in the story. And by "by this time," I mean the second freaking novel.I just really feel that there is nothing so endearing about any of these characters that I, personally, will ever be able to just get lost in them and their tales or swoon for their loves and losses. I have always known Tristan and Isolde to be lovers of such epic proportions that what they shared didnt need all the forced embellishments the author asks the reader to digest. It really does get to be too much.The twists and turns this story took were nice and exciting. But very little substance is actually held within the pages of these stories. I stick by my review of the first book and say that this is something I would recommend for my 8yr old daughter.
—Prom
The story of Tristan and Isolde continues. Forced to marry King Mark of Cornwall, under a spell by her mother, Isolde has always loved Tristan, who refuses to marry and desert her. As Isolde's mother dies, she becomes Queen of the Emerald Isle. At the same time, Tristan is wounded in battle and sent by his uncle King Mark to France to be healed by a young noble woman with white healing hands. Determined to marry Tristan herself, Blanche and King mark undertake to keep the lovers apart. Treachery, deceit, and betrayal are all part of this most beautiful love story. Again, Miles puts her own spin on this tale, so the reader never knows what will happen.
—Betty Strohecker
Another quick read. I'm looking forward to seeing how the third book ties everything up.However, that said, I wasn't impressed with the character of Blanche. I just couldn't see where the obsession for Tristan came from. It seemed a little rushed and hurried to me, and was just a plot device to keep the lovers apart.I could be wrong, of course, but that (and how quickly Sir Roc fell in love with Blanche) seemed too forced for me.
—Lisa
