One day short of three weeks after the Lone Star Baby was born, we made our first real foray into a crowded, public place, not counting the midwife's office where I had gone for a follow-up exam a week after the birth, or the pediatrician's office where we had gone to get the baby examined two weeks after her birth. I had meant to give the baby's immune system about a month before braving "unnecessary" crowds but I was going totally stir-crazy, so almost three weeks was time enough...it was necessary. The four of us went out to dinner and then went wandering about a bookstore. The Lone Star Baby slept in her sling most of the time with a few breaks for nursing...it was a lovely time and just exactly what I had needed to keep sane.
At the bookstore, I bought a book, the existence of which I had been unaware and which I was very excited to find, called Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ancestors of Avalon. Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote a number of wonderful fantasy novels about Avalon and Atlantis before she died in 1999, The Mists of Avalon being my favorite and the most popular, I think. This new book was written by her friend, Diana Paxson, whose book The White Raven, about Tristan and Isolde, I had much enjoyed. It links the Atlantis stories to the Avalon stories and I was very excited to see it. I did not read it, though. For some reason, I put the book away and saved it.
Since I was probably not going to get to read more stories about Marion Zimmer Bradley's Atlantis/Avalon cycle, this book seemed like something to save for a special occasion. I did not know quite what I was waiting for, but I waited. After awhile, I thought I might wait and read it to celebrate the Lone Star Baby's first birthday, but that time came and went and the book still waited. Recently, I realized it was time. I have been pretty down in the dumps about some nasty politics that surprised me at work and having a rather hard time with the idea that people in my life were actually acting that way. Work is an area in which I have always excelIed and so to find rough patches in this part of life which I am so good at has hit me hard. I have not been this unhappy in a really long time...it is hard to remember if I ever was. In the midst of all this, I realized it was time to read the book. I needed something special. So I started reading it in stolen bits at night and finished it this morning. In the midst of the book, when the characters' world was falling apart, was a deep reassurance from the Mother of All that nothing could separate them from Her. At around the same time, a post from a friend reminded me of the beautiful Catholic prayer to Mary, The Memorare. Together these prayers have given me strength to cling to the Light and be strong while doing what is right. The book was saved for a good reason, I guess. We just never know what these reasons are until they blossom before us.
6 comments:
It amazes me how much time I spend in bookstores and surfing Amazon yet I was not aware this book existed! I'll be headed to the store after work! I love Mists of Avalon, I can't even tell you how many times I've read it (and suddenly have the urge to reread it now). Thank you, LSM!
You're welcome! I remember when you read The Forest House. Did you also read Lady of Avalon, Priestess of Avalon and The Fall of Atlantis? They were all great, but the inconsistencies are a little maddening if you love them.
I didn't read the Fall of Atlantis, but I did read the other two. Seems I recall ranting about the typos and grammer mistakes in one of them that caused me to give up on the whole thing because it was ruining my fantasy world of the Mists of Avalon being my favorite all time book. But with your recommendation I'm going to give this new one read!
It was The Forest House that frustrated you - I remember. I would read The Fall of Atlantis before reading this one. It isn't much of a stand-alone book.
Yes! I gave up on the prequels pretty quickly, too. I'm glad to know of this book by Bradley, though it really was Morgan Le Fay whom I liked so much. I'll check out the book by Paxton about Tristan and Isolde. Rosemary Sutcliff has a nice version of the story-- do you know it? I like Sutcliff's retelling of the Arthurian legends, too.
Sorry I've not been keeping up with the blog comments more!
xoxo
I don't think I've read the Sutcliff if you mean about Tristan and Isolde. I do think I read a good Arthurian book by her, but it was so long ago, I could be mixing things up.
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