Love Story or....? Arthurian Legend or....?

The novel is set between the years 972 to 1,000 A.D. in Cornwall, England, Iceland, and Greenland. The main characters are Merewyn and Rumon, whose lives intersect and then split off throughout the course of the story. When they first meet, Merewyn is on a journey to a holy well to pray for her sick mother, Breaca. Rumon, having sailed from France, and then shipwrecked on the coast of Cornwall, is trying to find his way to the English court to lend his services to his relative, King Edgar I. After Merewyn's mother dies, she and Rumon travel to England together where Rumon is welcomed by the King, and where Merewyn is assigned to be one of Queen Alfrida's ladies-in-waiting. 

They say that one must care about the characters in order to stay engaged in a story or one must love plot action to stay engaged. Avalon had both fascinating characters and engaging plot lines, however, the plot lines were written like short episodes, rather than one long conflict that crescendos into a big bang climax near the end. 

For a while, the story line follows Rumon throughout his search for a fulfilling life. He becomes bewitched into having an illicit affair with the Queen, searches for Merewyn after she gets taken captive by Vikings, and later becomes a monk. Then for a while, the story focuses on Merewyn's life. She winds up married to a Viking, who takes her to Iceland, then Greenland. After her husband dies, she sails back to England with her grown son and mentally disabled daughter, marries a wealthy thane, and for a while becomes a lady-in-waiting again. 

Some things I liked about Avalon were the vivid characterizations drawn by Seton. She described a character's looks as well as their personality so well, it was like seeing a movie. She made me care about Merewyn and Rumon because she described their desires, their gifts, and their flaws. I wanted to see how these two characters would end up. I also liked how vividly Seton described the court at a time in history that is rarely written about in such a close up way. 

What I didn't like was the title and how it related to the story. Rumon was looking for Avalon and Merewyn thought she was descended from King Arthur. The title made me think there was a complete story coming about King Arthur and the holy grail. Instead, it was a theme strung loosely through the life of Merewyn and very very lightly with Rumon's life. 

I recommend this story for those who enjoy a well written, fact based historical. It taught me about the time period and those who lived within it.