From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The standout opening volume of Woolley's Guinevere trilogy, first published in 1987, describes the Celtic princess's childhood in loving, sensuous detail with an uncannily accurate historical eye for day-to-day details. As Guinevere comes of age to marry Arthur, the recently crowned high king of Britain, Woolley does a marvelous job of portraying the political upheaval of the time. Despite the struggle between Celtic and Roman culture, Guinevere finds herself working with Arthur to unify a divided country and repel the onslaughts of Saxon invaders and rebellious kings. The sharply delineated cast will be familiar to any fan of Arthuriana, though many characters get new twists. While hardly the first book to retell these myths from a woman's perspective, this is an engrossing and satisfying addition to the canon. (Nov.) (c)
Copyright ยฉ Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
The writing was sophisticated, the characters stem from legendary stories and there was enough action and romance to keep readers engaged. (_Palmer's Picks for Reading_ 20101108)
Guinevere is bold and strong, a true heroine in every sense of the word. Guinevere truly gets a rework here. Rather than being the wishy-washy fair-headed maiden of the romantic legend, she is a formidable Queen. (_Queen of Happy Endings_ 20101118)
An enthralling read with fascinating three-dimensional portrayals of Arthurian legendary characters set in a historical accurate Britain. (_Laura's Reviews_ 20101118)
This is quality storytelling that has stood the test of time, and I look forward to seeing the other two volumes in this trilogy back in print. (_Historical Novels Reviews_ 20101123)
Fans of the Arthurian legends will appreciate and love this re-telling. (_Debbie's Book Bag_ 20101129)
It is evident from the beginning that Woolley took her time researching the history of the time period as she goes into extraordinarily vivid description. Her characters come to life. (_Rundpinne_ 20101201)
The world of Arthur and Guinevere was masterfully created. (_The Maiden's Court_ 20101201)
eeing developments through the eyes of Guinevere... gave the story an entirely different feel, rhythm, and emphasis. (_Apprentice-Writer_ 20101206)
Persia Woolley delivers in Child of the Northern Spring... it has garnered itself a spot in my permanent collection. (_Read All Over Reviews_ )
Every little detail was so spot on and it was very impressive. You feel as if you are a part of it. (_Books Like Breathing_ )
Woolley brings light to the to this time period and she paints vivid images of what life was like at the time of the 'Celtic Renaissance' when the many Celtic tribes revolted against marauding Anglo-Saxons. (_Books by the Willow Tree_ )