is the book similar to that? Decisively not for everyone, it is rambling, preachy, occasionally tedious, and always outrageously British. In my original version of the book, it is on page 111 and begins, "The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. Hors categorie. Learning is the only thing for you. Because Merlyn is living in reverse to everyone else - born in the future and going back to the past - there are numerous mentions of events, inventions and people that don't seem to fit in with the era in The Sword in the Stone. Summary Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. There are some rougher edges that I forgot about (some sudden and ROUGH racism), but overall for a book this old, it's remarkable how fresh everything still reads. “How many of them are there, do you know?”, “Two,” said Sir Ector, “counting them both, that is.”, “Couldn’t send them to Eton, I suppose?” inquired Sir Grummore cautiously. Buy this, and treasure it until Arthur himself returns. Ace Books; Reprint edition (June 1, 1987), Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2019. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Listened to the audiobook this time, which is not as neat nor as concise as the written form, but which tears my heart out all the same. You will cry as the aging lovers sing together, laugh at the foolishness of old court linguistics and above all you will see yourself in these characters. It seemed terribly moving, for reasons lost to vanished time and fuddled memory. The humor here, despite its veneer of midcentury upper crusty English charm, is more like an '80s sitcom. Please try again. The worst is when you start a fresh quest.”, “We kill all our giants cubbin’,” said Sir Ector. “I vote we take Cully and see if we can get some rabbits in the chase,” cried the Wart. Each book has a beginning and an end, they are different chapte. Well, maybe not EVERYTHING (Jackie Chan, for instance, is not featured), but more of it than rightly belongs in a single book. It was not really Eton that he mentioned, for the College of Blessed Mary was not founded until 1440, but it was a place of the same sort. Since the other boy always did bring it up when a question of precedence arose, he had got into the habit of giving in at once before it could be mentioned. When I was their age I was doin’ all this Latin and stuff at five o’clock every mornin’. How can you leave this out? Honestly, truly, one of the best books I have ever read - and I read rather a lot. If you are familiar with the King Arthur legends, I think you could start with book 3. Sir Ector’s castle stood in an enormous clearing in a still more enormous forest. I admire T.H. If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. “Amo, amas, you know, and runnin’ about like hooligans: what would you advise?”, “Ah,” said Sir Grummore, laying his finger by his nose and winking at the bottle, “that takes a deal of thinkin’ about, if you don’t mind my sayin’ so.”, “Don’t mind at all,” said Sir Ector. This volume is actually a composite of four books that were initially published separately between 1938 and 1958. Which it is! I was thinking of reading the Ill Made Knight (book3), do you think i could read it on its own or do i need to read the previous books first? This work breathes life into the often stuffy and dated Morte D'arthur like no other. Wonderful except.. “Only they never seem to kill nowadays. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour t, I carried a quote from this book around in my purse for decades. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. All the stars! I enjoyed reading this book although I must admit to being confused on more than one occasion to begin with. “Have some more of this drink, whatever it calls itself.”. It was July, and every able-bodied man and woman on the estate worked during that month in the field, under Sir Ector’s direction. The Wart was called the Wart because it more or less rhymed with Art, which was short for his real name. The Once and Future King is at the same time a very classical and completely unique retelling of the Arthurian legend, but it unfortunately falls short of almost all the others. Kay was not bladed, although he often went wrong. The old dame who had been their nurse fetched dry jerkins out of a press, and scolded them for catching their deaths, and denounced Sir Ector for keeping on so long. Oh and did I mention that King Arthur’s nickname is ‘the Wart’? (Prices may vary for AK and HI.). Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2019. These complement the book of Merlin. The second book tells the story of Arthur's nephews, who are destined to cause problems in the future. Learning is the only thing for you. Where I got the book: on bookshelf. Kay was not called anything but Kay, as he was too dignified to have a nickname and would have flown into a passion if anybody had tried to give him one. It's 667 pages long, to begin with. Where is Madam Mim?!? If you did the wrong thing at the mort or the undoing, for instance, you were bent over the body of the dead beast and smacked with the flat side of a sword. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Subhashini, they are similar in that they have the same cast of characters and a lot of the same events and plot. Much of it consists of a cranky Englishman going on and on about whatever happens to pop into his head, whether it be the intricacies of jousting or lamentations on the current state of film industry (yeah, what?). “A tutor, you know, a fellow who teaches you.”, “Have some more port,” said Sir Ector. “You mean a quest for a tutor,” explained Sir Ector. Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017. The best mowers mowed away in a line where the grass was still uncut, their scythes roaring in the strong sunlight. The latter is rarely included although it should be. However, once you realise what is going on it all makes perfect sense. White’s effort to grapple with huge, unwieldy questions of justice and the inexorable weight of history, and I enjoy his ability to infuse his writing with wit and verve. Have to pass through his country, you understand.”, “Can’t recollect it at the moment, not for the life of me. Also it was different not having a father and mother, and Kay had taught him that being different was wrong. When the wagon was loaded, it was drawn to Sir Ector’s rick and pitched to him. “Long way and all that, we know.”. It’s always the same with these big giants in a big country. Wonderful story. My Goodreads-rating system needs revision. It’s been 600 years. He was a hero-worshipper. The Wart loved hay-making, and was good at it. How to download the The Once and Future King eBook online from US, UK, Canada and rest of the world? “The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. The ant and the goose were originally in the book of Merlin. Rattlin’ good day, in fact. (contains plot spoilers), Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2017. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014. Their love triangle--for they all love one another--is tragic and nuanced. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2020. This is the best book I have ever read. I got to page 377 before I resigned to the fact I wasn't enjoying this book and only read a couple of chapters a day after that. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. They break my heart - AGAIN! The Wart was not a proper son. Run twenty-five miles and then mark to ground or lose him altogether. All it needs is a laugh track. This he had a right to do, not only because he was older than the Wart but also because he was Sir Ector’s proper son. But not really. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. has been added to your Cart. It was horseplay, a sort of joke like being shaved when crossing the line. The governess had red hair and some mysterious wound from which she derived a lot of prestige by showing it to all the women of the castle, behind closed doors. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Sir Grummore Grummursum, who was staying the night because he had been benighted out questin’ after a specially long run, said that when he was their age he was swished every mornin’ because he would go hawkin’ instead of learnin’. My favorite book in the universe. When the compilation was published without the book of Merlin they must have been regarded as too important to lose and were so added to the exclusion of othere stories. White’s masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend is an abiding classic. The depiction of the love triangle between Genevere, Arthur and Lancelot is as achingly perfect as they themselves are not. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. “After that they give you a fine run, but get away.”, “Run out of scent,” said Sir Grummore, “I dare say. Five stars? The first is rather different from the others. You can argue with me, but that, in my opinion, is what The Once and Future King is. Arthur does not want to unravel the society he has built, but to preserve it, he must sacrifice the two people he loves most. In any case the boys would have been excused from being eddicated just then. Half of the right-hand field was fenced off for hay. They're raised by a witch who--and this is almost the only thing I remember from the book--boils a cat alive for purposes of magic. It's a classic for a reason. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. “You need it after all this questin’.”, “Splendid day,” said Sir Grummore. The stories and the characters are so well-crafted that I can read it over-and-over time and again with just as much pleasure as the first time. In the pasture field the cows were on the gad, and could be seen galloping about with their tails in the air, which made Sir Ector angry. That's the only thing that never fails. If you are familiar with the King Arthur legends, I think you could start with book 3. Many will find it insufferably pretentious. An incredibly ambitious, deeply complex work, filled with moments of silliness paired with moments of sorrow, and everything in between, and fueled by an enormously generous and grievously pained heart. Why? The moat was crossed by a fortified stone bridge which ended half-way across it. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less. The boys were sent home to change their clothes. We’d love your help. The women raked the dry hay together in long strips with wooden rakes, and the two boys with pitchforks followed up on either side of the strip, turning the hay inwards so that it lay well for picking up. The kindle edition of this book is missing major parts of the "The Sword and the Stone" in addition to the entire book of Merlyn. They found out afterwards that she had been in a lunatic hospital for three years. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Seriously, how do you review the pinnacle of all fantasy? Happiest time of me life. Eventually she offered to show it to Sir Ector, who was Kay’s father, had hysterics and was sent away. Above all else this work has an amazing ability to make you say "huh, that's exactly how I felt when I fell in love" or "dear god, that is just so like people". But things actually get good in the third book, when Lancelot is introduced. The other half was covered by a wooden drawbridge which was wound up every night. To celebrate... T.H White′s masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend is an abiding classic. There is only one thing for it then - to learn. … Tiresome in parts, but ultimately worth the read, Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2016. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Or get 4-5 business-day shipping on this item for $5.99 My other 5-star-ratings pale in comparison to this big wonder of a book. The dogs moved about with their tongues hanging out, or lay panting in bits of shade, while the farm horses sweated through their coats and flicked their tails and tried to kick the horse-flies off their bellies with their great hind hoofs. The street divided the clearing into two huge fields, that on the left being cultivated in hundreds of long narrow strips, while that on the right ran down to a river and was used as pasture. A beautiful paperback edition of The Once and Future King, White’s masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend. White is best known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, “The bravest people are the ones who don’t mind looking like cowards.”, “The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. For the hay was an element to them, like sea or air, in which they bathed and plunged themselves and which they even breathed in. Be advised that this Kindle edition does NOT include "The Book of Merlyn". It came up easily because it had been loaded systematically—not like modern hay—and Sir Ector scrambled about on top, getting in the way of his assistants, who did the real work, and stamping and perspiring and scratching about with his fork and trying to make the rick grow straight and shouting that it would all fall down as soon as the west winds came. Look what a lot of things there are to learn. Then they slipped their heads into the laundered shirts, and ran out to the refreshed and sparkling court. I mean, it is that. I spent the summer reading this along with my daughter, who had been assigned it for summer homework prior to her freshman year in high school. Clearly bar raising for its time. Besides, he admired Kay and was a born follower. In the afternoons the programme was: Mondays and Fridays, tilting and horsemanship; Tuesdays, hawking; Wednesdays, fencing; Thursdays, archery; Saturdays, the theory of chivalry, with the proper measures to be blown on all occasions, terminology of the chase and hunting etiquette. Every time I find someone who is willing and able to meet me in my joy and my sorrow, and offer me insight as well as companionship. I know I'll be reading this one again and again. The difference is that The Once and. It had a courtyard and a moat with pike in it. Here all five volumes that make up the story are published together in a single volume, as White himself always wished. It starts off as recognisably the story that Disney's Sword in the Stone is based on: a comical coming-of-age tale full of innocence and whimsy that makes you wish you were back in the Middle Ages - filth and all! I laughed and cried. He thought it was leaf ninety-seven. Which it is! Please try again. One man stood on top of the cart to receive the hay and direct operations, while one man walked on either side picking up what the boys had prepared and throwing it to him with a fork. I had also completely missed White's meditation on WWII, and the problems of war and power in general, the first time round. It is a book about being human, and about the misery and joy which attend that particular condition. “Come on, then,” cried the Wart, and they scampered off toward the Mews, turning a few cartwheels on the way. Kay insisted on carrying the goshawk and flying her, when they went hawking together. But it's strangely paced and the work's tone follows this odd arc across its four books that put me off. In the afternoon the storm broke. But ultimately it is worth the read, and it ends well, with the final chapter of book four summing things up well. He passed the port. But that was the end of the hay-making and the beginning of play. My wife and I started going together the next summer after graduating from high school. As soon as you had crossed the drawbridge you were at the top of the village street—it had only one street—and this extended for about half a mile, with thatched houses of wattle and daub on either side of it. I admire T.H. “It was cried by the Humberland Newsman and Cardoile Advertiser.”, “The only other way,” said Sir Grummore, “is to start a quest.”. Must have been a good twenty-five miles as he ran.”, “But about these boys and all this Latin and that,” added the old gentleman. To see what your friends thought of this book, Subhashini, they are similar in that they have the same cast of characters and a lot of the same events and plot. It manages—by some miracle—to be about its own time, and a distant, legendary time, and about today. Please try again. ", [(Well, that didn't pan out, but I'm glad. He is so good at hurt and shame—how did he also manage to be so funny? Eventually. There were times when I wanted some moments to be more vividly brought to life than he seemed willing to do, for. anyone who enjoys adventure, romance, history, or fantasy. I really didn't get what I expected out of this book, which I always thought was a serious retelling of the King Arthur legend. That's the only thing that never fails. Everybody went bright brown, like Red Indians, with startling teeth and flashing eyes. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Each book has a beginning and an end, they are different chapters of King Arthur's life and can be read separately, however, it is well worth reading all. But he hated to be beaten at anything, and used to fight away with the wretched hay—which he loathed like poison—until he was quite sick. Kay had given him the nickname. Note, March 15, 2020: I'm pretty much offline at the moment due to an extended family visit; but I just took a moment to edit this review by correcting two typos. “Very kind of you to say anythin’. The governess was always getting muddled with her astrolabe, and when she got specially muddled she would take it out of the Wart by rapping his knuckles. He did not like people to bring it up. Once upon a time when I was much younger and stupider, I read this book and liked it. White's peculiar solitude, about loving nature more than men, and about loving humans fiercely for their flaws and their sorrows, and for the hollowness of their glory. White. I have laughed at his great Arthurian novel and cried over it and loved it all my life.”—Ursula K. Le Guin. It's been a while since I read a serious chunkster like that (besides Harry Potter, which somehow in my mind doesn't really count...). The boys lay crouched under the wagons, wrapped in hay to keep their wet bodies warm against the now cold wind, and all joked with one another while heaven fell. jera Release Date: August 19, 2018 ISBN: 1230002486963 Language: English Download options: EPUB 3 (DRM-Free) It is one of my absolute favorites. See all 16 questions about The Once and Future King…, "Arthur’s laws are the culmination of his conversations with Merlyn about the use of might and right; to abandon his faith in these laws would be to reject everything for which he stands. I am not sure a seventh grader can grasp the glory of it. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2019. Here all five volumes that make up the story are published in one volume, as White himself always wished. Found a chap called Sir Bruce Saunce Pité choppin’ off a maiden’s head in Weedon Bushes, ran him to Mixbury Plantation in the Bicester, where he doubled back, and lost him in Wicken Wood. Kay was shivering, though not with cold, but he joked like the others because he would not show he was afraid. The dust jacket is missing. Sir Ector said, “Had a good quest today?”, Sir Grummore said, “Oh, not so bad. The writing here is stunning. I read this book about every two years. ", The Once and Future King: The Sword in the Stone, The Once and Future King: The Candle in the Wind, The Once and Future King: The Ill-Made Knight, The 100 Most Popular Fantasy Books on Goodreads.