Author : Nancy McKenzie
Citation
: McKenzie, Nancy. Guinevere's gift. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.
Thirteen years have passed after a prophecy foretelling that
Guinevere would one day be highest lady in the land and married to a great
king. The fact now, Guinevere is an orphan living with her aunt and uncle, the
king and queen of Gwynedd. Nobody takes the prophecy seriously, not even Gwen
who is tomboy, awkward and no great beauty. Then, one day she meets a young man
in the forest who claims to be part of ancient tribe whose mission is to guard
and be her protector. She, then, stumbles across a sinister plot and fearlessly
helps rescue her cousin from kidnappers who are plotting to overthrow the king.
Gwen's true gift is to inspire love and admiration in people. Therefore, the
author has succeeded in detailing everyday royal life with all of its
conflicts. With subtle details of Arthurian legends are woven into the story,
the author seems to allow each character to rise to surprising heroism. Her
female characters are strong such as Gwen and Queen Alyse who are strong and
fearful and take responsibilities while the mean are not around. This appealing
factor makes this a good "girl power" story.
