The Candle in the Wind - TH White

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⭐8.5/10

This is the fourth book of TH White's Arthurian retelling, and technically the last that was published during his life. It is also my favorite. 

This it the book where everything starts coming to a head. The Lancelot and Guinevere affair is exposed, friends turn on one another, people start dying, Mordred starts making moves. It's my favorite part of the legend in general, all the main characters finally interacting and in conflict. 

It ends on a pretty somber note, as does the legend in general, but I thought this was actually pretty effective here. The build up was great (altogether, this story is huge, so it better be) and you get the pains of these kings and knights having to carry out their duties. Arthur is a tragedy, and this was definitely a bit of a gut punch. 

This book also features some pretty wonderful writing. While other books have been witty and clever, this one was far more serious and mellow. I thought White finally had a chance to show off his chops and there were some great passages. I know I mention this in every review, but I thought the performance for the audiobook was also fantastic, especially when it came to Mordred and his descent into madness. 

This book has been a bit of an odd journey because I'm still not totally sure if I've loved the series. White is definitely an odd writer, or at least by today's standards, and I don't always understand his decisions. He'll often skip right over significant stories, and oftentimes he'll tell about conflict through two people just talking about it in a room, rather than putting us in the action. Sometimes it was effective, but sometimes I really wish he did things differently. Still, I respect that he wanted to approach this classic story in a new way. 

I still have a bit to go, basically an appendix, but it's hard for me to know if this book was worth the time investment. I'm glad I read it, though I certainly find it a bit tough to recommend. If you're into Arthur, then sure. If you want amusing kids books, then part 1 is pretty solid. If you want an evocative, compelling story of violence and betrayal, and than this one was fantastic, though it maybe takes too long to get here. I'm not sure what I wanted from this series, but I can't help but feel I wanted a bit more. 

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