{"product_id":"2940013347007","title":"Uther and Igraine","description":"Scanned, proofed and corrected from the original magazine edition for enjoyable reading. (Worth every penny spent!)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarked talent is revealed by Warwick Deeping's distinct surprise, \"Uther and Igraine,\" which happens to be his first novel. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book may be conveniently classified as falling midway between \"The Forest Lovers\" and \"Richard Yea-and-Nay.\" It has much of the idyllic charm, but blends with it a good deal of the virile strength and the impetuosity. The basis of the story is the legend of Uther Pendragon, the fabled father of King Arthur, who, according to the Arthurian cycles, loved one Igraine, wife of Gorlois, and won her by fraud, through the wiles of Merlin, afterwards making her his wife when Gorlois had been slain. The story may take some bold liberties with the old tale; but this will hardly matter, since to those who once fall under the spell of Uther and Igraine, Deeping's version will henceforth be the only true version, his Uther and his Igraine the only ones who are real.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe story opens upon a scene of carnage and destruction. Hordes of barbarian invaders are burning and pillaging Saxon villages; a convent has been rifled, and the frightened nuns are escaping to the woods, fleeing from death and worse, like a covey of startled quail. Igraine, a novice, alone keeps her head, and sacrifices herself to cover their flight. But she is seized by the invaders, stripped, bound to a tree, and left to her fate. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is in the woods, at night that Uther of the Dragon comes upon her, looses her bonds, leaves her to resume her nun's grey gown, and then undertakes to see her safely bestowed with her kinsmen at Winchester. Misled by the grey \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003egown, he thinks her, not the novice that she is, but a holy nun, placed by her vows forever beyond his reach. And she, not knowing what manner of man he is, welcomes the protection that his mistake affords, and does not enlighten \u003cbr\u003ehim. \"The Way to Winchester\" is the sub-title of the earlier half of the story; one wishes it might have been chosen as the name of the book. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor it is on the way to Winchester that the great events of the story have their origin, in the love that is kindled in the hearts of the novice and the knight. And because she knows that she loves him, Igraine decides, as they lie \u003cbr\u003efor the last night of their journey, almost within sight of Winchester, that on the morrow she will tell him the truth, that she is no nun. And because he loves her, and is jealous of his knightly honour, he decides as he guards \u003cbr\u003eher sleep throughout that last night, that he must see her no more. And so before dawn of the day when she would have told him the truth he steals softly away and passes out of her life. The idyllic charm of the story is undeniable. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is at times a certain mannerism, a root of affectation approaching preciosity. Yet in the later part of the story, which is full of the din of battle with an impetuous on-rush of action.","brand":"OGB","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47068749103344,"sku":"2940013347007","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013347007_p0.jpg?v=1763579960","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013347007","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}