Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Overlook TP
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 480
Printing Date: March 07, 2006
Publishing house: Overlook TP
Sale Popularity Level: 302295
Studio: Overlook TP
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Vividly atmospheric and evocative of the rituals and magic of Celtic culture, The White Mare enchants readers with the gripping saga of a defiant struggle for freedom, cast as a journey of the spirit and heart, undertaken at unfathomable risk, and for the highest stakes.
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Rated by buyers 
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The White Mare is mostly a disappointment, featuring a predictable story, bland characters, and a "will they or won't they" romantic plot that is more suitable for a Sex in the City episode than a historical novel.
Set in 80 AD Alba (Scotland), the novel is about Eremon, an Irish prince who becomes a Scottish warleader against Roman conquerors led by Agricola. Eremon is likable and capable but also boring. We expect him to do the right thing and do it well. He is joined by Rhiann, a Scottish princess and priestess who is unsurprisingly beautiful, opinionated, and stubborn. She also experienced the usual trauma for historical heroines. All the women in these novels go through the same thing, and I wish they didn't. There must be other ways to characterize women than subjecting them to such grisliness. Eremon and Rhiann's soap opera of a relationship propels the novel to no satisfaction. We know what is going to happen, so why does the author take 400 pages to make it happen?
If the romantic melodrama were not bad enough, the author also glosses over the potentially thrilling parts. Twice, Eremon is in tight spots thanks to the Romans, and the author breezes through the scenes. We usually learn the most about characters when they are in jeopardy. I think that the author should have spent more time with these scenes. Also, the villains are instantly recognizable and despicable, at least to us; it takes the characters longer to judge them. In my opinion, readers should never know more than the characters. If we already know what is coming, why should we keep reading?
To be fair, the novel has a few strong points. The author describes the druidic and primal mysteries with flair and sensuality. Since the heroes are so pleasant and attractive, it is easy to root for them to succeed.
The White Mare might appeal to people who like historical romances, but they should be warned that the storyline is predictable and unoriginal. Some people do not mind a novel where they can guess the ending by the tenth page; this novel is for them, not for me. I won't read the subsequent installments of the series.
Rated by buyers -
I couldn't get past the 100 page mark. The storyline was interesting, but Watson's writing style got to me. Her writing is very simple and doesn't keep you interested. You can tell she doesn't have any previous writing experience. Just because she's been reading books for 15 years doesn't mean she's gained enough experience to start writing her own book.
Rated by buyers 
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I picked this book up at the library and started reading . . . it seemed like it could be a good story, but it's full of sexual scenes that I personally don't want to read and try hard to avoid. Definitely not a teen book and if this what the other books are like, then I'd say, don't read them.
Rated by buyers 
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I had been looking for a book like this for years, not quite knowing how to dig into the historical fantasy genre deep enough to find this exact period and setting. I had been satisfied by writers such as Diana Gabaldon, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Morgan Llewellyn, and I gladly put Jules Watson right up there with that trio of incredible authors. She vividly describes the life, the people, the countryside and you feel like you are with her every step of the way. I think that the romantic resistance created by the characters and their positions in the world works very well, and the tension we are left with is more than enough to tie us to these characters with love and longing for their future.
Rated by buyers -
This book and it's sequal "The Dawn Stag" are engrossing stories of early Scotland. The character development is excellent - the reader feels exactly what the characters are thinking and feeling. The main characters come close to dieing a few too many times, but it makes for a good read. It says these are a trilogy, but I can't imagine how there would be a third book since the author wraps up the story at the end of the second book in a way that would leave little room for a third story, atleast not about these main characters. Personally, I couldn't put these books down and their memories still linger many days later. There is enough "magic" mixed with history mixed with interesting characters that it is never off balance.
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