Joseph Bédier (1864–1938)

I didn't mind the theme or even the writing style - but I didn't like a single character. And, to me, if I don't like anyone in the story - I typically just don't like or don't care about their story. Very true here. I just couldn't care if Tristan and Iseult got to stay together or, if they would be hung/burned/banished to the lepers, etc. It lacked the great dialogue, character development and even lovely foreshadowing that Shakespeare has. I'd rather read 700 pages of more dialogue and interaction than suffer through this fable again....… (more)

This is one of those stories that as described as a classic romance. And, I get it. Unrequited love, two people who got sucked into a relationship, etc etc.

This is a story that is important. You find versions of in cultures across Europe. This is a story that has inspired whole genres.

I suspect this is a story that dreamy eyed youth absolutely love- but as an older person, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. On top of it all, they are in love due to a potion mistakenly drank.

Its a story I am glad to have read, but its not one I enjoyed.… (more)

This immortal tale from the Age of Chivalry concerns the doomed love between a knight and a princess — one of the great romances of medieval literature, along with that of Lancelot and Guinevere. The heroic Tristan, nephew and champion of King Mark of Cornwall, journeys to Ireland to bring home his uncle's betrothed, the fair Iseult. Their shipboard voyage takes a tumultuous turn with a misunderstanding and a magic potion, and the lovers quickly find that there's no turning back.
An enduring theme in Western art, literature, and music, Tristan and Iseult's tragic tale was most famously interpreted by Richard Wagner in his popular opera.… (more)