Help me find this book, I beg you!

[GiddyRobin]

I've been searching for this book for years. I'm in publishing and I still can't bloody find it; spent years in English Departments in universities - still nothing!

I read it when I was about 14. It was about a woman named possibly Angharad who was on a journey through some very dark, winding woods with a man (a Knight?), and I think he was protecting her but they bickered a lot...I think. They ended up falling in love from what I remember. It was a fantasy type, medieval I think. It most definitely was not YA, so adult fiction and not for kids.

Cover was a John William Waterhouse style painting of a woman with (I think) red or dark blonde hair, and possibly a Knight, surrounded by gnarly trees. I'm thinking it may have been written in the 90s, but honestly can't tell you. Not sure if the author was male or female.

Am I imagining this book?! 😂 I loved it as a kid but the library refurbished. I went back and...poof! Gone! Any help and I will drink a glass of prosecco in your name. 😁 I'd love to find it before Christmas and have a nostalgic read during the week!

You're just going to have to read it 😄

This is not it- but for everyone who loved the book the Magicians, Lev Grossman has an Arthurian legend book that is irreverent and very funny! Happy Christmas

The Bright Sword

charlesdelint.com/intothegreen-desc01.htm

The cover of 'Into The Green' by Charles de Lint is a painting of a girl with red hair standing by a gnarly tree. I haven't read it myself, but the link (above) has a detailed description of the plot. The main character's name is Angharad and the book was written in the nineties, so it might be the one!

Could it be this one?
It’s been published with several different covers over the years. You have done me a favour, I had forgotten this book but your post reminded me of it.
I’m going to re read it after 30 years!
Hopefully I will still enjoy it as much as the first time!

Apologies the link didn’t work.
“Here Be Dragons”
Sharon Kay Penman

Think i read age 20 ..- (so 31 yrs ago. !) I remember I just had t do cover -cover -clled in sick for rotten job too!!
i adore necroscope series too-(lumley)

The Stand is worth buying a kindle / e reader for as it had to be cut for print publication so the e version is the original.

I quite like Stephen King but I don't like everything, some are great but the odd one will have me yawning so if you don't like one try another.

I really enjoyed Dr Sleep, it is technically a sequel to The Shining but can be read alone.

I definitely agree that some are better than others. If you have a kindle OP get a free sample and see what you think. Some of his books are over 1k pages long. Misery! Another great one. There are loads of websites that rate his books so have a look.

I love this thread! Thanks for starting it OP, and I hope you find the book you started it for.

Good morning all! Super busy morning so I can't quite reply individually until later, but I've inspected the new links...and the mystery still continues! I do think we might be getting closer on the art - the painting by Burne-Jones reminded me that while the pose is actually closer than the Waterhouse, she was in white of all things. I'm losing my marbles. 😂

I am, however, driving to Liverpool today, so I'm going to go into their gallery for lunch and have a look to see if there's anything alike. Yes, this book is now The Woman, and I am Holmes. 🤣 I'll update after my library trip!

I'm starting to think Into The Green is a high likelihood, but we'll see! I'm so glad I posted - even if I can't find it, these books all look amazing and I love the fact it's reminding others of old favourites of theirs! That's just as good, in my opinion!

Anyway - off to go and play Holmes amidst the last of the present shopping!

I do hope you find the book that you’re looking for. Could it possibly be Legend of the Emerald Rose by Linda Wichman?

Go to the Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight and see the real Burne-Jones 😊

Oooh, I don't think so but this looks gorgeous! I love an Arthurian twist! I'm on an absolute book rampage at the moment. @sashh above mentioned a Kindle - I've actually got one somewhere and I'm tempted to actually give it a go, even just to sample a few of these before buying. I showed DH my new list earlier and he fell about laughing. 😂

@SwedishEdith Oh do they have it?! I might have to see if we can fit in a trip! I love the Lady Lever. I've just had a lovely chat with a chap in the Walker Art Gallery - he showed me some absolutely beautiful paintings that were very reminiscent. I'd forgotten how much I love it there.

Now settling into the Central Library - for anyone who hasn't been, oh, you must if you're ever in the North West! I do miss its old wooden polish in every room as it was when I was young, but they have lots of it in particular rooms, and spiral staircases, and it is HUGE! Such a lovely place! Fingers crossed they've got what I need!

Well, I have a suggestion but the jacket doesn't match. Could it be The Diamond Throne or one of the sequels - The Ruby Knight or The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings? The main character is a princess called Ehlana with long blonde hair, she is protected by a much older grumpy champion knight called Sparhawk. She hates needing protection and they bicker a lot. Obvs they eventually end up together. The books are marketed as adult rather than YA, and I read them when I was a similar age to you in the nineties. Absolutely loved them. But the jacket of the first one has a pic of her on a throne, no gnarly woods. The second one has a more 'woodsy' jacket.

It's reminding me of Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind, and I was utterly convinced the main character was Angharad but having looked it up it it Kahlan.

Phew! Well that was a day. And have I found The Book? Of course not. 😂 Sadly the top two on my list of Into the Green and The King's Damosel weren't there, so I couldn't read anything. I'm going to dig out my Kindle tonight and see what I can find.

I suppose it does mean I've been able to rule out others, though. But! I've ordered a good few recommendations from here online, and today I picked up the first in the Dark Tower series from Waterstones. 😁

Alas, the search goes on!

@SuseB It isn't the same one unfortunately, but I read those books too and absolutely loved them! I've still got copies somewhere in my library so I should dig them out for nostalgia. I'm going to Norway for Christmas (DH is Norwegian), so I like stocking up on reads beforehand! I got these for Christmas initially so it'll actually be really nice!

@OpposableThumbs2 Unfortunately not the same, but I really like the look of them! I'm in a fantasy drive at the moment so it still works as an excellent recommendation, thank you!

I wouldn't go as far as recommending Terry Goodkind. I seem to remember enjoying the first one but 7 books later and they are still traipsing round a forest and I had had enough!

Recently read A Legacy of the Light by Amy Reading which I really enjoyed.

Ohhh, a bit of a Game of Thrones sort? I slogged my way through and I'm still annoyed with him!

Scottish folklore! Now that's up my street - I love anything linked to it, so I'll be giving that a go. My latest was The Sisters of Winter Wood by Rena Rossner, and I really enjoyed that. I will say the style takes getting used to. One chapter is prose and the next is almost a poem. I found it strange at first but after a few I got into it really easily!

I'm so invested in this thread now op, please come back and tell us if you find The Book!

So many fabulous suggestions for books I'm adding to me TBR list

It's not one of the Avalon series by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is it? I swear my mum had one of them with a cover in something vaguely this style, but it's not a version I can see when I Google the covers.

I unfortunately still haven't! I'm not giving up though, it's going to drive me insane. 😂 I'm back in the UK in a few days so will be returning to combing the libraries obsessively! I do feel like it could be Into the Green...bloody hope so!

These recommendations have all been brilliant though, I've read so much this festive period. Will definitely be asking MN next time I need recs! So many bookworms! 😁

@newrubylane Unfortunately not, but that is brilliant too! Would highly recommend. I don't get why I can remember all others in detail...aside from The Book! 😂 Brains are so bizarre!

I hope you've all had a fabulous Christmas, by the way, and are gearing up for a lovely New Year! 🥂

The white raven by Diana L Paxton? It’s a Tristan and Iseult retelling that I loved when I was young and impressionable…

Oooh, this one is a strong possibility! I'll certainly be adding this to the list because it seems to hit a lot of the points I've got in mind. Thank you! Oh I bloody hope it is. That'd be a post-Christmas miracle. 😁

It’s not an Ursula K Le Guin book is it?

Sadly not, I've gone through her whole collection because I thought it seemed likely...but it was a little less obviously fantasy, if that makes sense? I do recall magic, but it felt a tad more toned down than Le Guin.

Your description of the cover rings a bell for me, but I’ve somehow got a hybrid stylized version of The Lady of Shallot in my head, no doubt a different book cover!