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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Much more fun than I expected, and different, too. I know so much Robin Hood stuff, but it's all mostly modernized stuff: he's a fallen noble, or he's back from the crusades, and he's a hero among the average man!
But here, in these old folktales, Robin is barely a hero among the average man. He does some charity, he has his quirks, but mostly he's just a Peter Pan man in the Lost Sherwoods, having fun and doing whatever makes him happy. And usually, this mean picking on strangers for no reason!
This is mostly a collection of short stories that, if I were to make an analogue to a more modern media, would play like a Saturday Morning Cartoon where each episode wraps up in 25 minutes, there are no real morals or profound ideas to be heard of, and the same thing will happen next week but slightly different. The majority of the first half of the book plays out like this:
- Robin (or Little John) is a mischevious jerk to a stranger
- The stranger almost beats Robin (or Little John) down to size
- That person gets recruited into the Merry men
It's all very playful, relaxed, and lighthearted storytelling. Even the "gives to the poor" is seen less as some driving morality to admire and more of just a quirk of this particular bandit. Some bandits kill, some steal, some are loners, some live in the woods with a bunch of dudes. Robin Hood is pure Chaotic Neutral. Sometimes he'll take you for all you're worth and sometimes he'll give you a hand. I really love the idea that his main modus aperandi is dragging a rich person into the woods by force, having a dope feast with food and games and ale and just plain showing the person the best time of their life, before charging them all their money on the way out.
Glad to get this new (or rather, old) angle on Robin Hood. Reading these stories gave me a ton of appreciation for the lore that I didn't know I wanted.
But here, in these old folktales, Robin is barely a hero among the average man. He does some charity, he has his quirks, but mostly he's just a Peter Pan man in the Lost Sherwoods, having fun and doing whatever makes him happy. And usually, this mean picking on strangers for no reason!
This is mostly a collection of short stories that, if I were to make an analogue to a more modern media, would play like a Saturday Morning Cartoon where each episode wraps up in 25 minutes, there are no real morals or profound ideas to be heard of, and the same thing will happen next week but slightly different. The majority of the first half of the book plays out like this:
- Robin (or Little John) is a mischevious jerk to a stranger
- The stranger almost beats Robin (or Little John) down to size
- That person gets recruited into the Merry men
It's all very playful, relaxed, and lighthearted storytelling. Even the "gives to the poor" is seen less as some driving morality to admire and more of just a quirk of this particular bandit. Some bandits kill, some steal, some are loners, some live in the woods with a bunch of dudes. Robin Hood is pure Chaotic Neutral. Sometimes he'll take you for all you're worth and sometimes he'll give you a hand. I really love the idea that his main modus aperandi is dragging a rich person into the woods by force, having a dope feast with food and games and ale and just plain showing the person the best time of their life, before charging them all their money on the way out.
Glad to get this new (or rather, old) angle on Robin Hood. Reading these stories gave me a ton of appreciation for the lore that I didn't know I wanted.
“After this no man spake more, but each munched away at his bread and cheese lustily, with ever and anon a pull at the beer”
Now that is what I’m talking about!!!
Robin Hood and co do truly have many merry adventures. Most of the tales within don’t really progress the plot or have high stakes, but instead follow our heroes through humorous adventures and misadventures. Here we see Robin Hood as a sly prankster, as willing to laugh at himself as any other.
However, when the stakes do get raised, the author does a fine job at building an exciting adventure story. The ending is especially brilliant.
This book is aimed at youngsters and it’s easy to see why. Despite his outlaw status Robin Hood is a very positive role model. The prose is rich and poetic and will serve excellently as an introduction to reading classics written in the 19th century. I don’t think the humor will land as well for adults but this is still worth reading for the language, imagery, and beautiful ending. Also, if you’ve ever wondered who actually are Robin Hood and his merry men, this is a great introduction.
Now that is what I’m talking about!!!
Robin Hood and co do truly have many merry adventures. Most of the tales within don’t really progress the plot or have high stakes, but instead follow our heroes through humorous adventures and misadventures. Here we see Robin Hood as a sly prankster, as willing to laugh at himself as any other.
However, when the stakes do get raised, the author does a fine job at building an exciting adventure story. The ending is especially brilliant.
This book is aimed at youngsters and it’s easy to see why. Despite his outlaw status Robin Hood is a very positive role model. The prose is rich and poetic and will serve excellently as an introduction to reading classics written in the 19th century. I don’t think the humor will land as well for adults but this is still worth reading for the language, imagery, and beautiful ending. Also, if you’ve ever wondered who actually are Robin Hood and his merry men, this is a great introduction.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Would have been much higher if it weren't for the antisemitism
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Antisemitism
Minor: Body shaming, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail
This is, most definitely, a merry set of adventures. Don't look too closely - these are Victorian tales for sure, and somehow living as a bandit in a forest is extremely comfortable and also weirdly non-violent. At the same time, they're also a delight for anyone who enjoys the classic Robin Hood stories of their youth, and perfectly fine to read to a child as well. I enjoyed them immensely.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked this book a lot and it was extremely fun, but my it felt like it was 500 pages. At least the episodic nature of the chapters means it was easy to put down and return to as I wished. Semi slow going but as good of fun as one could hope for.
Livro puro e duro sobre as diferentes aventuras do Robin dos Bosques que faz trabalhar na nossa imaginação uma mistura de descrição do livro e dos filmes onde este Robin se chavama Errol Flynn. Sem grandes pretensões, é um livro que dispõe bem, fácil de ler, embora se torne um pouco repetitivo em termos das "aventuras" própriamente ditas. Mas paraquem não sabe como "nasceu" e "morreu" o Robin dos Bosques, é um livro a ler.
I read this with Josh. I love the Great Illustrated Classics because there's a picture on every page. However, I apparently did not know the real story of Robin Hood, it ends totally different from every movie I've ever seen....