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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
medium-paced
I must be becoming jaded as the stories were almost resolved too easily. But then, that's what fairy tales are for.
Her writing always seems to take me by surprise every time. I have read so many of her books now, but I am always reminded of how much I love how she writes.
These short stories are wonderfully told. The amount of feeling and information she is able to get in one short story is amazing to me. I cried reading 2 of the 4 stories and didn't want to put the book down.
These short stories are wonderfully told. The amount of feeling and information she is able to get in one short story is amazing to me. I cried reading 2 of the 4 stories and didn't want to put the book down.
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
It’s always good to get back to fairy tales.
This is a book of short(ish) stories, some adapted from Fairy tales, like the 12 dancing princesses, some original. But I love them all! Classic Robin McKinley, with beautiful prose and a magical world.
Not actually finished, writing style was too odd. May try again later
This was an interesting book. Two retellings and two original stories. The Twelve Dancing Princesses was dark, much darker than the Barbie movie. (What can I say . . . it was a sleepover.)
The age gaps were seriously disturbing. A 30 year old married an 18 year old. That's the equivalent of me marrying a 25 year old. Ugh. Spare me the explanations of "that's how they did it in those days." I know. (Even though that's fantasy, and it never actually happened.) It's still disturbing.
The Stolen Princess story I didn't actually get into. (Perhaps it was late at night and I had a demanding party earlier . . .) The explanation of the border was extremely confusing.
So, 2 stars for the original stories and three for the retellings.
The age gaps were seriously disturbing. A 30 year old married an 18 year old. That's the equivalent of me marrying a 25 year old. Ugh. Spare me the explanations of "that's how they did it in those days." I know. (Even though that's fantasy, and it never actually happened.) It's still disturbing.
The Stolen Princess story I didn't actually get into. (Perhaps it was late at night and I had a demanding party earlier . . .) The explanation of the border was extremely confusing.
So, 2 stars for the original stories and three for the retellings.
Not her best work. The 12 dancing princesses story was my favorite. Although it seemed a little too short.
This book contains four lovely "short" stories (more like novellas) from Robin McKinley: "The Stolen Princess" about the land next to Faerieland and the disappearance of two princesses; "The Frog Prince" in one of the best renderings of that story I've ever read; "The Golden Hind," a lovely and evocative simple piece; and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," one of my absolute favorite fairy tales, re-told beautifully. These are wonderful, comforting, stories but nothing dazzling. They're solid McKinley, not any of her more astonishing work, but well worth a read anyway.