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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I usually don't like short stories because they feel like they are missing something, I want them to go on longer. But in spite of this, I decided to give The Door in the Hedge a try because I love the other things Robin McKinley has written. I think they were actually pretty good, for short stories. The first two in particular, The Stolen Princess and The Princess and the Frog, were original and interesting. The Stolen Princess reads like a fairy tale (as do all the stories) but doesn't seem to be a retelling of any tale in particular. The setting (the "Last Country before Faerieland") reminds me of the setting in [b:Spindle's End|77368|Spindle's End|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308815054s/77368.jpg|2984336], and the story has a similar dreamy feeling. I liked that the Princess and the Frog provided a back story, gave some context to the traditional tale that is different from the "spoiled princess" story. As for the other two, I don't remember reading The Golden Hind as a fairy tale and so can't compare it, but the Twelve Dancing Princesses was pretty much a fleshed-out version of the original fairy tale, nothing special.
Not quite enough dialogue or action for me. Very descriptive, sometimes overly so. It felt like in many of the stories, the beginning was drawn out too long and then the endings were rushed. But I still love her writing.
I thought it would be a full anthology of short stories, but it was actually three novellas, which was even better. Quick but meaty reads; very enjoyable.
It’s alright. I’ve read better. I know they’re fairytales, but I wish she would have given the women more agency. The originals weren’t bad in that respect, but none of the princesses speak in the 12 dancing princesses and that’s not fair to me.
Nobody does fairytales like McKinley.
(Also it's so fun seeing the origins of 2013's Shadows here in a book published in 1981.)
(Also it's so fun seeing the origins of 2013's Shadows here in a book published in 1981.)
Robin McKinley’s strong suit is not short stories. Her books usually start off slow and take a while to warm up and become interesting, and with short stories, that sort of thing just doesn’t work out as well. While the stories themselves had interesting plots, the way McKinley writes most of them is plodding, to say the least. The first story kept losing my interest, but I know how her writing works, so I continued on, regardless of how bored I was from her initial set-up. With that said, however, the first story is by far the weakest and the stories only get stronger and more interesting as the book moves along, which I really appreciated. Well done on whoever created the chronology for this anthology, because the best stories were put last, so there was only buildup and things to look forward to rather than reading a great story at first and then getting disappointed by the next one.
I’m a huge fan of fairy tales, which is part of the reason why I picked up this book. I very much enjoyed the retelling of the Princess and the Frog. While predictable, it was still an interesting twist on the original tale, and I absolutely LOVED the twelve dancing princesses retelling. It could have been several pages shorter, but it was overall quite well done.
Basically, this is great if you’re a fan of fairy tales and Robin McKinley. It takes a lot to to get through the set ups of most of the stories, but they do have some sort of payoff that I felt was worthwhile. It’s not amazing by any means, nor are these particular retellings must-reads, but they’re great if you’re in need for a fairy tale fix.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
I’m a huge fan of fairy tales, which is part of the reason why I picked up this book. I very much enjoyed the retelling of the Princess and the Frog. While predictable, it was still an interesting twist on the original tale, and I absolutely LOVED the twelve dancing princesses retelling. It could have been several pages shorter, but it was overall quite well done.
Basically, this is great if you’re a fan of fairy tales and Robin McKinley. It takes a lot to to get through the set ups of most of the stories, but they do have some sort of payoff that I felt was worthwhile. It’s not amazing by any means, nor are these particular retellings must-reads, but they’re great if you’re in need for a fairy tale fix.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
4.5 stars
When I picked up this book, I had no idea that it was actually made up of four short stories! I really liked this though.
The Lost Princess was the first story and I found that the author's lyrical language matched the mood of a fairy story wonderfully. The descriptions were enchanting. Perhaps sometimes they were too descriptive; I found myself tuning out, or reading without understanding, though this was only rare. I think that I actually liked the writing of this tale more than the actual plot itself. It was a fairly simplistic and obvious plot – the queen's sister is taken by fairies and then, years later, the queen's daughter finds herself taken also. But it was so sweetly told that I found myself getting lost in it. The characters of the king and queen, Gilvan and Alora, I loved the most.
The next story, named The Princess and the Frog, was a retelling of the tale – you've guessed it – The Princess and the Frog! I absolutely love this tale, so was excited to read this! I think I have a soft spot for talking animals – especially talking frogs! I loved how well-spoken the frog was, how human in speech. I felt as though I could read him considering everything he spoke. This was a very short story, but I loved the dark threat Aliyander presented; that was a great twist to the tale. I think this was my favourite out of the four.
The third story was also a good read, but it was the fourth story I was more excited to read, as I've grown to love retellings of the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale this past year. This story didn't disappoint and I loved the ending!
This book read like an ancient fairytale. I could imagine reading it to someone younger as a bedtime story and I think they would love it. :)
When I picked up this book, I had no idea that it was actually made up of four short stories! I really liked this though.
The Lost Princess was the first story and I found that the author's lyrical language matched the mood of a fairy story wonderfully. The descriptions were enchanting. Perhaps sometimes they were too descriptive; I found myself tuning out, or reading without understanding, though this was only rare. I think that I actually liked the writing of this tale more than the actual plot itself. It was a fairly simplistic and obvious plot – the queen's sister is taken by fairies and then, years later, the queen's daughter finds herself taken also. But it was so sweetly told that I found myself getting lost in it. The characters of the king and queen, Gilvan and Alora, I loved the most.
The next story, named The Princess and the Frog, was a retelling of the tale – you've guessed it – The Princess and the Frog! I absolutely love this tale, so was excited to read this! I think I have a soft spot for talking animals – especially talking frogs! I loved how well-spoken the frog was, how human in speech. I felt as though I could read him considering everything he spoke. This was a very short story, but I loved the dark threat Aliyander presented; that was a great twist to the tale. I think this was my favourite out of the four.
The third story was also a good read, but it was the fourth story I was more excited to read, as I've grown to love retellings of the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale this past year. This story didn't disappoint and I loved the ending!
This book read like an ancient fairytale. I could imagine reading it to someone younger as a bedtime story and I think they would love it. :)
This book includes four short stories:
_The Stolen princess;(2,5 stars)
_The Princess and the Frog (2 stars, the story was just too short!)
_The Hunting of the Hind (3 stars..)
_The Twelve Dancing Princesses (3,5 stars)
Okay i'll admit that a three star rating for Robin Mckinley writing is absurd. She's one of the great ones able to transport me to magical worlds, with her beautiful smooth writing.
I guess these short stories are told in the classical/traditional fairy tale way, and after having read so many fairy tales retellings i can't help comparing this one, with other tales i've read...namely [b:Wildwood Dancing|13929|Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood, #1)|Juliet Marillier|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320541546s/13929.jpg|2024857]. A retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses"/ "Princess and the Frog" fairy tales. Which i guess is unfair...
For those who like "classical" fairy tales (with love at first sight..no character development, and things like that) i think you'll enjoy this quite a lot. For others who have been "spoiled" by a certain modernization that has re-written today retellings of fairy tales, this will probably rank a little lower....despite the beautiful writing.
_The Stolen princess;(2,5 stars)
_The Princess and the Frog (2 stars, the story was just too short!)
_The Hunting of the Hind (3 stars..)
_The Twelve Dancing Princesses (3,5 stars)
Okay i'll admit that a three star rating for Robin Mckinley writing is absurd. She's one of the great ones able to transport me to magical worlds, with her beautiful smooth writing.
I guess these short stories are told in the classical/traditional fairy tale way, and after having read so many fairy tales retellings i can't help comparing this one, with other tales i've read...namely [b:Wildwood Dancing|13929|Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood, #1)|Juliet Marillier|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320541546s/13929.jpg|2024857]. A retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses"/ "Princess and the Frog" fairy tales. Which i guess is unfair...
For those who like "classical" fairy tales (with love at first sight..no character development, and things like that) i think you'll enjoy this quite a lot. For others who have been "spoiled" by a certain modernization that has re-written today retellings of fairy tales, this will probably rank a little lower....despite the beautiful writing.