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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
A quick and good read for a girl who likes adventure, romance, and a smart heroine.
I read it quickly - it was a very easy read. It definitely had its slow moments - Marian tells the story and she's honestly not a great narrator. The author goes into too many internal monologues about issues that I honestly didn't care about. I caught myself skimming quite a bit. There wasn't as much depth to Marian as I had hoped there would be in a book that revolves around her and her character growth felt obviously forced. The plot was also incredibly predictable. I did quite enjoy the dialogues between characters and the parts set in Sherwood forest were fun and enjoyable. I would recommend this book. I liked it fine, it was enjoyable, and it got me through a long wait at the doctor's office.
I began reading this book with reluctance. After all, the story of Robin Hood has been told so many times, and I was mostly expecting this one to be "just another Robin Hood extension."
However, I was pleasantly surprised right from the beginning. Elsa Watson's writing is grounded, realistic, and elegant. I really felt as if I was there in her medieval world. The vivid setting and the fact that I love the middle ages prompted me to read the entire book in one sitting.
The story is about Marian Fitzwater, a beautiful young girl whose young fiancee died when she was a child. Now, her fiancee's mother, the deceptive Lady Pernelle, is vying to convince Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine that she can rightfully take over Marian's lands. As Eleanor prepares to have Marian married off into a loveless arranged marriage, Marian sees no choice other than to flee along with her beloved maid. From there, she ends up joining the band of Robin Hood, a roguish outlaw, and finds herself falling in love.
Something that I loved about this story is that it doesn't try to be a re-telling of Robin Hood. It isn't about Robin, it's about Marian. The author has truly created a new character, Marian isn't defined or characterized by Robin or the legend she is a part of.
All of the characters had their own personality. Marian's character was well written, and I loved her loyal maid. Robin's character wasn't exactly original (it's exactly what anyone would expect from the well-known outlaw) but he wasn't awful, and I liked him. It was also interesting that the author portrayed Eleanor of Aquitaine in a less than favorable light.
The only thing that I didn't like about the story was a section in the plot that I didn't think made much sense. Robin is about to go and fight a vicious battle that he may not live through. Marian begs him to stay, because she wouldn't be able to bear it if he were to be killed. Of course, Robin goes anyways, and Marian is so outraged, she decides to leave without warning. She wanders aimlessly through the country, disguised as a peasant, and ends up living with a kindly poor woman and her family. I thought that this was all rather dramatic. And yes, the woman that Marian met was very likable and a well written minor character, but there is no point to her or Marian's departure and journey. All of that has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Wouldn't it have been more exciting to have Marian sneak off to join the fight? Or have the men return, but without Robin, so she has to go find him? Save him, maybe?
But no. Instead the author decides to send her on a pointless journey across the country.
And then, one day, Robin himself shows up! Tada! He's alive! He and Marian joyfully ride back to Sherwood Forest.
I have to say, this seemed highly unlikely to me, even a bit suspect. I kept hoping that there was some secret plot detail that the author hadn't revealed yet - How exactly did Robin find Marian? Did someone in the village tell him? What about the family she was staying with?
But no. All pointless.
However, thankfully Elsa Watson is brilliant at spinning characters off of her descriptions of rolling hills and lush countryside. Through out the book, the prose and details are wonderful. I will certainly be looking for more of her work, for this very reason. Whether pointless or relevant, all the characters were believable, especially the female ones. And her writing is graceful but without becoming unrealistic or overly dramatic.
This is a great book that I recommend. Most likely, you won't even notice the plot detour. Watson's writing is just too pretty to mind.
However, I was pleasantly surprised right from the beginning. Elsa Watson's writing is grounded, realistic, and elegant. I really felt as if I was there in her medieval world. The vivid setting and the fact that I love the middle ages prompted me to read the entire book in one sitting.
The story is about Marian Fitzwater, a beautiful young girl whose young fiancee died when she was a child. Now, her fiancee's mother, the deceptive Lady Pernelle, is vying to convince Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine that she can rightfully take over Marian's lands. As Eleanor prepares to have Marian married off into a loveless arranged marriage, Marian sees no choice other than to flee along with her beloved maid. From there, she ends up joining the band of Robin Hood, a roguish outlaw, and finds herself falling in love.
Something that I loved about this story is that it doesn't try to be a re-telling of Robin Hood. It isn't about Robin, it's about Marian. The author has truly created a new character, Marian isn't defined or characterized by Robin or the legend she is a part of.
All of the characters had their own personality. Marian's character was well written, and I loved her loyal maid. Robin's character wasn't exactly original (it's exactly what anyone would expect from the well-known outlaw) but he wasn't awful, and I liked him. It was also interesting that the author portrayed Eleanor of Aquitaine in a less than favorable light.
The only thing that I didn't like about the story was a section in the plot that I didn't think made much sense. Robin is about to go and fight a vicious battle that he may not live through. Marian begs him to stay, because she wouldn't be able to bear it if he were to be killed. Of course, Robin goes anyways, and Marian is so outraged, she decides to leave without warning. She wanders aimlessly through the country, disguised as a peasant, and ends up living with a kindly poor woman and her family. I thought that this was all rather dramatic. And yes, the woman that Marian met was very likable and a well written minor character, but there is no point to her or Marian's departure and journey. All of that has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Wouldn't it have been more exciting to have Marian sneak off to join the fight? Or have the men return, but without Robin, so she has to go find him? Save him, maybe?
But no. Instead the author decides to send her on a pointless journey across the country.
And then, one day, Robin himself shows up! Tada! He's alive! He and Marian joyfully ride back to Sherwood Forest.
I have to say, this seemed highly unlikely to me, even a bit suspect. I kept hoping that there was some secret plot detail that the author hadn't revealed yet - How exactly did Robin find Marian? Did someone in the village tell him? What about the family she was staying with?
But no. All pointless.
However, thankfully Elsa Watson is brilliant at spinning characters off of her descriptions of rolling hills and lush countryside. Through out the book, the prose and details are wonderful. I will certainly be looking for more of her work, for this very reason. Whether pointless or relevant, all the characters were believable, especially the female ones. And her writing is graceful but without becoming unrealistic or overly dramatic.
This is a great book that I recommend. Most likely, you won't even notice the plot detour. Watson's writing is just too pretty to mind.
It was so bad. I hated every minute of it. It was childish, Marion and Robin were incredibly annoying and whiny and I frankly stopped caring about the characters early on.
If you want a really good Robin Hood book check out Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Robinson, its so good. !! so good.
If you want a really good Robin Hood book check out Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Robinson, its so good. !! so good.
Robin Hood is my absolute favorite legend of all time, but somehow nobody ever manages to match my idea of him. Far too many insist on making him gritty and morally ambiguous and useless, whereas I see him as a very smart, very righteous man with a great sense of humor. The POINT of Robin Hood is that he's a champion of the poor and the downtrodden, but he never loses his humanity or ability to laugh--and Watson gets that. Additionally, she managed to pack in most of my favorite tidbits of the Robin Hood legend: the Merry Men living around the Greenwood, wearing Lincolnwood green, the cave as the fall-back position, the shooting match where Robin Hood wins a golden arrow, the overarcing ideal of protecting the throne and the kingdom, collecting King Richard's ransom...Robin Hood's friendships feel real, and his relationship with Maid Marian is exceptionally believable.
The story is told by Maid Marian. Growing up as the Norman Lady Marian Fitzwater, her life is bound by the rules of Queen Eleanor of Aquitane's court and her childhood marriage to Sir Hugh of Sencaster. But Hugh's untimely death sunders her expectations of adult life, and her struggle to regain her dower lands shows her that neither her former mother-in-law nor the queen can be trusted. Seeking information about her mil's plans, Marian ventures into Sherwood Forest, looking for the infamous outlaw Robin Hood. The two clash immediately (Marian has pretty privileged views, particularly of the Saxon-Norman conflict), but there is a spark there that neither can deny. Months later, Robin Hood saves her from a forced marriage and the two flee to Sherwood. They have a number of adventures, culminating in a devious plan to snatch back Marian's dower lands.
The writing is ok, the villain fairly ridiculous (definitely the weakest part of the book), the historical knowledge very good, and the emotional lives of the characters very well thought out. It's a slightly uneven book, but it's definitely one of the better perspectives on the Robin Hood legend.
The story is told by Maid Marian. Growing up as the Norman Lady Marian Fitzwater, her life is bound by the rules of Queen Eleanor of Aquitane's court and her childhood marriage to Sir Hugh of Sencaster. But Hugh's untimely death sunders her expectations of adult life, and her struggle to regain her dower lands shows her that neither her former mother-in-law nor the queen can be trusted. Seeking information about her mil's plans, Marian ventures into Sherwood Forest, looking for the infamous outlaw Robin Hood. The two clash immediately (Marian has pretty privileged views, particularly of the Saxon-Norman conflict), but there is a spark there that neither can deny. Months later, Robin Hood saves her from a forced marriage and the two flee to Sherwood. They have a number of adventures, culminating in a devious plan to snatch back Marian's dower lands.
The writing is ok, the villain fairly ridiculous (definitely the weakest part of the book), the historical knowledge very good, and the emotional lives of the characters very well thought out. It's a slightly uneven book, but it's definitely one of the better perspectives on the Robin Hood legend.
I really appreciated the amount of research that went into this, but the story was completely unbelievable (nothing ever went wrong with their implausible schemes) and the main character was irritating.
This was a very good book. It was exciting and the characters were believable, though at parts it dragged (mostly when Robin Hood wasn't around).