A review by emijoy15
Maid Marian by Elsa Watson

adventurous emotional relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 In “Maid Marian”, Elsa Watson presents a romantic and beautiful retelling of the Robin Hood legend centered on women’s experiences and class disparity. Although anachronous at times, the story rests on its own self-spun solid ground of lightly adapted history and creates a believable setting through its consistency. Most importantly, it’s one of the few books in my (very short) shortlist of what I consider top-tier works of Maid Marian fiction. 

For some context, I first read this book when I was about thirteen. Maybe a little younger. Since then I have read it at least 6 or 7 times. It’s a book that I have returned to again and again with nothing but warm nostalgia. It was the second book I ever owned, the first being Howard Pyle’s “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood”. They sat side by side on my shelf and, in many ways, I found Watson’s book complemented Pyle’s. Watson takes clear inspiration from Pyle and directly centers Marian as the title character. Meanwhile Pyle includes Marian in only a brief mention. As a young person, I think I combined the two to create the version of Robin Hood that I used as a baseline. Especially in my most recent reread, I can see how my perception of the Robin Hood story was colored, or at least outlined, by Elsa Watson.

All this to say, this book has become very special to me. 

For brevity, here are some things I liked but won’t opine on for too long:
  • Before Marian eventually returns to a life as a noblewoman, she puts in time, effort, and hard work to understand those she would govern.
  • Marian and Robin’s relationship has just the right amount of build-up. It is well-constructed and clear why each one is in love with the other, and their differences complement each other in the way that good relationships should. 
  • It references older Robin Hood ballads and incorporates them into the story. 
  • Female antagonists! This book is completely driven by women. There are so few novels about Maid Marian that are actually driven by and focused on women. This one is. Robin does not drive this plot. Marian does. 

And here are things I don’t necessarily like, but don’t feel overly critical about:
  • The history is a bit smudged, especially as it relates to the Norman-Saxon conflict. But that isn’t a new element to Robin Hood stories. Not such a big deal, but it does take me out just a bit. 
  • There could have been another 150 pages. I would have been happy to live in this storyworld a little longer. However, since nothing felt rushed or left out, it’s probably best as it is. 

Readers are introduced to a Marian who, through her own admission, is blithely unaware of the larger world outside the castle in which she lives. She is introduced as a Norman noblewoman who finds herself living at the whims of others, especially those of Queen Eleanor and her mother-in-law, Lady Pernelle of Sencaster. Throughout the story, she takes more and more control of her life. She self-identifies her own flaws and works towards a future of her own choosing, considering her personal values and moral standing first when making her decisions. I found her to be an admirable main character.

Marian’s character growth over the pages of this relatively short novel is undeniable but happens at a pace that feels comfortable. She doesn’t change her mind overnight, or rush to aid the plot. Her experiences inform her choices and her worldview, and she is open-minded and willing to change her perspective as she learns more about other people.

Of the Robin Hood books I’ve read, this one exemplifies the female gaze in a way that I love. Most obviously, this is a romance novel from the first-person perspective of a woman, and the way Marian’s attraction to Robin is described feels emotionally weighted and distinctly feminine.

Outside of Marian’s personal emotions, I feel that this novel utilizes a female gaze on the story of Robin Hood itself. It feels tailor-made specifically for women who care about the legend of Robin Hood and want to see it from a romanticized feminine perspective. The story, Sherwood Forest, outlaw life, and medieval England is romanticized and presented with the love of someone who cares about it. This is not necessarily new to Robin Hood literature, and other examples can be found written by male authors, including Howard Pyle. (In fact, some of Watson’s elements of description feel reminiscent of Pyle.) In “Maid Marian”, however, there is something distinctly feminine within the world of the novel, beyond the gender of the protagonist.

I have read this book so many times and its place on my Robin Hood shelf and within my literary upbringing is permanently reserved. This is the only book I own that automatically opens to my favorite pages. It has been reread and loved for years, and will continue being so. I absolutely adore it. It makes me giddy and happy and nostalgically reminds me what it was like to be a young girl and in love with the story of Robin Hood.