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Loading... Outlaws Of Sherwood (original 1988; edition 2002)by Robin McKinley (Author)
Work InformationThe Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley (1988)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I've always enjoyed tales or movies about Robin Hood. This is a great re-telling with very human characters. Great book! ( ) I've read many versions of the "Robin Hood" legend, but this is one ties for my favorite of them all. McKinley's imagination with trying to make these characters real is just astonishing. They're still fitting into the mythos of Robin Hood - but not everything is what you expect. They're not laughable figures who shrug off swords and arrows. They're real people, with emotions and flaws and moments of genius and nobility. I found this to be very enjoyable, and I love that McKinley continues to not disappoint when it comes to writing fairy tale adaptations. The Outlaws of Sherwood is a sturdy, conservative version of the Robin Hood myths, and while the book isn't particularly exciting -- aside from one really terrific description of arousal and one great riot scene -- it's a sensible collation of diffuse myths and contemporary concerns. The book features the traditional gang: Robin Hood (who is terrible at archery and compensates through relentless anxiety), Maid Marian, Much, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, Little John, Alan-a-dale, etc. McKinley is great at characters, and she does a particularly fine job with Robin (the rare male McKinley protagonist), but she hews very closely to the accepted parameters of the original stories. The end result is a plot that feels rote and obligatory. The book adds a few weird quirks to the standard story -- the women in Robin's camp; Cecily; Richard Lionheart's disturbing conditions for forgiving the outlaws -- but for the most part, The Outlaws of Sherwood sticks to the beaten path. I have been wanting to re-read this book for years as I really liked it when I read it as a child. And I still like it, but I think it had less of an impact than it had before. I thought there was more about the life in the forest, and I had forgotton how far into line of generally accepted ways of living the ending pulls the merry band. no reviews | add a review
AwardsNotable Lists
Fantasy.
Folklore.
Historical Fiction.
Young Adult Fiction.
HTML: The Robin Hood legend comes thrillingly alive in Robin McKinley's reimagining of the classic adventure No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)398.2094202Social sciences Customs, Etiquette, Folklore Folklore Folk literature History, geographic treatment, biography European folktales Folklore of EnglandLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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