The Forestwife

I'm not sure why I first picked up The Forestwife in elementary school, but I loved it from the first reading. One of the first truly good chapter books I remember reading (also, a book I had constantly checked out from the school library), The Forestwife has stuck with me. All the other Robin Hood stories I had read or heard about were all about Robin and how he rescues Maid Marian. It is nice to see that in this rendition Marian learns how to be her own person and does some rescuing of her own. I really like the portrayal of the characters in this book (not just Marian) and the way it talks about more adult issues like relationships, sex, birth, and death but not in an incredibly juvenile manner. I loved this book so much that in high show more school my mother bought be a hardcover copy for me at christmas time. It will forever be one of my favorites. show less

In this retelling of "Robin Hood," Marian has run off with her nursemaid, seeking shelter from the forestwife- (a character who reflects the modern interpretation of what a medieval healer would have been like- in reality, it's probably got a lot of fantasy). Marian learns a lot about how to heal and care for others, and falls in love with Robin- later Robin of the Hood, who is always gone on some or another adventure. She plays her own part in taking out the local oppressors, and saving nuns, however.

Interesting take on the Robin Hood story concentrating on Marion as the healer in the woods. This covers 3 books and is about three generations of forest wives.

One of my all-time favorites in the "Robin Hood genre" -- in this one Robin Hood is more human, more fragile, more real and his mate is the strong one.

This is the first book in the Forestwife Trilogy by Theresa Tomlinson. I could not put it down! It was read in one sitting and I highly recommend this book for reluctant teen girl readers due to the short length. Make sure you read the rest of the trilogy to find out what happens between Marian and Robert!

At this point, I think most Robin Hood stories are just Not For Me; I have too much headcanon. This is a particularly ahistorical/alinguistic-consistency offender.