Elsa Watson

Fieldnotes:
Warwick Castle/Sherwood Forest/Denby-on-Trent, 1190s

1 Virginal Widow (Teen Variety)
1 Scheming Mother-In-Law
1 Unscrupulous Queen
1 Stolen Inheritance

1 Norman/Saxon Class Divide
1 Very Merry Outlaw
Politics
Cudgel Lessons
1 Timely Escape
1 Fairy-Tale-Like "Love" Story (in that sort of abstract way)

Chekhov's "Juliet" Potion
1 Elaborate Ruse to Regain Rightful Inheritance

The Short Version
A historical novel looking at the Robin Hood legend from the point of view of the class divide between Normans and Saxons...sort of. It talks about it some, but any nuance of the matter is pretty well ruined by the fact that every Norman we actually speak to other than Marian is villainous to a greater or lesser extent.

Not to mention that I was hoping for a young lady who was driven to *do* something rather than passively be bartered about. But mostly what Marian seems to do is run away and/or be rescued. When she lacks the courage to run away from her second marriage and is paralyzed by fear and indecision, I may be able to relate, but it is frustrating. Thankfully she is saved by Robin Hood, but I found him to be simultaneously smug and naiv (rather than idealistic) and more irritating than attractive which makes Marian's mooning after him annoying as well. Their relationship seems out of a fairy tale - in that they are in love because they are both young and attractive and near one another rather than any actual connection.

On the whole, this spent rather too much time on the inescapable drudgery that is a woman's lot with most of the interesting action and political scheming in the novel taking place off-screen as Marian minds the camp or is hiding in a peasant cottage or she has such poor eyesight that it must be described to her. None of which makes for a particularly enjoyable main character.… (más)

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.… (más)

Picked up this book because of the beautiful cover and ROBIN HOOD!
I have to say, the book design is lovely. It's credited to Lauren Dong, and I think she deserves a credit here too. Not just the cover, but the lovely flowers inside, even the typesetting is nice.

However, the story... well, I really, really WANTED to like it. Very soon into the book, I realized that the characters' attitudes and behaviors were not consistent with 15th-century England. That's actually OK with me, I adjusted my attitude to regard this as a British-influenced fantasy book. However, it's really more of a romance than a fantasy. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work as a romance. The relationship between Robin and Marian is oddly lacking in heat. It's rather abstract and chaste; I just wasn't feeling their connection.
Other than the romance, the plot has to do with the disenfranchised noblewoman Marian enlisting Robin's help to get her lands back, as she's been cheated out of them by the conniving Lady Pernelle. This plot device creates an awkwardness that isn't ever resolved: Robin is for the poor folks, but he ends up marrying into the gentry and settling down happily in a great manor. No change is made in the status quo, except that Marian has her consciousness raised about how serfs live, and vows to "do her best" for them. Now, I don't demand revolution in every book. If you don't want to criticize the feudal system, by all means don't. But this book pays PC lip service to criticizing it, which is unsatisfying, to say the least.
Also, I didn't think the scenario where the young master of the manor agrees to be instructed in the art of fighting with a cudgel by his young servant girl was consistent with the internal 'culture' of the book, let alone a realistic depiction of the historical era.
I have to admit that I also found this Marian to be an annoying person.
Not only was she both naive and jealous, but she pulled the crap that any person deserves to be unceremoniously dumped for: "Oh, I am So Attracted to you because you are a Bad-ass, dangerous outlaw! But wait! Now that we've hooked up, you should change completely, and be safe and reliable and never take any risks! And if you don't do what I want, I will act like a psycho and run away! But that just means I must Love You!" Argh, Ugh.

For novels about Maid Marian and Robin Hood, I'd highly recommend Jennifer Roberson's 'Lady of the Forest,' or Robin McKinley's 'Outlaws of Sherwood' over this book.… (más)