Customer Reviews

Hawksmaid: The Untold Story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What was the early life of Maid Marian? What was Robin Hood like as a young boy? What historic events surrounded those who now have become legends in our own time? How did the band of Merry form? Who was Maid Marian? History doesn't tell us much about her.

Known as Matty Fitzwalter in her childhood, the legendary Maid Marian learned the art of falconry from her father Lord William Fitzwalker. She dreams of capturing, taming and training a merlin -- the one bird which will mark her as an expert falconer. Matty has a magical rapport with the birds that she trains. She speaks their language. Fynn, the man whom legend would come to know as Robin Hood, is a mischievous boy, stealing pigs from the sheriff's cousin and deer from the royal forests to feed people. Like Matty, Fynn strives for bigger and better things but he always has a way of making a joke out of his exploits. Matty feels that Fynn and his friends do not take her seriously. She struggles for his attention, but she never veers from her passion for falconry. Both, however, will remember the times and their youthful friendship.

Matty and Fynn grow up during troubled times. The people struggle in poverty while the tyranny of Prince John crushes them. Lord William Fitzwalter sides with Richard the Lionhearted, only to see the brutality of Prince John's sabotage and his sheriff. Despite the horrific loss of her mother, Matty is not a fair helpless damsel. Previously friends, now older, Matty and Fynn work together. As they uncover a secret plot to steal the throne, Matty and her special merlin Marigold become the key for rescuing stolen jewels to provide for the King's ransom. In order to help save the king, Matty and her magical falconry skills will have to reach a new height.

Newberry award winning author Kathryn Lasky's HAWKSMAID is a wonderful modern retelling of a classic tale, full of exciting adventure, medieval history, an intimate look at falconry and just a bit of romance for young readers. Not only do we get a glance of the youth of Maid Marian and Robin Hood, but also those events in their lives that lead up to the legend with which we are all familiar. Modern women and young women will appreciate the focus on Matty and Maid Marian as they see her not as a helpless woman playing second fiddle but as a key figure in the story. Kathryn Lasky combines historical detail with fictional imagination to create a story that appeals to the desire to explore history while also being more approachable to modern day readers. Animal lovers will appreciate the author's attention to the birds themselves and Matty's friendship with them. A beautifully written, almost mystical scene perfectly balances the history and animal-keeping science. The setting of the story, while very medieval, resonates slightly with modern times.

Sensitive readers may find the mother's murder at the beginning of the tale difficult, but the violence is not gratuitous but rather shows the villains for the wicked people they are. Without those scenes, Matty and Fynn's subsequent actions would not be driven by the characters and their history. From those initial scenes, the story quickly moves on to focus on Matty and her hawks and the adventure. HAWKSMAID is an excellent work of medieval fiction for modern young readers. If you are an adult reader with a passion for all things medieval, like this reader, HAWKSMAID is a fun, exciting book to add to your collection! While grounded in medieval history and legend, Kathryn Lasky also adds a delightful original twist!

Courtesy of Medieval Book Reviews/Book Illuminations

The year is 1187, and Matty is about to turn 10 when her world shatters into a million pieces. The beloved King Richard has left England to fight in the Crusades, leaving Prince John in charge. Unfortunately, Prince John has decided to make a few changes while his brother is away. He is assaulting the people, taking their money and jewels, destroying their homes and murdering the innocent, all to make himself more powerful. During one of his evil rampages, Matty's mother is killed, and Matty and her father are reduced to scavenging the land just to feed themselves. It is then that Matty's father begins to teach her a new set of lessons other than sewing and dancing --- the art of falconry.

Matty's father has trained hawks, including Morgana the Kestrel, Ulysses the Goshawk, Lyra the shortwing hawk, and Moss the peregrine. And now he teaches his daughter how to care for them, train them, and hunt with them. Matty instantly develops a deep relationship with the birds, even talking with them in their own language. She soon comes across a young merlin that she names Marigold. Merlins are the hardest to train, but their connection is instant and magical. She and the birds manage to keep the family alive with their hunting trips. Of course, Matty's dear friend, Fynn, also makes sure they're adequately fed. He sneaks into the forest, hunting forbidden deer; once he even stole a hen and gave it to another hungry family. Unfortunately, everyone outside of Prince John's circle is on the verge of starvation.

Over the next few years, Matty, Fynn and their friends become bolder, refusing to sit on the sidelines while their country falls into ruin. They form a band of outlaws with complex codes, secret hideouts, and ambitious plans to rescue the country from Prince John. Fynn becomes Robin Hood, and Matty is now Maid Marian, going undercover at Prince John's castle to spy on the enemy. Maid Marian, her loyal hawks, Robin Hood and their merry men join forces to confront the enemy. They steal from the corrupt prince, give to the starving people, and fight to keep their beloved England free.

Prolific author Kathryn Lasky offers a unique look at the famous legend of Robin Hood through the eyes of Maid Marian. She writes with a classic style and a formal voice, presenting her story with grace and elegance. Matty/Maid Marian is a superb role model --- strong, honorable and brave, with a kind heart --- and has an enviable connection with her bird friends, characterized by commitment, love, and a unique bond that takes them far beyond any average relationship. Lasky has done a wonderful job in her research, both with the history of the time period and the legends of Robin Hood, and the fascinating hawk information. This amazing book is a charming mix of legend and history, romance, adventure and mystery, sure to please any reader.

The year is 1187 AD. Location, England. The opening chapter finds Lord William Fitzwalter in a state of panic as his castle has been breached by the evil Sheriff and his men.
Matty, the heroine of the story, is urged by the Lord to find a place to hide. "The kitchen! The potato hole!"
At this point, Matty ought to have informed her father that potatoes won't reach England for another three hundred years, but instead is forced to watch as her mother starts hauling potatoes out of the potato hole.
Oh dear! "I'll never fit Mother, I'm bigger than a potato. Bigger than a sack of potatoes!"
Poor Matty, having to endure such a surreal experience while under imminent threat.
Perhaps the English castle builders were endowed with amazing foresight, placing potato holes in their castles, comfortable in the knowledge that these mysterious 'potato holes' might come in handy some day. We will never know.

A significant research blunder by any standard, although a more forgiving critic might argue that the subject of this historical fiction is about birds of prey, and that the author deserves a break.

Sadly, we find that even our chief subject is compromised. Yes, the New World rears its ugly head yet again in chapter two, as Matty asks Lord William, "But aren't merlins pigeon hawks?"
At this, Lord William ought to have rebuffed the Hawksmaiden, "Matty, surely you know that 'pigeon hawk' is a North American colloquialism. We haven't discovered America yet!"

Young people are impressionable and it is important that authors can be trusted to do basic research when dealing with historical fiction, which is indeed not the case here.

Hawksmaid manages to layer family, friendships, advenuture, falconry, romance, history, and even a little mystery into a richly written book that I will be sharing with my family again and again.
Thank you Kathryn Lasky!

I happily suspended preconceptions of the legend of Robin Hood to settle in and enjoy this story. Reluctantly, it's disappointing. The language is stilted, flat and non-descriptive (is this how people spoke in 1187 England?). "Maid Marian" Greenleaf is the pseudonym Matilda ("Matty") Fitzwalter takes up when she and her friends assume alais's for the sake of keeping `undercover' as they go about marauding Nottingham Forest. Robin Hood's `real' name is Robert ("Fynn") Woodfynn, and in a trite portrayal, all the friends are renamed. The story takes a dive at this point, when the author flicks back and forth between the names of Matty and Marian. Ok, we know she's to become Maid Marian, but let's just live with "Matty" for the rest of the book. Matty is a falconer, who as a young girl spoke `bird language' (guttural sounds) to her flock; that's believable, and the storyline pertaining to the birds is fascinating. But when a captive, dying Matty mystically becomes one with her merlin, flies away to save the day, speaking with her birds (in English), the story loses not only credibility, but interest.

My daughter loves Robin Hood, so when we found this book we thought this would be an interesting read since it focuses more on Marian. While the information on hawking was informative and interesting, the supernatural twist of the hawk and the girl "becoming one" was disappointing. The story would be engaging without the supernatural twist.

Good literature is difficult to find these days, and when you come upon an interesting story line from a modern day writer it always seems to have some supernatural focus. I would like to see some modern day authors prove their skill by weaving a wonderful tale without all the supernatural nonsense. Let's give our children some good reading based on real life that teaches them how to live with courage, compassion, and character.

My nine-year-old daughter loved this book... Couldn't put it down. There are a couple of anachronisms, but nothing to get in the way of enjoying the story. Girls who like Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small" series will probably enjoy this book.

This book reads like it was written by a 9th grader for a 4th grade audience. The author seems not to have heard of the principle, "Show, don't tell." We get too many narrative statements such as, "It was known throughout Barnsdale that Lord William, the best falconer in the region, passed his skills on to his daughter." The dialogue is cheesy and stilted throughout, especially when birds start sentences with "All right," or "You know, my dear...." The story hints at the villain having supernatural powers, but does not follow through with that idea, so why bring it up? I was tempted to stop reading, but decided to continue to see if the writing might get better. Instead it got worse: the ending was the dumbest part.

For a better version of the Robin Hood story, read The Outlaws of Sherwood. No hawks, but much, much better story telling, complete with strong and capable female characters.

For naturalistic talking animals, read Watership Down: A Novel.