Customer Reviews

Tam Lin

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of several versions of the Tam Lin legend I've read, and by far the best--even though the other books were highly acclaimed novels. Jane Yolen's version is short but sweet--not to mention haunting, eerie, and beautiful. It's certainly not just a children's book; the spare, elegant writing and magical illustrations should charm readers of all ages who enjoy folk tales of dark magic, forbidden romance, danger and redemption. The heroine is spunky and courageous, the hero enigmatic and seemingly doomed. This is a classic.

"Tam Lin" has been my favorite fairy tale since kindergarten, and Jane Yolen retells it beautifully. The illustrations, too, are wonderful.
I especially like this story, because it is very unique. There is a heroine instead of a hero, Tam Lin and Janet are not a prince and princess, but commoners, and the fairies are evil.
This book is not only for children; teens and adults who are fans of Scottish folklore will adore it, too.
A tear always comes to my eye every time I read "Tam Lin". It will be enjoyed by many generations to come.

My favorite book in the whole world is The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope, and that story is based loosely on this old ballad so after reading it I was curious to hear the actual ballad that is so important to the plot of my favorite book.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this because there wasn't any info on the binding and there were no pictures of the product, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it is a lovely hard bound fully illustrated story book.

The pictures are lovely and colorful, and though the story is a little weird, I realize that it is quite old and I think it's so cool someone took the time to make this book to help preserve the old ballad.

I collect rare fairy tales and story books so it was great to be able to add this to my collection. It is well done and while it is essentially a fairy tale it has it's place in history as well. Very cool book.

This was my oldest daughter's favorite book, bar none, when she was four to six years old. Of course, I sought out tales with strong heroines for her and this was the best of many good picture books out there. This is the poetic tale of Jennet who rescues Tam Lin from the fairy queen. A rescue that requires great courage and endurance.

In searching for this book for my younger daughter I realized that our branch of the library had lost its copy. Since it has never been replaced I suspected that it was out of print. I recommend grabbing yourself a used copy while they are available.

I was always interested in Celtic Folklore, so when I found this book in the university's library, I decided to give it a try. It very quickly became my favorite story after finishing it. Jeanette was a delightfully likeable and strong character, and the bond she shares with Tam Lin was as powerful as it was beautiful. I must comment on the water-colour illustrations in the book as well as they were very colorful, very beautiful, and added to the overall magic of the story. Next to Brian Froud and Alan Lee's book of Faeries, I also plan on purchasing this in the near future.