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Customer Reviews

46 Reviews

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (46 customer reviews)

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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best Robin Hood story I've ever read by a long shot., September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lady Of The Forest (Paperback)

All right, I admit it- I grew up loving the conventional stories everyone hears about Robin Hood. I even rank the Disney animated movie among my favorites. I had no idea which direction this book would take with the legend when I bought it, but I am glad I took the chance on this book. What I liked about this book is that it made the story of Robin Hood and Marian more *real* than the stories I remember from childhood. Robin is scarred emotionally as well as physically by his involvement in the Crusades- he has seen more than a person deserves, and he pays the price for that in this book. Marian struggles with running her deceased father's estate while trying to maintain the sense of decorum and propriety of the day and to fend off the warped affections of Nottingham's weasely sheriff. The story is engrossing and intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Roberson and I look forward to reading the sequel to this story.

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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed emotions, June 9, 2002

By

Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Lady of the Forest (Paperback)

How to explain my feelings about _Lady of the Forest_? A romantic historical novel about Maid Marian and Robin Hood, it was an enjoyable escape and post-work-stress-reliever for a couple of weeks. I did enjoy it. Unfortunately, when I shut the back cover, I realized I had just read a six-hundred page book containing almost no surprises.

Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of the stellar _Mists of Avalon_, gushes about this book in the cover blurb, and so I was hoping for a novel that would make me rethink the Robin Hood legends, just as Mists made me look at the Arthurian corpus differently. Part of what made Mists fascinating was that it took an old tale and reexamined it, humanizing the "bad guys" and telling another side of the story. Mists questioned all of our assumptions about Arthur and Morgan. _Lady of Sherwood_ questions nothing, challenges nothing. The characters are just what we expect them to be... It doesn't rethink the legend any more than does Disney's kids' movie on the same theme. It may be a nice romance, but it's not in the same league as the best historical fiction. If you want a romance, you might like this, but for a haunting tale of mysterious forests and renegade Crusaders, go read _The Black Chalice_ by Marie Jakober.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous book, December 4, 2000

By

Ashareh (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lady Of The Forest (Paperback)

_Lady of the Forest_ is a lovely retelling of the Robin Hood legend, mostly from Marian FitzWalter's point of view. I don't normally enjoy the endless retellings of the Arthurian and Robin Hood legends, but I will definitely make an exception for this book. Robin is haunted and wounded from his service in the Crusades, and Marian is a very believable and likeable heroine. The love story is beautiful, the supporting characters are wonderful, and I didn't want this book to end.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Robin Hood Tale
An excellent take on the Robin Hood Legend told mainly from Marian's point of view. Great characters throughout and hard to put down!

Published 9 months ago by Lindsay St. Heno

3.0 out of 5 stars Frustrating story line
Lady of the Forest is the story of Marian, the daughter of a knight who died in the crusade; and Robert, son of the Earl of Huntingdon. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Jennifer Barnes

5.0 out of 5 stars Angieville: LADY OF THE FOREST
LADY OF THE FOREST is my second favorite Robin Hood retelling, after The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley. Read more

Published on October 9, 2009 by Angela Thompson

1.0 out of 5 stars beware of the cover!
I loved this book a long time ago and decided to purchase it to reread again. Unfortunately, the cover pictured (with an illustration of Marian and Robin) was NOT the same as the... Read more

Published on October 1, 2009 by Rachel Forsyth Tuerck

3.0 out of 5 stars Some Of This I Liked A Lot

I really liked the history that Jennifer Roberson wove into this story. She does an excellent job of creating a picture of Medieval life from peasant to Prince. Read more

Published on July 17, 2009 by Barb Mechalke

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, terrible cover
For someone like me who has always loved the Robin Hood stories, this one told from the point of view of Marian was a no-brainer. Read more

Published on January 13, 2009 by Nicola Bernard

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a darker version of the Robin Hood legends 3.5 stars
First off, WTH is the publisher thinking re-releasing this book with a Fabio type of cover? Any sex that happens in this book is left wholly to the reader's imagination - this is... Read more

Published on November 11, 2007 by Misfit

5.0 out of 5 stars this books rocks!!!!!!!!!!1111
this book was one of the best books i have ever read. I just cant seem to put it down. I cant wait to read the sequel.

Published on September 21, 2007 by Juandarin

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Writing Syle, good story
This is my first book by Jennifer Roberson. Her writing style is unique and beautiful. The characters and surroundings are described vividly. Read more

Published on June 4, 2006 by H. Richmond

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good with just a couple quibbles
I liked both this book and the sequel, "Lady of Sherwood". I read both when they first came out and have recently re-read them and still enjoyed them. Read more

Published on October 15, 2004 by L. M. White

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
kirtle skirts, divulging nothing, sheriffs woman, bean sidhe, woolen mantle

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Little John, Jennifer Roberson, Will Scarlet, Prince John, Lady Marian, Adam Bell, Sir Guy, Robert of Locksley, Brother Tuck, Sherwood Forest, Abbot Martin, Nottingham Castle, Huntington Castle, Sir Hugh, Earl of Huntington, Holy Land, Robin Hood, Gilbert de Pisan, Alan of the Dales, King Richard, Geoffrey de Mandeville, Sir Robert, Count of Mortain, Hathersage Giant, Clym of the Clough

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