Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonder-Full!, 21 Jul 1999
By A Customer
The Door in the Hedge is a wonderful (and wonder full) collection of fairy tales, most old, two new. Ms. McKinley brings her incredible gift of "purple poesy" to play here, creating rich characters and landscapes. Although readers who prefer linear, action-packed, base language stories may not care for this latest offering of High Traditional Fantasy, those who came to love the genre because of Grimms, Anderson, Perrault, and McDonald will definitely want to add The Door in the Hedge to their collections!
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16 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Re-telling of Robin Hood Legend, 15 Aug 2001
By A Customer
As demonstrated with 'Beauty', Robin McKinley has a knack of re-telling (and humanising)old legends. This book is a new slant on the Robin Hood story. Whilst not lighting my fire the way 'Beauty' and 'The Hero and the Crown' did, it does provide a new angle on the legend of Robin Hood, suggesting ideas which are probably closer to the truth of the story instead of the romanticised benevolent bandit. This Robin not only has flaws, he is appealingly young and confused, and often feels completely overwhelmed by the responsibilities laid (sometimes unwillingly) upon him. The characters are sympathetically drawn, with some old favourites and a couple of new additions. Marian is another of McKinley's strong heroines. There are also several twists to give a new feel. Without giving away too much plot, Robin's famed abilities as an archer are not all they seem, which I felt gave a new angle to what could have been a tired storyline. All in all, I enjoyed 'The Door in the Hedge' as a book in its own right, but I did feel that the style was a departure for McKinley which was not necessarily a good thing. However, her skill is such that if you take the book in isolation instead of in comparison with her other works, you will not be disappointed.
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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
7 out of 10, 3 May 1999
By A Customer
Luckily, this book does not have the slow, tedious writing style of The Blue Sword, but The Blue Sword had a much better plot. Door in the Hedge is still only an average retelling of a few fairy tales. The original tales are just *okay*, too, not wonderful. Robin McKinley never adds very much to her retellings except length. Maybe beautiful language. Robin McKinley's biggest fans will want to get this one, but there's not too much for people who are just starting on her work.
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by Robin McKinley
by Robin McKinley
by Robin McKinley
by Robin McKinley
by Robin McKinley
