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Oct 31, 2007

Margaret rated it:

For as long as I can remember I have always been a fan of Robin Hood legend. Movies and books alike have told various versions that I have soaked up and loved. Earlier this year I found the best ever with the first two installations of Stephen Lawhead's triology Hood and Scarlet. Those two books being from the perspective of, of course, Robin Hood (Bran) and Will Scarlet. This book fits right in!! I know that Elsa Watson is her own author and nothing to do with the former, but really this ta More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Sarah rated it:

Okay, so I picked this up on a whim. I enjoy reading stories centered around the legend of King Arthur, and while this story isn’t about Camelot, it certainly has a similar tone without the depressing ending of being murdered by your own son. In most stories about the Prince of Thieves, we see everything from Robin’s point of view, with Maid Marian a whimsical love interest on the sidelines as Robin does his thing of robbing the rich to give to the poor. This book proposes we view things from More...

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Sep 14, 2009

Julie rated it:

Orphaned and married off at the age of 5, Marian Fitzwater is awakened during the night of her 15th birthday, the day of which she was to move to her husband's castle, to be told that he has just died.

As an unmarried woman with land attached to her name, she is now not only a very desirable catch, but now a pawn in the Queen of England's strategic chess game to supposedly turn all of England to her son, King Richard's favor. The catch is, Marian has no intentions of being married off More...

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Aug 25, 2009

Wealhtheow rated it:

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 th More...

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Jan 18, 2012

Libby rated it:

Elsa Watson takes an interesting view of the tales of Robin Hood told from Maid Marian's point of view. In Watson's version, Marian is an orphan with lands and title. She is raised at Warwick Castle, but at the age of five she is married to another young child to give the mother a place of power over Marian's lands. When her husband is murdered before he is seventeen, Marian fears her arranged marraige to her late husband's younger brother. To save herself from another marriage and possible More...

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Mar 24, 2009

Kerry rated it:

The legend of Robin Hood is one of my favorite stories so I am always on the lookout for a good Robin Hood book. This book, told from Maid Marian's point of view, was good. It looked at the story from a slightly different point of view from what I had before. The author put the story in historical context by focusing a lot on the politics and political maneuvering of the time (Eleanor of Aquitaine was featured as a fairly significant character) which I found interesting.

On the other More...

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Aug 05, 2007

Aubrey rated it:

Different twist on the story of Robin Hood as told by Maid Marian. Marian seeks out Robin Hood, whom she has heard about from her servant, to help her escape from a marriage set up by the Queen and regain her lands.

I enjoyed the book a lot. It was a little slow in the beginning, but then I couldn't put it down.

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Sep 25, 2009

Tara rated it:

This was a more pleasant, feminine telling of the traditional Robin Hood story. I have never gotten into the whole Robin Hood thing but found I enjoyed the telling from Maid Marian's point of view. Marian at first is a naive spoiled princess who cannot bear to sleep on straw. Being an orphan, however, puts her in the hands of the dreaded and feared Queen Elinor, and to avoid the Queen's plans, she enlists the aide of the famed outlaw, Robin Hood. This leads to a new life of adventure and discove More...

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Oct 25, 2008

Laura rated it:

The story of Robin Hood from Marion's point of view. Very good!

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Sep 02, 2008

Allison rated it:

Oh, how I adore the time of Robin Hood. Not necessarily the stinky, I do not shower aspect, but the chivalrous, love-a-feisty woman part. A cool twist on a old tale.

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Apr 05, 2011

Angela rated it:

I had read this book when it was first released in 2004 and then reread it a few weeks ago, and I still found that I enjoyed it. Highly reminiscent of The Mists of Avalon, Maid Marian portrays the story through the eyes of a woman, while fully engulfing the read with action and adventure befitting a tale of Robin Hood. With the plot so intriguing I found that I read this book from beginning to end in two sittings, and found that I was eagerly turning the page to see what awaited Marian and Robin More...

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Jan 03, 2009

Emily rated it:

This book SHOULD have been really good. I mean, c'mon! A famous cultural tale of the British Isles turned into a novel...sounds great right? And the protagonist is a beautiful noblewoman who forsakes her comfortable, stifling life for adventure and love, love with an infamous outlaw much beloved by the common people. It's a recipe for success. However, the writing was not much more than mediocre and there were several small discrepancies in the story that just made it utterly unbelievable. More...

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Oct 28, 2009

Josie rated it:

A fairly boring retelling of the Robin Hood legend, told from the perspective of Maid Marian. The author's Robin Hood has been heavily influenced by Howard Pyle's versions of the old ballads, and while Robin Hood and his (unconvincingly huge) band of Merry Men aren't the story's main focus, Watson still manages to pepper the thoughts and conversations in the book with references to many of the familiar tales. I found this annoying, as while the old ballads are the only references to Robin Hood, More...

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Jan 03, 2011

Brooke rated it:

I have always loved the Robin Hood Story since I watched the Disney classic as a child. I loved to see the character development of Lady Marian here. It gave me more insight to her than I had ever before seen, since usually it is from Robin Hood's perspective. Anyway, this was a great story. It seemed to be a tale of classic tales that was very enjoyable. It seemed to take a long time to climax and wound though very quickly at the end. But the descriptions were great and the story was not la More...

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Dec 31, 2010

Renee rated it:

A perfectly paced and inventive adaptation of the life of Maid Marian, in which the title character is fleshed out completely. Rather than seeing only a beautiful woman, the reader is treated to a witty, impatient, compassionate, politically-minded, careful-but-at-times-impetuous woman who is loathe to leave her fate in the hands of anyone else. Paired with this is Watson's careful research of the era, beyond the normal "Richard the Lionheart/Prince John" focus seen in some other adap More...

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Mar 30, 2011

Jess rated it:

Let me first say that I LOVE Marian's voice in this retelling of the Robin Hood story. Elsa Watson has given depth and sass to a character that is so often portrayed as a woman always in need of rescuing. Not only did Watson give voice to a woman who is strong and self-sufficient, but she clearly showed us the paths that helped her become so. Every character transformation that Marian undergoes can be traced back to some earlier event in the story. What a lesson in character arcs!

An More...

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Mar 19, 2011

Nora rated it:

This was a fluffy read, but one that focused on Maid Marian and not Robin Hood, so it was refreshing. It certainly did not dwell on the hard living conditions of the times and glossed over this, mentioning vaguely in passing the plague and some rats, but that was about it. It did focus a lot on the reasons that peasants were so upset with their Lords and the taxes imposed on them by the church, etc. And Maid Marian was written as a strong, independent, smart, opinionated woman ahead of her times More...

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Jan 28, 2011

Victoria rated it:

This book jumped off the shelf to me on a visit to the local library. I love Robin Hood stories (although King Arthur is my first love). A quick, light read, I would almost call it a YA novel, the romance was so sweet. Robin and Marian were both delightfully real, especially Marian. It is told first person from her perspective. I nice adventure story, where the woman gets to be a part of the action, and matures along the way. Nicely depicted medieval setting as well, reminding me a bit of Pillar More...

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Nov 25, 2010

Stephanie rated it:

It is always fun to visit the world of the Robin Hood legend and this was an okay bisecting story. I say it is a bissecting tale because it is not exactly the story of Robin Hoods through the eyes of Marian, it is the story of Marian which happens to include Robin Hood. Telling the story in 1st person really keeps the reader at a distance from all characters but Marian.

Overall a fairly enjoyable read for something I picked somewhat at random from the library shelf:)

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Jul 02, 2009

Allie rated it:

I've always liked the Robin Hood tale, whether it was in book form, tv form or movie form (yes, even Prince of Thieves). What is great about Maid Marian, is, quite obviously, that it is told from Marian's point of view. And Marian is not a simpering, weak character, but a strong yet believable character. I also like the sprinkling of historical accuracy that was tossed in---including the supporting role of Eleanor of Acquitaine. Over all, a good historical novel.

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Sep 08, 2011

Jami rated it:

I just happenend to see this book on the shelf at the library and thought oooooooh! a twist on Robin Hood!! Well I couldn't put it down and when I was forced to put it down all I could think about was getting back to it. A truly remarkable story that is vividly imagined. The characters are anything but ordinary and will surprise you at every turn. I highly recommend this book!!!!

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Sep 13, 2010

Glorious.Clio rated it:

Oh, so cute. A new retelling of the Robin Hood legend through the eyes of one Maid Marian. While certain liberties are taken (and are always taken with Marian), it actually stays pretty true to the history the tale is set in.

Plus, Robin and Marian (Or Brian and Lucy or Nick and Kate or whatever alias they've picked now) are absolutely adorable.

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Oct 15, 2011

Reeny rated it:

The book was great. I love the book, because the book gave Maid Marian a voice independent of Robin hood's voice. Her story is told by her not through a tale of Robin and the gang traditonally. I was amazed at how clever and witty Marian was. Elsa Watson makes you believe you had been apart of the period of Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

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Sep 25, 2010

Teghan rated it:

It was so bad. I hated every minute of it. It was childish, Marion and Robin were incredibly annoying and whiny and I frankly stopped caring about the characters early on.

If you want a really good Robin Hood book check out Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Robinson, its so good. !! so good.

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Aug 18, 2010

Jessica rated it:

Maid Marian is a tale of the woman who became the love of Robin Hood. This book is about her own life and struggles with Lords, Ladies, and Queens. While this has a romantic thread, this isn't what I would classify as a romance novel. I enjoyed reading this book because I love that time period in England.

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Jul 26, 2011

Megan rated it:

Marian is a smart young woman who learns how to manage the political intrigues of her time. Her relationahip with Robin Hood is sweet, and realistic in that the couple sometimes disagrees but over time learns to trust one another.

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Oct 11, 2011

Lindsay rated it:

I actually really enjoyed this story. I read it a bit apprehensively, waiting for it to turn horribly tragic and sad... but I was surprised, and I think you'll be too!

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Dec 03, 2008

Ginny rated it:

I really wanted to like this! But I found I wasn't looking forward to getting into bed to read it at night, so back to the library it went.

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May 05, 2010

Stina rated it:

I think this version of the Robin Hood story is just too realistic for my tastes. I prefer the versions that have more of the legend feel to them.

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Nov 04, 2010

Tamra rated it:

Not as good as I thought it was going to be and I was a little disappointed that the book takes place at the end of Robin Hood's adventures. It dragged in parts, but in the end, it was a pretty good story from Maid Marian's point of view.

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