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7th out of 57 books
—
133 voters
Maid Marian
by
Elsa Watson (Goodreads Author)
An irresistible reimagining of the Robin Hood legend, Maid Marian brings to life the rollicking—and romantic—world of the Middle Ages.
An orphan and heiress to a large country estate, Marian Fitzwater is wed at the age of five to an equally young nobleman, Lord Hugh of Sencaster, a union that joins her inheritance to his. But when she is seventeen, Lord Hugh, whom she hasn’...more
An orphan and heiress to a large country estate, Marian Fitzwater is wed at the age of five to an equally young nobleman, Lord Hugh of Sencaster, a union that joins her inheritance to his. But when she is seventeen, Lord Hugh, whom she hasn’...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
March 22nd 2005
by Three Rivers Press
(first published April 13th 2004)
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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
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 Ma...more
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 to the high...more
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 to the high...more
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 the R...more
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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 deat...more
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 hand, the vi...more
On the other hand, the vi...more
Worst Maid Marian book ever. Stilted dialogue and I'm pretty sure the author needed a dictionary a few times because her word choice was completely off. Poor execution. I can forgive anachronism pretty easily, but only if the characterization and plot are strong. Neither were. Too much narration while completely skipping over what could have been interesting action. For example, when Marian is "spirited away" on her wedding day, there was absolutely no tension! It didn't feel like he had saved h...more
I'm not sure what it was about this book but I just couldn't get into it. I have about 20% of it left and no desire to finish it, though I may return at a later date. I did love what Watson did with the character of Robin Hood, including details about his personality that really rounded him out (e.g. that he couldn't keep still, always needing to keep moving no matter where he was) and the dialogue between him and Marian was pretty great. It may have been Marian herself who fell a bit flat for m...more
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.
I enjoyed the book a lot. It was a little slow in the beginning, but then I couldn't put it down.
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
Although I had read reviews suggesting Marian might be too much the helpless damsel, the book started off well. Within the confines allowed her by medieval society, Marian does an impressive job taking control of her fate. The writing was beautiful throughout and the elegant language felt like the right way for Maid Marian to tell her story. Things quickly fall apart, however, when Marian finds she lacks the courage to run away from her second marriage and is only saved by the timely interventio...more
The story of Robin Hood from Marion's point of view. Very good!
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.
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
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. It wa...more
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
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 lackin...more
I was pretty excited for this one. I haven't read a lot of Robin Hood related things so it was intriguing. But it really didn't live up to my hopes.
There's nothing really wrong with the book. The writing is very,very good, it definitely fit with the time frame that the novel was set in. It was extremely authentic but it wasn't cheesy or forced like it is in some other books. So I really adored that aspect of the book.
The characters were also very nice. Marian was strong and intelligent but she w...more
There's nothing really wrong with the book. The writing is very,very good, it definitely fit with the time frame that the novel was set in. It was extremely authentic but it wasn't cheesy or forced like it is in some other books. So I really adored that aspect of the book.
The characters were also very nice. Marian was strong and intelligent but she w...more
I began reading this book with reluctance. After all, the story of Robin Hood has been told so many times, and I was mostly expecting this one to be "just another Robin Hood extension."
However, I was pleasantly surprised right from the beginning. Elsa Watson's writing is grounded, realistic, and elegant. I really felt as if I was there in her medieval world. The vivid setting and the fact that I love the middle ages prompted me to read the entire book in one sitting.
The story is about Marian Fit...more
However, I was pleasantly surprised right from the beginning. Elsa Watson's writing is grounded, realistic, and elegant. I really felt as if I was there in her medieval world. The vivid setting and the fact that I love the middle ages prompted me to read the entire book in one sitting.
The story is about Marian Fit...more
My review of this, may be a little harsh. My suggestion? Don't read this if you have an infatuation with Maid Marian because you will be sorely disappointed.
As any Robin Hood fan knows, the origins of Marian are shaky. Authors have full creative license with her considering there is only one detailed ballad of her time with Robin. Somehow, she has sparked curiosity and love with readers and viewers and has become an integral part of the Robin Hood legend. This Marian, however, is lacking. It isn...more
As any Robin Hood fan knows, the origins of Marian are shaky. Authors have full creative license with her considering there is only one detailed ballad of her time with Robin. Somehow, she has sparked curiosity and love with readers and viewers and has become an integral part of the Robin Hood legend. This Marian, however, is lacking. It isn...more
Picked up this book because of the beautiful cover and ROBIN HOOD!
I have to say, the book design is lovely. It's credited to Lauren Dong, and I think she deserves a credit here too. Not just the cover, but the lovely flowers inside, even the typesetting is nice.
However, the story... well, I really, really WANTED to like it. Very soon into the book, I realized that the characters' attitudes and behaviors were not consistent with 15th-century England. That's actually OK with me, I adjusted my att...more
I have to say, the book design is lovely. It's credited to Lauren Dong, and I think she deserves a credit here too. Not just the cover, but the lovely flowers inside, even the typesetting is nice.
However, the story... well, I really, really WANTED to like it. Very soon into the book, I realized that the characters' attitudes and behaviors were not consistent with 15th-century England. That's actually OK with me, I adjusted my att...more
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 adaptations.
I'...more
I'...more
Sep 23, 2010
Jess
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Heidi, Saralyn
Recommended to Jess by:
Katelyn
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!
And Watson did...more
And Watson did...more
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
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
Fun romantic history, but I had a hard time liking Marian. It took a while to get into, mostly because I thought our PoV character was whiny and snobbish. I also found the language to be a bit lofty and flowery; I suppose Ms. Watson was trying to mimic the poetry and songs from which she got the basis for her story. She did a good job with it—sometimes it worked really well, but I felt at times as though that contributed to Marian's high-and-mighty vibe. I don't feel any need to reread it, but I...more
This was nice and I liked it. The only thing is that the voice felt weirdly detached for a first person novel - part of it were these little phrases that pulled me out of the story - things like "Ladies in that time..." You mean, like, five years ago? I also wanted a lot more of the Merry Men, but that's probably a different book. I was a big sucker for the romance in this, for sure.
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:)
Overall a fairly enjoyable read for something I picked somewhat at random from the library shelf:)
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.
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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Pacific Northwest native Elsa Watson has always loved animals. After raising chickens and inoculating goats in the Peace Corps in West Africa, she and her husband moved to an island near Seattle where they've filled their lives with dogs, more chickens, and the cat they brought home from their travels. She currently works at the West Sound Wildlife Shelter, a wildlife hospital and education center...more
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