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Mar 03, 2011

Anne rated it:

Full disclosure: I like this book a lot, and I think its best points more than outweigh its flaws.

To those disappointed by Robin Hood’s sidelining, I want to point out that McKinley’s title--The Outlaws of Sherwood--should warn you what she’s up to. Robin Hood himself is not her main focus, though he is the key and the center of the plot, and the nucleus of all the relationships of the outlaw band. Traditional interpretations of heroism and heroes don’t interest her, and mythic grand More...

2 comments like (13 people liked it)

May 10, 2011

Hope rated it:

I’ve been on a bit of a Robin Hood craze for the past month. Having always had a place in my heart for the noble outlaw, my interest in him was rekindled when I stumbled upon the BBC show and fell in love with the story and the characters all over again. Thus, when I started nearing the last episodes of the series, I wasn’t ready to give it up just yet. I got this sort of clingy feeling, like when you were little and you came to the end of a wonderful bedtime story and you just don’t want to More...

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 25, 2010

Miriam rated it:

McKinley explores the circumstances that might have led to the formation of an outlaw community in Sherwood and the growth of the Robin Hood legend. She contrasts Robin's practical concerns (not being arrested and executed, taking care of his followers when the decide to live in the woods) with the more abstract political ideals of those who want to make him a symbol of Saxon resistance. McKinley's Robin is not a great archer or a brilliant strategist, but he is an inspiring leader.

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9 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 27, 2008

Rachel added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Susie rated it:

I found that I adored him and that he came alive for me as Robin Hood. He is not the typical version - he is a reluctant hero, more forced into the role by his friends than by his own wishes. ("'That's why we need you,' said Much comfortably. 'You're a pessimist and a good planner.' 'I have be begun to plan and be pessimistic,' said Robin angrily.") Robin is simply average - he is not great with a bow, he can hold his own in a battle but he is not fighter; he was in the wrong place at More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 08, 2010

Minh rated it:

I am a sucker for Robin Hood. Off the top of my head I can remember at least 3 versions of Robin Hood that I've read (not all loved). Robin Hood is the book that I remember the most when I think back to my primary school reading days, and I was super excited (and eventually super disappointed) for the new BBC incarnation of my favourite protagonist. I picked up Outlaws because of a yuletide story that I put to the sidelines, not wanting to spoil myself for yet another version of the Hooded Man. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 11, 2011

Kathryn rated it:

I've always been a big fan of Robin McKinley (though she's disappointed me in recent years). The Outlaws of Sherwood doesn't get a lot of love compared to her Damar books and fairy tale retellings, and it's somewhat of a departure from her usual topics, there being no supernatural elements. The latter is actually what I like about it - in quite the departure from the Howard Pyle version, Robin is merely an ordinary man.

McKinley in general excels at writing about ordinary people who a More...

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Oct 01, 2011

Tara rated it:

It is hard to go wrong with a Robin Hood tale, because the man is pretty awesome. But this rendition started a little, shall we say, weak for me. It was a refreshing perspective to see a Robin character grow into THE Robin Hood,but the process was a little uninformative for me. It sort of felt like one day Robin was whining about not wanting to be "Robin Hood" and then the next day he was the heart and soul and inspiration to the entire Saxon world. Also, maybe I am just really stupid More...

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May 01, 2011

Jessica rated it:

I have always had a weakness for stories about Peter Pan and Robin Hood. Most of these stories came to me by way of cinema (I must confess I am not sure I ever read Peter and Wendy, and the Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens that I read was for "very young children" and was, most likely, significantly abridged) but in junior high I read and loved a tale of Robin Hood called The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley, Newberry-Award-winning author of The Hero and the Crown.

Chanc More...

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Apr 20, 2011

Amy rated it:

Robin Hood is a character that I always seem to revisit during different points in my life. From the animated Disney movie, to Costner, to Men in Tights. Recently, my interest was spiked by stumbling across the BBC version, which I enjoyed quite a lot.

I had never been interested in reading any Robin Hood books, but decided to look for some high rated ones and jump in. I am greatly amused that I can read this with the BBC characters still in mind, even though this book was written qui More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 09, 2010

Terri rated it:

I know, I know, you’ve had a book blog for HOW MANY MONTHS and you haven’t reviewed anything by Robin McKinley? I’M SORRY!!! Without further adieu, Outlaws:

So yes, if I had to pick a “favorite” author, it would be Robin McKinley. Her phrasing and syntax is amazing, and every time I read one of her books, I’m amazed by the way she strings her sentences together. The only way I can describe it is that she is the most articulate writer I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 05, 2010

Benjamin rated it:

I have long been a fan of Robin Hood and his friends, admired their noble purpose, and reveled in their narrow escapes from the Sheriff of Nottingham. But it seems that every time I pick up a book about their "real" story, the author is intent upon putting a new spin on the classic tale. Perhaps Robin is really the sheriff's brother, or maybe Robin and Marion are one and the same, or, heaven forbid, Robin is gay, leading to a completely different version. But at last, I have found a fi More...

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Aug 15, 2010

Avrelia rated it:

I was reading Robin McKinley’s Sherwood Outlaws and started thinking what the legend means to me.

I couldn't get into the book – even though I like the characters (this incarnations of them) and the writing, they seem to be behind a glass wall that I couldn't break, and didn’t want to. I cannot start to care – and this feels to be of crucial importance in fiction for me lately. I don’t have to like everybody and everything in a book, but at least something must pull me into – even if More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 12, 2010

Laura rated it:

The story of Robin Hood has always been one of my favorites. To this day, "Robin Hood" is my second-favorite Disney film (after "The Little Mermaid"), and there's just something about this ancient tale that seems to captivate not just me, but thousands of readers and story-tellers since Robin Hood first appeared in the thirteenth century. As far as semi-legendary mythical heroes go, Robin Hood is on par with King Arthur for me.

McKinley's Robin does not disappoint, More...

1 comment like

Nov 19, 2009

Margaret rated it:

This was my first reread in a long while, as this is probably my least favorite McKinley book (which doesn't mean I don't like it, it just means I like the others more). It's clear from the start that McKinley's Robin Hood is very different from the traditional figure. As the book opens, Robin, a forester of Sherwood Forest, is practicing his archery in preparation for an archery contest at the Nottingham fair; unfortunately for him, "[Robin:] was not a bad archer, but his father had been a More...

1 comment like

Aug 28, 2009

Angie rated it:

I have a thing for Robin Hood. Specifically Robin Hood retellings. I love Robin, Marian, Little John, Will Scarlet, Much the Miller, Alan-a-Dale, and the whole merry crew. I read Ivanhoe cover to cover just for Robin Hood's periodic appearances. And when I went on study abroad to England, I dragged my best friend all the way to Nottingham and Sherwood Forest as well so I could walk around in the woods and soak it all up. It's still one of the happiest, most golden days I can recall, that one. My More...

8 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 21, 2009

skein rated it:

The story of Robin Hood is so continually relevant that it is able to transcend the (comparatively) little worries about historical accuracy - so sayth McKinley. By and large, I find myself agreeing with her. In this case.

Overall a very enjoyable little book - it would be great to read aloud; it's more story than novel, which ... is typical of McKinley.

Drawbacks: the numerous little characters seem to drift in and out without really making a mark - unless the point is " More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 24, 2011

Mel added it

I didn't know what to expect from this novel, as I happened upon it in the juvenile fiction section of my local library while chasing my toddler around in circles. As it turns out, Outlaws of Sherwood is a fairly sophisticated retelling of the Robin Hood story with a decidedly feminist bent. I struggled some with the abrupt shift in POV and narrative focus that happens about 2/3 of the way through the novel, but my affection for the characters kept me reading late into the night. There is nothin More...

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Feb 07, 2010

Jenny added it

Robin McKinley always delivers. A fun and interesting take on the Robin Hood legend--not historically accurate, but "historically appropriate" in McKinley's words. It delves into the day-to-day of Robin's Merry Men and shows the influence of the women in the tale. The danger seems to stay nebulous for the most part, you don't get up close and personal with the sheriff, his men, or the foresters. There is a brief encounter with a mercenary and there are plenty of Normans to loot, bu More...

0 comments like

Mar 18, 2009

Erika rated it:

Robin McKinley’s adaptation of the Robin Hood legend begins as most do: with the catalytic event explaining Robin’s later and more familiar outlaw state. The first time we see Robin he’s not a great shot. As a sub-apprentice forester, he’s not expected or required to be. Unfortunately for him he’s also the only son of Richard Longbow, a man respected for, of all things, his abilities as an archer. Not only is Robin struggling to live up to his father’s legacy, he’s suffering under the oppres More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 30, 2009

Stacey rated it:

Read this book first as an elementary student, after reading (and loving) The Blue Sword, and reading (and loving)The Hero and the Crown. I loved this one then, too. For awhile I put off re-reading it, but once I finally did, I realized I like it better as an adult, if that's possible. I'd read it so early on the first time, that I remembered it as a young adult book. It may be, but is definitely (and more) enjoyable as an adult. The characters are fully believable, and likeable, especially Robi More...

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Mar 18, 2011

Merredith rated it:

The outlaws of sherwood is just what it seems to be, a retelling of the Robin Hood story. It starts when he kills someone who had ambushed him, and his friends Much and Marian convince him to go out to Sherwood Forest and start a band of Saxons who choose to live there against the Normans. This story isn't really historically based, but McKinley says that in her afterward. I didn't like most of the characters, especially Robin Hood, but that's ok, because I don't think I've ever liked him. Who i More...

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May 28, 2011

Christina rated it:

This book was meh for me. I had a really hard time getting through it. I didn't desire to pick it up, but I was determined to finish it. So, it was kinda like work. It didn't grab me, so I kept forgetting what happened between reads. This is so odd because I love Robin Hood type stories.

I don't think it had anything to do with the writing. I actually enjoyed that. Not everything was spelled out; the reader was expected to pick up some things by inference. And the dialogue was somewhat prose lik More...

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Jan 22, 2011

Bronwen rated it:

Another Robin McKinley reread from back in the day. I wonder if I'll ever find another writer who gives me this kind of pleasure – it's a nice and hopeful thing to think that I might. Her books are enjoyable in a particular hard-to-pin-down way. I think part of it for me is the way she creates atmosphere through details. They always seem to be just-right details to me. Sunshine fries eggs the morning after a night of vampire encounters. The spirits bring Beauty cocoa and buttered toast for break More...

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Aug 29, 2010

Rachel rated it:

My friend, Melanie, loaned me this book because it was one of her favorite childhood renditions of the story of Robin Hood. Reading it, I was reminded of how, during college, she was frustrated to the point of shrieking when she tried to watch "Gone With The Wind" with me- I couldn't get out of my contemporary mindset and observe the piece within the world it tried to represent.

Basically, when anyone brings up the term "Crusades," my mind latches on to the term " More...

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Apr 04, 2011

Lisa rated it:

I have to say, I was rather disappointed by The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley. Once started, it wasn't bad enough to not finish, but it left much to be desired and the ending was entirely unsatisfactory.

<spoiler>
I'm A Saxon...Get Me Out of Here!
The first half of the story concentrates mostly on introducing the traditional band of merry men, except none of them are merry. The only member who is moderately un-sorrowful is seen by the rest of the band as a fee More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 14, 2009

Almak rated it:

McKinley's version on the tale of Robin Hood seeks to portray the legend as a flesh and blood character. He separates the man from the myth. Although he does humanize Robin, he also dulls him as well.

The storyline is slow and characters are incrementally introduced. The core "clan" of Alan-a-Dale, Marrian, Will Scarlet, Much, Little John, and Friar Tuck are all in the mix as well as a number of new characters. Few though, stand out.

I was also disappointed in t More...

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Jan 24, 2012

Widdershins rated it:

This one was solidly between a 3 and a 4 for me. I quite enjoyed it and as always found RMcK's detailed setting believable and enjoyable. But something kept it from really taking off for me - I think it failed to capture my imagination the way her books usually do, and while she did a great job fleshing out the characters, I think she could have done more with them once she had them all there! Once again I found myself wishing she did sequels, because I would have loved to read about the outl More...

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Mar 26, 2011

Miriam rated it:

Great read. The only two things that kept me from giving it a 5 are first, that I wanted to hear more from Marian's perspective, especially during a very crucial part of the plot, and second, that the villain came onto the scene a bit too late. I loved the character development of Robin, in particular. Some of the supporting characters were a bit standard. But I loved the feel of the book, the attention to historical atmosphere, the flavor of expressions and words we don't use anymore. The d More...

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Feb 11, 2010

Dawn rated it:

I read this book years ago, so I remembered liking it, but not many details. This time I liked it okay, but not as much as I thought I would. I guess I expected it to be about Robin Hood, but his character really wasn't very interesting to me. The story of Little John and Cecily, for instance, was more in the foreground and I enjoyed that part. When I think about the title, I guess it doesn't promise to be about the traditional Robin Hood. I also didn't like the ending. Boo for the king's More...

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