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Deerskin

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 10,420 ratings · 675 reviews

As Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog,...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published May 3rd 2005 by Ace Trade (first published June 1st 1993)

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The Best Fairytales and Retellings

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Sep 27, 2012 Annie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comfort-reads, wish-i-owned-it, 5-stars, fantasy

McKinley has covered many fairytales in her novels, but this is the one that haunts me the most.
Based on Perrault's "Donkeyskin" Deerskin is the story of princess Lissla Lissar, daughter of the most beautiful woman in the world. Her mother's dying request is that her husband only marry a woman as beautiful as her - and that becomes her daughter.
(view spoiler)...more

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Dec 01, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy-sci-fi

I'm reluctant to write about this book because writing about it is hard. I finished re-reading it several days ago but I haven't been able to think of what I can say about it that (1) doesn't spoil the book, (2) does provide some warning about what you will come across in its pages, and (3) does explain just why this book is so wonderful. It's also hard to write the review because people are so emotionally invested (whether they know it or not) in the subject of the book and so personal opinions...more I'm reluctant to write about this book because writing about it is hard. I finished re-reading it several days ago but I haven't been able to think of what I can say about it that (1) doesn't spoil the book, (2) does provide some warning about what you will come across in its pages, and (3) does explain just why this book is so wonderful. It's also hard to write the review because people are so emotionally invested (whether they know it or not) in the subject of the book and so personal opinions about a lot of other things come to bear on whether or not someone likes this book. Those with one agenda feel it isn't graphic or harsh enough (to them I recommend reading The Lovely Bones again). Some feel that the subject shouldn't be discussed in a "fairy tale" (to them I recommend this book). And some are in denial that such situations are possible and if the girl had only acted differently in some way it would never have happened (to them I recommend counseling).

Deerskin is based on the fairy tale, Donkey Skin, by Charles Perrault and you may need to look carefully at the edition of his fairy tales that you read, since many of them don't include it. Like some of the Grimms' tales, this one is considered too difficult for the Victorian children who became the target audience of fairy tales in the ninteenth century. Donkey Skin and Deerskin are of a darker kind. The kind where Cinderella's step sisters cut off parts of the feet so they will fit in the glass slipper. Deerskin was published in the early nineteen-nineties, when it was only just becoming fashionable for adults to read fairy tales again and ones written for adult audiences still were not very common. Especially coming from Robin McKinley, who had only published young adult stories before this book, Deerskin was a dark and difficult departure, and earned the author hate mail, among other things.

It's a wonderful book though. One constant throughout McKinley's writing is the healing/peace/serenity found in every day crafts: herblore, breeding dogs and horses, raising bees, gardening, studying books, baking cinnamon rolls, and all the others discussed in her books. If I have learned anything of the author from her works, it is that she doesn't like people who do not do, make, or tend. People who take and don't give, who are waited upon and think it's by right, and who hurt others, are evil. They don't have to kill or blow things up, they just have to take, or hurt. Deerskin is a study of surviving evil, through one and another of these crafts, and with some devine intervention, and thereby learning that it's possible to do so, to be healed, become whole, and possibly find happiness. It's a fairy tale after all.

In the true McKinley fashion, it can also be cute and funny, and some people may find this out of place (again, I recommend The Lovely Bones). Personally, I find humor to be an important part of any learning process and especially important if you're dealing with a difficult subject. So if McKinley wants to spend pages and pages about the antics of puppies, that's fine. If she wants to make jokes about the "hero's" appearance being akin to a dishevaled dog, well and good. That he is a plump man with a weak chin is highly amusing in and of itself (and an excellent nod to Mansfield Park, which has the only other unattractive but lovable romantic hero that I can think of. It's also a story about a young woman resisting a dangerous sexuality that she doesn't fully understand. I hadn't even thought about that similiarity when I noticed the description of the Prince in this book).

I digress. It's an excellent book. It's well written and it tackles some difficult issues. McKinley identifies it as a book for adults (as she does Sunshine). I'd give this book a teenager or even a pre-teen, depending on who she was. If she is already reading Twilight this book isn't any more mature, although it is more difficult. I want to use the word brutual, actually. All of the creepy control issues in Twilight that a young reader might not see are right up front in this book. I think it's a healthier book for that. It is a book to be discussed with an adult though and I would recommend reading it before giving it to a young adult.(less)

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Nov 17, 2011 Gloria Mundi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairy-tales, sexual-abuse-rape, incest, re-telling

Having just read and adored McKinley's Sunshine and The Blue Sword when I started this book, I was full of love for the author and expecting great things. This book is a re-telling of the Donkeyskin fairytale, which I actually do remember from when I was little, though I have to say the incestuous subtext did go completely over my head when I was 5.

Princess Lissar Lisslar is a lonely and awkward child who grows up obscured by the shadow of her glorious parents who are so completely obsessed wit...more Having just read and adored McKinley's Sunshine and The Blue Sword when I started this book, I was full of love for the author and expecting great things. This book is a re-telling of the Donkeyskin fairytale, which I actually do remember from when I was little, though I have to say the incestuous subtext did go completely over my head when I was 5.

Princess Lissar Lisslar is a lonely and awkward child who grows up obscured by the shadow of her glorious parents who are so completely obsessed with each other that they do not seem to notice that they have a child at all and are so totally fantabulous that everyone around them only has eyes for them and is blinded to Lissar's existence. Throughout her childhood Lissar is told stories of the magical fairytale wooing of her mother, the most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms, by her father, one of the seven suitors who had to go to the ends of the earth to win her.

But then one day, the most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms falls ill and, because she cannot bear the fading of even the tiniest fraction of her beauty, confines herself to her bed and covers herself up with a veil, so that no one can glimpse her, not even her devastated husband. The queen also orders a portait to be painted, depicting her at the apex of her glory and, as her dying wish, extracts a promise from her husband that he would not marry again unless his new wife was no less beautiful than herself. The king, as they do, goes mad with grief after the queen's death and, on Lissar's 17th birthday, announces his plan to marry his daughter, for she looks so much like her mother.

I knew this book was about rape, incestuous rape at that, going in and I thought this aspect of the story was handled with great understanding and sensitivity. The way McKinley deals with blaming the victim syndrome (what has she done to this wonderful glorious man to make him behave like this? she must be evil and amoral, she must have asked for this and enticed him with her wiles... it is astonishing and disheartening how prevalent this thinking still is in real life, how ready we are to blame victims of sexual assault for what happens to them) and the devastating impact the rape has on her feels genuine and heart-breaking.

So why three stars? Well, I'm just going to put it out there (although I do feel like there must be something wrong with me for not liking the book more) I found this story pretty dull. I don't know if it was because I knew exactly what was going to happen from the very start (but what did I expect, this is a fairy tale retelling?) or if it was the deliberately languid quality of the prose in which McKinley chooses to tell her tale that didn't quite work for me. It also didn't help that I found Lissar to be a complete blank. She is like a bud that is stamped out before it really gets a chance to bloom, before she really finds herself as a person and after, it is all about coping and survival and pushing out the horrific memories and avoiding being herself. And I know that this is exactly how it would be, that it couldn't really be anything else, but it was dull for me to read about a person who is simply pulled like a puppet on a string without any rhyme or reason throughout most of the book.

I wanted Lissar to take control of her life and choose to do something because that is what she wants to do, because she is ready for it and for me, that never really happened, though other readers may disagree with me on this. Even the final resolution, when Lissar finally faces her father again, seemed baffling to me because, again, she seems to be simply pulled into it by the mysterious magical force that has been guiding her steps ever since she left her home, and it is not something that she consiously chooses to do. Also the imagery of the climax was pretty disturbing with Lissar seemingly re-living her rape in order to condemn her father. While this is probably inevitable in this context, it also left me feeling perturbed. Yes, I realise that this is the reality of every rape case, that in order to bring to justice the perpetrator, every rape victim has to re-live their ordeal in front of the police, relatives, lawyers, jury (that is, after all, why so many choose not to report). I just wish there was another way.
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May 17, 2008 Lizzi Crystal rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book strikes such a discord in me that I have to start reviewing before actually finishing it. Halfway through, the writing is beautiful, exquisite, but circles around and repeats itself so often I was on page 90 before anything had actually happened, which would be fine, except for the hazy treatment of rape and incest. It doesn't capture the seriousness or tragedy, and I've seen alot of girls from troubled homes and even the most innocent weren't stupid enough to wait around when they *kn...more

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Apr 03, 2007 Lake Oz Fic Chick rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookreviews

With Deerskin, Robin McKinley moved from writing award-winning children’s fiction (The Hero and the Crown) to writing adult fantasy. In fact, this novel is so adult (the story includes rape and incest) that McKinley says it’s the only book for which she’s received hate mail. Inspired by aspects of “Donkeyskin,” a little-known fairy tale by Charles Perrault, the journey of heroine Lissla Lissar is a harrowing but deeply affecting story about the power of love and the possibility of healing from t...more

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Aug 13, 2007 S.A. Parham rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is a story based on Charles Perrault's darkly adult fairy tale, Donkeyskin. It's the tale of your usual most-beautiful-princess - with a twist. Her father decides to marry her after her mother's death, the tale has a rather graphic assault scene to end Part One, and a weak ending to indicate happy ever after. I found Part One (84 pages) very tiresome and tedious, with the language very 'fairy-tale-like', which is great in a short fairy tale but not so fun in a book. However, I slogged throu...more

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Jul 30, 2007 Monday rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who know the donkeyskin fairytale

Shelves: retelling-fairy-tales, romance, ya

I love this book. It's incredible. Robin McKinley did an amazing job of taking a fairy tale and creating a beautiful story of strength and survival out of it.

If you are not yet coping with a sexual abuse trauma, don't read this book. If you have no sexual abuse trauma, or are dealing with it, this book is wonderful. If you are in that first category, I think it would be too jarring, too raw, too something.

4 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2013 Nenia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-baby-ya, x-1990s, adventure-ho, dark-like-my-soul, disturbing, faerie-tales-twice-retold, fantasy, gothic, hero-is-pretty-decent, heroine-is-pretty-decent, heroine-is-flawed, icky-things-going-on-here, rape-n-violence, romance-meh, trainwreck-i-have-watched-and-loved, wtf, incest

Deerskin is the retelling of Charles Perrault's "Donkey Skin" - through quite different in many ways, and so much more than just a mere fairytale. It is also a precautionary tale, and a consolatory one. Unlike many romance novels, the love interest of Deerskin is not physically attractive, though this may escape the notice of many readers because we only see him as Lissar sees him: a wonderful, romantic, and kind-hearted young man who is deeply in love. The villain is good-looking, but this has...more

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Mar 18, 2008 Myridian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is not one of McKinley's best books (personally I was quite taken with Sunshine, and how can you beat The Blue Sword). What this book did very well was paint a picture of severe trauma and its sequeli. The main character was compelling and the story of how she was first emotionally (and physically) wounded and then healed (through her own actions as well as deus es machina intervention) was interested. However, it did lack that tang of reality that makes even fantasy stories feel relevant....more

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May 19, 2013 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Never fall for a guy your senior year of college because he reminds you of a character in a book. I guarantee, he's actually a big dork and all you're doing is screwing up your GPA.

According to the review on the back of my copy, Deerskin is "dream-like, urgent, and inexplicable..." This is not wrong, but I'm not used to seeing "inexplicable" used as a compliment. I actually wouldn't mind if RMcK explicated a bit more. I sometimes feel a tad weary after pages and pages of trying to imagine things...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Sandra aka Sleo rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone not afraid of emotional agony.

Recommended to Sandra aka Sleo by: NPR

Shelves: fantasy

Oh my, I scarcely know what to say about this book. It's actually not quite 5 stars, but I'd feel bad only giving it four.

It's wrenching, maddening, lyrical, unflinchingly honest in the way of fairy tales, and it's terribly sad. If it weren't for the dogs, I'm not sure I could've read it. I knew it was about a woman who was raped by her father when I bought it. It was on a list compiled by NPR of books about strong women. That's why I bought it. I thought I was prepared for it. I work as a pract...more

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Oct 22, 2007 Carmen Maloy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All who enjoy fantasy and fairytale

McKinley's writing is amazing, dreamlike, gutwrenching & heartwarming. This book is not for everyone. It has a very dark tone & the first few chapters are very painful to read. Your heart will be ripped to pieces several times before the book ends. BUT despite all of this I found it to be a very uplifting story of triumph & love.
It is the story of Princess Lissar, who at first glance appears to live a charmed life. Actually, once we dig a little deeper we realize Lissar is very alon...more McKinley's writing is amazing, dreamlike, gutwrenching & heartwarming. This book is not for everyone. It has a very dark tone & the first few chapters are very painful to read. Your heart will be ripped to pieces several times before the book ends. BUT despite all of this I found it to be a very uplifting story of triumph & love.
It is the story of Princess Lissar, who at first glance appears to live a charmed life. Actually, once we dig a little deeper we realize Lissar is very alone & isolated in her world. Her parents don't seem to remember she exists, she has no friends only servants. The turning point begins when her Mother dies and she receives a puppy as a gift of condolence from Prince Ossin whom she names Ash. Dear old Dad, crazy with grief over the loss of his Queen, turns into a nutcase & completely forgets he has daughter for several years. During this time Lissar & Ash grow up together & become bonded closer than any two beings can be. Then one day Dad remembers he has a daughter & decides it is time for her to marry & start producing an heir. Once he takes a good look at Lissar he notices how beautiful she has become & how much she resembles her mother. I don't want to give anything else away but this is the beginning of Lissar's transformation into the mystical creature Deerskin & the end of her life as she knows it.

Despite the dreary beginning, this story is ultimately a positive one & especially recommended for dog/animal lovers. The scenes with the puppy rearing, Lissar's eventual opening up to Prince Ossin & the magical, mystical qualities of the story make this a must read. Lissar is a heroine to admire & Prince Ossin is a ray of light in a world filled with selfish, spoiled & revolting men. Lissar's dog Ash is the glue that holds her together through good times and bad.

So, if you're up for an emotional read that is well worth the pain put a day aside to read this one & make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy. You're guaranteed to cry tears of pain & of joy. This one unquestionably gets 5 out of 5 stars.

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Sep 09, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fairytalesretold, adultfiction, misery-oh-misery

Robin's darkest fairytale retelling. Not for kids.

Spoilers to follow:

After the death of her mother the queen, Princess Lissla is completely ignored for years by her father, the king. Her one companion is her dog, Ash, a condolence gift from Prince Ossia, and the two are inseparable.
As Lissla grows, she comes to resemble her mother both in looks and in beauty. When her father sees her, he insists that she must marry him, to fulfill his promise to her mother that he marry only a woman as beautiful...more

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Feb 05, 2008 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fairy-tales

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

1 like · like · see review

Jun 15, 2008 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: robin-mckinley, fantasy-reads

The original fairy tale of "Donkeyskin" by Perrault is one of the more uncomfortable and un-fairy-tale-like stories you may ever read. It's about a girl whose mother dies after extracting the promise from her husband to only remarry someone as beautiful as she is. Since she was the most beautiful woman in the world, naturally he doesn't think about marriage--until his daughter grows up and becomes as beautiful as her mother. Ew. He prepares to marry her, and despite the daughter's best efforts s...more

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Aug 08, 2008 Isabel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

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

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Mar 25, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-collection, fantasy

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

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Jan 09, 2009 Eleven rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fantasy lovers, people who like a good story, fairy tale readers

Shelves: haveread-andyoushouldtoo, scifi-fantasy

A fairy tale in only the technical term, Deerskin takes place in a nameless land within the "seven kingdoms", where a young princess is known for nothing but being the daughter of the best king and most beautiful queen ever. She grows up hearing the story of her mother's courting, the accomplishments of her father and other such things that have instantly become legend in their lifetimes. When the queen falls ill and dies, a few people turn their attention to the princess, now of age to marry, a...more A fairy tale in only the technical term, Deerskin takes place in a nameless land within the "seven kingdoms", where a young princess is known for nothing but being the daughter of the best king and most beautiful queen ever. She grows up hearing the story of her mother's courting, the accomplishments of her father and other such things that have instantly become legend in their lifetimes. When the queen falls ill and dies, a few people turn their attention to the princess, now of age to marry, and realize that she will become the most beautiful woman in seven kingdoms, as her mother was before. This is brought to the attention of a crazed and grieving king, who is driven to the unthinkable. Together with her dog, Ash, Princess Lissar flees her castle with little to no memory of who she is, why she is running and what has happened to her.

Ok, WOW. Now, I have read a few of McKinley's novels, including The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown, so I'm not unfamiliar with McKinley's solid yet visceral imagery. But there was something very, very remarkable about this book, something that I can't rightly explain, something you have to read for yourself.

In the beginning I was actually a little put off by the way it was written, in a very non-specific fairy tale type way, "once upon a time" and all that, where no one had a name. But it was only for about two chapters that it was like this. As soon as Lissar was acknowledged as a person by someone, and not just a thing to get underfoot, that she was given a name. This is done when a foreign prince hears of her mother's death and, instead of sending some lavish mourning gift to her father, sends a small, white puppy to Lissar.

For the first part of the book (during Lissar's "first life"), she struggles with her identity, finding herself uncomfortable with courtly life. There are a few moments within these two years that McKinley really strives to make the reader understand that Lissar's character is molded because of her circumstances, rather than in spite of them. She is a humble, shy, curious girl who would rather garden and play with her dog than spend money or order others around. It was her parents' neglect and her nursemaid's stories of her amazing parents that led to to believe she was no more important than a servant in her own castle. There is very little within her that really feels like a princess, and this is a very important aspect of her personality.

As soon as it stops reading like another fairy story (although her kingdom, and indeed any of the others, get named), the description becomes abundant, even excessive. This story has what I guess I would call flowery language, whereas my creative writing teacher would call it "dead wood". There is a bit of repetition, but I honestly got into that. It was the power of the emotion that was felt, the intensity of the things going on, that made it bear repeating. The restating of a bit of information in a different way made the scene more powerful, rather than taking away from it.

That having been said, I have to say this. I have never found myself actually horrified while reading before. There are plenty of times my heart has broken, I have cried, or felt very depressed because of what I was reading, but I have never felt absolutely, gut-wrenchingly horrified. There was a point where I felt slightly sick, reading what had happened to Lissar. That's the awe that this book inspires.

There are also a few messages of woman empowerment and the worship of beauty. Beauty, as you find out, was the ruin of both queen and princess of the kingdom. The queen loved her own face so well that when she fell ill, it wasn't the sickness that really killed her. It was her own vanity - she lost a bit of her beauty in being sick and didn't want to live anymore. Likewise, the princess growing into such beauty drove her father crazy and resulted in the act that would haunt her "new" life. It is actually in a new land, with an entirely different set of priorities, that Lissar finds comfort and her own identity.

This is a character driven fantasy dream story. The goal is not to create a concrete world but to engage yourself in Lissar's life, her struggles, and, eventually, her triumph. (Believe me, it comes, you have to stick with it... the first half of the book I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it through, her life seemed so dismal.) And in this, McKinley has truly succeeded. This is a book that I won't be able to forget for a while.(less)

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Jan 03, 2009 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: dog lovers, children of narcisists, survivors of any trauma

Recommended to Carrie by: maple street book shop

I can't tell if I loved this book or not. I love her writing and her heroines, and this book is no exception. I tore through it, which I don't do to much anymore (this is technically an adult book, but I think McKinley's writing style was only slightly ratchetted up from her young adult works--it's the subject matter that makes it an adult book). I think it's not that the subject matter is inappropriate for kids, but the story of surviving a childhood requires some distance from said childhood....more

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Apr 26, 2013 Sherry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had a really hard time rating this book, because it's very uneven. Part of me wants to give it a 5, because it is literally stunning. But truthfully, it's probably just a 3. Anyway, here's the deal:
The princess of a large kingdom, Lissa Lissar is the daughter of the most beautiful woman in 7 kingdoms. Her parents are so in love that the princess is overshadowed and ignored. After her mother's death, the princess begins to assert herself just a bit, only to have things go horribly wrong when sh...more I had a really hard time rating this book, because it's very uneven. Part of me wants to give it a 5, because it is literally stunning. But truthfully, it's probably just a 3. Anyway, here's the deal:
The princess of a large kingdom, Lissa Lissar is the daughter of the most beautiful woman in 7 kingdoms. Her parents are so in love that the princess is overshadowed and ignored. After her mother's death, the princess begins to assert herself just a bit, only to have things go horribly wrong when she reaches marriageable age. When I say horribly wrong, I mean horribly wrong. This "part one" is possibly the most well written thing ever.The style is pure fairytale. The foreshadowing, building of tension and dread, and climax is just. freaking. amazing. I had to stop reading and put myself back together when it was over, and it gave me a "book hangover"..the kind where you can't shake off the feeling the book left you with.
Part 2 is very interesting. The princess leaves her father's castle, and heals in solitude with her beloved dog. The writing gets a little weird here, with some sentences very difficult to decipher. There's a quality that might be intentionally dreamlike and symbolic, or might just be a somewhat awkward writing style. Never encountered this in one of Robin McKinley's books, and wasn't in love with it. Our heroine is visited by a fairy woman/type who helps heal her and gives her gifts. She travels out of her solitude and back into the human world, to another kingdom. This sequence is interesting, but not as compelling as Part 1. Part 3 is the weakest segment. The princess travels to solitude again, with her dogs, and eventually is called back to right a wrong and find her ending. This part feels rushed, and somewhat incomplete.
I applaud, loudly and long, the choice of subject, tactful handling, and avoidance of tired shallow tropes. My objection is the unevenness, and, as a matter of personal taste, the heavy yet undecipherable symbolism.
Belongs in any shelf of women's lit, and ought to be read by all fairy tale fans.(less)

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Apr 14, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-awesomeness, old-school-wednesdays, fairy-tales

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Trigger Warning: Rape, abuse, incest.

Princess Lissla Lissar is the daughter of a heroic and handsome king, who won the hand of the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms. Every night, Lissar listens to her nursemaid spin the same tale - the story of her father, winning her mother's hand over the other six Kings by completing an impossible, superhuman task. Every day and every night, Lissar hears the story of her mother's incredible beauty and her fat...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Ellisa Barr rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story begins with a young princess whose beautiful mother dies, but not before making her husband (the king) promise that he won't remarry anyone less beautiful than she. A few years later, the court begins to murmur that the princess's beauty will rival her mother's. And so, the king's eye turns to his daughter. The majority of the tale is about the princess's journey to heal her body, mind and spirit after she is violated by her father.

I first read this book almost 20 years ago and I love...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Tamara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-to-reread

Following the scandalous and controversial fairy tale of Donkeyskin by Charles Perrault, Lissla Lissar is a princess who is in awe of and overshadowed by her glamorous parents, who never seem to have a moment for her. When her mother dies, people seem to wake up to the fact that there is a princess and Lissar doesn't know what to do with it. Instead, she becomes best friends with her dog, Ash, and finds a few unusual friends, who like her despite her differences. The day after her seventeenth bi...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Alice rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazing, fantasy

If there were a way to give more than 5 stars, I'd give them all to this book.

I'll feel a lot of things when finishing a novel, but it's rare for me to just sit and stare off into space, fervently wanting the story to keep going but fully sated, since the book is perfect just as it is. This was absolutely one of those times.

It's not an 'easy' read - there's sexual violence, and McKinley doesn't shy away from it, so know that going in. However, the impact of that violence on the characters is ha...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Crystal Udehn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This happens to be one of my all time favorite books! As usual Robin McKinley delivers with her gorgeous prose style and not exactly perfect happy ending.
Deerskin, previously known as princess Lisla Lissar, undergoes trial by blood and fire, but continues to fight on despite a horrific loss of innocence and self. She is then given a second chance at life which is granted to her by the Moon Woman; a goddess like supernatural being.
Not only does she make a life for herself, but she is able to ri...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Karen (Book Light Graveyard) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes I’m just in a Robin McKinley mood, and nothing else will satisfy me. After rereading “Beauty” and “Rose Daughter,” I found I needed a little more Robin McKinley on top of that, so I reread “Deerskin.” “Deerskin” isn’t a book I’m often in the mood for. It’s not that is isn’t wonderful and beautiful and outstanding—because it is—it’s just that this book is such an emotional commitment. It takes a lot out of me to read about the terrible things Lissar goes through at the beginning of the...more Sometimes I’m just in a Robin McKinley mood, and nothing else will satisfy me. After rereading “Beauty” and “Rose Daughter,” I found I needed a little more Robin McKinley on top of that, so I reread “Deerskin.” “Deerskin” isn’t a book I’m often in the mood for. It’s not that is isn’t wonderful and beautiful and outstanding—because it is—it’s just that this book is such an emotional commitment. It takes a lot out of me to read about the terrible things Lissar goes through at the beginning of the book. And let me warn you, they are unspeakable—rape, incest, abuse . . . not things I can read about lightly. But I felt “Deerskin” calling me, and so I settled down, braced myself for the beginning, and dived in.

The brutality of what happens to Lissar always dominates my memory of the beginning of this book, but every time I reread it, I’m reminded that that’s not all the beginning is. The beginning is also Lissar making her first tentative steps to becoming her own person after a lifetime of being ignored, and learning how to interact with others after being secluded for so long. It’s also when she gets Ash, her dog and best friend. Although, “best friend” is perhaps too light a term for their relationship. Lissar and Ash are everything to each other, and even if you’re not a dog person, I guarantee you’ll become one for the duration of this book. Ash is just that amazing.

This isn’t a fast-paced book at all. It’s entirely about Lissar’s healing process and her very private, very personal journey back from the evil that was done to her. But it’s so freaking well done. McKinley writes about it in a way that gets you so invested and makes you feel so protective of Lissar. And I think her portrayal of Lissar’s road toward healing feels really believable—it’s slow and painful, with sometimes more steps backward than forward, but Lissar survives, and more than survives, she grows stronger. It’s amazing to see.

And of course, I have to make a quick mention of Ossin. Ossin is outstanding. He’s not your typical love interest—he’s not handsome and is overweight and spends more time with his dogs than fulfilling his princely duties. But, oh, Ossin. He’s patient and kind and understanding and gives Lissar the time and space she so desperately needs. I love Ossin for how good he is to Lissar.

While I love, love, love this book, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it if you haven’t read anything else by Robin McKinley yet. In other words, read it, just don’t make it your first Robin McKinley book. Because it’s by far her most emotionally intense, and it deals with the hardest issues, so I think it may give you a slightly inaccurate perception of what McKinley’s books are like in general. But seriously, you won’t regret getting around to “Deerskin” sometime.

Original review at Book Light Graveyard
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Oct 25, 2012 Delaina rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Aug 13, 2012 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone old enough to be confronting the idea of rape and incest

Compelling and disturbing, a Fairy Tale that confronts Reality: do not make the mistake of assuming "Deerskin" is a typical fantasy... yet its value lies most in what makes it atypical.

First, and in a lighter vein, it shows how near-isolation of a child can inhibit that child's understanding of humans and human interactions. Lissla Lissar grows up the neglected and ignored child of parents so enamored with one another that they rarely see her, and even to her nurse, she is of value only as her m...more Compelling and disturbing, a Fairy Tale that confronts Reality: do not make the mistake of assuming "Deerskin" is a typical fantasy... yet its value lies most in what makes it atypical.

First, and in a lighter vein, it shows how near-isolation of a child can inhibit that child's understanding of humans and human interactions. Lissla Lissar grows up the neglected and ignored child of parents so enamored with one another that they rarely see her, and even to her nurse, she is of value only as her mother's daughter. Her royal parents' glamour (made of extreme physical beauty, of the myth of romance, and of the unrecognized powerful magic of personality her mother wields, which overwhelms everyone) occupy everyone's attention---Lissar is almost completely ignored. Along with this is a subtle point on how people, even societies, can choose the wrong criteria for what is "good and admirable." Two societies contrast in this book: one which puts conventional beauty, social strata, and what one wishes to believe as paramount---you can follow how they lie to themselves, and are unable to recognize truth, unable to see and believe in their Princess; and one society that puts Love and Life as paramount, where people are judged by who they are and how they act, not what they are or how much they glitter.

The second, and pivotal point of the book deals with the twin traumas of rape and incest. It is here that McKinley puts forth her most compelling writing, for to read this book is to understand, at least a little, the wounds such victims suffer all their lives. As one real life male victim once put it [paraphrasing], "It's not like a scar that eventually heals and stops hurting; instead it's as if you've lost part of your leg and limp forever afterward. It is psychic murder, for you will never again be the person you were before it happened... the damage is that fundamental." Survivors don't "get over it": like a person missing a foot, they learn to live and move despite the damage that can never be repaired, damage that will always impair them in some fashion. Their courage is in going on to live anyway, as best they are able. Many write of the initial trauma in a way that one feels great sympathy and pain for the victim; few are able to write of the ongoing, permanent damage in such a way that non-victims can understand it---McKinley has, and I thank her for it.

Lastly, the bulk of the book deals with healing, with learning to love and trust, with dealing with the damage and choosing for Life and Love---despite and around the damage and dismemberment of the psyche. It also clearly shows the kind of courage it takes to do this, the kind of strength it takes to admit and express weakness, the fierce strength of heart where one can openly face the painful past in order to protect another from similar ravages. It ends not in a "happy ending," but merely in hope, in a choice to try for happiness---which is in itself courageous, because it is a choice for Life, not Death. Sometimes the choice to go on trying, to make room for love and life despite such wounds, is the most courageous of all.(less)

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Feb 05, 2012 Sonia Mcintosh rated it 4 of 5 stars

am a romantic so I love a good fairy-tale with princes and princesses and true love which conquers all. This is what lead me to pick up the book Deerskin by Robin McKinley who has done some great retelling of traditional fairy-tales (often found in the teenage collection). So when I saw this in the adult fiction, I prepared myself for a good read and I wasn't disappointed.
The book begins where most books leave off. The Prince has found his Princess, they marry and take over ruling the kingdom....more am a romantic so I love a good fairy-tale with princes and princesses and true love which conquers all.   This is what lead me to pick up the book Deerskin by Robin McKinley who has done some great retelling of traditional fairy-tales (often found in the teenage collection). So when I saw this in the adult fiction, I prepared myself for a good read and I wasn't disappointed.
The book begins where most books leave off. The Prince has found his Princess, they marry and take over ruling the kingdom. Yet there is no happily-ever-after. The new King and Queen are caught up in their all-consuming love and have little room for their daughter, Lissla Lissar. She is left to grow up alone in a kingdom that adores her parents until tragedy strikes. The Queen, "the most beautiful woman in seven kingdoms," dies and her father is thrust into madness.
During this time Lissar receives her first friend as a gift - a fleet-hound puppy called Ash from a Prince from a nearby country.   Lissar is unaffected by palace life and her blossoming beauty, and spends all her time training the puppy. As she grows more into the beauty of her mother, Lissar must flee from her father's madness and lust.
Wounded in body, mind and spirit by her father Lissar flees her palace live, with her faithful dog Ash, to the mountains where she must recover. She makes a new life for herself living among a people where she finds love and acceptance but no peace.
There is a dream like quality to McKinley as she writes yet she leaves vivid pictures in the readers mind of Lissar struggling to survive, running barefoot through the countryside with her dogs. Central to the story is the love that Lissar and Ash share as it is in this relationship that she finds the strength to finally recover, confront her father, and regain the memories of her life as a princess.
For those who love fairy-tales, this is an adult version as it addresses issues of incest and rape. It is at times painful to read because it is full of brokenness, but there is joy and healing, and of course a love that triumphs!
Highly recommended!
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Dec 07, 2011 Linda G rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dog-stories

One of the reasons I enjoyed this read was that the main heroine Lissar had as her sidekick her dog named "Ash", a fleet hound( meaning she hunted by sightnot by smell) was always by her side. Ash was her faithful companion through good and bad events. Lissar was born to a royal couple and her mother was the "most beautiful woman in all the seven kingdoms". Her mother was so beautiful that the king was so infatuated with his beautiful queen that he barely noticed his own child. As a matter of fa...more

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About Robin McKinley

Born in her mother's hometown of Warren, Ohio, Robin McKinley grew up an only child with a father in the United States Navy. She moved around frequently as a child and read copiously; she credits this background with the inspiration for her stories.

Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books...more

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“It is a much more straightforward thing to be a dog, and a dog's love, once given, is not reconsidered.” — 43 people liked it

“Then marry me. For I love you, and I do not believe there is anything so wrong with you. You are fair in my eyes and you lie fair on my heart.” — 18 people liked it

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