Robin Hood

by Benedict Flynn

Robin Hood, one of the great legends of England, lives again in this re-telling of the famous story. Dressed in Lincoln green, with his longbow never far from his hands, he moves through Sherwood Forest righting the wrongs done by the Sheriff of Nottingham, and his evil henchman, Guy of Guisborne. Little John, Will Scarlett, Friar Tuck and Lady Marion are all part of the forces of good against the Sheriff and his mysterious sister, the Prioress.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook, Media Tie In, Childrens, British Literature

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid, satisfying presentation of the Robin Hood legend that condenses some of the main incidents common to most popular versions of the story. The main characters are true to the general conceptions 20th and 21st century audiences/readers are accustomed to. The audiobook is well read by John McAndrew, and is enhanced by brief snatches of classical music and a selection of appropriate and occasional (good quality) sound effects. With a single actor reading all parts and narration, this cannot be called a dramatization, but the music and sound effects add interest to the telling of the story. The story is well-suited to children, but it's by no means insulting to adult intelligence.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook narrated by John McAndrew.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robin is ridiculous and dramatic all times, and everyone is silly. Pretty fun story, though.

[Denae Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reader thoughts: I love retellings. I particularly love Robin Hood retellings because of how merry the characters are. They are good natured and get along with each other.

This retelling was very short (2ish hours) and read more like a summary or Great Illustrated Classic than a book in its own right. It hit all the main Robin Hood points (crusades veteran, his enmity with Guy and the sheriff, how he met Little John and Friar Tuck, his feast with the bishop, disguised at an archery contest used as a trap, his love of Marion, his death by poisoning) with a few added points (Guy of Gisbourne had Marion's aunt killed, Robin had to rescue Marion, and Guy had taken Locksley from Robin's dad and probably had him killed).

Writer thoughts: Such a short book can do little more than summarize stories and has to assume the readers know something about Robin Hood. For instance, we never found out why Robin and his men wore Lincoln green. We also saw few thoughts and feelings from the characters and no normal days for any of them.

How can a book hold readers' attention if we know exactly how it is going to end?

1, the final conflict was different enough (Robin's men all captured and about to be hanged!) that reader's can't predict the solution.
2, readers may know the king will show up but not when and how and where.
3, just because we know Robin wins in the end, does that mean his men survive?

This book didn't veer away from the trope much, but some books extend the retelling differences to make readers wander what the MC will have to do or give up in order to win. Will Robin have to murder Guy in order to regain his land? Will Robin have to choose between his love of Marion and his loyalty to his men? Like, moral questions of character and such.

[Brent Krebs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written with the point of view that living out in the woods with a bunch of dudes is a "romantic" notion in an idyllic setting. While hot-tempered, the titular Robin Hood is always displays chivalry, his men are always loyal, and he always hits his target! This book sits in an odd place where it might be a little too gritty to be a kids book but not serious enough for teens/adults to enjoy. All I could picture was Robin Hood - Men in Tights. So it also sits in that place where it isn't bad, but not good either.

[Isaac Rojas Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even nowadays people all over the world need a hero.
Robin Hood stands for the poor and powerless hope and justice.
I like it. I encourage you to read the tale of Robin´s cunning fight against an
unjust authority.
I am going to read in the near future more E-books from Naxos AudioBooks.
Good work!!
Thank you very much.

[Gleave_girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are several books written about Robin Hood. This is the only one I've ever read so I can't compare it to other Robin Hood books. But I liked it. I read it with my children and they liked everything except the ending. The ending wasn't my favorite either. I prefer to end it at the "Happily-Ever-After" of Robin and Marian.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the story of ROBIN HOOD and this retelling is wonderful! A great narrator brings to life the likes of Robin Hood, Little John, Lady Marian, Guy of Gisbourne and the evil Prioress. Music is woven throughout as interludes and sound effects are incorporated to make this feel like an "Old Time Radio" drama. My only complaint... much too short!

[Tehreem Tahir · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a 2 hour audiobook so I read/listened to it but it’s not the “original” apparently, however, IT IS GREAT! I really enjoyed it! It was really well done and brilliantly narrated! I really recommend this to everyone! I hopefully will read the “original” version soon too!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not intend to listen to the junior classics version of Robin Hood but I did. The audiobook had fantastic voices. But in general the story is a little dark so it wouldn’t be suitable for young kids.

[Jaime Escobar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an excellent book. It traps you from the beggining with a lot of fun and enthusiastic adventures that Robin Hood and his outlaws have to overcome. Sometimes it's a little predictable as Robin always is trying to get his army bigger and stronger, nevertheless is an entertaining history.

[Shayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this shortened version. Great format for kids although some of the content is more suitable for teenagers.

[Courtney Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A descent, if not amazing, childrwn's Robin Hood. Tends towards the action packed, which my boys appreciated. I'm still in search of a *great* version.

[ErinJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Lovely Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75⭐️

It was a fine story. I just felt like it was lacking a lot of charm & humour...

🤷🏼‍♀️

[Deandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. The narrator had such a flare for the dramatic I was blown away by the character voices he brought to life. Wonderful story.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between princess bride and Robin Hood men in tights - I grinned through most of the audio book. Not sure that was the intended affect.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew that character who got away was important!!! A surprise twist at the end. Listened to the audiobook in an afternoon while doing yardwork. A pleasant way to spend the day.

[Gillyweed Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twas a fun listen 3.5 stars

[N.B. Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved this story. The noble outlaw, Robin Hood holds a special place in my heart as he does in the hearts of millions. I have heard many versions of his story over the years but none as good as this re-telling by Benedict Flynn. The Author really captures the rough times of the era, as well as portraying the characters of Robin Hood and his friends in vivid and colourful detail. His settings too are wonderfully described. The book is also masterfully narrated, and this, together with the Author's easy to read style will introduce Robin and all he stood for to a new generation. Fans young and old will be delighted by this book. The best of Benedict Flynn's works by far.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids saw the Disney version of Robin Hood for the first time this summer and quickly became obsessed with it. To balance out the Disney effect, we checked out this audio book version of Robin Hood. Although it was rather "old" for the kids, it kept their interest and even led to some lengthy discussions about, among other things, the Crusades, taxes, the relative virtues of stealing, and even torture. ("What are lashes? Why are they giving him thirty lashes? How will that help him talk?") The reading of it was fantastic. But the ending, *sigh*, definitely not the Disney version.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benedict Flynn has rewritten a number of classic for kids, specifically for audio recordings, and he does a great job. The stories are not dumbed-down or Disney-fied. The reader on Robin Hood, John McAndrew, is quite good and the story is accompanied by sound effects (like the sound of someone walking in the snow and the thwock of an arrow hitting its mark) and classical music. Logan, who discovered pirates at 5 and is now onto knights at 6, loved this story.

[Vanessa Hatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was Robin Hood. It was nice to hear how the original story goes and then think about all the different versions there have been made of this story--to know which parts were true to the book and which added. In the book there is basically an epilogue which I think should just be deleted. It was good and then he tacks on this little chapter at the end which just leaves you unhappy.

[Rondell Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

i always wanted to be a merry men to steel from the rich eat from the king fine dear learn to fight and hunt plus were on alway on the run the life of a merry men always semm to be my type of life

[Jason (jasonb) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear this book is the same that Errol Flynn's movie, Adventures of Robin Hood, was based on. It was very fun to listen to. The audiobook is only a couple of hours long but it has all the fun due to the narrator doing such a great job with all the voices.

[Aj · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the action in this book. I thought some parts were funny.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember this book very well so I don't think it made that good of an impression on me. I remember it being very historical and a little bit boring. I wouldn't recommend

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were no surprises in this classic tale but it was still a delightful distraction from folding laundry and making dinner.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the classic story of Robin Hood and his merry men.