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Deerskin

by Robin McKinley

3.87 · Rating Details · 16,529 Ratings · 1,024 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 (first published June 1st 1993)

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There are lots of words for creatures that I'm not familiar with; are these unique or drawn from specific cultures? Does anyone know (beyond many skinned girl and/or donkey girl) what other lore this draws upon?

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The Best Fairytales and Retellings

26th out of 1,937 books — 7,779 voters

Best "Strong Female" Fantasy Novels

80th out of 1,845 books — 13,650 voters

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Community Reviews

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Jan 24, 2014 Lizzi Crystal rated it did not like it · 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 having finished it, I think the same. Boring is a mild word for it - I've never read anything that dragged, and dragge ...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Annie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

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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Apr 03, 2007 Lake Oz Fic Chick rated it it was amazing · 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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Dec 03, 2010 Bark's Book Nonsense rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dark-fantasy, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is one of my all-time favorite books. McKinley's writing is amazing, dreamlike, gut-wrenching & heartwarming and 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.

Deerskin is the story of Princess Lissar, who at first glance appears to live a charmed life. Actually, once w This is one of my all-time favorite books. McKinley's writing is amazing, dreamlike, gut-wrenching & heartwarming and 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.

Deerskin 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. 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. Her Dad, crazy with grief over the loss of his Queen, turns into a nutcase and 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 her 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 and the brutal end of her life as she knows it.

Despite the dreary beginning, this story is ultimately a positive one and 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 and 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, just 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. ...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Gloria Mundi rated it liked it

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

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 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.
...more

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Apr 14, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it it was amazing

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

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 fa ...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Sandra rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone not afraid of emotional agony.

Recommended to Sandra by: NPR

Shelves: fantasy

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

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 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.

...more

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Jan 09, 2009 Eleven rated it it was amazing · 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 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. ...more

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Jul 30, 2007 Monday rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: people who know the donkeyskin fairytale

Shelves: romance, ya, retelling-fairy-tales

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.

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Oct 20, 2015 ❀angela rated it really liked it

Shelves: high-fantasy, prince, princess, romance

I know 4 stars seems like a high rating, but honestly I'm disappointed I could not give this book 5 stars. It has all the ingredients of my 5 star books: princes, romance, intelligent heroines. There was loyalty and puppies and a beautiful princess. And I loved the story, especially told in Mckinley's pretty prose. But this book dragged, and I mean DRAGGED. I like books that make me savor each and every word but this one made me skip entire pages because absolutely nothing was happening for page ...more

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Aug 13, 2007 S.A. Parham rated it liked it

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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Aug 08, 2008 Isabel rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy

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

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Apr 25, 2016 Jeffe Kennedy rated it it was amazing

Someone asked me here about how Robin McKinley influenced my writing. I answered:

I've been reading her ever since I ran across DEERSKIN by accident. That book really blew me away, with how she took the familiar fairy tale structure, then wove in all the ugly, behind-doors human twistiness that the the story gloss covers. So, when I wrote THE MARK OF THE TALA, I wanted to do something like that - start with the shiny pretty and then gradually reveal what can lurk beneath that.

And then I realized ...more

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Aug 19, 2013 Keertana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-linger, beautiful-prose

I genuinely feel at a loss for words when it comes to Robin McKinley, not because her work inspires speechlessness, but rather because it doesn't. After finishing The Blue Sword last year, I realized that much of McKinley's charm was lost on me. I found one of her best pieces of work to be dull and in need of desperate polishing. Thus, I didn't really intend to read Deerskin but the premises sounded too intriguing to pass up.

A beautiful princess, largely ignored for much of her life, comes to t I genuinely feel at a loss for words when it comes to Robin McKinley, not because her work inspires speechlessness, but rather because it doesn't. After finishing The Blue Sword last year, I realized that much of McKinley's charm was lost on me. I found one of her best pieces of work to be dull and in need of desperate polishing. Thus, I didn't really intend to read Deerskin but the premises sounded too intriguing to pass up.

A beautiful princess, largely ignored for much of her life, comes to the attention of her father, the King, after her mother passes away. The Queen, known to be the most beautiful woman in all the Seven Kingdoms, makes her husband promise not to marry a woman who is of lesser beauty than she, which shockingly causes the King to announce his intentions to marry his daughter, just two years later. After beating and raping her violently, leaving her for the dead, the King leaves Lissra to her fate.

But she survives. And as a survival tale of courage, this book excels. Lissra is poignantly written and her brutal rape is delicately handled. Furthermore, despite its darkness, I enjoyed this tale. It is beautifully written in a gripping, fairy tale style, and the relationship between Lissra and her faithful companion, the dog Ash, is beautifully depicted. Even the eventual romance with the plump, but kind, Prince Ossin is sweet. I was willing to forgive the slow passages in-between in favor of a 4 Star rating as well - that's how well this book was shaping up - but it seems I am doomed to give McKinley's novels no more than a mere 3 Stars.

Unfortunately, where this book lost me was in Lissra's ultimate healing. While her mind buried the events of her past and she gradually came to know the truth, I was disappointed by the heavy guidance of a magic that dictated her actions. Lissra finds help in the form of the Moonwoman who heals both her mind and body, but throughout the story - and especially during those last scenes - the Moonwoman helps Lissra to confront her father. For me, this lacked the strength of Lissra's own courage and will to stand up to her oppressor.

Additionally, the romance that gives Lissra a new life was paced slightly abruptly. I found that the line between trust and love, friendship and romance, was drawn too faintly and that jump made far too quickly. I cannot deny, however, that Deerskin is a beautiful novel. For once, I have no real qualms with McKinley's writing and have come to admire the deft manner she dealt with the more complex issues in this story. And yet, no matter how much I wish to embrace McKinley as a fellow fantasy lover, I seem unable to fall in love with her books. Maybe Beauty or Rose Daughter will change my mind yet. ...more

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Jul 26, 2016 Chocolategoddess added it

Shelves: fantasy, borrowed

It's difficult to know what to say about this book, and I can't decide whether I enjoyed it or not.

I think if you're considering reading this, you need to be aware that rape is a major theme. It might be a spoiler, but no one should stumble upon that by accident so I'm leaving it out here for all to see. Deerskin is essentially a story of a neglected girl who's raped by her father, and her lengthy, challenging, journey to get to a place where she can live her life outside the shadow of that trau ...more

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Nov 13, 2010 Elizabeth rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction-fantasy

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

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Sep 09, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, adultfiction, fairytalesretold, 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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Dec 03, 2011 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cinderella, dogs-and-canines-fiction, youngadult, fantasy-fairy-tales-influ

A Robin McKinley book is never bad. Like a Jane Yolen book is never bad.

Deerskin is based on "Donkeyskin", a Charles Perrault tale that is usually neutered and deals with the theme of incest. "Donkeyskin" appears in other collections in variations such as Thousand Furs. These tales are related to "Cinderella" but are darker in nature for the princess flees her father who wants to marry her.

McKinley's retelling is a study in the recovery from abuse and assault. It is more of a inner journey than ...more

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Mar 16, 2015 Angela marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya, retellings, fairy-tale-like, kindle

16 March 2015: $1.99 on Kindle

4 March 2015: $4.99 on Kindle

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Mar 16, 2015 Elspeth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: right-in-the-feels, fantasy, pure-awesomesauce, hardcopy

On sale today, 3.16.15 on Amazon for $1.99 on kindle.

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Aug 15, 2015 Andy rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Spoilers below.

McKinley filters the dark subtexts of a fairy tale through the lens of what feels like a contemporary "adult child" graduate of the recovery movement. She mostly succeeds, but the collision of archetypes and pop psychology gets a bit heavy- handed near the end. I wish McKinley had opted to not depict the actual rape until Lisslar herself recovered her memory of the event; the source of her trauma would have been obvious to the reader, and giving privileged access to something Liss ...more

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Jun 10, 2014 Kelly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-magic-and-other-worlds, gush-worthy, warriors-and-animals, let-me-tell-you-about-it, lit-remix

There are books you come across that you know will be 5-stars even after a few pages. This book was one of them. I hadn't read any Robin McKinley before; but I often recommended her stuff to people at the library looking for really good classical fantasy. I should have taken my own advice much sooner. I was blown away by this writing. The beauty of it just hit you over the head; it's a use of language you don't see often and it totally works for the feel and setting of the story. Some may consid There are books you come across that you know will be 5-stars even after a few pages. This book was one of them. I hadn't read any Robin McKinley before; but I often recommended her stuff to people at the library looking for really good classical fantasy. I should have taken my own advice much sooner. I was blown away by this writing. The beauty of it just hit you over the head; it's a use of language you don't see often and it totally works for the feel and setting of the story. Some may consider it a little long-winded. I call it brilliant detail and world-building. Some authors get bogged down with detail or stretching a scene. There is a right and wrong way to do it. McKinley has obviously shown her mad skills in Deerskin, and you should bow down to it.
I have never read the original fairytale this book takes after--Donkeyskin--so I cannot attest to how accurate of a retelling this is. But with how amazing I found this story, I honestly don't care if it matches well. As is, it's a gorgeous story and a fairytale that should be more mainstream. It's likely left off the popular list because of its darker beginning; however, I think a lot of people and readers are forgetting how dark plenty of fairytales are before they get Disney-fied. This isn't a story about incest and rape. It's a story of perseverance, courage, determination, love-will-out, true friendship, and sometimes the best beauty hides the most hideous evil. Plus, it's a wonderful story for dog lovers.
Throughout this book, even though Lissar makes some easy-way-out decisions, you can never fault her for being brave in the end. While she does give in to thoughts of death, she ultimately fights to live on so many occasions. She's dealt a crap hand. Her parents gave her zero attention; her dad was a pig and her mother extremely shallow. While the King and Queen are told as being an extremely loving couple, their affections never expanded beyond themselves and their beauty. After the Queen's death, the King's madness shows even worse how his brain is poisoned by beauty, and it leads him to commit that horrible act out of pure selfishness and being drunk on power. He's douche-bag King, he's mentally ill, and shame on all of his staff for never sticking their necks out during his delusional actions. Nobody ever tried to help Lissar, so she did the best she could in a nearly doomed situation. And after her escape, you can hardly blame her for hiding out for a while. Those chapters in the mountains were a little slow, but beautiful in how they delved into her own personal grief and growth - all the while, her dog helping her hold on to that last bit of sanity.
Her time in the yellow city really aided in the renewal of her life. Even though she had blocked the memories of her past life, she knew there was something she had escaped and that she wanted to start fresh. What a wonderful place, honestly, to do that. She found her way to a paradise she should have grown up in. Ossin is my kind of prince, and I loved their friendship and dedication to their dogs. Also, great way to show how Lissar understood what love could be but was still afraid. She pretty much thought love was forbidden for her after what her father did. Ossin and the dogs helped heal this wound, and even at the very last page, she's unsure. But it's an ending that has potential, a flame that will only grow as Lissar finally puts her past behind her with the help of her friends and dogs.
This book was simply brilliant, and I cannot wait to explore more of McKinley's offerings. I feel bad some people don't seem to be giving this book a chance--turned off immediately by the less than average fairytale and darker themes. All I have to say is please immerse yourself in this writing, for you will feel every bit of it, and that can be scary. You understand Lissar's terror and despair and feel her loss. But you also rise with her as things turn for the better. Isn't blending with a character one of the best parts of literature? Try something different, people, go outside your comfort. And remember the rape and incest is not the central element (it's really rather a short part of the story), and see the entire picture. This book was amazing, so there.
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Sep 21, 2011 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Wow.

I was enthralled by this book immediately. I tore through it only stopping when I had to catch some sleep before an early day the next morning. This book is leisurely, the sentences dense, but somehow this washed over me like poetry. This was a captivating world and I really, really cared about the main character.

Deerskin is a re-telling of the fairy tale Doneyskin, bringing into focus the aspects of the story that have always disturbed me. This is ultimately a novel about recovery from tra ...more

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Jan 04, 2009 Diana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: 15+ girls and women in need of some empowerment

Shelves: favorites-to-read-again

McKinley is one of my favorite young adult writers and this book is my favorite of hers. I love the empowering journey that Lissar takes in the novel. What I especially like here is that Lissar succeeds on her quest - both an external and internal quest - NOT by donning or adopting traditionally masculine traits or behaviors, but by relying on what can be called traditional feminine qualities. It shows that women and girls can turn the qualities that have all too often been regarded by society f ...more

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Jan 26, 2011 EZRead eBookstore rated it liked it

Shelves: jenifer-reviews

Even readers who never have worn a cloak and spoken in a fake British accent while wearing elf-ears can appreciate a good fantasy. Robin McKinley turns fairy tales into plain old good literature, versus a spin-off of a spin-off of spin-off. She creates something I like to call “cozy” fantasy, which has a double-shot of beautiful forest and a triple spritz of great female leads. Completely aside from my love of her previous “The Rose Daughter” and my perspective on fantasy, can this EZ Read inter Even readers who never have worn a cloak and spoken in a fake British accent while wearing elf-ears can appreciate a good fantasy. Robin McKinley turns fairy tales into plain old good literature, versus a spin-off of a spin-off of spin-off. She creates something I like to call “cozy” fantasy, which has a double-shot of beautiful forest and a triple spritz of great female leads. Completely aside from my love of her previous “The Rose Daughter” and my perspective on fantasy, can this EZ Read intern find a great read in “Deerskin”, a fantasy classic?

Lissar, our princess lead, is anything but a doe-eyed ninny. Her life is overshadowed by the king and queen’s own dramas; it unfortunately happens that her mother is The Most Beautiful Woman in the Whole World. This makes Lissar The Most Ignored Daughter In All of History. Her only true companion is her dog Ash, presented to her after her mother’s passing. It’s after the queen’s death that the drama unfolds, drama which will not be spoiler-alerted here. The king goes crazy, to say the least, giving Lissar no other option but to flee into the forest with Ash.

I think what makes “Deerskin” feel a little different is darker issues it deals with in the story. It’s more of an original Grimm and less of a cute Disney remake. Another thing that makes this different is the close bond Ash and Lissar have, this really feels like a book with two main characters. The focus is less on the tale, and more on their relationship growing and changing. The book has a lot more to do with dogs than you might realize; the dogs are like…the Sam to Lissar’s Frodo. Hope I didn’t lose anyone there with my crazy fantasy reference.

Conclusion? “Deerskin” is a great addition to McKinley’s already fabulous collection of fantasy. Lissar is a lovable lead, the imagery is beautiful and fairy tale rooted, and the story’s more romantic elements are perfectly played. However, it hasn’t toppled “The Rose Daughter” off its throne yet. That book is still the greatest!

EZ Read Staffer Jenifer ...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Karen rated it it was amazing

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 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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Feb 05, 2012 Sonia Mcintosh rated it really liked it

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. 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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Aug 13, 2012 Chris rated it it was amazing

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 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. ...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, fantasy, retellings, standalone-fantasy, awesome-fantasy-by-women

I’m going to be explicit about some plot details, because most of the criticism of this book seems to come from people who didn’t know what they were getting into. So: Deerskin is a fairy tale retelling about a princess who is raped by her father. If you demand that your fairy tales be lighthearted, or your rape/trauma stories 100% realistic, this may not be the book for you. For what it’s worth, I think it’s a fantastic book, although there were times I put it aside for something more cheerful. I’m going to be explicit about some plot details, because most of the criticism of this book seems to come from people who didn’t know what they were getting into. So: Deerskin is a fairy tale retelling about a princess who is raped by her father. If you demand that your fairy tales be lighthearted, or your rape/trauma stories 100% realistic, this may not be the book for you. For what it’s worth, I think it’s a fantastic book, although there were times I put it aside for something more cheerful.

Lissar is the princess of an unnamed country, but she grows up neglected, as her parents are utterly absorbed in their fairy-tale love for each other. It gets worse when the queen dies and the king begins to lust after Lissar. That’s the first quarter of the book; 3/4 of it details Lissar’s initial reaction to her trauma (blocking out everything) and her slow journey toward recovery. Another reviewer put it well by saying that the rape isn’t physically graphic, but it’s emotionally graphic, and the aftermath even more so. (Well, the aftermath is sometimes physically graphic too, actually.)

But for all that, it really is a beautiful story. Deerskin is very well-written; McKinley has such a way with words that the book does feel like a fairy tale, but at the same time honest and real. And there is hope and optimism to balance out the gloom. You probably have to at least like dogs to truly enjoy this book: Lissar’s dog Ash gets a lot of page time. A couple years ago I criticized another McKinley book, Spindle’s End, for its numerous talking animal characters, but she does an excellent job with the animals here: rather than putting dialogue in Ash’s mouth, she shows us a dog behaving like a dog, and she keeps the canine cast small, which allows the reader to visualize Ash and get attached to her (and, to a lesser extent, to the puppies). Actually, just about everything I disliked about Spindle’s End is not a problem here. The romance is sweet, too.

I found the book to be compelling reading throughout, and was certainly glad for Lissar when her life started to improve, but it’s worth noting that Ossin’s kingdom, where she winds up, is probably the biggest fairy tale in this book. (Apart from some fun asides, like the unique take on dragons.) Everyone is welcoming and generous and there’s almost no class consciousness at all. People in real life can be so ugly to rape survivors that I’m not sure how I feel about the book’s putting all the ugliness from people besides Lissar's father before the rape and having everyone who appears afterwards be so nice. That’s not an illegitimate way to write such a story, but it is a choice that merits more attention than it seems to have received.

At any rate, that’s not why I took off a star: that’s for the climax, which is one of those high-magic showdowns (in an otherwise relatively low-magic book) that makes very little sense. A lot of fireworks come apparently out of nowhere. It did not work for me at all, although at least the ending did.

Finally, then: this is an adult book, and a very good one, but it’s not just another pretty fairy tale retelling. Read it only if you’re willing to go to the dark places where it will take you. ...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.” — 65 likes

“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.” — 23 likes

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