Sherwood Summary and Reviews

Sherwood
by Parke Godwin

Sherwood
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Book Summary Information

Author: Parke Godwin
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-08
ISBN: 0380709953
Publisher: Avon Books (Mm)

Book Reviews of Sherwood

Book Review: A balanced view of Robin Hood? Yes, and it works.
Summary: 5 Stars

Parke Godwin's Sherwood is among the stack of books that I've owned seemingly forever, and I re-read every few years just for the joy of it. I'd argue that it's one of the best re-tellings of the Robin Hood tale (the other being The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley).

First, Godwin sets Robin Hood not during the usual "King Richard the Lionhearted" era but in a more interesting time: the Norman conquest and the years immediately following. Certainly, there's more inherent cultural friction between Saxons (including Robin, who's a thane of a small village), Normans (including the sheriff of Nottingham, Ralf), Danes and the occasional Welsh slave.

Second, Parke Godwin's books all have wonderful characterization, and he chooses to tell stories from non-obvious viewpoints (such as that of Guinevierre, after Arthur's death). In this one, the viewpoint characters shift around a bit, but the main stories are told by Robin (who discovers the concepts of justice and law), and sheriff Ralf (who has his own path to follow, from war to peacetime). Darnit, it *works.* Everyone makes reasonable and sensible decisions, even when they are (literally) at each other's throats. The love story is sweet but not cloying. Marian is no shrinking vine whose main role is to be prize on a pedestal; she's a strong woman (and marries Robin). (Maybe that's one of the reasons I like both this book and McKinley's.) And there's even an appealing cat.

It's told with humor, warmth, and the underlying assumption that everyone is doing the best he can with the information he has available at the time. Even the villains.

This is simply a great novel. Pick up a copy.

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