Share for friends:

Read The Door In The Hedge (2003)

The Door in the Hedge (2003)

Online Book

Genre
Rating
3.68 of 5 Votes: 5
Your rating
ISBN
0698119606 (ISBN13: 9780698119604)
Language
English
Publisher
firebird

The Door In The Hedge (2003) - Plot & Excerpts

All four of the stories in the Door in the Hedge were wonderful. I enjoyed “The Princess and the Frog” and “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” more than the two original (“The Hunting of the Hind” and “The Stolen Princess”). Perhaps it was the familiarity, perhaps it was the way McKinley handled those two stories, but I did like them more. I liked the way she rewrote them, with stories and events set in the background or in the past that the original fairytales did not have (for example, the back story of the soldier in “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” and a sinister twist to “The Princess and the Frog”). The original stories were very good as well, for the most part, with that fairytale feel to them. “The Hunting of the Hind,” I think, was based on several fairytales, as the Hind plot itself is not original, I think.Of course, all four were full of romance and love and rainbows and unicorns (okay, maybe not the last two) and were very cute and warm-feeling-inducing. The signature Robin McKinley style of writing is present in all of them and although I have had my issues with her writing style in the past (such as in Rose Daughter and the Damar books), it fits well here.The romance present in McKinley’s two original stories is not very well-developed (but then again they are fairytales and they are short stories). It’s more of “love at first sight,” which I tend to dislike in general, and it’s very abrupt. I enjoyed “The Stolen Princess” up until Linadel sees Donathor (by the way, these names totally remind me of The Lord of the Rings) and then, while I still enjoyed the rest of it, it was to a lesser extent than before. “The Golden Hind” had an even worse “love at first sight” since it happened twice, and the ending was a bit dissatisfying.I wish we could have seen a bit more of what was going on in the princesses’ heads in “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” I would have liked to know more about what the eldest princess thought at the end.Overall, The Door in the Hedge is a great collection of fairytales. The romance is abrupt, but it fits the “love at first sight” theme that fairytales generally have. McKinley has a knack for retelling fairytales that carry all the familiarity of the original and yet still have an originality of their own.

173. The Door in the Hedge by Robin MckinleyFinished December 7, 2011I think this would have gotten a higher rating if I had not just read Fragile Things: You know how it is. If you read a really good example of something, its hard not to judge what you read after it a little more harshly. I think because I just read a collection of truly great short stories, its hard to transition. Even though I love Mckinley, I think she works better in the novel format. I think she is an author who needs to take time to fully develop her stories. Part of what I love about her tales is her strong female characters, and I felt that was lacking a little here.Does this have to do with the type of tale?: I think fairy tales, are in general, outlines. They tend to be the bare bones of stories. Cinderella's father dies, her stepmother treats her terribly, and then her fairy godmother allows her to go to the ball and she falls in love with the prince. Its a basic story. They work more like blank coloring book pages. Its easy to color them with different shades, and to rework them to different times and places because that is part of their purpose. I think they tend to be blank and simple, because they are meant to be shaded in by the particular author. However, I feel that Mckinley doesn't fully color these here; she shades them a little bit, but it feels more like a black and white portrait than a vibrant picture. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I think her stories are interesting, and I particularly loved her version of "The 12 Dancing Princesses." But I feel like she could have done more to really bring the characters to life. What I love her for is her vibrant female characters who struggle with insecurity, and these felt more like the two-dimensional princesses from my old book of fairy tales. (I think I'll be tackling fairy tales in FeelingsFriday. Are the princesses blank slates because of the simplicity of the narrative-or something more?)Recommend: I would recommend this if you like fairy tales or Robin Mckinley. These stories are lovely retellings, and there's certainly something magical here. If you're looking more a more vibrant picture though, I would check out Beauty or Spindle's End by this author.

What do You think about The Door In The Hedge (2003)?

A collection of fairy-tale retellings. I know McKinley is not the sort of author to include introductions or author's note with any of her works — she seems to me to be more the sort who writes up her stories and sends them blithely on their merry way and if the reader loves them, great; and she doesn't, oh well; with little desire or need to pen any extra explanation or defense. But these four stories seem to set here so starkly alone. I would have love to have found at the very least a foreword. Maybe there's something more in another edition?The Stolen Princess | An interpretation of the traditional 'fairies stole the child away' tale.The Princess and the Frog | Based on the Frog Prince, and I loved both how the frog shouted at the princess for being stupid (well, she was) and how it was the princess who struck the fatal blow.The Hunting of the Golden Hind | An interpretation of the traditional 'questing for the magical beast' tale, and I love again anew how McKinley's heroines are proactive.The Twelve Dancing Princesses | Based on the tale of the same name. I love the backstory of the soldier best of all. This is possibly the one I love most of this bunch, but I think that may be because it satisfies me the least. It's a good story, don't get me wrong, but it isn't a perfect one and I think McKinley missed places where it could have improved. I keep fretting at all the details.
—M—

4.5 starsWhen I picked up this book, I had no idea that it was actually made up of four short stories! I really liked this though. The Lost Princess was the first story and I found that the author's lyrical language matched the mood of a fairy story wonderfully. The descriptions were enchanting. Perhaps sometimes they were too descriptive; I found myself tuning out, or reading without understanding, though this was only rare. I think that I actually liked the writing of this tale more than the actual plot itself. It was a fairly simplistic and obvious plot – the queen's sister is taken by fairies and then, years later, the queen's daughter finds herself taken also. But it was so sweetly told that I found myself getting lost in it. The characters of the king and queen, Gilvan and Alora, I loved the most. The next story, named The Princess and the Frog, was a retelling of the tale – you've guessed it – The Princess and the Frog! I absolutely love this tale, so was excited to read this! I think I have a soft spot for talking animals – especially talking frogs! I loved how well-spoken the frog was, how human in speech. I felt as though I could read him considering everything he spoke. This was a very short story, but I loved the dark threat Aliyander presented; that was a great twist to the tale. I think this was my favourite out of the four. The third story was also a good read, but it was the fourth story I was more excited to read, as I've grown to love retellings of the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale this past year. This story didn't disappoint and I loved the ending!This book read like an ancient fairytale. I could imagine reading it to someone younger as a bedtime story and I think they would love it. :)
—Martha

The title comes from a line in the first story, "The Stolen Princess." This is a changeling story set in a kingdom where the fairies steal children. The prologue sets up the fairies' practice of stealing children in great detail: the faeries choose boy babies, but leave them alone after their first year and take girls away between the ages of about sixteen and nineteen. My favorite thing about this story is the narration. The prologue and first part of the story remind me of the style of Spindle's End, with similar wry comments. The second half is from the princess Linadel's point of view, as she becomes the central character. It's a story about love and reconciliation, but it's also bittersweet, which is about all I can say without giving away the ending.One of my favorite quotes from this story:"So after he married her, he set out not really to woo her, which he thought would be cheating when affairs of state had almost forced them to get married in the first place, but to be as unflaggingly nice to her as he thought he could get away with. Their delight in each other after they became the sort of lovers that minstrels make ballads about (although it was certainly unpoetic of them to be married to each other) was so apparent that it spilled over into their dealings with their people; and the court became a more joyful place than it had been for many a long royal generation. And the minstrels did make ballads about them, even though they were married to each other." The Princess and the Frog: The twist on the original fairy tale is that this story is not a romance. This isn't as detailed or quotable as The Stolen Princess, but I enjoyed it. The Hunting of the Hind: In this story a prince becomes obsessed with a beautiful golden hind who is more than she seems. This ending of this one is a bit strange, but I like it. (view spoiler)[I think wasn't really necessary to have Korah and Darin fall in love at the end, and it doesn't have as much build up as the other romance (which, since this is a fairy tale, is not saying much). (hide spoiler)]
—Beth

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Read books by author Robin McKinley

Read books in category Fiction