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Title: The Door in the Hedge
ISBN: 0698119606
Author:
Robin McKinley
Publicate Date: 2003-10-13
Publish: 2003-10-13
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.20
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $1.65
Amazon Merchant Price: $6.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Bedtime Stories -- They put you to sleep
This book has been sitting on my shelves for six years, hidden behind the other works of McKinley I actually like. By my old bookmark, I was on page 44 of the "Stolen Princess" the third time I tried reading it, but I dropped the book out of genuine boredom and fell asleep.
I remember skipping ahead to the "Princess and the Frog," a tale of nonsense. The princess somehow saves the day with pondwater-ex-machina (no clue is given to the reader that this will work) after two fighters pause in the middle of heated mortal combat for ten minutes while she fetches it.
At this point I put the book down for six years. I didn't get rid of it because two stories were left unread, and I do like McKinley. I found it yesterday while cleaning. So I finished the book at last.
"The Hunting of the Hind" is another Princess fairytale. In this story nothing is shown, everything is told, and the descriptions are florid. I managed to stay awake.
Finally "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" disappointed me. In some ways it is the best of the stories, as it's from a non-princess perspective. But no gripping action and little dialogue.
According to the author's notes at the end, this was McKinley's second novel, which explains why it was so bad. She was still finding her voice. Anyway, this book isn't for adults. I think it would be perfect to read these stories to a young girl at bedtime. They'd help her sleep, guaranteed.
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2: And they lived happily ever after
If you look for fantasy books described as "dark and sardonic" then this one is not for you. As other reviewers have noted, there is some darkness here. I didn't sense as much of that as other reviewers have. But, for me, all these stories end with warm fuzziness. I loved them. Who needs to buy dark and sardonic novels when you can read the morning newspaper and get plenty of that.
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3: Worth It for Last Tale, Which Is Incomparable!
While I have become quite a fan of McKinley's, these short tales didn't captivate me as much as I expected, EXCEPT for the last story in the book, about the 12 Dancing Princesses. There is an airy, aching melancholy about the soldier's point of view in this story which is truly affecting! I haven't been able to get it out of my mind for days now, and I have re-read parts of the story over and over. This tale makes the entire book worth your attention, whether you are a McKinley reader or not. The 3 other stories will help you pass a nice spring or summer lunch hour, and cause a wry grin or two (except for the 1st one, which is the weakest of the bunch...I couldn't even eke out a half-smile at the happy, sappy ending myself, & the story overall was too disjointed for me). But the last will have you feeling a more than just a bit bittersweet for a long while, whenever you chance to think about it.
I love it when an author is able to make her readers experience a moment or two of extraordinariness, in an otherwise ordinary day.
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4: Door in the Hedge
Well written and fun to read if you like imaginative books.
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5: Excellent!
I sincerely enjoyed this collection of short stories. I am a total sap for anthologies of short stories, and Robin McKinley is one of my all-time favorite authors. I must admit, however, that this is not my favorite group of short stories by her, but it was a great read.
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