Door in the Hedge

The first book I read by Robin Mckinley was Beauty. I began an ongoing search for her other works. The Door in the Hedge is her best short story collection yet and each of the four tales is better than the one before. I have re-read the book many times and still enjoy the writing(my test of a good book). The first story in this collection is an original tale with a poignant, quiet look at the bonds of sisters, parents, lovers and the responsibilities of leadership. The second is the best retelling of the princess and the frog I have ever read. McKinley replaces the spoiled princess tossing a plaything in a well and crying because she cannot fetch it back with a frightened young woman startled into dropping a far more sinister object in a secret pool. And it is not so much the frog who needs to be freed of his curse but the princess and her family. (I read this one to my eight and ten year old brothers last night and their response when asked what they though of the story was "Awesome!")The third is an original story of a princess' love for her older brother that takes her from her home, where no one but the prince even notices her, to the hiding place of a magical hind and the chambers of a malicious sorcerer. The final story is an exquisite retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. Without giving the name of a single character she unveils the lot of an old foot soldier. His clear, bittersweet understanding of the world around him entranced me and I longed to keep seeing through his eyes. The ending was a little different, as with the first story I almost felt as if the characters were diminished by the resolution of the conflict. Anyways,I most heartily recommend this book :-}

This book was my first introduction to McKinley's writings. And as far as I'm concerned the best of McKinley's writings. The title story is outstanding in the beauty of the language and beauty of the story told. Truly a magical book. It's been on my bookshelf since it was first printed (and been given as a gift to discerning readers more than once). With bookshelf space at a premium, few books that come into my house stay long unless they are worth reading more than once. Definitely a keeper.

This book reminds me of what fairy tales used to be: magical. No more gender roles, psychological undertones and hidden messages, these stories are all wonderful and pure. McKinley's writing is luminous, her retellings a fresh drawing of the old tales with unexpected depth and candor. Her original stories are compelling and speak directly to the reader, making them a part of her story. She makes her heroes and heroines far more human than any two-dementional Disney-generation character. Each story is almost a novel in itself, giving complete insight into the minds and hearts of the characters, sweeping away the reader into a world of color and light. Warning--this book is not for anyone lacking in imagination, it draws as much out of the reader as it gives to them, and is not for the cowardly.

The Door in the Hedge is a wonderful (and wonder full) collection of fairy tales, most old, two new. Ms. McKinley brings her incredible gift of "purple poesy" to play here, creating rich characters and landscapes. Although readers who prefer linear, action-packed, base language stories may not care for this latest offering of High Traditional Fantasy, those who came to love the genre because of Grimms, Anderson, Perrault, and McDonald will definitely want to add The Door in the Hedge to their collections!

I first got hooked on Robin's writing with her tales of Aerin and Harry in the Blue Sword Trilogy, and as I've waited for the completion of it I've found all of her books to be exquisit in her colourful and eloquent style of rhetoric. When I picked up the 'Door in the Hedge' I wasn't able to put it down. Particularly the re-telling of 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses' - I read it twice before continuing the rest of the book. While I have read different versions of 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses' and 'The Frog and the Princess' to my children, Robin's versions are their favorites. Last but not least in many of the book stores I frequent Robin's works are mostly located in the young readers sections - This is an injustice to we adult readers who appreciate fantasy literature without alot of the garbage contained in the so-called adult sci-fi fantasy books. I hope That Ms. Mckinley continues writing in her same exceptional style.