Deerskin

Rating:
Summary: Magical fantasy from painful reality
Review: Deerskin is Robin McKinley's most disturbing and powerful book, and possibly her most beautiful. The heroine, Princess Lissar, is beautiful, royal, and a survivor. "Deerskin" rips apart our most treasured little-girl fantasies - that being beautiful, rich, royal and the belle of the ball must be wonderful; that families are perfect, and that princes are always handsome. The story is riveting, sometimes even painful to read. McKinley's incomparable skill with language draws us into the kingdom ruled by Lissar's handsome and heroic father, and her mother, "the most beautiful woman in seven kingdoms" - the quintessential fantasy land. When Lissar's mother dies, her father's grief knows no bounds, and eventually takes a sinister turn. The illusion of perfection is forever shattered, along with Lissar's trust - and her life as she knows it. The tale of this traumatized young girl's survival and her growth into a remarkable woman (with just a little magic thrown in) is the rest of the story. Add a faithful dog and the love of a most unlikely prince to complete the fairy tale. "Deerskin's" enchantment springs from the lovely but dangerous realms of the original tales of the Brothers Grimm. It's not for children. McKinley's other books are stunningly beautiful. "Deerskin" is beautiful - and stunning.

Rating:
Summary: Magic from McKinley
Review: The masterful hand of Robin McKinley brings us another gem. Introspective and meticulous, Deerskin is classic fantasy liberally adulterated with the best and worst of reality. Lissar (known as Deerskin) is a heroine battling not outer evil but inner trauma. Staunchly accompanied by her fleethound Ash, Lissar finds more integrity and warmth in the hearts of her new human and four-footed friends than in the royal halls from whence she fled. Through Lissar's eyes, we see a vivid and diversely populated world where magic is not only possible, but necessary

Rating:
Summary: Not really for children.
Review: This is much, much darker than McKinley's other books. I love "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword"; I like "Deerskin" as well, but I would strongly recommend against reading it to your nine-year-old daughter as a bedtime story, unless she happens to be a recovering incest victim who's already in therapy. Excellent book, but disturbing

Rating:
Summary: Worst Book I Ever Read
Review: I just loved Robin McKinley's 'The Blue Sword', it is one of my favorite books of all time. Her book about Aerin was Okay, not one of my favorites, so I did read some of the reviews for Deerskin before I bought it. However, I clearly didn't read enough of them. Deerskin is a dark, depressing tale. Not a good read, is in fact the worst book I ever read. I did manage to read to end of Part I, before I gave up on it. At the end of Part I the heroine has been raped and beaten by her father the mad king, who also killed her beloved dog. There was some warning of the king's madness and threat before his attack of his daughter, yet she just cowered in her room in fear and made no attempt to escape him and no one else made any attempt to control the king or help her escape. At the end of Part I, I threw the book away. This book is a dark journey that I wanted no part of.

Rating:
Summary: A dark, haunting and unforgettable reading experience
Review: 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. I didn't just read this book I lived it.

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.

Rating:
Summary: But what of the child of a "true love" story?
Review: I just finished rereading "Deerskin", which was part of the origins of my alias "Ash" on various music message board (like ChrisCaffery dot com - of the group "Savatage") Great book.
Good font, easy one the eyes for anyone with less than perfect vision.
Smooth writing style, great rewrite and update of the fairy tale "Donkeyskin", which I now wish to find!
Recommeded for anyone that has a fondness for animals, primarily dogs. If you have a greyhound ("Fleethounds" in this story) or know of one, you can see that the perspective is excellent. Please e-mail me if you are interested in rescuing a greyhound - in real life, October is the Killing Month, since that is when the racing season is over. Perhaps having had a greyhound makes this story even better, closer to the heart, for me.
Good characters (a few slips in the logic area) with a touch of mythology. (the Lady, Moonwoman etc)
The premise starts with a "true love" story of the 'most beautiful woman in seven kingdoms', and the man that wins her heart ... these two people, royals at that, are so in love to the exclusion of every one else ... they make an excellent team as King and Queen ... what is left for their daughter?
She is smart, but one really cares or notices until after the Queen dies. Lissar, the princess, and her true friend, the fleethound "Ash", stumble through the king's dementia over the loss of his queen, giving Lissar memories that she dares not remember. She takes the name of "Deerskin" after being gifted "the gift of time" as well as a few other things (such as a white deerskin dress that never needs cleaning - oh I wish!)

Some sexually explicit scenes., so it isn't suitable for young children, but reads as easily as a YA book.

Definately a 4.5 star book, one I recommend, and is a reread and a keeper.

For anyone grieving a loss, the truth is often that the only true thing that will help is that gift of time.

Rating:
Summary: Dense, dark, and beautiful.
Review: This is, in my opinion, Robin McKinley's best book -- and I've read every one from "Beauty" to "Rose Daughter". Deerskin reminded me of a dream, one that starts out quiet and detached, grows into a nightmare, and then changes into a somewhat-happy ending. It isn't just a "fairy tale" or an adventure story like The Hero and the Crown. It's a story about going through a horrifying experience and living, not just to tell about it, but to make yourself whole again. McKinley's writing style is wonderful -- she writes some of the most beautiful English I've ever read. Lissar's world drew me in, and I finished the book completely exhausted. "Deerskin" was one of the very few books I've read -- along with Madeline L'Engle's "A Ring of Endless Light" and Patricia McKillip's "The Changeling Sea" -- that totally changed me. I will admit, however, that the subject matter is disturbing. I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of fifteen. Even some older readers expecting a "nice" book like "Beauty" may be upset by "Deerskin". I read it as a fairly mature seventeen-year-old and was still disturbed in places. An enormously powerful book.

Rating:
Summary: McKinley Gets Medieval
Review: I will not pass judgment on McKinley's writing ability. I will simply state that what I believe she attempted to create with this book was definitely worth the attempt. She took a subject that is difficult to write about without becoming vulgar or obscene, and wrapped it thinly in fairy tale symbolism to bring us the emotional content without delving into grotesque detail. While some say that this book is hyper-feminist and poorly written, I enjoyed the story's dreamlike quality without being bothered by any socio-political statements the author might have been pushing through the tale.

Deerskin is not fantasy the way many people think of the genre. The wizards and warriors, trolls and dragons do not find a place in this book. It is, perhaps, an obvious allegory, but its story is told with a faraway perspective that gives the feel of a celtic fairy tale, more than a standard fantasy/sci-fi story that fans like myself would normally apply to for entertainment. McKinley plot walks hand in hand with her chosen style of storytelling, since dark and disturbing themes were not unheard of in the un-disneyfied fairy tales of medieval times. McKinley has created a fairy tale that is, in spirit, linked to the earlier, more raw, more bloody, more horrifying, and more compelling versions of many of the tales we watched flicker across silver screens while songs about true love and happy cleanup times rang in our ears.


Rating:
Summary: Wonderful if Haunting Bood
Review: I absolutely loved this book and have read ti several times and still couldnt put it down. I was sad to read all teh poor reviews but if you are going to read this bood you have to realize taht it is a very disturbing story, and is probably not for everyone. Dependign on your point of view the ending may or may not be a happy one, but I think it is extremely honest. It is not the typical "fairy tale" that we have come to expect and both our heroine and Prince Charming are flawed. But in someways it may be more honest to the roots of fairy tales which were not meant for children. If you are willing to push through the darker moments of this book (which are compellingly written) I think that this is an uplifting story, but it is hard to read. The characters are very real and believable adn i think that you should at least give this book a try

Rating:
Summary: Slow start, unique take, good romance
Review: Fantasy romance, with a small but nice background for dog lovers. The lyrical storybook start was boring spun sugar but once it got going the unlikely-prince-charming plot appealed. The ending was a bit too contrived but it worked ok. High scores for a truly different take on the same old story.