Rating: 
Summary: An absolute gem
Review: I first found this book in the YA section of my local library and, being a fan of fairy tales, took it out. The writing is subtle and compelling, the story is superb. Dean's command of the language and her tale makes this a story that people of all ages who love fairy tales should read. I have, I'm afraid, inflicted numerous copies of the book on patient and forebearing friends. Since I rarely impose my opinions ("You MUST read this!") on anyone, my apparant lack of control in recommending this story says something in itself. WONDERFUL! CREATIVE! Not to be limited to young adults!
Rating:
Summary: Subtle and engrossing
Review: If you aren't the type who likes subtlety, don't bother. If you have to be hit on the head with parallels and have the 'fantasy' environment thrown in your face from page one, go read Jordan. If you like your mysteries to creep up on you, your fantasy to slowly interweave with real life until it comes out in a final conclusion... then read this. If you have already read and liked this, look for Diana Wynne Jones' Fire and Hemlock.
Rating:
Summary: Literary fantasy, a dash of humor - a breath of fresh air.
Review: I had never read any of Dean's work before finding this in the bookstore, and I have to say that, as an English major who despairs of ever finding any novels at all with any true literary value, much less a fantasy novel that is jam-packed with in-jokes and lovely, obscure quotes that expressed that characters' feelings so beautifully and succinctly, I was overjoyed to read this in excess of 10 times before one of my friends pilfered it. For those readers who find that Dean does not cater sufficiently to the plot of the ballad of Tam Lin, I suggest a more careful reading. It is all there, buried in between the mundane happenings of everyday life, which is, I think, Dean's point. The one complaint that I do have is that Dean does not partition the book well. That may also be intentional, giving the reader a sense of how life flies by so quickly as one matures. At any rate, it is fun to try and find the source of her thousands of quotations, and it is even more fun to love the characters and to care about them and about what happens to them. I almost went to Carleton because of this book... :)
Rating: 
Summary: Another Carleton alum sounds off on Tam Lin
Review: I enjoyed this book mostly for its in-depth descriptions of Carleton College in the 70s, and college life in general. As a fantasy novel, it really wasn't much-- the Scotch fairy tale sneaked in only at the very end. Dean is a great writer-- check out The Secret Country for a wonderful fantasy read. But unless you went to Carleton or had a friend who did, the references might be a little out there for you. And yes, doubting readers whose reviews appear below mine, tossing off references to everything you've ever read is not at all uncommon at Carleton in real life!
Rating:
Summary: Carleton College in the 60s (oh yeah, some fairies too)
Review: I've read "Tam Lin" probably 5 or 6 times now. It's a book not quite like any other I've read. It purports to be a retelling of a Scottish ballad involving fairies, but Dean really doesn't do much more than hint at this until the end. What she does for most of the book is reminisce about her time at Carleton. We students have fun poring through her descriptions and identifying dorms and buildings and areas on campus. We laugh at her characterizations of the different departments. It's great. You'd be amazed how many people say that "Tam Lin" influenced their decision to come to Carleton. But other than Dean glowing over her college years, there's not much else to redeem the book. The main character is whiny, and the plot develops at a very strange pace (lots of space devoted to Janet's freshman year, then a couple chapters on her other three years, then a chapter or so on the fairies). As other people have mentioned here, more attention was paid to intricate literary references than action or, for that matter, fairies and ballads. Read it if you're a die-hard fantasy or ballad fan, read it if you're a die-hard Carleton College fan, otherwise there's plenty of other good books out there.
Rating:
Summary: The brilliance of folklore!
Review: Tam Lin took me by suprise. In an explosion of beautiful language and brilliant use of references to literary classics, Pamela Dean has created a masterpiece. Revel in the verbal jousting of the characters as they race against time and against their own emotions in an attempt to save each other from the thrall of creatures of another age. If you love literature in it's purest form and folklore at it's best, read Tam Lin and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Definition of sublime
Review: One of the most gorgeous things about this book is that it is SO normal and seemingly mundane until the very end. It is at this point that the fantasy kicks in and with sudden clarity and force, reminds you that it has been there all along if you were paying attention. It wasn't until the third reading that I began to feel that perhaps I was picking up all of the forshadowing and such...but Pamela Dean has a sublime way of making her words and images lodge in your mind to be retrieved indefinitely. Of all the retellings of fairy tales and legends I have read, it certainly ranks among the very best. This book however is not for someone who is bored by detail or is frustrated by literary references that can only be understood by the original author. This book has the potential to come off as literarily pretentious...but if you are at all familiar with the legend of Tam Lin and what it signified, you will not be disappointed. A truly amazing read.
Rating:
Summary: The incorporation of the fairy tale was rather extended
Review: THe fairy tale was incorporated into the modern story only in the last few pages. Otherwise it was excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of the better re-tellings
Review: When I first started reading Dean's Tam Lin, I expected at least a good story. I loved the original ballad and figured that there was little that could be done to lower my appreciation of the story. I was wrong. First of all, Dean had the audacity to set Tam Lin into a modern day college. And not any college, either. A college where Janet and her friends quote and pun on major English authors with every breath they take. It's positively disgusting and it forces the reader to suppose that Dean is showing off her personal knowledge of the English language. I found this kind of "I know more than you do" attitude particularly insufferable. Lastly, I thought it ridiculous that this book is categorized under fantasy. There are about three pages containing fantasy towards the end of the book. The first couple hundred pages detail Janet's *fascinating* college life and then suddenly go to the final fantasy show-down. Lulled to sleep by the first part, I almost missed the fantasy altogether. If you want a book about college life in a liberal arts college where everyone's IQ is probably well above 140 (and they all know it), this is the book for you! If, however, you seek a good fantasy retelling of Tam Lin, drop this book immediately and pick up McKillip's Winter Rose or Pope's The Perilous Gard.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow! This is the good stuff.
Review: I, too, found this book by chance at the library. It was lying on the checkout counter and when my selected books had been processed, the clerk asked, "Do you want that one, too? It's been lying there a long time?" Impulsively I added it to my selections. Ah, serendipity! What a thriller, what a human drama, what a delicious smorgasbord of literary references. This was my first taste of Pamela Dean, but won't be the last. The girl can write! For the record, I'm a picky sort and fantasy is *not* usually my bag. Score!
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