Spindle's End

Rating:
Summary: couldn't finish it
Review: I LOVE "Beauty." It has been one of my favorite books for over 20 years. I feel pretty much the same about "The Blue Sword" and "The Hero and the Crown."

I couldn't even finish this book. Typical of me, I felt guilty and blamed myself at first, but I finally got over it.

Robin McKinley, in my opinion, has become what I call a "Director's Cut" author. She doesn't edit enough. Instead of being tight and fast-paced, her later works tend to bog down in a slow-moving morass of details. Trying to enliven the slow journey from one plot point to the next by beating the reader over the head with a soapbox doesn't help.

Sorry, Robin, but you just don't do it for me any more!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful variation of Sleeping Beauty
Review: Robin McKinley is very good at taking a well-known story and giving it a different spin (pun not intended). Spindle's End takes Sleeping Beauty a direction I haven't seen before while still maintaining the intrinsic appeal of the original concept.

As with "Beauty", the characters are well defined and easy to relate to. The role of magic in the story is creative and presented in an interesting way.

The reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is the rather awkward climax. There's a rushed feeling to it and the clear narration of the rest of the book is missing. This doesn't mean it's bad, just not quite up the the standard of the rest of the story.

Rating:
Summary: Spindle's End Review
Review: Spindle's End , by Robin McKinley , is a very entertaining book. It is told like the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. Rosie , is cursed by Pernicia , an evil fairy , to prick her finger on her twenty - first birthday. Rosie was originally given twenty - one names , but when she got cursed , Sigil , the queen's fairy , who gave her to Katriona , a peasant girl. Katriona named her Rosie , because she didn't want people to think differently. Rosie had many friends. Most of them were animals , because she could talk to them. One of Rosie's friends , Peony , was in love with Rowland , who was supposed to marry Rosie when she became princess again. Two weeks before Rosie's birthday , Igor , one of the king's helpers , knocked on their door. He told her all about her other life. Peony and Rosie switched places and went to the castle. Pernicia was waiting for them at the castle and put everyone under a sleeping spell and took Peony. Narl and Rosie went to Pernicia's castle and rescued Peony and killed Pernicia. Peony became princess and they all live happily ever after. I liked this book alot because it had a great plot and it was very interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Too slow too unrealistic
Review: Though I'm an avid fan of Robin McKinley's books, this one seemed to drag on forever. Every once in a while it was enjoyable, but the characters are odd and pretty forgetable. Unlike most books I read, where there is a clear picture of what is happening in my head, this one seemed cludy and fuzzy. It's about as interesting as reading non-fiction (which I'm not to keen on, but is occasionally interesting). Blah Blah Blah. She needed to cut and shorten it up some because there is way too much fluff. If you are a fan of Robin, then I would recommend 1. The Blue Sword 2. The Hero and the Crown, and 3. the Outlaws of Sherwood before reading the Spindle's End.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: McKinley is a writer of world-class status. You can see this from other reviews that other people have written. So many of us look up to and applaud her! And it is true, as others have said, that no one else writes quite like McKinley does. Her characters are real, they have thoughts (often many at a time), emotions, decisions to make, motivation, struggles, hardship, victories, sorrow and joy.

You feel that these characters could just walk right out of the book and into real life and not be out of place. McKinley has a great sense of human nature. She also has a great grasp on language. She has both interesting wording and a feel for telling a story that captivates your attention and keeps you wanting for more. McKinley's characters and stories will stay with you long after you have finished reading. Personally, I wish that she had written more about Damar and Rosie's country. It really is no wonder that Robin McKinley won a Newberry Medal for "The Hero and the Crown". Which leads me to the next point.

McKinley's books are listed in a children and young adult catagory. This confounds me utterly. I am in my 20's and a college student and I still glean knowledge, hope and encouragement from these books! I believe that any of Robin McKinley's books, particularly "The Blue Sword" "The Hero and the Crown" and "Spindle's End" should be mandatory reading for people ages 10-110.

Now for the story, it seems a little boring at first. Almost as though it were a fairy tale for children. But stick with the story! Once Katrina gets to the Naming of the Princess, things start to pick up. I can't tell you any more because then that would reveal too much of the plot of what happens at the Naming. But what you need to know is that this is NOT the traditional Sleeping Beauty story. Only a few elements are taken from it (spinning wheel, evil fairy, etc.) But the rest of the plot, characters, animals and actions are straight from McKinley's imagination.

She is an author for all time, a true storyteller with the gift of imagination and originality. Once the plot gets going, it never dulls. There is not always a ton of action and hopeless quest and the story is all the better for it! There are humerous scenes, touching, brave, adventurous and joyful. The characters are heartening, close-knit and full of believability.

So, buy this book! You'll get much more than your money's worth and will be inspired to get even MORE McKinley books!

Rating:
Summary: Charming to the last digression.
Review: This is Robin McKinley's take on one our favorite tales, "Sleeping Beauty". Rosie, McKinley's Princess, is as far from the original character as we have come to expect. While Rosie possesses beautiful golden curls, it is considered so ill-fitting that she cuts them all off into a bob! But I digress...

This book is charming, and even more so the characters in it. The characters have volume, and in spite of its enchanted setting, readers could identify with Rosie's frustrations; the fairies' fears; the blacksmith's unimposing nature; even the innocence of the animals. While one could say that digressions in the storytelling often occur (and in great lengths too), they are forgivable and maybe even endearing. I dare say that much of the length of this book has to do with digressions, but I suppose I consider that to be part of the charm. Fortunately, all these side-tales are important to the overall outcome of the book. It just takes some time to realize that, is all. The entire tale is fresh and different and exquisite that this will be my favorite retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" for quite some time.

However, I do think that the last part--when the battle between the witch and our protagonists happens--is a little dragging (to put it mildly. Boring, to tell you the brutal truth). Robin McKinley's weakest point has always been battle scenes, which is why her short, precise and almost evasive treatment of it in her adventure books ("The Blue Sword" and "The Hero and the Crown") worked so much better.

I always found Robin McKinley's books extremely well-written. I didn't feel particularly impressed by her version of "Robin Hood" or even her take on "Beauty and the Beast" but there's something that just draws me to her work.

I would recommend "Spindle's End" if you don't mind being bombarded by seemingly unrelated side-tales. I would recommend "Spindle's End" if you want to be surprised by its "Fairy Tale, yet not quite" ending. I would recommend "Spindle's End" if you're tired of the usual fairy tale princesses.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I just had to get Spindle's End...I love retellings of fairy-tales and I love Robin McKinley. I loved her descriptions of the magic, baby magic and so on. My favorite parts are Katriona's travel to the princess's naming ceremony and when Rosie meets Peony...I also love the end! As in most of McKinley's books, there is always a confusing part - at least to me. The part where Rosie and her animal friends go up to defeat the evil fairy was really odd...and I had to reread parts of it before I (sort of) understood it. I loved how she had the animals talk and have personalities...and I really liked McKinley's take on the fairy tale.