The Outlaws of Sherwood (Robin McKinley)

One last Robin Hood book before departing the UK.  Today's review: Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood.

McKinley's book is in a different category.  Hers is a traditional take on Robin Hood- but only partially.  All the standard characters and locales are there- Robin, Marian, Tuck, Little John, the sheriff, Nottingham, and so forth- as well as the basic plot (Robin becomes an outlaw, hides in the forest, forms a band, robs people, takes on the sheriff, etc.).  However, three main things set this book apart:

1) the motives, personalities and abilities of the outlaws deviate markedly from the norm
Forget what you know about Robin and his band- this time around, things are quite different.  Here, Robin is moody, an average archer at best, brooding, and concerned more about putting others in danger than about leading a merry life in the woods.  Marian is strong-willed, an excellent archer, and clearly in love with Robin, but unsure if the converse is true.  Alan-a-dale is an okay musician, but nothing to think twice about.  Different members of the party have different, if endearing, quirks- and all are flawed.

2) the telling is much richer
McKinley's prose is interesting.  It's good; at times, very good.  She's not consistently eloquent, but there are times when I paused to admire her phrases and use of words.  It's much more vibrant than the straightforward re-tellings of the legend typical of other authors.

3) the focus is on realism
It's hard to categorize this book.  It's not a straightforward legend; neither is it proper historical fiction (though elements of history are present).  I think it's most accurately described as realistic fiction.  Here,you see decent discussion about what life in the forest really would be like- and it's not all fun and games.  Latrine digging, sleeping in trees, scrounging for food; again, a far cry from the merry men in most tales.

Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit.  It was hard to read a times- the way McKinley phrased things could trip me up- but it was worth it overall.

Rating: A-

A South Coast Miscellany

Locations discussed below

I've been to the south coast region in England only twice- summer 2011, where I saw Dover and Canterbury, and this past weekend, where I tried to see as much as possible west of there.  This post covers both trips, with a heavy emphasis on the latter.

2011 Trip

Driving up from the continent, we took the car ferry from Dunkerque to Dover, then saw Dover Castle and Canterbury on our way up north.

Dover Castle
With a Roman lighthouse, Saxon Church, Norman Castle, and WWII bunkers (not to mention the White Cliffs), Dover Castle will occupy hours- a half-day at minimum.

Canterbury Cathedral
Perhaps best known for being the place where Thomas Becket was murdered, Canterbury Cathedral also features the tomb of the Black Prince, and probably lots of other interesting and famous people.

2014 Trip

Fast forward three years.  My time is winding down in Europe, and I want to take one final "guys trip."  I choose the south coast.  We spend three days exploring the sites; below is a recap.

Day 1

I had planned to do 2-3 things on the first day, as we'd have to drive over 250 miles just to get down south of London.  What I failed to recall: traveling without children granted us a degree of efficiency not recently experienced.  We ended up doing 6 things after the 250 mile drive on that first day.  They were, in order of viewing:

Scotney Castle
A nice National Trust property, with both a "new" house (from the 1800s) and an old Medieval fortified manor home.

Bodiam Castle
I've been to many castles in England (over 50), but Bodiam is the one that takes the prize for looking most like what I pictured a castle to be in a fairy tale.  Fully moated, and another National Trust site, this is well worth a visit.

The sign was a huge help

Battle Abbey
In 1066, William the Conqueror crossed over from Normandy and defeated King Harold of Anglo-Saxon England at the Battle of Hastings.  To commemorate his victory, William built Battle Abbey on the site of the conflict.  Like many of its kind, not much remains, but I enjoyed the undercroft.

Herstmonceux Castle
Now belonging to a University from Canada, Herstmonceux Castle is gorgeous, but not always open for touring (as we were to discover).  The grounds were nice, though, and we happened to hit bluebell season.

Pevensey Castle
Old, ruined, an English Heritage site.  It's okay if you get in for free.

Seven Sisters Country Park
The famous white cliffs of south England can be found several places, but few more stunning than at the Seven Sisters Country Park.  It's worth the one mile hike to the coast.

got wind?

Thus concluded day 1- a lot of touring.  We retired after an average meal and ice cream bars at about 9:30pm.  As most of us have children, this was an extremely big deal- we got over 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  Some called it the highlight of the tour.  Welcome to the mid-30s.

Day 2

After a night of gloriously uninterrupted sleep, we headed to Portsmouth.  It reminded me a bit of Annapolis, and not at all of a typical English town.  The main attraction was the Portsmouth Historical Dockyard, which featured a full day's worth of activity.  In fact, I'll break out the main attractions within the site individually below:

Mary Rose Museum
Shows the remaining hull and 19,000 artifacts recovered from a sunken Tudor-era warship.  Fantastic museum; one of the best I've seen.

HMS Victory
Where Lord Nelson beat Napoleon (at the Battle of Trafalgar) and died, the HMS Victory was restored to its Napoleonic-era splendor, and it is top-notch.

HMS Warrior
Built in 1860, this iron-clad never saw action.  Inside seemed spacious and luxurious, as far as warships go.  Not all the guns appeared to be wisely aimed (fourth picture below).

Explosion Museum
Okay, but not as good as the prior three sights.  The day we were there, a bridal show was held in the main hall.  Yes, a bridal show.  In the explosion museum.  We didn't ask.

Portsmouth Harbor
A beautiful harbor, in which you can see myriad craft, from Britain's lone remaining active aircraft carrier to sailboats of all sorts.

 

HMS Alliance
Submarines are cramped- I have a new-found respect for those who serve in them.

After this action-packed day, we watched the confusing and forgettable Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels movie.  We were in bed by about 10pm.  The party never stopped!

Day 3

A short drive north of Portsmouth, our lone visit of the day before heading home was to Winchester.

Winchester
A small (44,000) city with an awful lot of history, Winchester was the Saxon capital of England- the London of the ancient world.  The focal point is the cathedral, but the statue of Alfred the Great, Winchester Great Hall, and an amusing barber shop sign also are of interest.

I played through several scenarios in my mind on how this might have unintentionally occurred . . .

Winchester Cathedral
Norman & Plantagenet architecture, a 12th-century fresco, some of the oldest surviving Medieval tiles, an interesting scuba diver story; There's lots to see in the impressive Winchester Cathedral.  We took a guided tour (who stopped talking due to our time constraints after 1.25 hours); highly recommended.

Winchester Great Hall
A fine (if small) surviving Medieval hall.  A replica of the Round Table made by Edward I is on display on the wall. 

We then drove home, just in time to arrive for dinner with our loved ones.  A good trip all around!

Conclusion

The south coast features much more than shown above, but if you're able to hit the discussed sites, I'd heartily recommend them.