/Elsa Watsonshelf | Maid Marian : A Novel

This debut novel presents an account of Maid Marian, the legendary romantic interest of Robin Hood. An orphaned heiress, Lady Marian Fitzwater struggles against scheming, duplicitous relatives for the right to her own lands. At age five she is married to Hugh of Sencaster, who dies suddenly and under dubious circumstances, when she is 17 and before the marriage is consummated. As an orphan, Marian is a ward of the king, England’s beloved Richard the Lionheart. But both Richard’s powerful mother, Queen Eleanor, and the mother of Marian’s dead husband, Lady Pernelle, want her hastily remarried so that her lands and fortune may be seized. Marian decides to enlist the help of Robin Hood and his band of populist outlaws to intercept correspondence and see what plans are being made for her.

With Robin’s help, she discovers that she is now promised to Hugh’s brother, Sir Stephen, and realizes that her life will be in jeopardy once she is married to Stephen and her lands secured. Robin, now enamored, helps Marian escape days before the menacing second marriage. Their relationship deepens, developing into rather treacly love (Publishers Weekly). Queen Eleanor believers her to be dead, and Marian begins a new life with Robin Hood’s outlaws, who pledge to help her regain her fortune and expose the treachery of her enemies.

As books go, this one was not very satisfying, and the plot mellow at best. I find that most times, Robin Hood books are like King Arthur books. They’re so overdone and drama-filled that they become completely exasperating to read. (On a tangent, because I like them, I’m one of those people who found The Mists of Avalon rather aggravating while getting through the entire thing in a few sittings.)

Told from Maid Marian’s perspective (very refreshing, by the way), we get all the tidbits and background from her life and see the scheming side of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The book had a nice beginning, a very nice ending, and boredom the whole time in between. The nice beginning covers maybe 5 chapters.

I find that Elsa Watson needs to be better at setting mood and history. For example, Marian supposedly doesn’t trust anyone, and that saves her life. She keep expounding that, only the reader (me) doesn’t quite understand why. Sure, we got that she lives with poisonous rats and snakes who want to steal her title, and as dramatic as she tries to make it sound, I’m just not feeling it. Then once she meets Robin, she pretty much flings herself at him. Of course, she’s saying that she doesn’t trust him and la de-dah, but it’s easy to tell she’s way beyond trust. Then, of course, we get treated to a whole section where there’s this miscommunication, issues with trusting the other party, and her running away.

Now, her activities being away from Sherewood is quite fun. For some reason, Marian is at her most yawn-worthy with the Merry Men, including Robin Hood. No wonder she gets labeled the constant Damsel in Distress. At least there’s not triangle with Prince John or anything, and she doesn’t really need rescuing. Sort of.

Another problem I had was with again, one of Marian’s so-called personality quirks. Supposedly - and I mean supposedly - she’s great at making plans and following through on them. Sure she did the whole tricking Robin into helping her thing at the very beginning (just to see a measly letter, what’s the point?), but after that she doesn’t have much plans. We see her mess up twice, and become very crafty twice. It’s not very smoothly executed, frankly, and leaves the reader (me again) with raised eyebrows at Marian’s inconsistent personality.

I mean, yes, everyone has inconsistent personalities, but the book, we maybe see 2 sides of the heroine. It’s even from first person. That’s not many sides at all.

Anyway, enough whining. The end of the story - but not the end end. The falling action was very well done; we get to see her interaction with the lady who kicked her out of her inheritance in the first place and with the little boy, Stephan. I like it enough to read to midnight.

Then we get to the actual end, which is most unsatisfactory. Sure, she ends with Robin, we all know that. But Robin is like a total piece of jello that agrees to Marian’s everything. Not so brilliant after all.

I’m divided on this book. At the end, yeah, I say go for it if you’re looking for light summer reading. It won’t ask much of your brain cells. Otherwise, skip it.