Marian's Legend

The Forestwife is a young adult novel told from Marian's point of view. The traditional Robin Hood characters appear, in slightly untraditional roles, but the focus is clearly on Marian. Instead of just being one of Robin's band, she's the leader of her own group of women. Philippa, Agnes, Emma, the nuns of St. Mary Magdalen among others are as interesting as the classic heroes. When I was drafting this review in my head, I was going to mention that these characters are far more interesting than that irritating nurse that appears in a lot of Robin Hood stories. Then I realized that Agnes is Marian's nurse. Tomlinson has made Marian's nurse an enjoyable character -- a feat which I thought impossible.

A lot of Maid Marian's early appearances in the legend have her as a huntress, a skilled archer and fighter. But she's been softened a lot in the children's novels of the last two centuries. Sometimes, she doesn't appear at all [and Marian wasn't a part of the earliest ballads]. Other times, she's in need of rescuing or is just the swooning girlfriend. In the past few decades, many writers have toughened up Marian again.

And so, Tomlinson's Marian is a very strong character. And she's not like the other Merry Men. Oh, she does learn to use a bow, but she's also a skilled herbalist. And she's passionate and dedicated to the cause of justice, becoming an even better leader than Robin. This Marian is not a damsel in distress, but she's not a cookie cutter Merry Man either. She is clearly the star of the novel, not just the hero's wife or girlfriend. I think Tomlinson's Marian makes a great role model, not just for girls but boys as well.