Not long ago I reviewed The Journal of Madame Giovanni, and the problem was that it ended a bit abruptly. I haven’t got round to finding out if there’s a sequel to this book but I have a similar problem with this one.
At the start, which is rather dramatic, a mysterious man drops off a baby with a forester and his wife. They, unable to have children of their own, raise him and the story kicks in for real when Mr R Hood is in his teens. Many issues are brought in at about the same rate as characters. The two most obvious are - what is the mystery surrounding Robin’s birth and will he ever stand a chance with Marian? The circumstances of his birth are all worked out fairly quickly but the injustice that happened - that resolution is a lot longer in coming/doesn’t come at all.
But there are other adventures to keep one going so it’s not all bad. The characters are fairly clear cut - it’s fairly obvious which side everyone is on. As always with Dumas he pushes what you think is possible and absolutely convinced you that it could happen. This isn’t my favourite novel by him - there’s better stuff out there but it might be because he was rewriting an English myth and I prefer the stories he creates. And having everything nicely resolved at the end didn't endear this book to me.
However if there is a sequel I will be on a mission to find a copy.
However if there is a sequel I will be on a mission to find a copy.
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