The Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robin McKinleyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-02
ISBN: 0441013058
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Ace Trade
Book Reviews of The Hero and the Crown
Book Review: A New Fairy Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
Winner of the Newbery Award, this story is basically a new fairy tale. It has all classic elements: a princess, a dragon, a kingdom on the verge of destruction, and an evil which will destroy the world. Why is it new? Because the hero is the princess, and she's the one who fights the dragon, and attempts to save her kingdom.
As simple as the story may sound, McKinley has written it masterfully. Aerin, the main character, is a strong woman, trying to find her place in the world. She follows her dreams, regardless of what others think of her; but at the same time she learns that sometimes the cost of following your dreams is high.
I can understand why some people might think this book's style of writing is "slow." The book is divided into two parts. Part one begins in the story's present, with Aerin as a young woman, but then easily shifts into her childhood, explaining and chronicalling how and why Aerin became "Dragon-slayer." Part two is where most of the action takes place - she confronts the last of the Great Dragons, faces the most powerful evil mage ever known, and returns home where her kingdom is facing destruction
One of my favorite aspects of this book is that even though Aerin suffers for what she does, she never wishes it away. For instance, when she faces the Great Dragon, she comes out of the fight barely alive; half of her body badly burned, scorched throat and lungs, broken ankle, etc. She faces death and a long recovery time, but as soon as she was well enough, she did not sit around feeling sorry for herself, but instead got back to work.
This book is not set in an unrealistic world, where everyone is happy and thinngs go exactly according to plan. Instead, McKinley infuses the story with realism. There are characters you don't like, even though you can understand their motivations. And there are situations that are true to life - more real than the movies. For example, when Aerin breaks out in a rash while preparing to face the evil mage, she thinks, "This is typical. On my way to ... unspeakable doom, and I break out in a rash."
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves fairy tales, or adventure stories, or even coming-of-age stories. The plot is intriguing, the main characters likable, and the writing quite good. Although labeled as a "Young Adult" fiction book, I think it is also very good for adults.
-- Quote taken from pg. 181
Awarded Newbery Medal in 1985
Summary of The Hero and the Crown
From childhood, Aerin had been haunted by the story of her mother - a "witchwoman" who enspelled the king and then died in childbirth, leaving behind a newborn daughter and an heirless land. Left to her own devices, Aerin grew up wild, doing her best to live up to her reputation as the disappointment of the realm. But little did the young princess know the long-dormant powers of her mother would wield their own destiny, and leave Aerin with a duty to her scornful homeland that she couldn't refuse.
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