#3 Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
O I forbid you, maidens a', 
That wear gowd on your hair
To come or gae by Carterhaugh
For young Tam Lin is there.
Janet has just begun her first term at Blackstock College. After becoming acquainted with her roommates, she quickly finds herself falling in love with both the great literature she studies, and the charismatic Nick Tooley. Janet enjoys her time at college but can't help but feel that some things are a little strange. Her dorm room is haunted by a ghost that throws textbooks out of the window every Halloween, and there's something strange about the classics department, especially department head, Professor Medeous.
Tam Lin, a retelling of the Scottish ballad of the same name, is a book that has been recommended to me since high school. I didn't pick it up until now due to the range of opinions I've heard. Many people label Tam Lin as their favorite book, but there are plenty of people that couldn't finish it. After finally reading it myself, I can understand why some people may not like it. After all, it's a very irregular fantasy. If you're looking for a fast paced adventure filled with magic, this may not be for you. The pacing is rather slow, and the fantasy elements don't really kick in until the last fifty pages of the book. The majority of the novel is spent focusing on college life in the 1970s, and the inevitable relationship dramas that occur in a dorm setting. As a result, it's not a book for everyone.
That said, I found it to be quite enjoyable. For the most part, I didn't mind the slower pacing due to all of the neat foreshadowing sprinkled among the story. I connected with the college storyline quite well. Upon being introduced to Janet, who arrives at school with dozens of fantasy books and has to deal with the being suddenly attractive to boys, I immediately made a connection with my own freshman college experience. I could relate to her quite well, despite the fact that she was rather moody (granted, I probably wasn't much better at 18). At the same time, some of the elements did seem a little off to me. I enjoyed picking up on all of the Shakespeare references, but I don't know too many 18 to 21-year-olds that can quote dozens of quotes from Shakespeare, Keats, Milton, Homer, and other writers from memory. Although it made sense for two of the characters, I had a hard time buying into it for the rest of the cast.
Tam Lin is a book that really sucked me in. I found I spent a lot of time thinking about the story, when I wasn't reading it, and I even dreamed about the characters a little. The book was not perfect, but it's still something I enjoyed. For those looking for a slower paced fantasy novel that's very light on the fantasy, it would be a good book to look into.
Rating: four stars
Length: 468 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Challenges: This book is part of the 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge
Similar Books: Tam Lin is part of Terri Windling's Fairy Tale Series, which also includes Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C Wrede ( my review). Another solid retelling of Tam Lin would be Fire and Hemlock by Diane Wynne Jones.
Looking for more books about faeires? Check out my new column five on the fifth, over at temporaryworlds for my recommendations and to share your own!
Next up is Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn!
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds
That wear gowd on your hair
To come or gae by Carterhaugh
For young Tam Lin is there.
Janet has just begun her first term at Blackstock College. After becoming acquainted with her roommates, she quickly finds herself falling in love with both the great literature she studies, and the charismatic Nick Tooley. Janet enjoys her time at college but can't help but feel that some things are a little strange. Her dorm room is haunted by a ghost that throws textbooks out of the window every Halloween, and there's something strange about the classics department, especially department head, Professor Medeous.
Tam Lin, a retelling of the Scottish ballad of the same name, is a book that has been recommended to me since high school. I didn't pick it up until now due to the range of opinions I've heard. Many people label Tam Lin as their favorite book, but there are plenty of people that couldn't finish it. After finally reading it myself, I can understand why some people may not like it. After all, it's a very irregular fantasy. If you're looking for a fast paced adventure filled with magic, this may not be for you. The pacing is rather slow, and the fantasy elements don't really kick in until the last fifty pages of the book. The majority of the novel is spent focusing on college life in the 1970s, and the inevitable relationship dramas that occur in a dorm setting. As a result, it's not a book for everyone.
That said, I found it to be quite enjoyable. For the most part, I didn't mind the slower pacing due to all of the neat foreshadowing sprinkled among the story. I connected with the college storyline quite well. Upon being introduced to Janet, who arrives at school with dozens of fantasy books and has to deal with the being suddenly attractive to boys, I immediately made a connection with my own freshman college experience. I could relate to her quite well, despite the fact that she was rather moody (granted, I probably wasn't much better at 18). At the same time, some of the elements did seem a little off to me. I enjoyed picking up on all of the Shakespeare references, but I don't know too many 18 to 21-year-olds that can quote dozens of quotes from Shakespeare, Keats, Milton, Homer, and other writers from memory. Although it made sense for two of the characters, I had a hard time buying into it for the rest of the cast.
Tam Lin is a book that really sucked me in. I found I spent a lot of time thinking about the story, when I wasn't reading it, and I even dreamed about the characters a little. The book was not perfect, but it's still something I enjoyed. For those looking for a slower paced fantasy novel that's very light on the fantasy, it would be a good book to look into.
Rating: four stars
Length: 468 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Challenges: This book is part of the 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge
Similar Books: Tam Lin is part of Terri Windling's Fairy Tale Series, which also includes Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C Wrede ( my review). Another solid retelling of Tam Lin would be Fire and Hemlock by Diane Wynne Jones.
Looking for more books about faeires? Check out my new column five on the fifth, over at temporaryworlds for my recommendations and to share your own!
Next up is Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn!
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds