My
first author you should be reading? The one and only Robin McKinley.
Let me give a general overview of what I love about her; Julie and I
have already reviewed two of her pieces, SUNSHINE and THE HERO AND THE
CROWN, in more detail.
I first discovered McKinley when my lovely friend,
Annie, handed me a copy of SUNSHINE, confident that I would fall as
deeply in love with McKinley's writing as she had. After reading
SUNSHINE, I immediately purchased every McKinley book I could find in my
local bookstore: BEAUTY, SPINDLE'S END and DEERSKIN. Reading each
felt easy, like visiting an old friend. With just a sentence or two
McKinley builds a world. She chooses her structure carefully and guides
her readers expertly along the way. Of all her novels (I've read even
more after that bookstore run), my favorites are DEERSKIN, SUNSHINE, and
THE HERO AND THE CROWN. Like most of McKinley's work, those novels
feature a strong female character - a survivor - who plows on,
regardless of the obstacles she faces.
McKinley is a writer who will always have a home on
my bookshelf. If you get a chance, pick up one of her books, like
Newbery Honor winner THE BLUE SWORD or Newbery medalist THE HERO AND THE
CROWN. Or maybe SUNSHINE is the book for you--Neil Gaiman called it
"perfect." McKinley's many fairy tale retellings, like SPINDLE'S END or
DEERSKIN, are also well worth trying. Reading any of these, you might
find yourself a new friend.
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