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The Blue Sword
- Narrated by: Diane Warren
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
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Publisher's summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of Sunshine is the Newberry Award-winning classic novel that has enthralled listeners for decades.
This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.
And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimand-sol, King’s Raider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.
And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies …
Critic reviews
“This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealing stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale’s verve as a fantasy.”—Booklist
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-
Overall
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Dragons are extinct in the wild, but the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park is home to about two hundred of the world's remaining creatures. Until Jake discovers a dying dragon that has given birth - and one of the babies is still alive.
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A master author at the top of her powers.
- By ShySusan on 08-11-13
By: Robin McKinley
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Chalice
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Rachael Beresford
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The earthlines speak to Mirasol, but her family has lived in the demesne for centuries, and many of the old families can hear the land. She knows that the violent deaths of the last Master and Chalice have thrown Willowlands into turmoil; but she is only a beekeeper, and the problems of the Circle that govern Willowlands have nothing to do with her - although she wonders what will become of her demesne, because the Master and Chalice left no heirs to carry on their crucial duties.
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A favorite McKinley
- By Shannon GC on 03-29-20
By: Robin McKinley
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The Door in the Hedge
- And Other Stories
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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From ensorcelled princesses to a frog that speaks, an enchanting collection of fairy tales from the Newbery Medal-winning author.
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Upbeat and rosy
- By Bruce on 07-17-21
By: Robin McKinley
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Sunshine
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it's unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.
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An absolutely riveting, addictive tale
- By Amazon Customer on 12-30-08
By: Robin McKinley
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Rose Daughter
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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"It is the heart of this place, and it is dying," says the Beast. And it is true; the center of the Beast's palace, the glittering glasshouse that brings Beauty both comfort and delight in her strange new environment, is filled with leafless brown rosebushes. But deep within this enchanted world, new life, at once subtle and strong, is about to awaken. Twenty years ago Robin McKinley enthralled listeners with the power of Beauty. Now this extraordinarily gifted novelist retells the story of Beauty and the Beast again - but in a totally new way, with fresh perspective, ingenuity, and mature insight.
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Good, but not as good as Beauty
- By ShySusan on 08-19-13
By: Robin McKinley
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The Hero and the Crown
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Roslyn Alexander
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Uncertain of the past, Aerin-sol, daughter of King Arlbeth, decides to forge her own future by challenging the lashing tongues of the dragon’s fire. Aerin’s proficiency as "the Dragon-slayer" sets her on a quest for the stolen Crown of Damar, believed to be in the hands of rebellious northerners who threaten to destroy the Damarian people and their home forever.
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Second only to Blue Sword
- By mkc on 01-18-13
By: Robin McKinley
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Dragonhaven
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Noah Galvin
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Dragons are extinct in the wild, but the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park is home to about two hundred of the world's remaining creatures. Until Jake discovers a dying dragon that has given birth - and one of the babies is still alive.
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A master author at the top of her powers.
- By ShySusan on 08-11-13
By: Robin McKinley
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Chalice
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Rachael Beresford
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The earthlines speak to Mirasol, but her family has lived in the demesne for centuries, and many of the old families can hear the land. She knows that the violent deaths of the last Master and Chalice have thrown Willowlands into turmoil; but she is only a beekeeper, and the problems of the Circle that govern Willowlands have nothing to do with her - although she wonders what will become of her demesne, because the Master and Chalice left no heirs to carry on their crucial duties.
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A favorite McKinley
- By Shannon GC on 03-29-20
By: Robin McKinley
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The Door in the Hedge
- And Other Stories
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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From ensorcelled princesses to a frog that speaks, an enchanting collection of fairy tales from the Newbery Medal-winning author.
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Upbeat and rosy
- By Bruce on 07-17-21
By: Robin McKinley
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Sunshine
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it's unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.
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An absolutely riveting, addictive tale
- By Amazon Customer on 12-30-08
By: Robin McKinley
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Rose Daughter
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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"It is the heart of this place, and it is dying," says the Beast. And it is true; the center of the Beast's palace, the glittering glasshouse that brings Beauty both comfort and delight in her strange new environment, is filled with leafless brown rosebushes. But deep within this enchanted world, new life, at once subtle and strong, is about to awaken. Twenty years ago Robin McKinley enthralled listeners with the power of Beauty. Now this extraordinarily gifted novelist retells the story of Beauty and the Beast again - but in a totally new way, with fresh perspective, ingenuity, and mature insight.
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Good, but not as good as Beauty
- By ShySusan on 08-19-13
By: Robin McKinley
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The Outlaws of Sherwood
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Young Robin Longbow, subapprentice forester in the King's Forest of Nottingham, must contend with the dislike of the Chief Forester, who bullies Robin in memory of his popular father. But Robin does not want to leave Nottingham or lose the title to his father's small tenancy, because he is in love with a young lady named Marian - and keeps remembering that his mother too was gentry and married a common forester. Robin has been granted a rare holiday to go to the Nottingham Fair, where he will spend the day with his friends Much and Marian.
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A great story paired with the wrong narrator
- By Gail N. on 11-01-19
By: Robin McKinley
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Beauty
- A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Robin McKinley has won numerous awards for her writing, including the prestigious Newbery Medal. Though her two sisters are beautiful, Beauty, despite her name, is thin and awkward - but she's also courageous. So when her father makes a terrible promise to a Beast living in an enchanted castle, Beauty knows she must volunteer to be the Beast's prisoner.
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Best version of B&tB I've ever read, seen, heard.
- By ShySusan on 08-11-13
By: Robin McKinley
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Spindle's End
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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All the creatures of the forest and field and riverbank knew the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy, Pernicia, on her name-day. But the curse was cast: Rosie was fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep - a slumber from which no one would be able to rouse her....
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New title: Detailed lies.
- By Katie-Rose on 03-11-21
By: Robin McKinley
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Pegasus
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Catherine Ho, Kristen Atherton
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Princess Sylviianel has always known that on her 12th birthday she too would be bound to her own Pegasus. All members of the royal family have been thus bound since the Alliance was made almost a thousand years ago; the binding system was created to strengthen the Alliance, because humans and pegasi can only communicate formally, through specially trained Speaker magicians. Sylvi is accustomed to seeing pegasi every day at the palace, but she still finds the idea of her binding very daunting.
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Cliff Hanger
- By Lana Arthur on 08-31-21
By: Robin McKinley
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Deerskin
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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The only daughter of a beloved king and queen, Princess Lissar has grown up in the shadow of her parents' infinite adoration for each other - an infatuation so great that it could only be broken by the queen's unexpected passing. As Lissar reaches womanhood, it becomes clear to everyone in the kingdom that she has inherited her late mother's breathtaking beauty. But on the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Lissar's exquisite looks become a curse. Betrayed and abused, Lissar is forced to flee her home to escape her father's madness.
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Poor Narrator choice :/
- By Elizabeth on 05-29-18
By: Robin McKinley
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Shadows
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Maggie knows something's off about Val, her mom's new husband. Val is from Oldworld, where they still use magic, and he won't have any tech in his office-shed behind the house. But—more importantly—what are the huge, horrible, jagged, jumpy shadows following him around? Magic is illegal in Newworld, which is all about science. The magic-carrying gene was disabled two generations ago, back when Maggie's great-grandmother was a notable magician. But that was a long time ago.
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Excellent!
- By Lorri on 05-22-23
By: Robin McKinley
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Water
- Tales of Elemental Spirits
- By: Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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What magical beings inhabit Earth’s waters? Some are as almost-familiar as the mer-people; some as strange as the thing glimpsed only as a golden eye in a pool at the edge of the Great Desert Kalarsham, where the mad god Geljdreth rules; or the unknowable, immense Kraken, dark beyond the darkness of the deepest ocean, who will one day rise and rule the world. Here are seven tales from the remarkable storytellers Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson. Vividly imagined and written, they transform the simple element of water into something very powerful indeed.
By: Robin McKinley, and others
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The Cecelia and Kate Novels
- Sorcery & Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician
- By: Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 30 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Enter Regency-era England—and a world in which magical mayhem and high society go hand in hand—with three novels featuring cousins Cecelia and Kate. In Sorcery & Cecelia, the two cousins have been inseparable since girlhood. But in 1817, Kate goes to London to make her debut into English society, leaving Cecelia behind. While visiting the Royal College of Wizards, Kate stumbles on a plot to destroy a beloved sorcerer—and only Cecelia can help her save him.
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Cute structure, plot gets increasingly diffuse and silly
- By M M on 07-01-22
By: Patricia C. Wrede, and others
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Arrows of the Queen
- Heralds of Valdemar Series, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Chosen by the Companion Rolan, a mystical horse-like being with powers beyond imagining, Talia, once a runaway, has now become a trainee Herald, destined to become one of the Queen's own elite guard. For Talia has certain awakening talents of the mind that only a Companion like Rolan can truly sense. But as Talia struggles to master her unique abilities, time is running out. For conspiracy is brewing in Valdemar, a deadly treason that could destroy Queen and kingdom. Opposed by unknown enemies capable of both diabolical magic and treacherous assassination, the Queen must turn to Talia.
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An Amazing Narrator on a Fun Fluff Story
- By Michele on 06-19-18
By: Mercedes Lackey
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Castle Hangnail
- By: Ursula Vernon
- Narrated by: Tara Sands
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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When Molly shows up on Castle Hangnail's doorstep to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the castle's minions are understandably dubious. After all, she is 12 years old, barely five feet tall, and quite polite. (The minions are used to tall, demanding evil sorceresses with razor-sharp cheekbones.) But the castle desperately needs a master, or else the Board of Magic will decommission it, leaving all the minions without the home they love.
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A great romp you shouldn't leave to just the kids
- By Elisabeth Carey on 02-08-16
By: Ursula Vernon
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The Emerald Circus
- Stories
- By: Jane Yolen, Holly Black - introduction
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan, Derek Perkins, Marisa Calin, and others
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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Where is Wendy? Leading a labor strike against the Lost Boys, of course. In Jane Yolen's first full collection in more than 10 years, discover new and uncollected tales of beloved characters, literary legends, and much more. A Scottish academic unearths ancient evil in a fishing village. Edgar Allan Poe's young bride is beguiled by a most unusual bird. Dorothy, lifted from Kansas, returns as a gymnastic sophisticate. Emily Dickinson dwells in possibility and sails away in a starship made of light. Winner of the 2018 World Fantasy Award.
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Absolutely wonderful
- By Ruthi on 04-28-19
By: Jane Yolen, and others
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Alif the Unseen
- By: G. Willow Wilson
- Narrated by: Sanjiv Jhaveri
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In an unnamed Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients — dissidents, outlaws, Islamists, and other watched groups — from surveillance and tries to stay out of trouble. He goes by Alif — the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and a convenient handle to hide behind.
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This Sanjiv Jhaveri Guy...
- By H. Hartman on 10-11-12
By: G. Willow Wilson
What listeners say about The Blue Sword
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Crystalshannon1
- 01-08-17
Excellent!
I always loved this book. I very much enjoyed listening to it being read. I highly recommend it.
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- Loki
- 03-08-18
Storytelling excellence; not my favorite recording
This is one of my all-time favorite books. Every time I read it I love it more. "One of" only because I can't pick between "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword".
The cadence of the narration isn't my favorite, and can take me out of the story at times; but honestly that's more to do with the quality of recording equipment in the '90s than anything. The narrator's style suits the story, generally.
The audio book doesn't surpass the experience of reading the printed words for me, but it does offer that handy benefit of being able to walk around or make use of hands for other than page turning.
If you haven't read the story before, and find the narration in the sample isn't to your liking - I would strongly suggest you read the book in print, if you can. There is a pure magic to Robin McKinley's writing that I've seen few other authors match.
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- Ashley
- 03-03-15
...
Love this story. I do however wish it was a little bit more detailed/flushed out.
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- Tiffany
- 12-24-18
LOVED IT!
This is a book I can read , and now listen too, over and over. The audible version was made in the 90's and I suppose it might sound a bit dated but not enough to detract from the story. I could hear the lady turn the paper pages in the book she was reading from; which was actually enjoyable, almost like I was sitting in the room where she was reading. I will listen to it again.
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- EmmaJ6
- 08-11-22
one of my favorite books
I've read and/or listened to this novel a dozen times since my first reading in junior high in the 90s. My favorite.
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- Gryphon816
- 02-24-20
Love this book!
I’ve read it many times and enjoyed listening to it and hearing how certain words were pronounced but would have liked a bit more inflection of emotions and character distinctions in the voice as it was read. But loved it none the less.
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- Cindy
- 04-28-20
Good Story but Flat Reader
Although this is the first story written for the duo of books in Damar, I think it really is helpful to read this one first. The prequil, The Hero and the Crown, tells all about Aerin and a lot about Luthe, though the readers of each book pronounce his name differently from each other.
McKinley is a very descriptive writer concentrating more on painting a good picture for her readers than the conversation her characters have. For some this can seem tedious and boring but for others it will be helpful to picture what the surroundings tell us. For me, I can adjust to either as long as the story is worth the time, which this one is.
The pace is languid and slow but the reader seemed to have a sweet voice but no dramatic inflection. Had Diane Warren been more expressive during the excitement it would have been less lethargic seeming. However it's still a good story.
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- HobbitGirlSparkles
- 11-25-22
Loved it! Return Listener of this book.
Terrific story and characters. A sure classic! Tell all your friends about the book and author Robin McKinley.
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- Deborah
- 02-25-23
Classic and enduring
I’ve read and listened to this book more times than I can possibly know. It never disappoints. I love all the characters, and the almost dreamlike quality of the narrative.
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- Melissa
- 06-08-24
Excellent story! Childhood favorite still reads well at 56 years old.
The only complaint I have, from reading while I listened, was that the narrator occasionally left out a phase or two.
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