Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Do you like fairy tales?  That are a bit dark and twisted?  And dogs?  Lissar is the heroine of this one and boy is she put through the ringer.  The author's note at the end of the book indicates that the inspiration for the book was a story by Charles Perrault called Donkeyskin which, because of its subject matter, is often not included in collections of fairy tales.  There is a reason-no one would read this story to a child! That said, and accepting that this is NOT your child's fairy tale, the book was very good.  The story one of redemption and finding oneself and one's place in the world.  Of taking time and accepting help when its needed and in taking ownership of your life and your path when you are ready.  It was also a love story between a girl and her dog and also a little bit of the more traditional love story.  As I made my way through this book I realized that I had read it before, likely many years ago, but that did not deter me from continuing to read it. I did not remember what was going to happen, only that the story seemed familiar as it unfolded. 

Rating:  #3 Enjoyed It Very Much