"Chalice" by Robin McKinley

I am a HUGE, HUGE fan of Robin McKinley’s novels.  It is rare that I re-read books, but every so often I get homesick for Damar and I must read “The Blue Sword” and “The Hero and the Crown” (in that order) yet again.  I’ve read them both four or five times.  My co-worker and I often fantasize about who we would cast in the leading roles if ”The Blue Sword” was made into a film.  I was once assured by McKinley herself via e-mail that she would never sell those rights, however, so I guess we can discontinue our fantasies.  No actor measures up to my image of Corlath or Harry Crew anyway!  Sigh! 

And I especially adored “The Outlaws of Sherwood”.  McKinley is the queen of strong female characters, and “Outlaws” was the perfect example.  (I think I need to read that one again, too.)  It was with great anticipation, then, that I began reading Robin McKinley’s most recent novel “Chalice”.

I was pleased and disappointed at the same time.  The wonderful, fully developed characters and plot were there, along with that wonderful, strong female character.  As usual there was a rich and strong cast of supporting characters.  And the whole bee thing was unique and wonderful. 

In some ways ”Chalice” is a beauty and the beast story, with the down to earth Chalice Mirasol as the beauty and the Master as a beastly partially human Priest of Fire.  Just like the beast, Master transforms back into his human self by the end!

BUT… (and I’ve never had a but with a McKinley novel) … I can’t recommend this book to students because the flow of the narrative is totally convoluted!  It isn’t told in flashbacks and the present.  It is told in circles – like a bee buzzing from here to there and here to there and back.  If McKinley deliberately made the narrative follow the flight of a bee, then she made a mistake. 

We have passed this book around the staff, including the orchestra teacher who pounced on it when she saw it on my desk!  “A new McKinley!”  But all of us agreed this was an extremely hard narrative to follow for us as advanced adult readers.  I could not, in good conscious recommend this one to my students.

Ouch!  I got stung with this one!