In the ancient Scottish ballad "Tam Lin," headstrong Janet defies Tam Lin to walk in her own land of Carterhaugh . . . and then must battle the Queen of Faery for possession of her lover's body and soul. In this version of "Tam Lin," masterfully crafted by Pamela Dean, Janet is a college student, "Carterhaugh" is Carter Hall at the university where her father teaches, and Tam Lin is a boy named Thomas Lane. Set against the backdrop of the early 1970s, imbued with wit, poetry, romance, and magic, Tam Lin has become a cult classic--and once you begin reading, you'll know why. This reissue features an updated introduction by the book's original editor, the acclaimed Terri Windling.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
5 stars when I was 15...1 star now...we'll average it to 3:
I read and enjoyed this book when I was in high school, so when I came across it at my parents' house I decided it was an old friend, deserving of a visit. Hmmm...well sometimes friends grow apart. In the years between my first reading and my revisit, I attended a liberal arts school where I majored in English, romanced and married a golden haired Classics major (who did own some poofy shirts, but only wore them for costume events) and dealt with roommates, birth control, etc. With my own experiences from... more info
all time favorite book of a lifetime:
I usually don't read a book more than once even if it's an excellent book. There are a few books I have read twice. I have read this books 7 times now and it is better every time I read it. The language it excellent. The characters are wonderful. It makes me want to travel through time and attend Blackstock with Janet, Tina, and Molly. I'm sure we could have been the best of friends!
Possibly my favorite book ever.:
This is probably my favorite book. It is in fact the second time I have read it, but it's still amazingly awesome. It's a retelling of the Tam Lin ballads from Scotland, set in a college in the 1970's and populated by incredibly bright people who quote Shakespeare and Keats in regular conversation and discuss the literary merits of The Wind in the Willows. Basically, it's how I always imagined college would be, but better. Not to mention it's gorgeously written and the supernatural elements are skillfully... more info
Title should be. . .:
"...sex is inevitable in college and be sure to take the Birth Pill. Which will then screw you over, because even smart people can get pregnant." I think about 3/4 of the book was spent on that issue alone, and about 'love' and boyfriends. From the other reviews, it's obvious that the characters quote things and discuss plays and trade around books (some of which I have put on my reading list.) Pamela Dean spoils a number of endings of books/plays she has read, which is irritating. The characters never... more info
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