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Book Review of Tam Lin

Tam Lin
Tam Lin
Author: Pamela Dean
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on
Helpful Score: 2


I absolutely adore this book. I picked it up before my freshman year of college and I keep rereading it at every few months. This book really is one that you either love or hate.

That being said, this book isn't an average fantasy novel. The magical/fantastical elements are just a small part of the book, with the bulk being the life of a college student. Like most college student's lives, the book is consumed with details about friends, lovers, classes, and family. As a student at a tiny liberal arts college, this book seems very realistic at times. Although I've heard complaints that the book isn't very fitting for contemporary college, it really would fit in with the atmosphere of my particular college. I've met professors that aren't unlike Dean's, and students that would easily fit in with Janet and her friends. In fact, you're missing out if you haven't had ridiculous arguments with friends/professors over things like which absolute monarch was the "best", who the "bad a$$es" of history are, or which translation of the Iliad is 'best'. I love this book because Dean captures this atmosphere perfectly. I'll continue reading this book even after I graduate just to reminisce about my undergrad school.