Reviews

Gr 5-8 In Tamora Pierce's The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Random, pap. 1990), the third volume in the Song of the Lioness quartet, Alanna is now an 18-year-old knight who, after being taken captive, becomes an integral member of the nomadic Bloody Hawk tribe. This romance novel brings the heroine's magical, physical, and intellectual strengths to the fore, as she continues to grapple with her own emotional conflicts regarding love and loyalties. Actress Trini Alvarado gives a performance consistent with her previous narrations in this series. She projects a youthful, but strong character for Alanna; this is her outstanding strength. She sets a consistent pace and rhythm to the story, giving listeners time to distinguish among a multitude of characters introduced in the beginning. Other voices, such as Ibn Nazzir, the evil shaman, and Halef Seif, the head tribesman, sound like parodies of Middle Eastern or Asian characters one might hear on Disney cartoons. They vacillate between sounding Arabic and Asian, and never gel into giving listeners a solid geographical image for this fictional tribe. While her voice carries an intermittent husky quality, the similarities in tone between Alanna and Prince Jonathan may be confusing at times. It should be noted that although the story is an enjoyable adventure for upper elementary age students and older, the text includes specific references to the physical relationship between Alanna and Jonathan and mentions her lack of virginity.-Tina Hudak, St. Bernard's School, Riverdale, MD Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.