Sunshine

By: Robin McKinley

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it's unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.

They took her clothes and sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion -within easy reach of a figure stirring in the moonlight.

She knows that he is a vampire. She knows that she's to be his dinner and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet, as dawn breaks, she finds that he has not attempted to harm her. And now it is he who needs her to help him survive the day.

©2003 Robin McKinley (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A gripping, funny, page-turning, pretty much perfect work of magical literature." (Neil Gaiman, New York Times best-selling author of Anansi Boys)
"McKinley knows very well - and makes her [audience] believe - that 'the insides of our own minds are the scariest things there are.'" ( Publishers Weekly Starred Review)

I WANT A SEQUEL!!!!

Why oh why doesn't this book have a series following it.

This is a little dark, very inventive, alternate-universe/vampire novel

Ever since I first picked it up, I re-listened to Sunshine every few months, and it never ceases to enthrall and delight me. It has become one of my favorite books of all time.

This is unabashedly my favorite audiobook.

Beautiful organic worldbuilding resides in this book, a story told by a wonderfully complex and completely natural protagonist that is unapologetically honest about everything including and except herself.

The reader gives wonderful, complete character to a first person narrative, and Laurel Merlington fills the world and everyone who resides with real color, while Robin McKinley's words details every nook and cranny of a unique and somewhat scary world worth exploring.

Beautiful!

I am absolutely in love with this book! I never wanted it to end! Unfortunately, every book eventually does. So now, I must track down every book Robin McKinley has written!

not bad!

What made the experience of listening to Sunshine the most enjoyable?

I wasn't sure if I'd like it when I downloaded it, but it was actually a good story! I've even relistened to it :-)

What did you like best about this story?

unexpected surprises

What does Laural Merlington bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

she has a good voice for the characters

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

watch your back

my favorite

best book by Robin McKinley. it needs a sequel to really complete the storyline though.

Funny, Smart, Rereadable if slightly confusing

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

absolutely

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

All the humor would be lost in a film!!!!!

Any additional comments?

This was truly one of those shot in the dark books and I fell in love immediately. It's meandering in spots and could have used better editing in my opinion, but its still listenable. This brings up a good point--the narrator. About two days after I borrowed the audiobook, the city began a gasline installation which involved jackhammering the sidewalk outside the house for three days. Introducing the Jackhammer test...would I rather listen to this narrator or the jackhammers 15 feet from my head? In this case I had to go with the narrator.
AN interesting fact about this book, it was actually published a couple of years before "Twilight" which surprised me a little because it is a perfect middle finger to the depiction of vampires. Twilight's narrator failed the Jackhammer test hands down.
All and all a well written if ponderous story, with well developed characters, a real sense of an extended family situation, complex protagonists and antagonists, and plenty of material for a sequel although I'm still up in the air as to whether I would read part two.

Note: I've never actually read any of Robin McKinley's other (apparently all) children's books but I'm hoping that the humor if nothing else crosses over to those.

Wanting more story line...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not so much detail of the characters. I kept thinking that the story would take over after the detail was given.... but I kept waiting.....

Would you be willing to try another book from Robin McKinley? Why or why not?

Yes I would... maybe a sequel that had the story line...

What about Laural Merlington’s performance did you like?

I like her readings. Have listened to several others and have always enjoyed her narrations.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No... I wouldn't I don't see it as movie material.

Love the book, don't like the narrator

This is one of my all time favorite books. I love Robin McKinley and this book has been one of my go to stories when I'm sad or sick. I do not think the narrator understood who Sunshine is or what her personality was supposed to be. I got through 5 minutes before I was extremely aggravated and had to exchange the book. The whiney interpretation of her voice and the drabness of expression were poor choices for one of my favorite heroines.

love this book

I read this book before about 10 years ago and re read/listened to it again. this is a great book

One can only hope that a series has been born.

Fun, smart, witty, while being a fantasy romance novel. Robin McKinley manages to get it all in and offer readers the gift of a great story.
One can only hope it is the beginning of a series because I do not want to let go of the wonderful characters.