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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Robin McKinley's prose has a dated and awkward quality to it, and Rose Daughter is... tame. And obsessed with gardening.
I didn't like this one as much as I liked "Beauty." I can't put my finger on what it was, but it just wasn't as good to me. Didn't really speak like "Beauty" did.
I loved this! It's hard to write about all the reasons I loved this without giving things away. McKinley does such a wonderful job of making the story of [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169613617s/41424.jpg|2321285] seem fresh, and she fleshes out the basic elements so eloquently. Definitely one of my all-time favorite fairy tale retellings.
I really liked this book. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale and McKinley does it justice. Her writing is like a garden. It is full of prettiness and stuff to look at and so very descriptive. It makes reading so very wonderful, but it can also make it a little difficult to get into. Fantasy has always been my genre of choice, but I have not been reading much of it lately. I am glad that I read this book.
Robin McKinley’s view of magic in this book is so very fairytale, and almost not there. It makes for a wonderful story. I loved her clever use of names for the characters and places. Once I got past the first chapter and the different writing style, I wanted to keep reading. I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to find out what happened to Beauty and her sisters, the merchant and Longchance as well. The idea of roses as a major theme of a story was wonderful. The roses were so integral to the story that they almost became a character of their own. The use of a myth in the story was wonderful as well. This was close enough to the Beauty and the Beast that I know, and different enough for me to keep reading.
If you like fantasy and fairytales and sweet stories, you should definitely read this.
Robin McKinley’s view of magic in this book is so very fairytale, and almost not there. It makes for a wonderful story. I loved her clever use of names for the characters and places. Once I got past the first chapter and the different writing style, I wanted to keep reading. I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to find out what happened to Beauty and her sisters, the merchant and Longchance as well. The idea of roses as a major theme of a story was wonderful. The roses were so integral to the story that they almost became a character of their own. The use of a myth in the story was wonderful as well. This was close enough to the Beauty and the Beast that I know, and different enough for me to keep reading.
If you like fantasy and fairytales and sweet stories, you should definitely read this.
I was disappointed with this book. I absolutely adored the author’s book, ‘Beauty,’ so I thought for sure I’d love this version of Beauty and the Beast too. But no. The book dragged for me and I didn’t fall in love with the characters like I did in ‘Beauty’. Perhaps it’ll work for someone who hasn’t read ‘Beauty’, but it was just a disappointment for me. Still a decent read, but not wonderful.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was fascinating to me and I am struggling with how I feel about it. Its beautifully written and I love the focus on Beauty's relationship with her sisters. I'm amazed by Mckinley's ability to write two distinct retellings of Beauty and the Beast and for the most part was able to not get too stuck on comparing them.
Rose Daughter reads like an extended version of the fairy tale and feels like one when reading it. From the prose, to not everything being tied up prettily, it feels like a classic fairy tale. The sisters growth and relationship with one another was a real highlight and I enjoyed the more witchy feel of this book.
I do think this book lacks in the romance department and thats where I had a hard time not comparing with Mckinley's Beauty. Glad I read it but don't think I'll be revisiting to the same degree as I do with Beauty.
Rose Daughter reads like an extended version of the fairy tale and feels like one when reading it. From the prose, to not everything being tied up prettily, it feels like a classic fairy tale. The sisters growth and relationship with one another was a real highlight and I enjoyed the more witchy feel of this book.
I do think this book lacks in the romance department and thats where I had a hard time not comparing with Mckinley's Beauty. Glad I read it but don't think I'll be revisiting to the same degree as I do with Beauty.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Beauty and the Beast retellings. I should revisit McKinley's first retelling, Beauty, because high school me apparently loved it. This one is much, much slower, with some awkwardness I can forgive simply because I love moving through these stories. Her sisters being named "Jeweltongue" and "Lionheart," for example, are strange to wrap around and justify. (They sound like Warrior Cat names. Over-the-top, names you earn after the fact of something, not when you're born.) Beauty also speaks in a precious way, in too-long, tumbling sentences that are fashioned as if McKinley really wanted her to sound rich and British. This read through, I was also realizing how truly dreamlike the castle and magic is. It's confusing, twisting, turning. If you want concrete settings, this will frustrate you. But if you just want a different retelling, then, go for it!
I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. My sisters both had said it was not as good as Beauty, and it isn't, but I still thought it was great. I actually loved all the details of the gardening, even the compost! And I liked the way it resolved. And I REALLY liked her sisters! Beauty was just a tad on the young and innocent side for me, and I still like Honor better, but overall, I'm very happy with my reading experience!
Oh, my goodness. Alright. I love Beauty and the Beast retellings. I distinctly remember adoring [b:Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1294192311s/41424.jpg|2321285] in high school. Lately I decided to take this one off the shelf, because I've been reading too many books in an effort to thin out my collection and not because I really want to read them.
But oh my gosh, did it take awhile for me to get through this. And I've been looking forward to it for so long!
It's not that McKinley is a bad storyteller. Absolutely not the case at all. Please read Beauty if you have the time. The major issue I found (and many other reviewers have as well, it seems) with this version is that after the beginning, it drags on. and on. and on. We're given so many details of Beauty's day-to-day life at the castle, but it's all roses roses roses, gardening, strange animal encounters, dreams, and fleeting meetings with the Beast. Of course things are happening, but very little of it seems exciting.
The other major issue was her writing style, something I noticed around the 150-or-so mark. It's the way she crafts paragraphs: Here is this detail, and then another detail, and then Beauty noticed something, and oh how her heart yearned for home and surely someday she would see her family again. And and and and and and. How did her editor not push her towards different sentence structure? I wouldn't mind it if she didn't do it so often.
Other perhaps cloying details are her sisters' names: Lionheart and Jeweltongue. I'm all for creative names, but these are a bit excessive. I can't see myself calling someone "Jeweltongue" in a serious manner. There's always that element of disbelief that it's actually her name. I was also getting completely fed up with all the talk of roses throughout Beauty's time at the castle. Roses on the carpet, on the wall, on the dresser, in the bath, the smell of them everywhere. I get it, Robin; she's surrounded by the things.
I did enjoy her relationship with her sisters, and the second chance her father receives. Even if there is a lack of driving conflict.
-sigh- You'd never know I actually didn't mind it at this rate. It's not all bad! But this is why I didn't finish it quickly.
All that grousing aside, if you want to read a fairy tale that feels very pure-hearted, then this is for you. The ending may not be what you expect, either. Give it a go if you've read Beauty. If not, read that one first, and then give this one a whirl.
But oh my gosh, did it take awhile for me to get through this. And I've been looking forward to it for so long!
It's not that McKinley is a bad storyteller. Absolutely not the case at all. Please read Beauty if you have the time. The major issue I found (and many other reviewers have as well, it seems) with this version is that after the beginning, it drags on. and on. and on. We're given so many details of Beauty's day-to-day life at the castle, but it's all roses roses roses, gardening, strange animal encounters, dreams, and fleeting meetings with the Beast. Of course things are happening, but very little of it seems exciting.
The other major issue was her writing style, something I noticed around the 150-or-so mark. It's the way she crafts paragraphs: Here is this detail, and then another detail, and then Beauty noticed something, and oh how her heart yearned for home and surely someday she would see her family again. And and and and and and. How did her editor not push her towards different sentence structure? I wouldn't mind it if she didn't do it so often.
Other perhaps cloying details are her sisters' names: Lionheart and Jeweltongue. I'm all for creative names, but these are a bit excessive. I can't see myself calling someone "Jeweltongue" in a serious manner. There's always that element of disbelief that it's actually her name. I was also getting completely fed up with all the talk of roses throughout Beauty's time at the castle. Roses on the carpet, on the wall, on the dresser, in the bath, the smell of them everywhere. I get it, Robin; she's surrounded by the things.
I did enjoy her relationship with her sisters, and the second chance her father receives. Even if there is a lack of driving conflict.
-sigh- You'd never know I actually didn't mind it at this rate. It's not all bad! But this is why I didn't finish it quickly.
All that grousing aside, if you want to read a fairy tale that feels very pure-hearted, then this is for you. The ending may not be what you expect, either. Give it a go if you've read Beauty. If not, read that one first, and then give this one a whirl.