You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It is not often that an author goes back to one of her first books after twenty years and basically rewrites the entire thing. So when I heard that Robin McKinley had actually written another re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, twenty years after her best seller and one of my favourite books, Beauty, I had to give it a try- I couldn’t not! I’m so glad I did.
Have I mentioned I love re-tellings? Because I really do. They are like the comforting, warm hug of the literary world. Revisiting childhood favourites in more detail and depth than you could ever imagine, and managing to make the story last more than the initial fairytales (which sadly only take around five minutes to read!), is a lovely, lovely feeling.
The story follows the traditional formula of both the original tale, and indeed her original re-telling Beauty, starting off with great detail about Beauty’s life before her father stumbles upon the Beast’s castle, describing her life with her father and her two sisters, here they are called Lionheart, who is known for her bravery and rash actions, and Jeweltongue, who is known for her sharp wit and blunt objectivity.
I gave this book four stars, liike I did Beauty, because like with Beauty I did feel that the amount of descriptions within this book made the pace go quite slow towards the end. In this one however, I did not feel the amount of description was necessary, in terms of the amount of time spent on the descriptions of gardening elements or whenever random animals turned up to prove that Beauty was bringing life back to the castle- once or twice was okay but after a while, it started to feel quite repetitive and I just wanted to continue the story. But some people will definitely love that aspect of it, I’m sure, so I can’t even totally say that is a negative thing.
I think out of the two, I prefer “Beauty” but Rose Daughter definitely holds it’s own and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the original tale.
For more of my reviews, please visit thebookheap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com
Have I mentioned I love re-tellings? Because I really do. They are like the comforting, warm hug of the literary world. Revisiting childhood favourites in more detail and depth than you could ever imagine, and managing to make the story last more than the initial fairytales (which sadly only take around five minutes to read!), is a lovely, lovely feeling.
The story follows the traditional formula of both the original tale, and indeed her original re-telling Beauty, starting off with great detail about Beauty’s life before her father stumbles upon the Beast’s castle, describing her life with her father and her two sisters, here they are called Lionheart, who is known for her bravery and rash actions, and Jeweltongue, who is known for her sharp wit and blunt objectivity.
I gave this book four stars, liike I did Beauty, because like with Beauty I did feel that the amount of descriptions within this book made the pace go quite slow towards the end. In this one however, I did not feel the amount of description was necessary, in terms of the amount of time spent on the descriptions of gardening elements or whenever random animals turned up to prove that Beauty was bringing life back to the castle- once or twice was okay but after a while, it started to feel quite repetitive and I just wanted to continue the story. But some people will definitely love that aspect of it, I’m sure, so I can’t even totally say that is a negative thing.
I think out of the two, I prefer “Beauty” but Rose Daughter definitely holds it’s own and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the original tale.
For more of my reviews, please visit thebookheap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com
I don't believe there can be enough re-tellings of Beauty and the Beast. This one has all the classic elements (balance of family and responsibility vs finding your passion, magic castles, invisible servants, roses), but focuses on how a little compassion can truly change lives. Beauty still is, and forever will be, my favorite, but this story was also enjoyable in many of the same ways. And yes, Beauty still tells the Beast no.
This was an absolutely delightful book. Is is the most fairytale-ish book I have ever read. Magical. Happy. Enchanting. Filled with good-hearted characters, and yet neither trite not boring. A great choice when you want a light-hearted yet enthralling book to escape into.
McKinely's second version of [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294192311s/41424.jpg|2321285] is the most beautiful fairy tale retelling I have ever read.
I had already read Beauty by Robin McKinley and didn't think I was willing to spend time reading ANOTHER retelling of the same story, so I gave this one up.
I was hoping to read a good fairy tale when I picked this one off the shelf, and I wasn't disappointed. The good fairy tales leave you with a sense of wonder and the added encouragement that good will persevere over evil and romance will bloom. It helps that Beauty and the Beast seems to be McKinley's favorite tale. This is a story told from Beauty's viewpoint; so the muzzy confusion that I would normally find distracting in the enchanted manor works very well in making the reader experience an enchanted world through Beauty's eyes. I only wish [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] had interacted with each other more.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
A little darker retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Nicely done. The magic is kind of wild and unformed, does whatever the author wants it to, instead of really having rules. But the characters are interesting and their choices more or less realistic. Good descriptions, easy to "see" what the author was describing.
While others have tried their hand at "Beauty and the Beast" before, and most have failed miserably, McKinley really outdoes herself in Rose Daughter. This story is heady and enchanting, a fully immersing fantasy wrapped tightly around the fairy-tale. Here, you find yourself swept away by McKinley's mysterious world, an often beautiful, sometimes unkind world of jealous socerery, finicky palaces, and strange cats. Here is a Beauty one finds themselves truly believing in, here is a Beast one falls in love with in the reading, and here is a family one wants badly as their own, to feel that warmth and love. This is a beautifully imagined re-telling, wonderfully plotted, but easy to comprehend, that is not afraid to be true to its origins and be by turns wonderfully romantic and dreamlike, and then terrifying, eerie, even nightmarish. This is, truly, a book for anyone who enjoys a good story, and especially a book for anyone who would love to see "Beauty and the Beast" done right. Bravo Mrs. McKinley!