Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Robin McKinley writes very well indeed, but if this book is anything to judge by, her plotting is lackadaisical. This builds up slowly towards what should be a strong finish; the villain is revealed in all his blackguard villainy - and is then flicked out like a light - poof! After that, we meander to another climax, which is dealt with in an equally desultory fashion. A character who has been flitting in and out in mysterious ways since the beginning subsequently pops up to explain the whole intrigue behind the Beast's predicament, but the explanation seems contrived and unconvincing. We are left to understand that the real villain - not that one, another one - has in some way or another been hoist by his own petard.
I read this because Ursula Vernon recommended it, and found in it inspiration for her own retelling of the tale. Vernon's version is more vigorous and a lot more fun, McKinley's poised prose notwithstanding. Neither of them are able to shake off the bourgeois moralism of Mme Leprince Beaumont's tale. Vernon does catch the echoes of Bluebeard that are heard even more clearly in earlier versions, such as Straparola's Re Porco.
I read this because Ursula Vernon recommended it, and found in it inspiration for her own retelling of the tale. Vernon's version is more vigorous and a lot more fun, McKinley's poised prose notwithstanding. Neither of them are able to shake off the bourgeois moralism of Mme Leprince Beaumont's tale. Vernon does catch the echoes of Bluebeard that are heard even more clearly in earlier versions, such as Straparola's Re Porco.
*4.5 STARS
I adored this book so much! First off, the writing. I LOVED IT!! I literally found myself laughing out loud at point. Multiple times which doesn't happen often for me. And the character were also a delight. I loved them all! They were all very distinct and felt like different people. It's also refreshing to find a retelling that not only has "Beauty" have sisters ( I love Disney's Beauty and the Beast but I blame them for this key plot often being left out of retellings nowadays) but that they were good people!! So often they are these 2D rude, spoiled brats but they weren't in this one! They were wonderful distinct people! Sisters who aren't exactly alike but who care about each other and look out for each other and step up to do their part when things go wrong. I also enjoyed that at least the first third of the book happens before the beast and the castle. That we get to see their lives and that that wasn't the whole point of the story. I loved Beauty! She was such a wonderful, sweet character who really tried to love and understand people. She has a big struggle through the book about her self worth which was beautiful and completely relatable! It even made me cry. All in all I just found this book and it's messages beautiful and it's one of the best retellings that I've ever read.
I adored this book so much! First off, the writing. I LOVED IT!! I literally found myself laughing out loud at point. Multiple times which doesn't happen often for me. And the character were also a delight. I loved them all! They were all very distinct and felt like different people. It's also refreshing to find a retelling that not only has "Beauty" have sisters ( I love Disney's Beauty and the Beast but I blame them for this key plot often being left out of retellings nowadays) but that they were good people!! So often they are these 2D rude, spoiled brats but they weren't in this one! They were wonderful distinct people! Sisters who aren't exactly alike but who care about each other and look out for each other and step up to do their part when things go wrong. I also enjoyed that at least the first third of the book happens before the beast and the castle. That we get to see their lives and that that wasn't the whole point of the story. I loved Beauty! She was such a wonderful, sweet character who really tried to love and understand people. She has a big struggle through the book about her self worth which was beautiful and completely relatable! It even made me cry. All in all I just found this book and it's messages beautiful and it's one of the best retellings that I've ever read.
Probably 4 hand a half stars really. I don't quite know what to say about this book and I'm not a particularly eloquent write so you'll have to deal with a bullet point review.
The good things:
- I loved Beauty, the Beast, Jeweltongue, Lionheart and so on.
- The Beast was brilliantly created.
- This is an amazing portrayal of my favourite story. One of the best.
- I finished this book completely in a daze of how brilliant it is.
The bad:
- I really struggle with McKinley's writing style, it veers off from the main point, is detailed at strange points in awkward ways and I feel like I missed many paragraphs throughout this book just wanting to get to the action.
- I'm not sure, had I put this book down, I could've picked it up.
- It is very slow to start.
- I definitely need to re-read this book I missed so much due to silly structured paragraphs but I will never be able to bring myself to.
Another thing I need to note is this book is very similar to Deerskin, I appreciate the similarity in the basic fairytales both are based on, and Rose Daughter had a slower start than this one, but I did feel like I was hearing the same wife dies, Father falls into a depressin, forgets all about his daughter(s). Both Dad's (when sad) as described so similarly, they're the same characater (allowing a difference that Beauty's dad doesn't later rape her and turn into an evil b******)
But yeah, despite her writing style McKinley does create some amazing characters and fabulous storylines.
I think I reccomend this book.
The good things:
- I loved Beauty, the Beast, Jeweltongue, Lionheart and so on.
- The Beast was brilliantly created.
- This is an amazing portrayal of my favourite story. One of the best.
- I finished this book completely in a daze of how brilliant it is.
The bad:
- I really struggle with McKinley's writing style, it veers off from the main point, is detailed at strange points in awkward ways and I feel like I missed many paragraphs throughout this book just wanting to get to the action.
- I'm not sure, had I put this book down, I could've picked it up.
- It is very slow to start.
- I definitely need to re-read this book I missed so much due to silly structured paragraphs but I will never be able to bring myself to.
Another thing I need to note is this book is very similar to Deerskin, I appreciate the similarity in the basic fairytales both are based on, and Rose Daughter had a slower start than this one, but I did feel like I was hearing the same wife dies, Father falls into a depressin, forgets all about his daughter(s). Both Dad's (when sad) as described so similarly, they're the same characater (allowing a difference that Beauty's dad doesn't later rape her and turn into an evil b******)
But yeah, despite her writing style McKinley does create some amazing characters and fabulous storylines.
I think I reccomend this book.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
I have finally finished this novel and MY!! What a stunning novel it was!
It’s been resting on my shelf since 2017, and it’s been calling to me for years to be read and completed.
It was such a whimsical and cozy piece of writing. I will always think about this novel whenever I look at my mothers garden. I loved Beauty and her family! I loved all the little animals and the scenery around her and rose cottage!! And I adore the beast!!!!!
If you love gorgeous, descriptive, atmospheric romances that are retellings, this is up your alley! You really won’t regret it.
It’s been resting on my shelf since 2017, and it’s been calling to me for years to be read and completed.
It was such a whimsical and cozy piece of writing. I will always think about this novel whenever I look at my mothers garden. I loved Beauty and her family! I loved all the little animals and the scenery around her and rose cottage!! And I adore the beast!!!!!
If you love gorgeous, descriptive, atmospheric romances that are retellings, this is up your alley! You really won’t regret it.
I did not love this book as much I enjoyed Beauty the first retelling of Beauty and the beast by Robin McKinley. It wasn't the same there was something more magical about Beauty that I loved so much and this was a disappointment. I thought I was never going to finish this book. I wasn't happy about that ending. The beast remained the same that is just wrong, I understand it's not all about the looks but I'm asking myself. How will that work out? It Bestiality?!!
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Considering how much I loved Beauty, I was really disappointed in this book. I thought it was a sequel, which was probably my bad. Either way, I was expecting to find Beauty's children and instead found another Beauty. I came to terms with that fairly quickly as Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite stories, and I love a good fairy tale retelling. I was disappointed again because McKinley barely added anything new. The Beauty in this story felt the same as the Beauty in the last story. Everything about the Beast seemed the same right down to the nightly question. I just don't see why she wrote another. I read the author's note at the end where she talked about her decision to re-retell this story. While I get that with time she might have been able to write a better story, it seemed that nothing noteworthy was added. Beauty is far and away much better. I'm sorry I read this book.
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. There were times when I liked this one more than McKinley's first randition called Beauty, but there were also times where I thought that the first one got it right.
Differences:
-The first thing I noticed is actually the relationship between Beauty and Beast. I felt in Beauty they got a lot closer and I could see her falling in love with him, and in Rose Daughter it really was all about the roses and Beast was more like an afterthought. She fell in love with saving his roses and barely spent any time with the Beast himself.
-Obviously the roses were more important in Rose Daughter, and truthfully I didn't really like that part about it. I understand the significance it had in the fairytale, but I thought it was a little overdone in this one and used perfectly in Beauty.
-The relationship with the sisters felt a lot more real in Rose Daughter. In Beauty I felt like Beauty was the only one that wasn't completely vapid and I really felt the relationship between them more. But I didn't really feel the relationship with father in Rose Daughter like I did in Beauty.
-The ending was much more exciting in Rose Daughter than in Beauty and overall the story involved a lot more magic, which I liked.
-I did NOT understand the weather vane part. I had no idea where she was or what was going on and how she got to the glass house. It was hard to understand exactly what happened.
-There were some parts in Rose Daughter that I thought were uneeded, like just some of the rose parts. But in Beauty, it seemed like it all fit together.
**SPOILER!!**
The ending is completely different and I like both endings! Beauty ends like the Disney version where Beauty says she loves the Beast and that she wants to marry him and then he changes into the handsome man he once. Rose Daughter ends where Beauty has to make a choice for both her and the Beast: does the Beast change back into a human but Beauty and he will be known for being rich but cruel people, or does the Beast remain a beast and she gets married to him along with her sisters? She definitely made the right choice to have him remain a Beast; now that he has Beauty to love him he doesn't need to be human, because with her he is human again. I really liked both endings.
Differences:
-The first thing I noticed is actually the relationship between Beauty and Beast. I felt in Beauty they got a lot closer and I could see her falling in love with him, and in Rose Daughter it really was all about the roses and Beast was more like an afterthought. She fell in love with saving his roses and barely spent any time with the Beast himself.
-Obviously the roses were more important in Rose Daughter, and truthfully I didn't really like that part about it. I understand the significance it had in the fairytale, but I thought it was a little overdone in this one and used perfectly in Beauty.
-The relationship with the sisters felt a lot more real in Rose Daughter. In Beauty I felt like Beauty was the only one that wasn't completely vapid and I really felt the relationship between them more. But I didn't really feel the relationship with father in Rose Daughter like I did in Beauty.
-The ending was much more exciting in Rose Daughter than in Beauty and overall the story involved a lot more magic, which I liked.
-I did NOT understand the weather vane part. I had no idea where she was or what was going on and how she got to the glass house. It was hard to understand exactly what happened.
-There were some parts in Rose Daughter that I thought were uneeded, like just some of the rose parts. But in Beauty, it seemed like it all fit together.
**SPOILER!!**
The ending is completely different and I like both endings! Beauty ends like the Disney version where Beauty says she loves the Beast and that she wants to marry him and then he changes into the handsome man he once. Rose Daughter ends where Beauty has to make a choice for both her and the Beast: does the Beast change back into a human but Beauty and he will be known for being rich but cruel people, or does the Beast remain a beast and she gets married to him along with her sisters? She definitely made the right choice to have him remain a Beast; now that he has Beauty to love him he doesn't need to be human, because with her he is human again. I really liked both endings.
Wow! What a great book! I absolutely love fairy tales but haven't read a book like this in ages. Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite tales since I've seen the Disney movie. Rose Daughter is a more "mature" take on the story. I really liked it and can't wait to read this author's other novels. A fun, clean book for anyone who loves fairly tales, mythical creatures, and a touch of magic.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
No