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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Read years ago but barely remember what the story was about.
*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.
Not as good as her other retelling but charming all the same.
Robin McKinley takes fairy tales and puts her own spin on them, usually resulting in a beautiful and complex new story. Rose Daughter is a triumph, taking the story of Beauty and the Beast to new heights. Fairy tales envelop you in a land that can't exist, but you wish it does, and McKinley is gifted in making that feeling from childhood come back.
Food: a lovely, rich, sophisticated chocolate mousse, with hints of chile and cinnamon and other exotic spices. A dessert you want to savor, that has more to it than appears on the surface.
Food: a lovely, rich, sophisticated chocolate mousse, with hints of chile and cinnamon and other exotic spices. A dessert you want to savor, that has more to it than appears on the surface.
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I just have one comment... I am so glad he stays a beast at the end it always annoyed me so much that Disney turned the beast into a human at the end...
I finally got around to reading this and I loved it. I particularly loved McKinley's take on Beauty's sister and the enchanted house/servants. I was really happy with the ending and found it a very satisfying retelling.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was so ready to settle down and love this book. I loved the style, I loved the absolutely delicious descriptions of the setting, I loved the premise... but then, nothing ever happened.
Really, all the action in Beauty is squashed into the last forty or so pages--and it's confusing, in the way that vaguely written fairy tale magic can be infuriatingly confusing. I love fairy tales, no mistake, but when there's no reason for anything and seemingly no limit to what magic can do, there are no stakes and therefore no reason for me to care. I was, yet again, extremely disappointed with the ending (Beauty chose what she did for her reputation! The other option included her being able to do great good in the world! But she would rather be thought well of. That was like negative character development to me, both baffling and aggravating. ). Don't even get me started on the nonexistent romance; you'd think that in a fairy tale so focused on romance there would be some chemistry or buildup, and yet here we are.
I honestly just got sad, reading Beauty. It had a great start but slowed to a crawl--a messy, repetitive, contrived crawl. I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone, especially when I know Robin McKinley has the ability to write wonderfully intriguing fantasies with great character development like Hero and the Crown. I hope that the next novel I pick up by her will be less of a disappointment.
#readdownyourbookshelf verdict: This one is off to the book exchange.
Really, all the action in Beauty is squashed into the last forty or so pages--and it's confusing, in the way that vaguely written fairy tale magic can be infuriatingly confusing. I love fairy tales, no mistake, but when there's no reason for anything and seemingly no limit to what magic can do, there are no stakes and therefore no reason for me to care. I was, yet again, extremely disappointed with the ending (
I honestly just got sad, reading Beauty. It had a great start but slowed to a crawl--a messy, repetitive, contrived crawl. I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone, especially when I know Robin McKinley has the ability to write wonderfully intriguing fantasies with great character development like Hero and the Crown. I hope that the next novel I pick up by her will be less of a disappointment.
#readdownyourbookshelf verdict: This one is off to the book exchange.
In Rose Daughter, McKinley expands on and enhances Beauty, a book she wrote twenty years earlier. Both are retellings of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.
I actually liked Beauty, the shorter work of the two, better as I didn't feel that Rose Daughter added anything meaningful that wasn’t already there. Part of what’s missing for me is the natural progression in Beauty’s relationship with The Beast – i.e. from fear to love through trust and compassion. In this book Beauty shows little or no terror at being completely uprooted from her family and forced to cohabitate with a beast-like creature. As a result, her ultimate love for this creature is less satisfying to the reader than it could have been. Still, I recommend it to readers who continue to enjoy the magic of fairy tales, adults included.
I actually liked Beauty, the shorter work of the two, better as I didn't feel that Rose Daughter added anything meaningful that wasn’t already there. Part of what’s missing for me is the natural progression in Beauty’s relationship with The Beast – i.e. from fear to love through trust and compassion. In this book Beauty shows little or no terror at being completely uprooted from her family and forced to cohabitate with a beast-like creature. As a result, her ultimate love for this creature is less satisfying to the reader than it could have been. Still, I recommend it to readers who continue to enjoy the magic of fairy tales, adults included.