Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
A beautiful story that made me laugh, cry, fall in love, and more! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story of all time and I loved McKinley's retelling of it. I would recommend this book to anyone with a passion for fairytales.
I first heard about this book several years ago, but I just now got around to reading it. Having loved [b: Beauty|3679|On Beauty|Zadie Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495961870l/3679._SY75_.jpg|910752], I probably would have started Rose Daughter sooner, but I came across a spoiler for it that squashed any desire I had to read it. The beast doesn't turn back into a human in the end. Last week, I was really in a Beauty and the Beast mood and wanted to read a new retelling of it, so I borrowed this on Hoopla in hopes that the rest of the book would make up for the part I knew I wouldn't like. Unfortunately (but predictively), it just didn't.
I enjoyed Rose Daughter for the most part. I loved the relationship between the sisters and I loved the animals (especially the cats and hedgehogs, but the spider and the snakes made my skin crawl), and I just really enjoyed the fairytale atmosphere. McKinley has a way of writing that feels very cozy to me. However, the story dragged at times, the relationship between Beauty and the Beast felt underdeveloped, and it got really odd near the end. There was so much information dumped on the reader, not just about how the beast became a beast, but also about every single thing Beauty experienced. I was exhausted just reading all of it.Also, what was the point of her losing her memory when she went back home? Since she couldn't even remember how or why she needed to go back to the beast until literally one second too late, it just felt like a cheap plot device. But despite all this, I still felt like so much was left to be explained and it left me with many questions. And then the ending was just very disappointing, even though I knew some of it already. I can't help but feel bad for the Beast who had already talked about how he missed being a human so much that he sat at a dinner table every night, even though he couldn't handle the silverware, just because it made him feel a little more human. He should have had a choice in whether he remained a beast or not. Or maybe he could have just turned back into a human without anyone having to choose since that is how this story is supposed to end. I don't care which, I just wish I could unread the end where they're talking about getting married and Beauty kisses him.
I enjoyed Rose Daughter for the most part. I loved the relationship between the sisters and I loved the animals (especially the cats and hedgehogs, but the spider and the snakes made my skin crawl), and I just really enjoyed the fairytale atmosphere. McKinley has a way of writing that feels very cozy to me. However, the story dragged at times, the relationship between Beauty and the Beast felt underdeveloped, and it got really odd near the end. There was so much information dumped on the reader, not just about how the beast became a beast, but also about every single thing Beauty experienced. I was exhausted just reading all of it.
It's lovely writing, but the plot feels so cursory. Things Happen and they are Very Portentous, but I never really got why that would be. A combination of drowsy and rushed.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Robin McKinley's Rose Daughter tells the story of Beauty and the Beast, which she has already told before, and in my opinion, better, in [Book:Beauty]. She claims she felt she had to retell the story when she learned more about roses, after cultivating them. Never have I read a book before where I felt so much like the author was simply marking time until she got to the bit with the compost. Manure provides an important climactic moment. She certainly manages to convey what roses mean to her, but sadly, I'm afraid they don't have quite that importance to me.
Not to say this is a bad book. I'd loan it to a friend without qualms, but I wouldn't let anyone buy it new. The plot is a bit of a mess; it feels like she wasn't quite sure what was happening herself, so she threw in a lot of details in the hope that some of them would fall in a story-shape. There's no attempt at a real explanation for any of what happens, which to me is sort of the point of retelling fairy tales.
It is, however, remarkable for being a book that addresses one of the most common complaints about Disney's [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]. But telling you that complaint might constitute a minor spoiler, so stop reading now if that is a concern for you: in the end, the interesting beast is not substituted for the boring prince.
Not to say this is a bad book. I'd loan it to a friend without qualms, but I wouldn't let anyone buy it new. The plot is a bit of a mess; it feels like she wasn't quite sure what was happening herself, so she threw in a lot of details in the hope that some of them would fall in a story-shape. There's no attempt at a real explanation for any of what happens, which to me is sort of the point of retelling fairy tales.
It is, however, remarkable for being a book that addresses one of the most common complaints about Disney's [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]. But telling you that complaint might constitute a minor spoiler, so stop reading now if that is a concern for you: in the end, the interesting beast is not substituted for the boring prince.
While I might not have enjoyed this book as much as [b:Beauty|3679|On Beauty|Zadie Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165030310s/3679.jpg|910752], it's still enough to remind me that Beauty and the Beast most definitely belongs on my list of favourite fairy tales.
so, did the Beast stay a 'beast'? So half man half beast? How would that work in terms of intimacy? I'm confused.
"It is only because he is what he is that he has lived so long - the man he was who became the Beast he is."
This re-telling of Beauty and the Beast was one of the most poetical and word-heavy ones I have ever read. It tells the story of three sisters, Beauty, Lionheart and Jeweltongue who have to move to an unknown cottage, called the Rose Cottage, that was gifted to them by a person unknown to their family. They make the move from their home in the city, in the aftermath of their Father having lost all his wealth. For most of the novel, the readers are privy to the domestic life of the three sisters and their Father, making their new life in the town of Longchance and within their small little Rose Cottage. The little town though, and their little cottage has a tumultuous history with magic.
And so does the family. After the death of their mother, the three sisters' Father refuses to have anything to do with magic and all that it entails. No sorcerers, no greenwitches, no charms, nothing.
"...grief had made him so unreasonable that he blamed his wife's soothsayers for not having warned her against her last, fatal recklessness, and had for the moment turned against all magic."
But all the changed at the Rose Cottage.
In terms of the narrative, there were aspects that I liked and other aspects that felt underwhelming. I enjoyed reading about the relationship between the sisters - I think that was mainly the reason why I continued to read this book - and I found the writing to be quite beautiful and lyrical. There is no doubt that [a:Robin McKinley|5339|Robin McKinley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1314406026p2/5339.jpg] has a talent with the written word. The world-building was done effortlessly, and I found the concept of how magic was interwoven with everyday society, so epic - and the fact that there were female sorcerers!-it was easy to lost yourself within this world.
However, the entire premise is something that I've never really been attracted to. In this case, there could have been a variety of ways in which the Beast could have been introduced - a la [b:Beastly|544891|Beastly (Beastly, #1; Kendra Chronicles, #1)|Alex Flinn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1334260193s/544891.jpg|532177], for instance - but when you still maintain the 'force and imprison for love', I legitimately can't handle it. I just don't understand how one could 'fall in love' within a situation where you have been forced to be a companion for someone else. In this case, the father wasn't imprisoned and Beauty didn't technically have to trade her life for his; but, the Beast told the Father that if Beauty did not come to his Castle, then he would kill the Father.
Not the most nicest thing to say, I must admit.
This was mainly the issue I had with the plotline - and one that I also had for the original and for a recent Beauty and the Beast re-telling I read by [a:Meagan Spooner|4615776|Meagan Spooner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1313645069p2/4615776.jpg] titled [b:Hunted|24485589|Hunted|Meagan Spooner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1467052649s/24485589.jpg|44080112]. It just doesn't sit well with me.
The romantic relationship element also was one that felt underwhelming, despite my issue with the premise. I felt that there was no substantial development between Beauty and the Beast. I found that most of Beauty's time spent at the Castle was in the gardens. Sporadic conversations at the dinner table, and Beauty swooning from the dark didn't really provide a sound basis for a romance. I legitimately thought the book was longer than I initially anticipated because I felt that the romance was going nowhere, even though I knew it was supposed to. Then all of a sudden Beauty is screaming to the heavens that,
"Oh Beast, my Beast, don't die. I have come back to you. I love you, and I want to marry you".
There was just nothing there, and it felt awkward. Also, I have to point out that the character of Beauty had similarities with McKinley's [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://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294192311s/41424.jpg|2321285]original re-retelling - in that Beauty was not the most beautiful. As if this was a character trait. Even though the Beast proclaims her the most beautiful.
Overall, it was a pretty meh novel and one that I won't read again and would not recommend, unless you absolutely adore the story of Beauty and the Beast.
Allie
allieereads.com
"It is only because he is what he is that he has lived so long - the man he was who became the Beast he is."
This re-telling of Beauty and the Beast was one of the most poetical and word-heavy ones I have ever read. It tells the story of three sisters, Beauty, Lionheart and Jeweltongue who have to move to an unknown cottage, called the Rose Cottage, that was gifted to them by a person unknown to their family. They make the move from their home in the city, in the aftermath of their Father having lost all his wealth. For most of the novel, the readers are privy to the domestic life of the three sisters and their Father, making their new life in the town of Longchance and within their small little Rose Cottage. The little town though, and their little cottage has a tumultuous history with magic.
And so does the family. After the death of their mother, the three sisters' Father refuses to have anything to do with magic and all that it entails. No sorcerers, no greenwitches, no charms, nothing.
"...grief had made him so unreasonable that he blamed his wife's soothsayers for not having warned her against her last, fatal recklessness, and had for the moment turned against all magic."
But all the changed at the Rose Cottage.
In terms of the narrative, there were aspects that I liked and other aspects that felt underwhelming. I enjoyed reading about the relationship between the sisters - I think that was mainly the reason why I continued to read this book - and I found the writing to be quite beautiful and lyrical. There is no doubt that [a:Robin McKinley|5339|Robin McKinley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1314406026p2/5339.jpg] has a talent with the written word. The world-building was done effortlessly, and I found the concept of how magic was interwoven with everyday society, so epic - and the fact that there were female sorcerers!-it was easy to lost yourself within this world.
However, the entire premise is something that I've never really been attracted to. In this case, there could have been a variety of ways in which the Beast could have been introduced - a la [b:Beastly|544891|Beastly (Beastly, #1; Kendra Chronicles, #1)|Alex Flinn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1334260193s/544891.jpg|532177], for instance - but when you still maintain the 'force and imprison for love', I legitimately can't handle it. I just don't understand how one could 'fall in love' within a situation where you have been forced to be a companion for someone else. In this case, the father wasn't imprisoned and Beauty didn't technically have to trade her life for his; but, the Beast told the Father that if Beauty did not come to his Castle, then he would kill the Father.
Not the most nicest thing to say, I must admit.
This was mainly the issue I had with the plotline - and one that I also had for the original and for a recent Beauty and the Beast re-telling I read by [a:Meagan Spooner|4615776|Meagan Spooner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1313645069p2/4615776.jpg] titled [b:Hunted|24485589|Hunted|Meagan Spooner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1467052649s/24485589.jpg|44080112]. It just doesn't sit well with me.
The romantic relationship element also was one that felt underwhelming, despite my issue with the premise. I felt that there was no substantial development between Beauty and the Beast. I found that most of Beauty's time spent at the Castle was in the gardens. Sporadic conversations at the dinner table, and Beauty swooning from the dark didn't really provide a sound basis for a romance. I legitimately thought the book was longer than I initially anticipated because I felt that the romance was going nowhere, even though I knew it was supposed to. Then all of a sudden Beauty is screaming to the heavens that,
"Oh Beast, my Beast, don't die. I have come back to you. I love you, and I want to marry you".
There was just nothing there, and it felt awkward. Also, I have to point out that the character of Beauty had similarities with McKinley's [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://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294192311s/41424.jpg|2321285]original re-retelling - in that Beauty was not the most beautiful. As if this was a character trait. Even though the Beast proclaims her the most beautiful.
Overall, it was a pretty meh novel and one that I won't read again and would not recommend, unless you absolutely adore the story of Beauty and the Beast.
Allie
allieereads.com
Nowhere near as good as Beauty, her first retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story. It's overcrowded with language and flourishes. It settles down eventually and the story is still good, but it just doesn't have the simple compelling magic of the much shorter Beauty.
My favorite paragraph is this
Mrs Greendown to Beauty
"Bless you. Maybe it's no wonder why they grow for you after all. You know- pansy for thoughtfulness, yew for sorrow, bay for glory, dock for tomorrow. Roses are for love. Not forget-me-not, honeysuckle, silly sweethearts' love but the love that makes you and keeps you whole, love that gets you through the worst your life'll give you and that pours out of you when you're given the best intended."
I enjoyed the retelling very much. The author's words on roses was amazing enough to make me smell them every time I picked up the book to read it. Beauty's sisters were amusing, but the father was extremely distant (or sick) and it seemed as if he was only needed as the catalyst for Beauty being given to the Beast. I also enjoyed the ideas of two types of magic, nature magic, and powerful sorcerer magic.
The reason I gave it 4 stars however, is because of some of the dialogue between the characters towards the middle to end. It was very- I mean to say- Hmm, how do I get-
It seemed to me as if there was a lot of stilted dialogue, which I knew was there to enhance the drama, but it's just annoying when it happens for what seems like the 7th time in only three chapters. And how the headstrong sisters didn't wring each others necks when they did dangle these half secrets over each others heads is beyond me.
I also had a hard time not imagining Beast as the Disney version Beast that I grew up with, but I don't hold that against this book.
Mrs Greendown to Beauty
"Bless you. Maybe it's no wonder why they grow for you after all. You know- pansy for thoughtfulness, yew for sorrow, bay for glory, dock for tomorrow. Roses are for love. Not forget-me-not, honeysuckle, silly sweethearts' love but the love that makes you and keeps you whole, love that gets you through the worst your life'll give you and that pours out of you when you're given the best intended."
I enjoyed the retelling very much. The author's words on roses was amazing enough to make me smell them every time I picked up the book to read it. Beauty's sisters were amusing, but the father was extremely distant (or sick) and it seemed as if he was only needed as the catalyst for Beauty being given to the Beast. I also enjoyed the ideas of two types of magic, nature magic, and powerful sorcerer magic.
The reason I gave it 4 stars however, is because of some of the dialogue between the characters towards the middle to end. It was very- I mean to say- Hmm, how do I get-
It seemed to me as if there was a lot of stilted dialogue, which I knew was there to enhance the drama, but it's just annoying when it happens for what seems like the 7th time in only three chapters. And how the headstrong sisters didn't wring each others necks when they did dangle these half secrets over each others heads is beyond me.
I also had a hard time not imagining Beast as the Disney version Beast that I grew up with, but I don't hold that against this book.