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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
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.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Roses, roses, everywhere! I love it, very appropriate for spring!
Robin McKinley’s second retelling of Beauty and the Beast was better than the first, in my opinion. I loved the relationship between the three sisters, and how they supported each other and discovered their own talents after their change in fortune. And I’m a big fan of magical gardens — they just feel very fairy tale-like and they make me happy! The actual breaking of the curse and the backstory of how it was cast in the first place was kind of confusing and unclear, but it was unique and interesting. And I really liked the ending.
I love this book for its details just as much as I love 'Beauty' for its simplicity. Does that even make sense? I found myself to be a bit more interested in in the two sisters' romances than I was in Beauty's though, which is not a problem I had with 'Beauty'. Also, 'Rose Daughter' does take a while to really get going with the story (way too much time spent on their life in town, and then hardly anything about their life at the cottage!), but overall a good retelling of my favorite fairy tale.
Erg. I read and liked McKinley's earlier retelling 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], and while there are some interesting new elements, and it feels more mature on the whole, the story is also somewhat plodding for the first two thirds and then impossibly rushed for the last third, and I wasn't quite sure what was happening in the final twenty pages or so except that it was really boring and confusing. There are about six pages of straight-up exposition from a figure who has, until now, been mysterious and shadowy, and on the whole I didn't feel there was anything new until the end...
[spoilers:]
I've actually played with the idea that a human prince would not feel the same to Beauty in a short story, but while keeping him a beast is an interesting change, I literally wasn't sure that that was what had happened until I hopped over here to read the reviews. McKinley didn't really do anything with it, and after pages of opaque and rambling description, it was annoying to have the one original element of the story get buried at the end.
[spoilers:]
I've actually played with the idea that a human prince would not feel the same to Beauty in a short story, but while keeping him a beast is an interesting change, I literally wasn't sure that that was what had happened until I hopped over here to read the reviews. McKinley didn't really do anything with it, and after pages of opaque and rambling description, it was annoying to have the one original element of the story get buried at the end.
I'm still majorly impressed that the McKinley wrote a second version of the same story (her first take on Beauty & the Beast being "Beauty"). However, personally, I prefer the language, rhythm and charm of "Beauty", rather than "Rose Daughter". The fairytale and magical aspects, though intriguing and enthralling, do not coalesce into a well put-together story and the intrigue of Rose's mother's provenance, as well as her sisters storylines in Longchance seem.... forced, to say the least. Haphazard would be more accurate. Although, I must hand it to McKinley - she has the most marvelous ability of making her characters incredibly flawed, misguided and sometimes downright pitiful, while simultaneously making them compelling, sympathetic, interesting and strong-willed. I can honestly say, her characters grip you from page one and never fully let you go, even after you've put the book down. As for her poetic, vivid language, tapestry-like style, and the visceral emotions she evokes... that's a given. It is McKinley after all, and those are the traits I, as a reader, have come to identify with her works. I simply cannot wait to start reading "Spindle's End", the third book in the Folktales series!
I would give this book five stars but I didn't like how the Beast stayed a Beast. I liked Beauty's decision, and I know it was the only good one. But I just wanted him to be human. Oh well; that's probably just me.