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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I didn't love this version as much as I had thought I would. I could just be that I am so used to the Disney version, having grown up watching it, that this original version seemed too old fashioned for me.
I also found there were confusing parts when the Fairy was explaining the story behind the curses. There were too many fairy's mentioned with no name to distinguish one from the other that muddled that part of the story.
It was still worth reading and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast just so they can see where it all began.
I also found there were confusing parts when the Fairy was explaining the story behind the curses. There were too many fairy's mentioned with no name to distinguish one from the other that muddled that part of the story.
It was still worth reading and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast just so they can see where it all began.
This is such a tough rating for me. I want to give it five stars, but I want to give it two at the same time. A happy medium of 3.5 doesn't feel right though. I've always loved the Disney version of this fairy tale more than anything, and I loved this original version too. At the same time, I kind of hated it? No, that's too strong of an emotion. I was semi-bored through most of it. I love the story, but not the writing. However, it may have just been this translation, so I'm going to find another one and try it again. Better yet, when I brush up on my French enough to read a book, I'll read the original. Nothing is ever as good as a translation. At the same time, some of it was just so long-winded. The last 40 pages or so were history info-dump, "this is why the story happened". It could've been done in a much better way.
Translations aside, if this book was written today, I would've ripped it apart. The phrase "for a woman" or "for her sex" popped up more than once, and again, if it was a modern book, game over. However, this was written in 1740. It was a different world, and I understand that. I'm reading through the lens of 2018, where that shit wouldn't fly. I imagine this was pretty progressive for its time though.
I think, for nostalgia purposes, as well as how much I loved the story (and seeing where Disney changed things up), I'm going with 4.5. Maybe. This could change to a solid four or five. Maybe a three. Who knows? NOT ME.
Translations aside, if this book was written today, I would've ripped it apart. The phrase "for a woman" or "for her sex" popped up more than once, and again, if it was a modern book, game over. However, this was written in 1740. It was a different world, and I understand that. I'm reading through the lens of 2018, where that shit wouldn't fly. I imagine this was pretty progressive for its time though.
I think, for nostalgia purposes, as well as how much I loved the story (and seeing where Disney changed things up), I'm going with 4.5. Maybe. This could change to a solid four or five. Maybe a three. Who knows? NOT ME.
I wanted so badly to like this. The book itself is beautiful. The illustrations and the interactive things are awesome. The story? Not so much. If you like Gaston, Lefou, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Pots and chip, you may be upset to know that they are not in this story. But, if you like fairies and a lot of over explanation, you are in luck. If you like bland characters and a confusing love triangle, you are also in luck.
I think I am especially hard on this because I love the Disney version so much. The singing, the friendships, the romance. It makes the story of a girl falling in love with an animal easier to understand.
In the original version, Beauty (not Belle, this is important) lives with her father and butt ton of sisters and brothers. She is the youngest of the bunch. Her father loses his fortune and goes abroad to find a new one. Before he goes, he asks his daughters what they would like him to bring back for them. All of the sisters (except Beauty) ask for lavish and expensive gifts. Beauty asks for a rose.
The fathers foray into fortune fails and he is left with less than he started with. While on his way home, starving and barely able to ride his horse, he comes upon a castle. In this castle he finds no one, but he does find a roaring fire and a table laden with delicious food. After eating, he decides that it is time to leave. While leaving he finds beautiful roses. He decides to bring home a couple dozen for his daughters. Little does he know, he is being watched.
The Beast approaches him and basically tells him that he must pay for the roses he has taken with his life, or the life of one of his daughters. So while riding home he decides that he will not tell his daughters and sacrifice himself to the Beast. Of course when he gets home he is distraught and tells his family of the ordeal he is now faced with. Beauty, being selfless and loving her father, says she will take his place. This is, for the most part, a lot like the story I know.
So Beauty goes to the Beasts castle. She is not greeted by a talking candlestick and clock. She is not crying to a talking wardrobe. She is completely by herself. There are invisible beings that do everything for her and also monkeys and other various other animals that help her.
Each night when she falls asleep she sees a beautiful man that she immediately falls in love with. You know, cause he's gorgeous and all. He leaves her with confusing riddles like "only you can set me free". Meanwhile, she only sees the Beast for like an hour a day. But everyday he asks her "Will you marry me?" And she always tells him no, because she's in love with dream boy.
Fast forward through the monotony and she decides that she needs to see her family. Her family consists of her father and brothers, who she loves and her extremely jealous sisters that were happy to get rid of her. The Beast let's her go but tells her that her leaving will certainly kill him. So, of course, she leaves. She is only supposed to be gone for 2 months but ends up staying away longer. The only thing that convinces her to leave is a dream that she has wherein the Beast is dying.
So, she goes back and finds the Beast on the brink of death and tells him that she will marry him. She wakes up the next day to see a man sleeping on a couch in her room and discovers it is the Beast. He was a man the whole time guys! And he is actually the man that visited her in her dreams! Beasts mom shows up with a fairy and this is where the story gets long winded so I will tell it through bullet points.
-The Beast was once a man that was cursed by a fairy because he refused to marry her. They make a huge point to mention that she was old and ugly.
-Beasts mom is all like "thanks for breaking the spell, but couldn't you have been of royal blood?" And doesn't approve of the match.
-They argue this point and her virtuousness for entirely too long.
-After much arguing, the fairy reveals that "Oh wait! She is royal blood. Well, royal and fairy. Her dad totally got with a fairy. But that was illegal so the fairy was banished and there was an assassination attempt on Belle. I intervened and saved Beauty, but made it look like she died and put her with a family of low birth, on purpose. So as not to draw attention to her."
-This fairy is different from the fairy that cursed Beast and also different from Beauty's mom. There were no individual names for the fairies. Very confusing. Also, there was a whole bit of fairies turning into a salamander that I didn't understand, and at this point just moved past to finish the book.
-Beauty's dad shows up and everything is revealed to him. He is shocked, of course. And confused.
-They live happily ever after.
Now, I may have explained that terribly, but I also fell sleep a couple times. Bottom line: this book gets three stars because I am so in love with the Disney version and the book itself is gorgeous.
I think I am especially hard on this because I love the Disney version so much. The singing, the friendships, the romance. It makes the story of a girl falling in love with an animal easier to understand.
In the original version, Beauty (not Belle, this is important) lives with her father and butt ton of sisters and brothers. She is the youngest of the bunch. Her father loses his fortune and goes abroad to find a new one. Before he goes, he asks his daughters what they would like him to bring back for them. All of the sisters (except Beauty) ask for lavish and expensive gifts. Beauty asks for a rose.
The fathers foray into fortune fails and he is left with less than he started with. While on his way home, starving and barely able to ride his horse, he comes upon a castle. In this castle he finds no one, but he does find a roaring fire and a table laden with delicious food. After eating, he decides that it is time to leave. While leaving he finds beautiful roses. He decides to bring home a couple dozen for his daughters. Little does he know, he is being watched.
The Beast approaches him and basically tells him that he must pay for the roses he has taken with his life, or the life of one of his daughters. So while riding home he decides that he will not tell his daughters and sacrifice himself to the Beast. Of course when he gets home he is distraught and tells his family of the ordeal he is now faced with. Beauty, being selfless and loving her father, says she will take his place. This is, for the most part, a lot like the story I know.
So Beauty goes to the Beasts castle. She is not greeted by a talking candlestick and clock. She is not crying to a talking wardrobe. She is completely by herself. There are invisible beings that do everything for her and also monkeys and other various other animals that help her.
Each night when she falls asleep she sees a beautiful man that she immediately falls in love with. You know, cause he's gorgeous and all. He leaves her with confusing riddles like "only you can set me free". Meanwhile, she only sees the Beast for like an hour a day. But everyday he asks her "Will you marry me?" And she always tells him no, because she's in love with dream boy.
Fast forward through the monotony and she decides that she needs to see her family. Her family consists of her father and brothers, who she loves and her extremely jealous sisters that were happy to get rid of her. The Beast let's her go but tells her that her leaving will certainly kill him. So, of course, she leaves. She is only supposed to be gone for 2 months but ends up staying away longer. The only thing that convinces her to leave is a dream that she has wherein the Beast is dying.
So, she goes back and finds the Beast on the brink of death and tells him that she will marry him. She wakes up the next day to see a man sleeping on a couch in her room and discovers it is the Beast. He was a man the whole time guys! And he is actually the man that visited her in her dreams! Beasts mom shows up with a fairy and this is where the story gets long winded so I will tell it through bullet points.
-The Beast was once a man that was cursed by a fairy because he refused to marry her. They make a huge point to mention that she was old and ugly.
-Beasts mom is all like "thanks for breaking the spell, but couldn't you have been of royal blood?" And doesn't approve of the match.
-They argue this point and her virtuousness for entirely too long.
-After much arguing, the fairy reveals that "Oh wait! She is royal blood. Well, royal and fairy. Her dad totally got with a fairy. But that was illegal so the fairy was banished and there was an assassination attempt on Belle. I intervened and saved Beauty, but made it look like she died and put her with a family of low birth, on purpose. So as not to draw attention to her."
-This fairy is different from the fairy that cursed Beast and also different from Beauty's mom. There were no individual names for the fairies. Very confusing. Also, there was a whole bit of fairies turning into a salamander that I didn't understand, and at this point just moved past to finish the book.
-Beauty's dad shows up and everything is revealed to him. He is shocked, of course. And confused.
-They live happily ever after.
Now, I may have explained that terribly, but I also fell sleep a couple times. Bottom line: this book gets three stars because I am so in love with the Disney version and the book itself is gorgeous.
Things I didn’t like:
The repetitiveness of Beauty’s dreams
Why were they COUSINS
The whole bit at the end where Beauty’s biological father tells the man who RAISED HER hey DONT touch her she’s not ur biological daughter >:(
Things I did like:
Getting to really see the development of beauty and the beasts relationship
The repetitiveness of Beauty’s dreams
Why were they COUSINS
The whole bit at the end where Beauty’s biological father tells the man who RAISED HER hey DONT touch her she’s not ur biological daughter >:(
Things I did like:
Getting to really see the development of beauty and the beasts relationship
“...I beg you will bring me a rose; I love that flower passionately, and since I have lived in this desert I have not had the pleasure of seeing one.”
This edition of Beauty and the Beast is gorgeously illustrated. It's a beautiful book to give as a gift or have on your bookshelf.
However, this original version of the fairy tale, translated from the French, doesn't share any of the romance or charm of the Disney version. It's hard to even see how the former inspired the latter. The original story is strangely materialistic, does not have any special focus on Beast's library (my favorite part of the Disney version is that Belle is a reader), is clunkily-told, and...has Beauty and the Beast marry, even though the seemingly-interminable backstory reveals they are cousins.
Worth reading for the sake of comparison, but worth keeping solely because of the art/illustrations.
However, this original version of the fairy tale, translated from the French, doesn't share any of the romance or charm of the Disney version. It's hard to even see how the former inspired the latter. The original story is strangely materialistic, does not have any special focus on Beast's library (my favorite part of the Disney version is that Belle is a reader), is clunkily-told, and...has Beauty and the Beast marry, even though the seemingly-interminable backstory reveals they are cousins.
Worth reading for the sake of comparison, but worth keeping solely because of the art/illustrations.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Sia ringraziato Disney per la sua versione che per quanto problematica è almeno lontana dal nonsense della versione originale. What's up with all the pedophilia tho? And the inherent sexism? And the unnecessary complicated fairy sub plot???