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A review by alyson7
Beauty by Susan Wilson
3.0
Beauty by Susan Wilson is a rewriting of Beauty & the Beast with a twist. The setting is not a magical fairyland with household objects who are under a spell that can only be broken by true love’s first kiss. Instead, the story is a realistic portrait of a young man whose own self-worth is distorted by a disease which has caused him to gradually become deformed. Unlike Beauty & the Beast where the “beast” transforms from a monstrous creature into a prince, the “beast” in this novel doesn’t change his appearance. Instead, he transforms his outlook on life and how he sees value in himself. The exploration of inner beauty is an interesting approach for a story based on the timeless fairy-tale of Beauty & the Beast .
This is my second time reading this book. It is a delightful adaptation of Beauty & the Beast , and guaranteed it will make you cry at some point. Even during my second time around reading this book, I teared up in certain places. I enjoyed its realistic storyline which demonstrates that the story of Beauty & the Beast it has a real-world application. Instead of solely focusing on Alix’s gradual realization of her love for Leland, the story tends to focus on Leland’s gradual acceptance of his deformities.
The novel is a quick and easy read. Wilson’s writing style is slightly lacking in places. Instead, her strength appears to be the plotline she has created rather than how she tells the story through Alix’s perspective. The surprise twist at the end was a little unnecessary. It seemed as if the author placed it in for dramatic effect rather than as a necessity to the overall plotline. Overall, I would say that this is a good retelling of the original story.
This is my second time reading this book. It is a delightful adaptation of Beauty & the Beast , and guaranteed it will make you cry at some point. Even during my second time around reading this book, I teared up in certain places. I enjoyed its realistic storyline which demonstrates that the story of Beauty & the Beast it has a real-world application. Instead of solely focusing on Alix’s gradual realization of her love for Leland, the story tends to focus on Leland’s gradual acceptance of his deformities.
The novel is a quick and easy read. Wilson’s writing style is slightly lacking in places. Instead, her strength appears to be the plotline she has created rather than how she tells the story through Alix’s perspective. The surprise twist at the end was a little unnecessary. It seemed as if the author placed it in for dramatic effect rather than as a necessity to the overall plotline. Overall, I would say that this is a good retelling of the original story.