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dandelionfluff 's review for:
Rose Daughter
by Robin McKinley
Oh, my goodness. Alright. I love Beauty and the Beast retellings. I distinctly remember adoring [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://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1294192311s/41424.jpg|2321285] in high school. Lately I decided to take this one off the shelf, because I've been reading too many books in an effort to thin out my collection and not because I really want to read them.
But oh my gosh, did it take awhile for me to get through this. And I've been looking forward to it for so long!
It's not that McKinley is a bad storyteller. Absolutely not the case at all. Please read Beauty if you have the time. The major issue I found (and many other reviewers have as well, it seems) with this version is that after the beginning, it drags on. and on. and on. We're given so many details of Beauty's day-to-day life at the castle, but it's all roses roses roses, gardening, strange animal encounters, dreams, and fleeting meetings with the Beast. Of course things are happening, but very little of it seems exciting.
The other major issue was her writing style, something I noticed around the 150-or-so mark. It's the way she crafts paragraphs: Here is this detail, and then another detail, and then Beauty noticed something, and oh how her heart yearned for home and surely someday she would see her family again. And and and and and and. How did her editor not push her towards different sentence structure? I wouldn't mind it if she didn't do it so often.
Other perhaps cloying details are her sisters' names: Lionheart and Jeweltongue. I'm all for creative names, but these are a bit excessive. I can't see myself calling someone "Jeweltongue" in a serious manner. There's always that element of disbelief that it's actually her name. I was also getting completely fed up with all the talk of roses throughout Beauty's time at the castle. Roses on the carpet, on the wall, on the dresser, in the bath, the smell of them everywhere. I get it, Robin; she's surrounded by the things.
I did enjoy her relationship with her sisters, and the second chance her father receives. Even if there is a lack of driving conflict.
-sigh- You'd never know I actually didn't mind it at this rate. It's not all bad! But this is why I didn't finish it quickly.
All that grousing aside, if you want to read a fairy tale that feels very pure-hearted, then this is for you. The ending may not be what you expect, either. Give it a go if you've read Beauty. If not, read that one first, and then give this one a whirl.
But oh my gosh, did it take awhile for me to get through this. And I've been looking forward to it for so long!
It's not that McKinley is a bad storyteller. Absolutely not the case at all. Please read Beauty if you have the time. The major issue I found (and many other reviewers have as well, it seems) with this version is that after the beginning, it drags on. and on. and on. We're given so many details of Beauty's day-to-day life at the castle, but it's all roses roses roses, gardening, strange animal encounters, dreams, and fleeting meetings with the Beast. Of course things are happening, but very little of it seems exciting.
The other major issue was her writing style, something I noticed around the 150-or-so mark. It's the way she crafts paragraphs: Here is this detail, and then another detail, and then Beauty noticed something, and oh how her heart yearned for home and surely someday she would see her family again. And and and and and and. How did her editor not push her towards different sentence structure? I wouldn't mind it if she didn't do it so often.
Other perhaps cloying details are her sisters' names: Lionheart and Jeweltongue. I'm all for creative names, but these are a bit excessive. I can't see myself calling someone "Jeweltongue" in a serious manner. There's always that element of disbelief that it's actually her name. I was also getting completely fed up with all the talk of roses throughout Beauty's time at the castle. Roses on the carpet, on the wall, on the dresser, in the bath, the smell of them everywhere. I get it, Robin; she's surrounded by the things.
I did enjoy her relationship with her sisters, and the second chance her father receives. Even if there is a lack of driving conflict.
-sigh- You'd never know I actually didn't mind it at this rate. It's not all bad! But this is why I didn't finish it quickly.
All that grousing aside, if you want to read a fairy tale that feels very pure-hearted, then this is for you. The ending may not be what you expect, either. Give it a go if you've read Beauty. If not, read that one first, and then give this one a whirl.