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greatlittlestories 's review for:
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
by Robin McKinley
"He cannot be so bad if he loves roses so much."
Beauty is the youngest daughter in a wealthy family, and despite her adopted nickname, she is the homeliest of her sisters. When her father's shipping business suffers a devastating financial blow, the family leaves the city and moves to a small town with her sisters new husband. Rumors of an adjacent enchanted forest come to fruition when Beauty's father takes a rose from a magical garden, only to be confronted with the castle's occupant, a terrifying Beast. Beauty agrees to move into the castle in her father's stead, where she embarks on a new life of luxury, magic, loneliness, and friendship with a Beast.
Admittedly, Beauty and the Beast has never been my favorite fairy tale or Disney movie, so I've never sought out or knew about this gorgeous retelling. There are none of the scarier elements of the familiar movie, but I could see a lot of ideas pulled directly from this 1978 book - the footstool dog, moving/dancing cutlery, food and clothes that magically appear and are cleared come to mind first. This retelling is a nice uplifting version of the familiar story, with an emphasis on the importance, love, and devotion of family in all of its forms. There are, however, several unexplained loose ends that are frustrating, as if editing cuts were made that may have removed some fleshed out bits of magic or backstory. But overall, this Beauty is a strong female character who takes control of her own life and destiny, whether that is pitching in the hard labor for her family's survival or standing up to her kindly captor.
Beauty is the youngest daughter in a wealthy family, and despite her adopted nickname, she is the homeliest of her sisters. When her father's shipping business suffers a devastating financial blow, the family leaves the city and moves to a small town with her sisters new husband. Rumors of an adjacent enchanted forest come to fruition when Beauty's father takes a rose from a magical garden, only to be confronted with the castle's occupant, a terrifying Beast. Beauty agrees to move into the castle in her father's stead, where she embarks on a new life of luxury, magic, loneliness, and friendship with a Beast.
Admittedly, Beauty and the Beast has never been my favorite fairy tale or Disney movie, so I've never sought out or knew about this gorgeous retelling. There are none of the scarier elements of the familiar movie, but I could see a lot of ideas pulled directly from this 1978 book - the footstool dog, moving/dancing cutlery, food and clothes that magically appear and are cleared come to mind first. This retelling is a nice uplifting version of the familiar story, with an emphasis on the importance, love, and devotion of family in all of its forms. There are, however, several unexplained loose ends that are frustrating, as if editing cuts were made that may have removed some fleshed out bits of magic or backstory. But overall, this Beauty is a strong female character who takes control of her own life and destiny, whether that is pitching in the hard labor for her family's survival or standing up to her kindly captor.