The New York Times–bestselling author of Rose Daughter reimagines the classic French fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.I was the youngest of three daughters. Our literal-minded mother named us Grace, Hope, and Honour. . . . My father still likes to tell the story of how I acquired my odd nickname: I had come to him for further information when I first discovered that our names meant something … discovered that our names meant something besides you-come-here. He succeeded in explaining grace and hope, but he had some difficulty trying to make the concept of honour understandable to a five-year-old. . . . I said: ‘Huh! I’d rather be Beauty.’ . . .
By the time it was evident that I was going to let the family down by being plain, I’d been called Beauty for over six years. . . . I wasn’t really very fond of my given name, Honour, either . . . as if ‘honourable’ were the best that could be said of me.
The sisters’ wealthy father loses all his money when his merchant fleet is drowned in a storm, and the family moves to a village far away. Then the old merchant hears what proves to be a false report that one of his ships had made it safe to harbor at last, and on his sad, disappointed way home again he becomes lost deep in the forest and has a terrifying encounter with a fierce Beast, who walks like a man and lives in a castle. The merchant’s life is forfeit, says the Beast, for trespass and the theft of a rose—but he will spare the old man’s life if he sends one of his daughters: “Your daughter would take no harm from me, nor from anything that lives in my lands.” When Beauty hears this story—for her father had picked the rose to bring to her—her sense of honor demands that she take up the Beast’s offer, for “cannot a Beast be tamed?”
This “splendid story” by the Newbery Medal–winning author of The Hero and the Crown has been named an ALA Notable Book and a Phoenix Award Honor Book (Publishers Weekly).
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One of my favorite retellings of Beauty and the Beast. The family is loving and the prose beyond witty. If you love the Disney version, it owes a lot to this book.
Great book is my favorite adaptation of beauty and the beast even more than the Disney Movie, Hands down my favorite beast.
I realize this book is a retelling of the classic fairytale “Beauty and the Beast.” But…until you’ve read it, it’s hard to understand just how fantastically original it is.
“Beauty” is her nickname. She’s the youngest of three daughters, and when her father’s business goes bankrupt, they are forced to move to the country, where magic isn’t relegated to fanciful stories for children.
A strange twist of events finds Beauty making her home in a magical castle with invisible maids and an impossible library. Her captor-host has an intense personality. She insists she could never love him, but every night he asks the same question: “Will you marry me?”
Do we know how it ends? Yes. Is it a wonderful, unpredictable journey? YES.
Beautifully written with characters who are a joy to spend time with. I’ve gotten to where I avoid Beauty and the Beast retellings because so much darkness is heaped on the Beast character that I feel any woman who would have anything to do with them is putting herself in a very unsafe situation. But this one doesn’t make you feel like you need a mental shower afterward, and it actually gives you hope for the fairy tale characters to live happily ever after.
I have read this book every year for decades because it’s so good!
McKinley builds the story of Beauty and the Beast with classic writing style of elaborate description. No joke. If you removed all descriptions in the book, the story would barely be 50 pages. However, her word illustration creates a lush world, brimming with life, mystery, magic, and family.
Her character building is done more with description than action, but the descriptions have been thought through, meditated on so as to provide a clear portrait of each individual, that when you do see them in action, you feel as if you’ve known them for years.
Very close to the original fairy tale, Beauty and her family live prosperous and content in the city, when financial ruin sets in. Though well-loved by their neighbors and friends, who offer to help, their father moves the whole family to the country, a 2-month journey for all but the fastest riders. Not too proud, the family learns to adapt and care for themselves, and become just as well-loved by the poor villagers they live with. An accident suddenly finds the family in debt with a mysterious beast, who promises to spare Father’s life only if one of his daughters will willingly come to live with him. Though all are willing, Beauty’s stubbornness and drive for adventure leads her to the castle and its frightening occupant. There, Beauty discovers wealth and history she never knew, all deeply cloaked in magic and a mystery she is determined to uncover.
This is a real romance, between two adults (not those who act like children) who slowly choose to deepen their relationship from forced together individuals to true friends who care about each other and the other’s interests. They don’t rush to feeling, but sincerely, thoughtfully consider that time can not only breed familiarity, but also genuine affection and something deep enough to build a life on, powerful enough to break a centuries old enchantment.
I love the world, I love the vivid storytelling, I love the true family love that is tested and stands firm, I love the genuine romance between the characters that isn’t some idle infatuation, and I am truly grateful to Robin McKinley who masterfully tells my favorite fairy tale in a way that’s believable and fresh, without deviating from the story.
It may not be that old, but it resides on my classics shelf as a true companion, having earned its place amongst the great works of literature.
This was one of my “go-to” books as a kid. I used to check it out of the library and read it over and over. Still love it today! <3
This was a straightforward, romanticized retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I would give it a 3.5 if possible and I rounded up because its merits outweighed its flaws. Its merits include a rich and evocative writing style, a gentler Beast that helps dampen some of the natural WTF reaction to the whole kidnapping thing. However, for me the gentler Beast was actually less interesting. There was no significant enhancement to the basic Beauty and the Beast plot . The story took a long time to introduce the Beast. I felt that long lead up was too long. I guess I would summarize by saying it was a lovely, somewhat muted version of the classic tale that was too slow and too long for my taste.
This is McKinley’s first retelling of the “Beauty and the Beast” tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but actually liked her second retelling, Rose Daughter, even better. Both books are highly recommended!
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley — My favorite book on the planet bar none. Full stop! I reread my favorite bits this week, but I’ve read this book no less than 20 times cover to cover. If you like fairy tales, claim to like BatB, or have a passionate love of libraries, this Beauty is your girl! This version has all the magic you wished you could find as a kid, but with a flair your grown up self will thank you for! Happy Reading!
Lovely retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story. It beats the heck out of Disney’s version. My only complaint is that the ending feels rushed.
This was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and I still read it every year or so. It’s a retelling of a fairy tale, but very different from the standard version. Beauty is just an awkward nickname for a girl that hasn’t quite grown into herself, who moves with her father and sisters in the countryside after a reversal of fortune. It’s equally rewarding watching Beauty grow as change as it is watching her relationship grow with the famous Beast. It’s a wonderful book.
It seems probable that the animated movie made by a famous company was very influenced by this retelling.
For my 2020 reading challenge, I needed a book published in my birth year. Not many of the books published that year appealed to me until I found this one — I’ve never actually read Beauty and the Beast in any form, though it’s one of my favorite fairy tales!
I knew right away that I’d have a hard time reading this book because I’m NOT a fan of classical literature styles — lots of description and explanations. I like to see more action, especially between characters. It did take me several days to get into the story, but once I was in, I was hooked. Because I’ve never read this story, I can’t compare it to written versions of the tale, but comparing it to the Disney movie (which most people have seen), I do wish they’d taken a few ideas from McKinley’s version (especially the family — I love the family connection).
Overall, if you’re a fan of Beauty and the Beast, I highly recommend this book. It might not be your exact literary style, but it’s still a fun, sweet read with all the magic you expect from this tale.
PG (the Beast does drink some wine).
I read quite a few re-imagined fairy tale books. This is one of the best ones I’ve read of Beauty and the Beast. The characters and the world are well done. My only gripe, and it’s a very minor one, is that the ending seemed quite rushed.
Great retelling of a classic fairy tale.
Anything Robin McKinley writes is worth reading. Especially her retelling of fairytales.
My favorite Disney movie of recent years is Beauty and the Beast and in this story you learn how the movie came to life. I love the characters and how they came to trust each other and then fall in love.
Just lovely.
A splendid retelling of “Beauty and the Beast.” The characters are likable, interesting, and richly-developed, there’s a good backstory and foundation, and the motivations and actions are plausible, instead of the usual arbitrary and inexplicable decisions found in most fairytales.
This is outside my usual genre range, but I still loved it. Robin McKinley is a phenomenal writer, one of the very few authors on my “I’ll read everything they write” list. (If you haven’t already read “The Hero and the Crown” and “The Blue Sword,” do! You’re missing a high treat!)
I have enjoyed all of her books that I have read.
Beautifully written