false 41424 19 Contrary to the name, 16-year-old Beauty is not the prettiest girl in her family. But she is the cleverest, bravest, and most honorable. When her father makes a promise with a beast who lives in an enchanted castle, Beauty fulfills her father's pledge. A marvelous retelling of a favorite love story. This much-loved retelling of the classic French tale <I>Beauty and the Beast</I> elicits the familiar magical charm, but is more believable and complex than the traditional story. In this version, Beauty is not as beautiful as her older sisters, who are both lovely and kind. Here, in fact, Beauty has no confidence in her appearance but takes pride in her own intelligence, her love of learning and books, and her talent in riding. She is the most competent of the three sisters, which proves essential when they are forced to retire to the country because of their father's financial ruin. The plot follows that of the renowned legend: Beauty selflessly agrees to inhabit the Beast's castle to spare her father's life. Beauty's gradual acceptance of the Beast and the couple's deepening trust and affection are amplified in novel form. Robin McKinley's writing has the flavor of another century, and Beauty heightens the authenticity as a reliable and competent narrator. This was McKinley's first book, written about 30 years ago. Since that time she has been awarded the Newbery Medal for <I>The Hero and the Crown</I> and has delighted her fans with another retelling of the <I>Beauty and the Beast</I> fable, <I>Rose Daughter.</I> Still, McKinley's first novel has a special place in the hearts of her devoted readers, many of whom attest to relishing <I>Beauty</I> time and again. <I>(Ages 11 to Adult)</I> 2321285 1978 Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast total:7624|5:3069|4:2792|3:1480|2:251|1:36| 7624 31473 10288 1166 4 12 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 15 11:29:28 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 16 09:08:30 -0700 2009 Beauty and the Beast. There have been many retellings of this tale, from the bodice ripping romance novel covers featuring men muscled to the point of beastliness, holding pale, innocent flowers, to, of course, the smart young lady with a con...more...]]> 4 6 false false Mon Dec 22 13:12:57 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 16 12:13:32 -0700 2009
The premise here is really pretty simple ...more...]]> 1 3 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Nov 04 13:25:47 -0800 2007 Sun Nov 04 13:30:24 -0800 2007 Beauty and the Beast) that had the potential to be really cool, but the author concentrated on the clothes and hair and food instead of the magic. I'm all for detail, but come on! The main character was...more...]]> 5 3 false false Wed Sep 26 15:29:20 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 15:30:20 -0700 2007
Dudes and ladies alike: Just read it.]]> 3 3 false true Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 19 10:15:56 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 19 10:36:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 13 17:54:15 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 25 16:16:39 -0700 2007
That said, I have trouble thinking of another fantasy novel I wo...more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue Dec 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 10:30:48 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 10:44:10 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 5 3 false false Thu Dec 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 07:31:45 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 10:47:29 -0800 2008 Beauty and the Beast. I have read Robin McKinley before, but it's been years, and I had forgotten how well she could write.

The charm of this novel isn't in its creativity with or spin on the fairy tale, but in the way that Robin McKinley tells such...more...]]> 5 4 false false Fri May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 14 09:05:42 -0700 2008 Sun May 10 16:39:21 -0700 2009 12 more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 15:23:23 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 22 12:12:17 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Oct 03 12:25:55 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 03 12:30:45 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 1 true false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 20:32:38 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 15:46:33 -0700 2009 Once more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 19:39:06 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 06 14:34:31 -0700 2008 1 Beauty and the Beast". I don't know if I can get used to the way fantasy novels are often like 95% backstory/setup, 5% payoff/climax. It's like all the gooood shit is in the last...more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Mar 23 12:12:28 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 12:20:57 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Oct 31 09:07:29 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 09:59:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 22 11:53:43 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 22 11:55:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 20:12:46 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 20:33:17 -0700 2009
Some of the details were changed much to my appr...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun May 21 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sat Jul 04 13:03:08 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 13:08:55 -0700 2009
After reading this, my first Robin McKinley book, I was tempted to go through everything she has written. It was a marvelously told tale, and while I was reading, I did not want it to end. The ending was very satisf...more...]]> 3 1 true true Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 03:48:17 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 04:40:37 -0700 2009 twice more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Apr 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 16:00:14 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 16:14:41 -0700 2009 bookmooch.com when I decided to give it a read. ...more...]]>