What do you think?
Rate this book
The Beast: A Novel
A modern southern California version of Beauty and the Beast. When agent Leslie Horowitz's car breaks down in the Mojave Desert, he seeks refuge in the home of millionaire Henry Wallace Breeze III, whose face was destroyed in the Vietnam War. Breeze has a large film library and is familiar with Horowitz's client, the beautiful actress Rebecca Weiss. He will allow Horowitz to leave only if she takes his place. Love and sex follow; no fairy tale, this.
290 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1981
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 30, 2009
An interesting modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Hollywood starlet encounters reclusive millionaire 'beast' in his desert estate. It follows the ususal conventions of the fairy tale with contemporary twists and some insights into 'the biz'. Not as truly romantic as some but still a good one.
September 22, 2024
It is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast as some of the others note. I'm not sure if it's original text from the fairy tale or not, but it's set up so that the original tale parallels that of Fast's protagonist, Hollywood starlet, Rebecca Weiss.
It's an enjoyable, fast read. It grew on me as I continued. There were a few points where I almost stopped reading because the opening moved slowly and there were some points that seemed to not age well or didn't feel true to how a woman would react in a situation (maybe it was truer in the 1980s).
However, as the novel wore on, it became more of a page-turner and I became more invested in the characters. I was slightly disappointed in the ending, but I can see how it fits with what Fast set up and it makes sense with the overall themes.
It's an enjoyable, fast read. It grew on me as I continued. There were a few points where I almost stopped reading because the opening moved slowly and there were some points that seemed to not age well or didn't feel true to how a woman would react in a situation (maybe it was truer in the 1980s).
However, as the novel wore on, it became more of a page-turner and I became more invested in the characters. I was slightly disappointed in the ending, but I can see how it fits with what Fast set up and it makes sense with the overall themes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2019
Una riedizione de "La bella e la Bestia" riportata ai giorni nostri in un contesto cinematografico.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews