$1.99 Kindle sale, Nov. 18, 2019. This is a cozy, delightful retelling of The Beauty and the Beast tale, one of my very favorite fairy tale retellings and comfort reads.

Update: I've just read Beauty again for the first time in 15 years or more, but I probably read this 5 or 6 times when I was in my 20s, so you are not getting an unbiased opinion here. But I still adore this book, even though I'm older and more cynical now. It's a fairly simple, straightforward retelling of the fairy tale, with a few relatively minor twists. But the writing is lovely, the characters charming, and McKinley used a very fairy tale-ish style of writing that fits the story well. The ending is a little rushed, but otherwise I have no complaints. I want to be Beauty's bestie and chat books and eat buttered toast with her and help her braid Greatheart's mane.

Beauty keeps all 5 stars. Call it nostalgia, but I'm not even a little bit sorry!

Initial review: Beauty has been for a long time one of my favorite fairy tale novelizations. It's a delightful read, not as long or complex as some of Robin McKinley's later works, but it has sweetness and a heart and has withstood many re-readings. I remain convinced that Disney swiped several details of this book for its "Beauty and the Beast," like the book-loving heroine:



and the servants that seem to have become part of the furniture:



It's been at least 10 or 15 years since I read this and I probably should do a re-read one of these days to see if it's really a 5-star book or if it's just an excess of nostalgia for an old favorite that's driving my high rating. Till then, just don't go into this expecting something really deep or earth-shaking; it's more of a lovely, sweet, gentle comfort read.

Whenever I may need an example of a book with a great first half and a poorly done second half, this is the book I'm going to pick for showing.

The plot holes in the later part of the book made me wince for how glaring they were, and also because seeing the excellent start, it was completely unexpected. There was no warning for the drop of quality that'd come, one of the steepest falls I've read in recent memory, that makes me question McKinley's ability to bring plots to a good conclusion. What a drop of the ball! It's only for the first half, which I enjoyed, that I'm giving the book the rating I have.

One of the best retellings of Beauty and the Beast I’ve ever read (including the “all-inclusive rejoicing”).
I particularly liked the descriptions and Beauty’s voice, who’s a captivating narrator.

Mini Review.

"Beauty" by Robin McKinley is definitely one of the THE most definitive books in my life - specifically on my writing journey. I was utterly enchanted when I first read it at eleven or so - Beauty and the Beast was always my favorite fairy tale - and here was a story with descriptions and dialogue that did it justice - like a velvet cloak draped around a queen's shoulders. Beauty solidified my love of fairy tales and I began writing nothing but fairy tales - only to abandon them after a few years.

How ironic that things have come full-circle again and I'm writing fairy tales once more. Thank you, Robin Mckinley for the inspiration!

Still one of my absolute faves.

Note, though, my faint discomfort for the quiet pressure placed on these sisters to partner off, even when they're not feeling it themselves. Grace and the push to get her to marry without loving the Minister, and Beauty completely indifferent to Ferdy, but her family positioning themselves to encourage romance.

Rating: 5

Thoughts: I just love fairy tales, and Beauty and the Beast is my favorite. (who doesn't want a large library?) This was a great retelling with a twist and McKinley's writing just brought it to life.

I was expecting to like this book, but I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. I'm always wary of retellings, and fear they will never live up to the versions I've grown to know and love. Thankfully, I feel that McKinley let us know from early on that this was a retelling in which she's taken the essence and framework of the original "Beauty and the Beast" but has created a whole new world and differently drawn characters for her own telling. What results is a beautiful mix of comfort and curiosity, familiarity and fascination.

I liked the characters, and never felt as though I was being "preached" to with their personality traits or their decisions, and I liked how the enchantment evolved, even if it never was fully explained.

I adored some of the "new" characters (like Ger) and was thrilled that the horse (here, Greatheart) played just as prevalent a role as in other tellings.

I feel I must point out that I've always loved the Disney version, both the stage and screen retellings of "Beauty and the Beast" have captivated me since childhood. I felt that McKinley's "Beauty" was different enough that it wasn't "competing" with those versions, for me, and thus I was free to enjoy it as its own tale (I believe the Disney film and this book came out around the same time, possibly the book before - but for me I experienced the film first).

Sometimes I felt the book was a little description heavy (even though McKinley's descriptions are lovely) and it took me a while to get into the swing of the pace. I felt, for the first third, that I kept waiting for the true narrative to start, as it felt more like a collection of "reflections" than a strung together story. But, once I was used to it, I didn't notice anymore and slipped into the style quite easily.
There were a few plot points that I would have liked explored more or handled a little differently, but I was able to overlook these for the greater whole of the story.

Compared to all other books I've read, I'd probably give this four stars, but, compared to others in its genre, I'd give it five (so I find myself wishing again for the ability to give half star ratings, lol!). But, I'll err on the positive. By the end, I was quite wrapped up in the tale, and a little sad to be finishing - to me that's always a great sign :)

While reading an interview with Naomi Novik about her latest novel Spinning Silver, she mentioned a few titles including this one. Since I’m waiting for her book to be delivered, I decided to give this one a go - that and the fact that Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairy tale.

McKinley’s story is a pretty straightforward retelling, but her writing style is so charming that you can’t help but be captivated by it. From the portrayal of Beauty and her family to the enchanted castle and grounds, and the Beast of course, I loved it all. The only aspect I would have liked a little different is the ending, which was a bit rushed.

I’m giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I’ll explain why I took off .5 stars in my review. (Just a personal nitpick, nothing major.)

I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed this story. It had been on my reading list for quite a while, recommended to me last year by some fellow writers when I first got interested in writing fairy tale retellings, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Then, Audible had a 3-audiobooks-for-2-credits sale on a small selection of family-friendly listens, I had the credits to spend, and the audiobook version of “Beauty” by Robin McKinley was one of the options, so I got it and started listening immediately.

The beginning of the story was actually fairly similar to a couple other Beauty and the Beast retellings I’ve read in the past year and therefore didn’t capture my attention immediately. This is technically my own fault for waiting so long to read this story, as I’m sure many authors have been inspired by McKinley’s works, which probably explains the similarities. And this is the nitpicky reason why I’m giving this book 4.5 stars rather than 5 stars: Because it didn’t capture my attention immediately. However! There were enough differences between this and the other retellings I’ve read that I still wanted to keep going and find out what else would happen, so that was a good thing.

Ultimately, I only became truly invested in the story once Beauty and the Beast were finally together in the same place. The Beast was just so likable and nice, I couldn’t help but root for him to win Beauty over, and this made it that much more believable that the two of them became friends and eventually fell in love. Beauty was not my most favorite iteration of the character ever, and at the beginning of the story I found her personality a little dull, but she grew on me as the story continued, and I got to where I saw more depth of character and did like her for the most part. She was similar to Disney’s Belle in that she liked reading a lot, but there were other aspects to her character that made her different, and that was refreshing. I especially liked her relationship with Braveheart the horse.

I also liked the twists that McKinley put on the invisible servants, and the curse, and that there were some small funny moments mixed into the story as well. All of this made for an enjoyable read, and I actually got some fun retelling ideas of my own from it. I’ll definitely read it again sometime.

Content issues: For those who want to know, I personally found absolutely no problems with the content: no violence, no language, no sexual content, and I would have no problems letting a child under the age of 10 read this book, assuming they were at the appropriate reading level. It’s a very, very, VERY clean read.

I recently saw this unabridged version of Beauty at my local library and snatched it up for a revisit. Back when I first read it I deemed it worthy of five stars (I’ll add that fan girly review in at the end). Did it hold up now that I’m slightly older and far more jaded?

Yes and No. The atmosphere and the descriptive prose is still top notch and I can see why my younger self fell in love with it but it’s not quite perfect for me this time around. I saw some weaknesses especially near the end and felt a bit distanced from Beast which I don’t recall happening the first time around. That probably comes from reading too many romances in the space between then and now.

Beauty grew up with a doting father and two sweet sisters. Ironically as she grew she didn’t quite live up to her nickname and was considered plain, especially in comparison to her to two beautiful older sisters. She was ok with that. Instead of pining over a boy she instead fell in love with books and horses.

When financial hardship hits the family they must leave the city, the servants and everything behind to make a new life out in the country. Beauty is warned away from the forest surrounding their home because an enchanted beast is rumored to reside there. Beauty listens but unfortunately her father doesn’t get the memo. Because of his mistake he must now turn one of his daughters over to the Beast. He is distraught (he’s a kind guy, really he is) and Beauty immediately volunteers. She’s the youngest and up for an adventure and declares herself the best choice because “she’s the ugliest”. She’s also fearless and when warned that the Beast is a mighty scary specimen says, “Can not a beast be tamed?” and “I always get my own way in the end Papa.”

I liked Beauty. Who doesn’t like Beauty? She has spunk and she’s a bookworm. The Beast is intimidating but he’s also kind to her and as life goes on about the enchanted castle she learns that he’s very lonely. Each night he asks her the same question, “Will you marry me Beauty?” and each night she turns him down because she doesn’t love him that way. He is a hairy beast after all. The author does a nice job depicting Beauty’s feelings as she grows closer to Beast and depicts him in a sympathetic light despite the fact that I felt distanced from him throughout the story. And while I’m bitching, I have to admit that I really wasn’t enchanted with the ending at all. It felt rushed and underwhelming after all of the beautiful description, build up and character building throughout the story. I wanted to feel something more and was left a bit disappointed. It was a good fairytale retelling but not the five start read I remember.

Narration Notes: The narrative and Beauty’s dialogue are read with a lyrical beauty by Charlotte Parry while Beast is read with a melancholy, somewhat haughty and terse tone that suits the character well enough. But if I’m being completely honest here I would’ve preferred a sexier, growly, somewhat scarier tone for Beast.

Here’s my original “ungrouchy” five star review:

This is a retelling of the classic fantasy Beauty and The Beast. But this version has a bit of a twist, McKinley's "Beauty" doesn't quite live up to her nickname and can be more accurately described as an awkward teenager, a girl who prefers to spend her free time with books and horses. I liked her immediately. When her father accidentally stumbles upon the bewitched castle of the "Beast" he is forced into a promise that will forever change Beauty's life. To give anymore of the plot away would be to ruin the magic of the book.

BEAUTY is categorized as a children's book (10 and up) but I think it will appeal to anyone who loves a magical, sweet, old-fashioned love story. McKinley's characters are well-drawn, sympathetic and just plain lovable, right down to Beauty's charming horse. This was another one of those rare "unputdownable" books for me.

The best retelling of Beauty and the Beast by far! From the interesting family dynamics to the palace servants, a completely unexpected new look at a classic fairytale.

Fast-paced and compelling. Definitely worth a read.

apparently, I've read this before. It's been long enough that I didn't really remember anything until after it had come up, in fact, I'd conflated the book with the Disney Beauty and the Beast movie. Not too surprising, considering how close they come in places.

Here are the three things I love best: that the three sisters are all so fond of one another, that everyone deals so pragmatically with losing everything and becoming poor, and that the Beast's library includes books that haven't yet been written in Beauty's time.

It's not perfect. The magic isn't ever really explained, there's not as much development of the Beast's personality as one might like, and Beauty's improvements don't really advance the story. But it's a book about a plain-looking bluestocking and a man with a marvelous library, and it will always warm the cockles of my heart.

But why, I ask you, doesn't she try writing a letter?

Library copy.