Product Description

A retelling of the classic tale, Beauty is a beautifully-woven tale of love, courage and magic for young and not-so-young adults.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43598 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 259 pages

Synopsis
When the family business collapses, Beauty and her two sisters are forced to leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside. However, when their father accepts hospitality from the elusive and magical Beast, he is forced to make a terrible promise - to send one daughter to the Beast's castle, with no guarantee that she will be seen again. Beauty accepts the challenge, and there begins an extraordinary story of magic and love that overcomes all boundaries. This is another spellbinding and emotional tale embroidered around a fairytale from Robin McKinley, an award-winning American author.

From the Back Cover
Beauty has always been embarrassed by her nickname - she is plain and awkward compared to her two elder sisters, Hope and Grace. But what she lacks in beauty she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When their merchant father returns from a failed business trip to the city where they once lived, he tells his daughters a strange tale: how on his way home he lost himself in a winter storm, and stumbled out of it into the summer garden of a magical castle. Innocently he picks a rose, and a fearsome Beast roars at him that his life is forfeit . . . unless one of his daughters will take his place.

He will not hear of it when Beauty declares that she will return to the castle in his stead, but she is determined to go. 'He cannot be so bad if he loves roses so much', she says. 'Cannot a Beast be tamed?'

This is a captivating retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast from an award-winning author.

About the Author
Robin McKinley:
Robin McKinley is an American writer and has won many awards
in the US, including the Newbery Medal for THE HERO AND THE CROWN and a Newbery Honor for THE BLUE SWORD. She now lives in Hampshire with her husband, author Peter Dickinson, three whippets, five hundred rose bushes, a budgerigar, and a 1965 cream-coloured MGB convertible.

Customer Reviews

The beautiful take on beauty and the beast.
Retelling the story of beauty and the beast

When beauty's father shelters from a storm after visiting there old home in the city, the castle was more than welcoming to him, until he picks a single rose for his daughter Beauty. The punishment for this is to send one of his beloved daughters to live in the castle with the beast.

When beauty arrives at the castle she is more than eager to enter it. After a few months Beauty grows fond of the Beast, but the separation from her family becomes painful for her to think of them, no matter how hard she tries to put them out of her mind. As the Beast's love for beauty grows he lets her have that one wish.

With beauty staying with her family for more time than the beast consented to, and with the rose that the beast gave Beauty dieing, (he will die if the rose dies) what will happen to the beast? Will Beauty's growing fondness for him prompt her to return and save him or will she let the Beast and the roses completely die to allow her to escape?.

Review Of "Beauty"
This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It conjured up every emotion I have ever felt, at one point it almost felt as if my heart was being broken as well as the Beasts. Wonderfully written using articulate language and in-depth enalysis of the characters. I truly got lost in this book. The only book I have ever read twice,I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a classic love story. The best book I have read.
(Written by Nicholas G's Daughter)

A romantic fantasy fairytale!
Before I go any further, I have to tell you that this is a book for girls... girls only! This is a romantic re-telling of that old favourite "Beauty and the Beast".

"Beauty" is the youngest of three sisters, and together they live a very privileged life in a city on the coast with their father, a wealthy merchant. Beauty has a love of books, learning and horse-riding, whereas her elder sisters are the real beauties of the family and are looking for eligible young men to marry them!

However, as in all good fairytales, the family suffer a reversal of fortune, with some ships lost at sea, and have to seek another way to make a living. Most of the family possessions are sold off at auction, and the family make their way to the country to start a new life there away from the sea. From there the enchantment begins... but I don't want to give too much away!

The story is lovely. The writing and phrases are a little cliched in places... but then I'm sure a younger reader wouldn't notice that and could enjoy the story as it's intended. For all fairytale princesses aged 8+.