On This Page
Description
What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast? As Old as Time is the third book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. When Belle touches the Beast's enchanted rose, memories flood through Belle's mind—memories of a mother she thought she would never see again. And, stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful enchantress who cursed the castle and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast will have to show more unravel a dark mystery about their families that is 21 years in the making.. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Though it was very easy to get into because I already knew most of the characters the first part of the story was slightly confusing because there were a lot of undefined character and time changes between chapters. I had to fight to figure out who's perspective the story was coming from and what time In the past or present each chapter was taking place. Once part 2 began it was much easier to follow and I got entranced. Though I've heard the story of beauty and the beast many times I have never heard it in that way before. It was a very interesting twist and I enjoyed it alot. I will definitely be reading the next books but the author.
3.5*
Imagine the Disney screenplay you grew up with and could recite word for word… rewritten with a Tim Burton-esque dark edge. That’s this Twisted Tale in a nutshell.
I love a good reimagining of a familiar story, and I grew up on Disney Renaissance, so I was excited to discover this series, starting with this book. I appreciate that the premise is stated right on the cover; this left me able to focus on the plot instead of over-analyzing details to discover the main twist from the original story. The inclusion of some exact details and dialogue from the animated film was at times comforting in its familiarity, but other times felt a bit jolting because this is such a different story. (Like two sets of characters in parallel show more universes having the exact same conversation.)
I didn’t realize how dark this retelling was going to get. Be aware that it’s definitely not intended for story time with young children. It is quite well written and cleverly thought out, though, and I look forward to reading others from this series. show less
Imagine the Disney screenplay you grew up with and could recite word for word… rewritten with a Tim Burton-esque dark edge. That’s this Twisted Tale in a nutshell.
I love a good reimagining of a familiar story, and I grew up on Disney Renaissance, so I was excited to discover this series, starting with this book. I appreciate that the premise is stated right on the cover; this left me able to focus on the plot instead of over-analyzing details to discover the main twist from the original story. The inclusion of some exact details and dialogue from the animated film was at times comforting in its familiarity, but other times felt a bit jolting because this is such a different story. (Like two sets of characters in parallel show more universes having the exact same conversation.)
I didn’t realize how dark this retelling was going to get. Be aware that it’s definitely not intended for story time with young children. It is quite well written and cleverly thought out, though, and I look forward to reading others from this series. show less
I didn't like that part one was such a slog. I also didn't like that some word choices were made just for the sake of being unconventional and certain phrases that
Despite that I thought if looked at as a whole it has potential. The core story was there and I enjoyed that it didn't rush to have Belle and Beast fall in love. It's implied that there is something there but it didn't force it leaving it to the reader to infer whether or not what the Enchantress says is actually true or not. And the hopeful note is pleasing with room for the characters to grow into that happy ending we all know must be coming somewhere in the remaining pages but wait there aren't anymore.
So bottom line: part 1 is a slog. It's important yes, but boy does it draw out too long. Part 2 is better but still not great. I wasn't doing any cartwheels over it. Villain status is shifted. Happily ever after isn't quite there but you can kind of see it coming. Less common word choice and some rearranged common phrases that had ill effect on my reading. Altogether not a bad book, just not a great one either.
Wow. This was a great re-telling of "Beauty and the Beast". I loved the whole idea behind this book with the great enchantress from the stories being Belle's mother. And reading about magical people who were afraid since they were being persecuted by those who were "normal". The development of Belle and the Beast was great and I actually bought that Belle fell in love with him in this one. They were a great duo. Braswell changes things up a bit with the introduction of the magical people (les charmantes) so you find out that people from the Disney movie (the bookstore seller) are not what they first appear as. I also loved more of a backstory to Mrs. Potts in this one too. The ending surprised me and I thought it was well done. I went show more looking for the other "Twisted Tales" but they are retellings of Snow White, Mulan, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, etc. So you don't get to read these characters after the separate stand-alones. I may revisit this series when I get some breathing room later in the year.
The book starts with a man named Maurice who likes to invent things. He sees a beautiful woman named Rosalind who is one of the les charmantes that live in the village. Though the les charmantes and others have lived togeter in harmony, fighting starts after two boys (one a les charmanates) gets into a fight over a girl and kills the other. The kingdom starts to persecute the les charmantes and many go missing. Rosalind and Maurice though marry and have a daughter named Belle. The story switches back and forth between Rosalind and then Belle. Belle we already know, but in this one she's even more head strong then the Disney counterpart. She's also horrified and a little flattered that Gaston wants to marry her. She wants adventure and to see the world though. When her father goes missing she then comes across the Beast.
Braswell does a great job with showing us the two women until Rosalind disappears from the story. We find out later on what happens to her. When Belle realizes what has happened and what her own mother did (seriously who curses a 11 year old boy) she wants to do what she can to help the Beast and the enchanted servants. I also liked Rosalind though I agree with everyone else, what she ends up doing is kind of a jerk move. We get why she did it, but you realize she was not as she could have been. We get into a bit of the les charmantes that want to leave the kingdom and go somewhere safer and others who just want to be "normal."
The writing and flow was good I think. This is a familiar story to so many people so we get different set up scenes. For example, we don't get a be our guest scene, but we do get a here's some food and wine and no we are not talking to you about anything. We get the scene with Belle and the rose, but it goes totally different.
The setting of this kingdom is still in France. But a France that is focused on driving out the different and to keep things "pure."
The ending leaves things on a totally different note than the Disney movie and I wonder how much better the movie would have been if it changed things to what Braswell did. I think a lot more people would have been happy. Not all of us thought the Prince was sexy. show less
The book starts with a man named Maurice who likes to invent things. He sees a beautiful woman named Rosalind who is one of the les charmantes that live in the village. Though the les charmantes and others have lived togeter in harmony, fighting starts after two boys (one a les charmanates) gets into a fight over a girl and kills the other. The kingdom starts to persecute the les charmantes and many go missing. Rosalind and Maurice though marry and have a daughter named Belle. The story switches back and forth between Rosalind and then Belle. Belle we already know, but in this one she's even more head strong then the Disney counterpart. She's also horrified and a little flattered that Gaston wants to marry her. She wants adventure and to see the world though. When her father goes missing she then comes across the Beast.
Braswell does a great job with showing us the two women until Rosalind disappears from the story. We find out later on what happens to her. When Belle realizes what has happened and what her own mother did (seriously who curses a 11 year old boy) she wants to do what she can to help the Beast and the enchanted servants. I also liked Rosalind though I agree with everyone else, what she ends up doing is kind of a jerk move. We get why she did it, but you realize she was not as she could have been. We get into a bit of the les charmantes that want to leave the kingdom and go somewhere safer and others who just want to be "normal."
The writing and flow was good I think. This is a familiar story to so many people so we get different set up scenes. For example, we don't get a be our guest scene, but we do get a here's some food and wine and no we are not talking to you about anything. We get the scene with Belle and the rose, but it goes totally different.
The setting of this kingdom is still in France. But a France that is focused on driving out the different and to keep things "pure."
The ending leaves things on a totally different note than the Disney movie and I wonder how much better the movie would have been if it changed things to what Braswell did. I think a lot more people would have been happy. Not all of us thought the Prince was sexy. show less
The third Twisted Tale expands on the world and characters of Beauty and the Beast. As we follow Belle on her familiar journey, we also get to see the backstory of her parents unfold in a forgotten kingdom where creatures of magic, les charmantes, used to live in peace and safety. But when Belle ventures into the West Wing and finds the enchanted rose, the story diverges and she and the Beast must search for the truth about Belle’s mother and a new way to end the curse.
Along the way, Belle faces the complexities of people, including the Beast, and herself, and especially her mother. No one is immune to mistakes and errors in judgment, even while trying to do what we think is best for those we care about.
This book takes everything I show more have always loved about Beauty and the Beast and adds to it, giving more depth to the characters and the setting. Even after the story diverges from the classic tale, there are still a lot of parallels to the original that keep it familiar but with enough twists to make it unpredictable. My favourite of the series so far! show less
Along the way, Belle faces the complexities of people, including the Beast, and herself, and especially her mother. No one is immune to mistakes and errors in judgment, even while trying to do what we think is best for those we care about.
This book takes everything I show more have always loved about Beauty and the Beast and adds to it, giving more depth to the characters and the setting. Even after the story diverges from the classic tale, there are still a lot of parallels to the original that keep it familiar but with enough twists to make it unpredictable. My favourite of the series so far! show less
Definitely had an interesting storyline. I did not like that the ending included Adam staying a beast. As much as I liked the back and forth timeline in this case, it is always hard to track! The whole curses world on top of the cursed castle added a super intriguing twist!
Apart from the fact that the title now has the song stuck in my head, I really loved this, and I'm definitely curious to see whether I like the others as much. It was a little weird because it was written before the live action movie, which changed things a bit, but it came out afterwards. It was also interesting to see how the story was preserved, how it was changed, and how it questioned the original (like how people felt about the beast and Gaston). I also thought that the storyline with the charmontes and the asylum was a nice addition.
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
infjsarah's wishlist
408 works; 2 members
READ IN 2020
172 works; 1 member
Author Information
41+ Works 17,974 Members
Some Editions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
A Twisted Tale (9)
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- As Old as Time
- Original publication date
- 2016-09-06
- People/Characters
- Maurice; Alaric; Frédéric; Josepha; Rosalind; Belle [Disney's Beauty and the Beast] (show all 7); Lévi
- Related movies
- Beauty and the Beast (1991 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- MIRROR
I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately,
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful‚
The eye of a l... (show all)ittle god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
—Sylvia Plath - Dedication
- For my husband, Scott. Without your support, love, and presence these books—and certain days ending in y—would be a whole lot harder.
And a gigantic, fluffy THANK YOU to my editor, Brittany, whose sense of fun... (show all) and brilliant ideas made over a thousand pages seem to just fly by
—L.B. - First words
- Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)“And most of them,” Belle observed with a smile, “seem to almost have a happy ending.”
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult
- DDC/MDS
- 813.6 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-
- LCC
- PZ8 .B6728 .A — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 3,687
- Popularity
- 4,358
- Reviews
- 27
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- 7 — Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 39
- ASINs
- 4