Beauty (1978)

I should actually read this some day, and another incentive is that..

A film based loosely on it is in the works with Guillermo del Toro as director and Emma Watson as "Beauty"

It took me two tries to get into this book. I realized it's probably because I'm so used to the style of writing that dominates today, with equal parts dialogue and action and introspection. This book is narrated the way old-timey fairy tales are, so that in today's world it would be considered 90 percent "telling" instead of "showing." There is also very little conflict, another thing that gets injected into today's stories.

Once I got into the world, I enjoyed the book. I especially liked reading how Beauty experiences the magic, because the reader sees and feels it right along with her.

The love story is kind of shallow (with the Beast immediately loving Beauty, at least according to the servants); but Beauty and the Beast is just an odd story. And the Beast doesn't seem to change at all--he's basically nice to Beauty from the time she arrives, as if he's already been beaten down by his decades of enchantment, and not in the process of learning any new lessons. But if you like the fairy tale, it was worth reading.

Re: my cozy rating... I didn't consider this cozy when I read it, but someone suggested it recently, and I cannot remember why I didn't think it was cozy. I'm not sure if it was an oversight or if I'm forgetting something stressful about it!

This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It's written in 1978. It re-imagined Beauty as a girl who didn't have a beautiful appearance, but was very intelligent and good with horses. (And at the end of the book it turned out she's actually very beautiful, she just didn't perceive herself as such. ) She loved reading, so one of the highlights of her time at the enchanted castle was visiting its huge library with books published in the past, present and future. (Did Disney rip off ideas from the book to create their movie adaptation?) There's a lot of description of Beauty's life with her family before her father encountered the Beast -- I think it took up a third of the book. Then there's a lot of description of how the forest surrounding the enchanted castle looked, how the castle grounds looked, how the castle looked, how pretty Beauty's dresses were.....that may have taken up another fourth of the book.
So the story moved slowly. But I loved it! I'm not sure why. I guess just really enjoy reading about beautiful, magical things. And the Beast's unrequited love for Beauty was really moving; I was rooting for him all the way. I will definitely recommend this book to my daughter once she gets old enough to appreciate books with a slow plot :P ( )

I LOVED this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Highly emotionally intelligent and full of warmth, hope, and honesty, McKinley captures the spirit of the fairy tale with her own special flair. A must read for fantasy lovers! ( )

This is a wonderful retelling of Beauty & the Beast filled with love and magic that will captivate the reader until the very end and leave you wanting more. ( )