Today’s book is one that I have been meaning to read for years and finally got around to reading. It is a book that was written by an author that I have long been a fan of and have read several of their other works. Beauty by Robin McKinley is a retelling of the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast. It opens on a small family in a prosperous port town. A father and his three daughters, the mother passed away several years ago. The three daughters are Grace, Hope, and Honour who is more frequently called Beauty instead. After a tragic accident loses four of the father’s merchant fleet at sea, and in the process both the family fortune and Grace’s intended, the family ends up relocating to a small town in the countryside with the help of Hope’s fiancé and later husband. There they settle on a small property that backs up to a forest, but it is a forest with numerous horror stories that are told about it and that everyone is warned away from. Later on, after a trip back to the city the father gets lost in the forest and ends up being rescued by a being he calls the Beast. A being that he later ends up making a promise to that in a month he will return and leave his youngest daughter, Beauty, behind to stay forever. I think from there that the ending is rather obvious if you happen to be familiar with the original fairytale.
This book was an absolutely incredible read and was a fascinating version of the familiar fairytale of Beauty and the Beast. I am fairly familiar with the original story but I was really intrigued how McKinley was able to take a short tale and turn it into such a great novel. Normally, I don’t read books that are heavy on the romance as that is not my thing but I can legitimately say that I not only enjoyed this book but I can see myself reading it again in the future. The depth that was added to the story was great. The characters were no longer the somewhat superficial characters that you typically see in fairytales as they are fully fleshed out with their own personalities and quirks. There is also an added amount of backstory for the characters that really helped flesh out the story as well. In fact, a large part of the early sections of the book actually take place before the Beast is even mentioned and an even larger part takes place before Beauty and the Beast meet so we really get to see the buildup to the main storyline of them falling for each other. Added on to that, there is also added elements to the family’s role and relationship with the local townspeople and various others as well that help flesh out the world they are in and where the story takes place. McKinley really did a great job with taking a relatively flat and two-dimensional fairytale and turning it into a full-length and breathtaking novel. There is a reason that McKinley is a family favorite and definitely outstanding in her genre. I give this book four out of five stars.
This particular book is probably one that would have a fairly wide appeal. It is a fantasy novel but it is also a fairytale adaptation and in many ways a romance. This means that it could potentially appeal to any reader who enjoys those genres. Especially considering just how well written and developed the story is. In my opinion, this book would greatly appeal to people who enjoy fantasy stories about magic and evil curses but also stories about romance and falling in love as it contains both of these elements. I know that this book is technically a book for adults as that was the intended audience and how it is frequently classified. However, I think that it would also be suitable for older teens and young adults as well as there is nothing content wise that would make it unsuitable. There is little to no violence or other mature content beyond the obvious with two characters gradually falling in love. As always, feel free to share your thoughts about the book in the comments as I am perpetually curious about what other people think of some of these books.