Continue reading “Classic Review: Beauty by Robin McKinley” → I think I read Beauty before I read the original fairy tale, so when I did read the original, I kept thinking, “oh, now I see where McKinley got that detail or this part from!” But, like any great fairy tale retelling, McKinley has taken the slender original story and embroidered and expanded upon it, bringing the characters to life and explaining the bits that never quite made sense. And Beauty had two sisters as well, and it was Beauty’s request for a rose when her father began his ill-fated journey that, in a way, put everything else in motion. From the original story you’ll recognize the part about Beauty’s father being a rich merchant who lost his fortune, forcing them to move out to the country. A lost traveler spends the night and, upon offending the Beast, agrees to bring back his daughter, Beauty, to stay at the castle.

From the Disney movie you’ll recognize the part about the terrifying Beast living in the castle in the woods. The basic story is familiar, if you’ve read the original or even if you’ve seen the Disney movie. Beauty by Robin McKinley is a particular favorite of mine. If you go back to the original story, it’s almost as flawed as any other traditional fairy tale. “Beauty and the Beast” has always been one of my favorite fairy tales–probably because the retellings are so good. The end.Since I’m spending November working on (hopefully) the fourth book of my fairy tale-inspired series, Beyond the Tales, it seems like a good time to revisit one of my very favorite retellings! When she promises to marry Beast, the spell is broken. Beauty falls in love with Beast despite his appearance and by turns becomes a looker herself. Beauty, being the bravest and most admirable, is the logical choice. To speed up the telling up the story you know so well: father runs into trouble in the enchanted forest, has a dust up with the Beast, and promises to send a daughter to the Beast to save his own hide. We first learn about these mysterious woods when Ger becomes angry with Beauty about being in the woods of Blue Hill.

Enter the proximity of an enchanted/haunted forest. Honour's father has fallen on hard times as a shipping merchant and the family must move to the country.

Instead she is homely, unromantic, and scholarly the bravest and strongest of the bunch. Honour, nicknamed Beauty, is the protagonist of the story and ironically, is not at all beautiful like her sisters. McKinley's version has three daughters, Gracie, Hope and Honour. I remember it also had singing furniture and, of course, a droopy rose was at the center of the story. Do you enjoy an adaptation or a retelling more or less if you don't remember the details of the original? For me, I don't remember the details of Beauty and the Beast except to say the Disney version was centered around Belle, her sickly woodsman father, the Beast, and the talking tea kettle.

Beauty and the beast robin mckinley