Beauty isn't a book for when you're impatient for a quick read. I could taste the weight of the story on my tongue, and the more I read, the more I savored it. Waiting and waiting to be introduced to the mysterious Beast, discovering the castle's secrets and watching this entire tale unfold piece by piece was a lot like sipping a full bodied red wine.
I also think the ending was a bit rushed, and would have liked a bit more explanation, as well as time to settle into and enjoy the changes that happen at the end.
The momentum of this story is it's weakest point, although the slow building, tentative connection between Beast and Beauty is one of its strongest. Like the work it takes for Beauty to fall in love with the monstrous Beast, it took me some effort to get through this book. But it took me time to get to that place. Thankfully Beauty is a complex and well-crafted tale, and the more I read, the more I grew to love the richness and old world feel to McKinley's story, and the more I appreciated the long beginning made up of Beauty's family's dramas. I could tangibly understand Beauty's bond with her father and sisters, and her longing to see them, even while she was discovering the castle's wonders and getting to know the Beast. It took nearly 100 pages for Beauty to reach the Beast's castle, and then even more time to build a connection between the unlikely pair. However, I also quickly discovered that McKinley's stories cannot be rushed. What I discovered was a lushly drawn setting and strong characters, woven into a story that truly felt timeless. īeauty is the first book I've read by Robin McKinley, but friends have been raving about her stories for a long time. Wanting more of this unlikely but beloved couple, I was eager to pick up Beauty, Robin McKinley's retelling. Unlike many fairytales, Beauty and the Beast's relationship is not based on insta-love or physical beauty, and it takes time to develop trust between them, let alone love. My favorite growing up was always The Little Mermaid, but recently I've fallen more and more in love with the tale of Beauty and the Beast. As my daughter discovers Disney animated movies, we've been revisiting fairytales in our household.
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