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Kat Kennedy's Reviews > Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
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Kat Kennedy's review
bookshelves: books-that-deserve-painful-death, drunk-when-i-wrote-this-review, fun-fantasy, kat-s-book-reviews, kat-s-rants, to-ya-or-not-to-ya
Jun 20, 2015
bookshelves: books-that-deserve-painful-death, drunk-when-i-wrote-this-review, fun-fantasy, kat-s-book-reviews, kat-s-rants, to-ya-or-not-to-ya
I curse this book with a thousand crotch louse.
It's not I didn't like this book. At least, I like the beginning for awhile. But this book's plot was enough to drive me into a rant.
Getting out of the way the fact that the characterisation is great and the setting is stunning and all that shit, let's get into possibly McKinley's only, and truly great weakness, which is plotting and pacing.
The book reads at the speed of an unhurried snail. It starts a full 2.5ish years before Beauty even meets the Beast and shows no sincere interest in moving things along for the sake of actually telling the story. Beauty spends a stunningly little amount of time with the Beast and when we actually meet him, most of that time is glossed over in narrative telling rather than showing.
ARE YOU TELLING ME I JUST SAT THROUGH 2.5 YEARS OF THIS GIRL'S LIFE ONLY TO HAVE FIVE MINUTES WITH THE ACTUAL GREAT ROMANCE THIS FAIRYTALE IS FAMOUS FOR?!
Then, right, the whole thing is wrapped up in about 20 pages. It was infuriating. I don't feel like Beauty's back story and life before the Beast helped us understand her motivations and character arc any great deal. I felt like it was cumbersome for the sake of being cumbersome and wordy and artistic.
I'm so mad about this, that I'm practically hopping. I'm hopping mad, I say!
It's not I didn't like this book. At least, I like the beginning for awhile. But this book's plot was enough to drive me into a rant.
Getting out of the way the fact that the characterisation is great and the setting is stunning and all that shit, let's get into possibly McKinley's only, and truly great weakness, which is plotting and pacing.
The book reads at the speed of an unhurried snail. It starts a full 2.5ish years before Beauty even meets the Beast and shows no sincere interest in moving things along for the sake of actually telling the story. Beauty spends a stunningly little amount of time with the Beast and when we actually meet him, most of that time is glossed over in narrative telling rather than showing.
ARE YOU TELLING ME I JUST SAT THROUGH 2.5 YEARS OF THIS GIRL'S LIFE ONLY TO HAVE FIVE MINUTES WITH THE ACTUAL GREAT ROMANCE THIS FAIRYTALE IS FAMOUS FOR?!
Then, right, the whole thing is wrapped up in about 20 pages. It was infuriating. I don't feel like Beauty's back story and life before the Beast helped us understand her motivations and character arc any great deal. I felt like it was cumbersome for the sake of being cumbersome and wordy and artistic.
I'm so mad about this, that I'm practically hopping. I'm hopping mad, I say!
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Beauty.
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Reading Progress
June 20, 2015
–
Started Reading
June 20, 2015
– Shelved
June 22, 2015
–
Finished Reading
July 15, 2015
– Shelved as:
books-that-deserve-painful-death
July 15, 2015
– Shelved as:
drunk-when-i-wrote-this-review
July 15, 2015
– Shelved as:
fun-fantasy
July 15, 2015
– Shelved as:
kat-s-book-reviews
July 15, 2015
– Shelved as:
kat-s-rants
July 15, 2015
– Shelved as:
to-ya-or-not-to-ya
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♛Tash
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Jun 22, 2015 03:38AM
Oh, that sounds gross, but do tell why. ;) I'm waiting for your reviews on these BatB retellings cuz I plan to binge read em too.
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I will have my reviews for all six of the books up on the blog this week.But more specifically for this book, I'm very angry at it's anticlimactic nature and annoyingly short ending.
Angry is to soft a word. Enraged perhaps?
Ugh abrupt endings are most infuriating (cough*Penryn and End of Days*cough). Looking forward to your reviews (or dissertation) of the BatB books. ;)
Aw that sucks. Mckinley has a 'newer' Beauty and the Beast retelling called Rose Daughter, maybe it will have a less frustrating ending? I read it a very long time ago so I can't remember it well though :x
Your doing a BatB retelling...exposé? That explains a lot! I love BatB and have read a lot of retellings. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.
I really liked this one but looking back I do agree with you about the anticlimactic-ness of it.
The Holy Terror wrote: "Oh no D:"*shakes fist in abject frustration*
This was one of my favorite books when I was young. I read it so many times the cover was crinkled and broken. I guess that's a sign that I should avoid re-reading so that I can preserve my good memories?
I think the first 2/3rds were really good but felt like the last third really let me down.
GODDAMMIT KAT. STOP READING EVERYTHING.
LOL. I just laughed so hard right then.
Teehee. :DI like making people laugh! It's kind of my superpower. :D
I'm sorry I've read so many BatB retellings!
It's okay, it's a fantastic base for a story.I'm obsessed with retellings of Bluebeard and The Snow Queen. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is also my favorite. ^_^
I need to read Bluebeard stories! You know any!?
Of course!
Kat Kennedy wrote: "weeeeeeeeee!"Haha! <3
Lol! Most of her books are like that, the romance isn't necessarily a priority.
This is the third Robin McKinley book I've read. And I agree. Except it's disconcerting for a Beauty and the Beast retelling which is supposed to be about an epic love affair.
I read your BatB "dissertation" and led me to one of my favorites Heart's Blood, so thank you, and I probly won't read McKinley's BatB.
Kat Kennedy wrote: "This is the third Robin McKinley book I've read. And I agree. Except it's disconcerting for a Beauty and the Beast retelling which is supposed to be about an epic love affair."True!!
Btw, I love your drunk-when-i-wrote-this-review tag on this book!!
Lol! Well I am a little tipsy so it's true!
Tash wrote: "I read your BatB "dissertation" and led me to one of my favorites Heart's Blood, so thank you, and I probly won't read McKinley's BatB."I'm glad you liked Heart's Blood!
Hi Kat! I know you've been on a Beauty and the Beast binge lately, and so I just wanted to throw in the possibility of Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher. It's a little novel but the characterization and plot pacing is absolutely hilarious and spot on! The author has a knack for making her stories dark, which I enjoyed!She's also written a very funny and dark Bluebeard retelling called The Seventh Bride involving hedgehogs and magic, and if you give it a try, I think you'd enjoy it!
Sorry for the long comment; this is the first time I've ever actually reached out to someone on Goodreads because I'm super shy! But I love your reviews, and it seems that we have similar tastes in books, so hopefully I helped and didn't post this the wrong place!
Thanks!!!
This is exactly how I felt about Dokey's retelling of Mulan. Way too much time spent on childhood things, like the first half of the book is about her childhood And the actual war, gender bending and romance arc was crammed into the last 100 pages.
That's someething this author seems to do. I read Sunshine and started out loving it, then it's like she lost focus, and finally at the end wrapped eeverything up all slap dash in a way that was not actually conclusive and demanded a sequel, yet she refuses to write one. Many of her books sound so interesting, but this seems to be a recurring problem that leaves me sadly having to turn away from what could have have been a great book and is more a wasted opportunity.
She definitely has a style. What ever you do, DO NOT read the pegasus ones. They will drive you batty. haha I still think you'll like Hero&The Crown and The Blue Sword, tho. The Door In the Hedge and A Knot In The Grain are really good too!
I totally agree with the ending....I think the book could have been another 100 pages AT LEAST! The PRINCE and Beauty never get screen time or book time. I dont want to just hear that they lived happily I want to SEE IT!!!
I felt the exact same way. Rose daugter is better but pacing is still slow. More romance though
I've read several books by this author and I have to admit this is a problem for her. She just doesn't know how to pace herself and in the end it just leaves me frustrated because as much as I love this book I don't recommend it because the pacing is awful.
Hey Lyd! I read your comment and that made me want to read the Bryony and Roses story. So thank you! I’ve added that to my list.
There is no way I could disagree more with this review. I thought the story was exquisite from beginning to end. Getting more of a background of Beauty and her family was very well done and so interesting. I absolutely love this book. To each their own tho.
Brilliant review. Helped me decide against reading it. Life is too short for plod-plots.
She wrote Rose Daughter years later and its my favorite version of Beauty and the Beast. Its much better.
Correct. Should have been good. Was well written, but oh my burning ulcer, there was way more writing than story!
This might be my favorite book of all time. I understand what you’re saying about the plot, but I think what you’re missing is that it almost exactly mirrors the original tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740, but actually *does* spice it up. McKinley isn’t *trying* to write a phenomenal plot. She’s trying to reflect the essence of the original fairy tale. And for THAT purpose, it more than succeeds. So no, it doesn’t have an exciting plot, and I think if you’re going into it expecting that, then you will 100% be disappointed. But if you go into it for a real fairy tale, then it is the greatest thing in the universe. That, coupled with the marvelous characterization and the setting, like you point out, makes this book *chef’s kiss*
