Beauty by Robin McKinley was a very important book for me. As is quite obvious by now, I love fairy tales. When I hear that a book is a retold fairy tale, I automatically want to read that book. However, I wasn't always like this. I've always loved fairy tales themselves, but I didn't know that fairy tale retellings existed and I was adamantly opposed to reading fantasy. As I mentioned in a previous Memory Monday, I thought fantasy was beneath me.
But then, my friend introduced me to Robin McKinley and I read Beauty. I couldn't believe it! Here was a fairy tale, fleshed out and grown up! There was more to it than the traditional tale, and we get to see more of Beauty, the beast and her home life and family. I recognized more elements of the original tale than you see in the Disney version, such as Beauty's sisters, her father as a merchant etc. There is no dancing singing silverware in this version but the house is enchanted, just as the beast is, and the servants do not hold their true shapes.
But oh! This story is magical! It changed me. It introduced me to a whole new world of fairy tales, stories and retellings. Without this book, I might never have discovered retold fairy tales, might never have been introduced to this amazing world of literature, and oh what a travesty that would be.
I read and reread this book many times. It adds depth and detail to a story without straying too far from the original and creates a world I fell into effortlessly. Beauty is a solid character, one who sacrifices herself for the good of her family, one who looks past appearances. But she is also very real. She isn't the glowing gorgeous beauty of Disney fame, and it takes her a while to feel comfortable in the beast's home. She slowly learns to open up and trust him, but her responses and feelings toward the beast are very realistic, very believable.
And, I feel that I would be remiss in this review, as a book lover, if I didn't briefly mention the library. If it were in my nature, I would have swooned reading that scene. I tell you, it puts the Disney library to shame, and who would have thought that possible?!
Perhaps my thoughts and feelings for this book would be different, had I read it later in life. But, as it stands, this will always be a very favorite of mine, because it introduced me to a whole new genre and the beauty and magic of it changed my perspective on reading and life. It's one I would recommend to everyone.
Misty posted about this book yesterday! Check out her thoughts on Beauty.