Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast by Robin McKinley
247 pages
Published 1978
Read from August 10 to August 19
Rating: ★★½ out of 5
Considering how long ago this book was published, and that it was Robin McKinley's first published novel, it isn't surprising that Beauty feels somewhat shallow and lacking compared to the other books of hers I've read. The Beauty and the Beast is one of the less thematically rich and engaging fairy tales, or at least one with a subtext harder to square with the feminist angles McKinley would pursue in her later work. After all, it's all about a virtuous girl choosing to redeem a man with the power of her love -- the tale that could describe any number of situations of abuse and gaslighting. McKinley's elaboration of the tale is breezy and pleasant enough in the early chapters, but once Beauty meets the Beast, I found myself bored and my interest nearly gone.
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