Here is the fifth of my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.
This delightful book grabbed me from the first page. The historical context invokes an age a little distant from the present, but no so distant that we can't identify with it and thus sets the tone for the remainder of the story in a fashion I'd not encountered previously in a retold fairy story. In retelling a well known story it isn't the plot but the telling of the story that does the magic. This version of the classic tale is a classic in its own right and worthy of a place on anyone's bookshelf.
This is one of my favourites. I loved it so much in high school, I wrote my own version as part of an honours English class.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Rose Daughter, McKinley's more recent and more grown-up version of Beauty and the Beast?
I have read it, but prefer Beauty. Not so fond of the grown-up version. Something special about her earlier version which was her first novel I think.
Delete