Reviews

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley

alhina's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

fragilepotato's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

mollyq92's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

sachasme's review against another edition

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2.0

2,5 ⭐

"But there was nothing grand about a small plain girl, poorly dressed, self-conscious, and jittery."

Não tenho muito a falar sobre esse livro... Eu achei ele ok. É um reconto de a Bela e a Fera, e tem suas particularidades - é mais focado na Bela do que qualquer coisa, nós conhecemos a vida dela antes da Fera, seus sonhos e anseios, e no geral achei uma personagem bem interessante. Também temos bastante da família dela, e realmente conseguimos nos apegar a eles, mas achei que faltou algo.

Como esse é um dos meus contos de fadas favoritos, já li algumas versões - tanto recontos quando diferentes versões "originais" - e esse livro me lembrou uma das versões "originais" que li. O que não é algo ruim, mas apesar de seus pequenos toques pessoais e da linguaguem bem formal, que achei bem características, quando acabei a leitura fiquei com a sensação de que não houve nada realmente novo na história. Se eu não tivesse lido o livro, não teria feito diferença na minha vida.

Ainda assim, gostei da leitura no geral; foi um pouco lenta, mas o ritmo não me incomodou. Também gostei do fato de a Bela não ser bonita na maior parte do livro, e da relação dela com seu cavalo, Greatheart, e com suas irmãs e cunhado. Também queria ter visto um pouco mais da Fera e do relacionamento deles se desenvolvendo, essa parte é mais falada sobre do que realmente mostrada. E também queria uma explicação melhor no fim, apesar de não deixar necessariamente pontas soltas, achei que tudo se resolveu rápido demais. É um bom livro, mas se você já leu as versões antigas do conto, principalmente da edição de bolso da Zahar, o livro acrescenta poucas coisas - principalmente mudanças em relação à família da Bela, mas convenhamos que isso não é o que mais chama a atenção nesse conto.

trin's review against another edition

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4.0

The far superior of McKinley's two Beauty and the Beast retellings (the other being Rose Daughter).

amck's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

illusie's review against another edition

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3.0

3,5 stars
I enjoyed this, but have read better versions of beauty and the Beast retellings

emiharpreads's review against another edition

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2.0

I sooo loved the beginning of this book but as I hit the 70% mark and there was still no action or suspense or even the tiniest twinge of tension, I had to DNF. The lack of dialogue was so engaging at first but it was unbearable with little else to drive the plot forward as I reached the end.

The Beast rubbed me really wrong. He was 200 years old but acted more like a teenager with ever changing moods that shifted within a second.

lisamchuk's review against another edition

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5.0

I read this book every summer as a junior high aged kid (it was my most favourite for a long time) and was a huge fan of the author back then. Picking it up now, as an adult, all these years later, I can happily say it retained its charm. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales, and the author does a great job retelling it, with her own minor twists and changes. I can see how I related to the heroine as a teen, as she’s not quite your regular princess - McKinley’s main characters are always strong females and this one is not the beauty of her nickname, which spoke to me as a plain, mousy reader. Highly recommended for those who like fairy tale retellings.

annashiv's review against another edition

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3.0

A bit too slow. It lacks enough conflict to make it compelling or interesting and you don't even meet the beast until literally halfway through the book. It was fine, but it didn't add anything that special to the original tale. It's a faithful adaptation and well written, but I just didn't get really into it. It was too distant and mediocre. I'm not sure why so many other reviews think it's so similar to the Disney version. It's nothing like it. Anyway, maybe I would have liked it when I was younger, but it just felt like it wasn't anything special.