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Beauty by Robin Mckinley

Beauty: A retelling of Beauty and the BeastGrade: A-

Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale. I just liked the idea of a beautiful, innocent young woman falling in love with a creature that is a little less than human and is more of an animal than anything. I even liked the Disney version with the dancing teacups and everything. That part when Beauty comes back to the Beast and he’s near death and she begs him not to die because she loved him and couldn’t live without him… man, gets me every time. Which is why it always pissed me off, even as a little girl, when the Beast turned into a handsome young man. I mean, it totally negates the whole “look beyond the surface” lesson of the story. Beauty fell in love with the Beast, not some pretty boy. I gotta admit, though, that I always got a kick out of Beauty staring at the transformed Beast in the end, like she’s thinking, “Who are you? I want the man I fell in love with!” Can you just imagine falling in love with someone just as he is only to have him yanked away from you and replaced with a beautiful man just because The Powers That Be can’t have a beautiful, innocent, young woman settling down with a man who isn’t conventionally handsome… someone different? But that’s a rant for another time. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley, who wrote the beautiful, elegant Sunshine, is more in the vein of the Disney version with the dancing teacups, but this time around, Beauty is a little more than a simpering fool. The Beast, on the other hand… well, he could have been a little more beastly, but he was adequately charming. And kind of boring. I wish he’d gone a little nuts at least and tore up some furniture. But he doesn’t. Sigh.

Beauty Honour lives in a beautiful, grand house in the city with her wealthy merchant father and two gorgeous sisters, Hope and Grace. Though she is not as beautiful as her sisters—-”Beauty” is more of an ironic nickname—-she is a happy enough who girl who spends free time reading and tending to her horse, Greatheart. That is, until her father loses the family fortune in a business gamble and they are forced to move to a small village in the north with her sister Hope’s boyfriend, Gervain, a blacksmith. Beauty and her sisters soon find their own little niches in their new life; Beauty does the backbreaking work helping out Gervain (who often warns her about going into the woods behind the house) with the smithy shop and gardening, while her two sisters take care of the house and the other domestic stuff. This isn’t because the two sisters are evil or anything, but Beauty is just a lot more comfortable with the more strenuous work. In a few months, Beauty and her family settle quite well in their new home and even though they are no longer wealthy, they are all very happy and content. That is, until her father has to leave town on business. Hope and Grace jokingly ask him to get them jewels, while Beauty demands rose seeds that she could plant around their house. When their father returns, he looks a little dazed, babbling about a horrible thing he did, and his saddlebags are filled with silver, gold, linen, and a rose for Beauty. He tells them a story about encountering a horrible beast who lives in an enchanted castle in the woods who had caught him stealing a rose, but released him after making him promise to come back in a month with one of his daughters in exchange for his life. Beauty unflinchingly volunteers, reasoning that her older sister Grace is too beautiful and useful to the family to go, while Hope is about to marry Gervain. Beauty, on the other hand, is young and possesses a stronger constitution. Her family think it is a horrible idea, but Beauty insists on going, telling her family it makes the most sense, and the father eventually relents.

The second part of the story is about Beauty arriving at the castle and getting to know the Beast. Upon entering the castle, she finds that she is a little scared, but is mostly curious. There are invisible hands attending to her every needs, she is led to a beautiful and luxurious room, and there are more books waiting for her that she could read in a lifetime. When she finally meets the Beast, she realizes she is more fascinated with him than frightened. Gradually, the two of them become friends and Beauty begins to miss the Beast whenever he isn’t around even though she spends several hours a day with him. She and the Beast develop a routine: they walk the grounds in the morning, talk all day, watch the sunset, and have the dinner together. Every night, before Beauty goes into her room to turn in, the Beast would ask her to marry him and Beauty would say no. The more they spend time together, the harder it is for Beauty to say no. Though she misses her family, Beauty discovers that she doesn’t want to leave the Beast because he needs her. As the rest of the tale goes, a family emergency comes up, prompting Beauty to beg the Beast to allow her to go home for a little bit so she could deal with it. The Beast allows her a week, but makes her promise to return to him immediately after her time is up, or he would die.

Even though I am very familiar with the Beauty and the Beast tale and several incarnations, I found myself absorbed in Mckinley’s lush prose and vibrant voice. The story is told from Beauty’s point of view in first person and I was grateful for a clever, no-nonsense, and witty narrator in Beauty. She isn’t a simpering idiot who cowers before the Beast nor does she spend any time hiding in a corner crying her butt off. She is intelligent, well-read, and practical. She descends upon the castle intending to “tame” the Beast, but there isn’t much taming to be done. The Beast is articulate, kind, patient, and reasonable. He isn’t even slightly mean. He has no beastly tantrums, no monstrous desires, and doesn’t hide in the shadows like some deranged emo freak. This Beast had been declawed way before Beauty even arrived at the scene and wears a mantle of defeat. Hell, he has spent the last two hundred years waiting for a beautiful maiden to come along and break the curse and has come to believe that it will never happen. He doesn’t believe Beauty will ever love him, but keeps her around anyway because he is very lonely. The development of their friendship is believable and when Beauty realizes that she is in love with the Beast, I bought it. I just really enjoyed reading about the two of them getting to know each other and hanging out that even though I knew how the story was going to turn out, I just kept reading. The story, told by McKinley, is both familiar and fresh and kept me turning the pages.

What I thought was particularly interesting in this retelling of an old tale is the infusion of psychological mind-fuck. Even thought I believed that Beauty could love the Beast, I always suspected that Stockholm Syndrome has something to do with it. We’ve got a pretty girl confined with a strong alpha male unable to see her family and friends and the male becomes the center of the pretty girl’s universe. She comes to depend on him, begins believing that no one else could love her the way he does, and falls in love with him. In this story, McKinley tells us that Beauty’s perception of her surroundings changes the longer she stays in the enchanted castle. She doesn’t think the Beast is ugly, barely blinks at the idea of invisible handmaidens catering to her needs, and even tells the Beast that the longer she stays with him, the more accustomed she grows to his appearance and her strange surroundings. Beauty also develops a psychic sense of the Beast and is able to detect whenever he is nearby. Does Beauty really fall in love with the Beast or is it the enchantment that envelopes the castle? McKinley seems aware of these questions and imbues the narrative with them. Thankfully, she doesn’t beat us over the head them them, but subtly drops a hint or two here and there.

Even though this particular fairy tale ends rather conventionally especially for a storyteller like Mckinley, it’s still a very pleasant, very sweet read. I loved Beauty’s relationship with her family, her camaraderie with her sisters, and the development of her relationship with the Beast. Beauty is an intelligent, sympathetic heroine and the Beast, though boring and a little too pleasant, made a good hero. I loved McKinley’s writing and was especially impressed that this book is her first novel. Check it out if you’re looking for a nice, smooth read or a classic love story. It’s got likable characters, good writing, and solid storytelling. I may like my Beasts a little more… beastly, but all and all, it’s a good romance and I really enjoyed it.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 28th, 2007 at 2:26 pm and is filed under Books, Grade: A, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

25 Responses to “Beauty by Robin Mckinley”

  1. Annie
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
    1

    Hey Bam, I’ve always had a problem with the change to a lovely young man - so try McKinley’s other version of the tale - Rose Daughter. I love both versions equally - they have different strengths. McKinley also covered Sleeping Beauty with Spindle’s end. And her ’straight’ fantasy are worth a read too, The Blue Sword, and The Hero and the Crown. I love her Robin Hood - The Outlaws of Sherwood.
    There’s a great article on her website - author as bitch from hell, or ways to persuade me I would rather be cleaning bathrooms than answering book mail - http://www.robinmckinley.com/Essays/AuthorBfH.html (sorry can’t do the pretty html coding).

  2. Ann(ie)
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
    2

    I -loved- Sunshine (and I hate vampires) so I’ll have to check this out.

  3. Samantha
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
    3

    I love Robin McKinley - The Hero and the Crown was one of my all-time favorites when I was a teen. I also love Deerskin, which is kind of a re-telling of Donkeyskin (a Perrault fairy tale), but definitely for more mature audiences.

  4. web
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
    4

    I was just chiming in to say you should try Rose Daughter, though I personally prefer Beauty.

  5. Renaesance
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
    5

    McKinley is just so adept with her heroines. They are always well written and often more than the sum of their parts. Also I squee with fangirl delight whenever I can get any of my friends to read her books. Should I ever spawn a girl child she’s going to be innundated with McKinley for bedtime reading…along with the science of the internal combustion engine (those are the nights that daddy reads)

  6. Shiloh Walker
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
    6

    i used to love Robin McKinley, though I haven’t read her in ages. I’m not too into YA books but I love fairy tales. sigh…might have to take a look at this one.

  7. Kathleen
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
    7

    A MINUS?!? I am outraged that this missed a plus. This is my favorite book 4 eva and eva, amen. All of her stuff is good though. Rose Daughter, Spindle’s End, Hero and the Crown, Blue Sword…she just doesn’t write ENOUGH, it drives me crazy.
    Try the Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey. BatB in turn-of-the-century San Francisco with a broodtastic Beast. Let’s just say it elimates some of the problems of the original fairy tale. And if you’re dipping into YA, try Tamora Pierce’s Alanna series.

  8. Caity
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
    8

    Oh, I’m so glad you reviewed this book! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale and this book was so sumptuous and beautiful (ha, well, duh). “Rose Daughter” was also good, but I think this one takes the cake. Always wondered why she wrote two…hmm.

  9. Meljean
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
    9

    My love for McKinley is endless. Beauty is my favorite of the two Beauty and the Beast tales, although I think that Rose Daughter is *better* as a whole. But both are fantastic, and I’m amazed at how well she took the same fairy tale, and told it differently.

  10. Eilonwy
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
    10

    Kathleen– I;m just chiming in to add my $.02 to the “try Tamora Pierce’s Alanna Series!” (Song of the Lioness Quartet) I remember precisely when I read those books for the first time (dear god, 15 years ago) and I still find ways in which they shaped me.

    Mind you all, I love Robin McKinley, too. Just sayin’. :)

  11. Sana-chan
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
    11

    Annie mentioned Spindle’s End, and I was going to recommend it as a more unusual re-telling of a fairy tale, with a twistier ending.

  12. bam
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
    12

    I have “Rose Daughter,” but I haven’t read it yet. I’m really looking forward to it. I love Robin McKinley’s writing.

    Does Sleeping Beauty have a love interest in “Spindle’s End”?

  13. Kathleen
    Posted: Mar 28th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
    13

    Re: Sleeping Beauty’s love interest: OMG, yes! And he’s yummy, but it’s such a quiet love between the two of them. Subtle.
    (and props to Eilonwy for her clearly superior taste)

  14. thirstygirl
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 12:25 am
    14

    yeah, Robin McKinley is one of my favourite authors, I discovered her, oh about 20 years ago [ouch!] and still re-read her books almost every year. And have given away copies of Beauty to at least 3 friends.

    I found Deerskin disturbing but good. The only one her of books I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend is A Knot in the Grain. Another author along these lines that you may like is Patricia McKillip, whose recent works have clearly been blessed by the cover art gods.

  15. Saam
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 4:09 am
    15

    Yep, what everyone else said! Love The Hero & The Crown bks. Another Beauty favourite of mine is Sherri S. Tepper’s. My all-time fav retelling of fairy/folk tales is Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin. Magic.

  16. Eilonwy
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 4:37 am
    16

    Saam: As for Tam Lin, absolutely!! (There are two books that I keep within easy reach for comfort and Tam Lin is one of them, the other being Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens.) I cannot tell you all how much I want a Thomas Lane of my very own. Did you find that Tam Lin took a second read to adore? (Many people I know didn’t particularly care for it the first time, yet were drawn to read it a second, which is when they fell in love with it.)

  17. shuzluva
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 5:39 am
    17

    The current “Princess” obsession in my household makes me loathe to read anything to do with fairytales (which is what happens with girls under the age of four). I have had enough of Ariel the Whining Brat, and it shocks me that Disney managed to create a female character in 1989 that had less gumption than Cinderella in 1950. I can’t wait to break out the Mulan DVD. I’m praying that the girls like it, because Beauty and the Beast is in the DISNEY VAULT. Damn marketing ploys.

    Unfortunately I’m going to have to stay away from this particular book. I don’t have the fortitude to read anything that caters to a younger audience that relates (however tangentially) to Disney princesses. My head might just explode. However, I will check out the author’s other books, since her writing has received such glowing praise here!

  18. Jackie
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 5:55 am
    18

    I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never heard of this author, let alone read her work. That’s going to change.

  19. Teddy Pig
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 6:27 am
    19

    This sounds way too gentle and nice for me.

    I like my men like beasts not my beasts like men.

  20. tumperkin
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 6:34 am
    20

    Anyone who loves fairytales but hates Disney princesses should check out the fabulous Angela Carter’s Fairy Tales. She does a great line in retelling fairytales for grown ups. Her Cinderella has no hesitation in stuffing her foot into the lost slipper to get her guy even after her stepsisters have already had their bleeding stumps in there (the sisters slice off a toe and part of a heel respectively to try to fit the slipper - as they do in the traditional versions). The film A Company of Wolves (grown-up Little Red Riding Hood) was based on one of her stories and anyone who loves a “Girl meets Beast” story has GOT to see that film!

  21. AnimeJune
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 7:09 am
    21

    I loved “Beauty” since I read it when I was thirteen.

    I was never bothered by the Beast’s change back into a man - because the whole point is that Beauty fell in love with his personality and character, not what he looked like. Whether he was hairy or handsome wouldn’t have made a difference - the last-minute handsome-ification would just be a pleasant bonus, and a convenient removal of a potentially icky bestiality element. I also saw it as a visual metaphor - she tames the beast out of the man. Well, not in McKinley’s case, but still…

    And I adored the Disney film, I’m not ashamed to say. Even though when you do the math, you realize the Prince was ELEVEN when he was changed into a Beast. Like, a CHILD. That beautiful enchantress couldn’t have grounded him or taken away his X-box like everyone else does with rude eleven-year-olds??

  22. shuzluva
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 7:18 am
    22

    AnimeJune, you may love the film (and I do too), but when you’ve seen a Disney move approximately 300 times in one month…well let’s say I’ve had enough for a long, LONG while!

  23. Grrrly
    Posted: Mar 29th, 2007 at 7:42 am
    23

    if you like retellings of beauty and the beast (and fairy tale retellings in general) bam, you should try francesca lia block’s ‘the rose and the beast’, which is her collection of retold fairy tales. in block’s version, the beast changes into the man, but beauty changes too and becomes more beast-like. in the end (and i’m paraphrasing from memory here) “sometimes they would argue, and when that happened, she would bathe, comb the tangles from her hair, and start wearing shoes again for a few days. she loved him with all her heart, her beast-boy, but sometimes, secretly, she wished that he would have remained a beast.” i loved that it wasn’t “now he’s a man and they can live happily ever after in perfect harmony and luuurve”. oh, and emma donohugue’s ‘kissing the witch: fairy tales in new skins’ is pretty fabulous too.

  24. Saam
    Posted: Apr 2nd, 2007 at 3:36 am
    24

    Eilonwy, I know what you mean. I loved it for its strangeness the first time, but have gotten a bit more out of it each time I have another go. I also keep promising myself that next time I read it I’m going to write down all the books they mention in it & attempt to get myself an English degree…or a Classics one!
    Good Omens is also on the favs list…so snarky.

  25. cassie
    Posted: Apr 4th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
    25

    “I don’t have the fortitude to read anything that caters to a younger audience that relates (however tangentially) to Disney princesses. My head might just explode.”

    I think McKinley’s head would explode if she read that. ;)

    FWIW, McKinley wrote Beauty at a least a decade before Disney’s movie came out, and she has said/written rather adamantly that she does not write books for a YA or child audience — which I think is why her books resonate with adults, even if they’re shelved in the YA section (actually, I find them all over the bookstore: Sunshine in horror, The Blue Sword in SF/F, Spindle’s End in YA, etc). I first read Beauty when I was 10 or 11 and still love it; I don’t think there was anything in it that was inappropriate for a 10 year old, but I probably missed a lot of the deeper themes at that age.

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