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Beauty
 
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Beauty (Paperback)

by Robin McKinley (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.49 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Beauty + Spindle's End + Deerskin
Price For All Three: £15.98

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  • This item: Beauty by Robin McKinley

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Product details

  • Paperback: 259 pages
  • Publisher: Corgi Childrens; New edition edition (4 Mar 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0552548634
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552548632
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 63,586 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #5 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > M > McKinley, Robin

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Product Description

Product Description
When the family business collapses, Beauty and her two sisters are forced to leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside. However, when their father accepts hospitality from the elusive and magical Beast, he is forced to make a terrible promise - to send one daughter to the Beast's castle, with no guarantee that she will be seen again. Beauty accepts the challenge, and there begins an extraordinary story of magic and love that overcomes all boundaries. This is another spellbinding and emotional tale embroidered around a fairytale from Robin McKinley, an award-winning American author.

From the Back Cover
Beauty has always been embarrassed by her nickname - she is plain and awkward compared to her two elder sisters, Hope and Grace. But what she lacks in beauty she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When their merchant father returns from a failed business trip to the city where they once lived, he tells his daughters a strange tale: how on his way home he lost himself in a winter storm, and stumbled out of it into the summer garden of a magical castle. Innocently he picks a rose, and a fearsome Beast roars at him that his life is forfeit . . . unless one of his daughters will take his place.

He will not hear of it when Beauty declares that she will return to the castle in his stead, but she is determined to go. 'He cannot be so bad if he loves roses so much', she says. 'Cannot a Beast be tamed?'

This is a captivating retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast from an award-winning author. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Beauty
67% buy the item featured on this page:
Beauty 4.9 out of 5 stars (20)
£4.49
Sunshine
12% buy
Sunshine 4.3 out of 5 stars (40)
£5.99
Beastly
10% buy
Beastly 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£4.24
Deerskin
7% buy
Deerskin 4.4 out of 5 stars (49)
£6.50
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, 6 April 2004
By Chrestomanci (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This book is a delightful retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. However, don’t assume that you know everything there is to know about this story already. In this version, Beauty is plain compared to her two elder sisters … and the beast is more sad and mysterious than frightening or beastly.

Closer to the original French fairytale than any version so far, the style of writing has an old-fashioned charm and simplicity about it, giving you the feeling that you are reading a letter from Beauty herself describing her life at the beast’s enchanted castle.

This book would make a wonderful gift for girls aged nine to ninety!

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty-ful, 25 Feb 2007
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
The best-known and best-loved of Robin McKinley's books is also one of the best of the fairy-tale retellings -- "Beauty," a more enlightened, fully-drawn version of "Beauty and the Beast." There's a depth and a richness to the story and characterizations, as well as a beauty of atmosphere and writing.

Beauty (real name is "Honour") is the ironically-named heroine of the story -- she isn't beautiful, but is very intelligent. She has two sisters, the beautiful Hope and Grace, and a benevolent, wealthy father. Then all their lives change suddenly: the ships their father owns are lost, and the money goes with them. One of the sisters marries a poor but worthy country lad, while the other lost her beloved fiancee who captained one of the ships. After selling their possessions the family moves to the countryside.

The father leaves on a trip -- and returns with a single rose, a gift for Beauty, which carries the price of either his life or his daughter. Beauty leaves to go live at the castle of the mysterious Beast, with only her plowhorse to accompany her. She arrives at a castle of invisible servants, magical books, friendly animals, and a melancholy Beast who asks her to marry him every evening...

There is nothing new in fairy tale retellings now, but when McKinley first wrote "Beauty," it was a relative rarity. And even now, few of them are as intelligently written and have such solid heroines. Rather than giving her story a contrived "twist," McKinley merely fleshes out the storyline and gives the characters personalities.

The writing is excellent; McKinley writes the more prosaic passages of cottage life and the surrounding friendly village, as well as the more dreamlike, fantastical scenes in the Beast's castle. Lots of atmosphere, either in the poor but warm surroundings of the house, or the eerie feel of the castle.The dialogue is nearly flawless: McKinley doesn't write ye-olde-formal prose, but the characters never sound -- or think -- like modern Americans.

Beauty is a great heroine -- brainy, kind, wry-humored, brave and strong. Though the "Beauty" element is discarded, it is done so with the apparent understanding that this "Beauty" has brains and guts rather than a pretty face. The Beast himself is a little more shadowy; we never get inside his head the way we do Beauty's, but then the book is hers, not his. Beauty's father and sisters are equally well-done, avoiding the cliches of nastiness in favor of being likable or haunted.

Robin McKinley's debut "Beauty" is still among the best-loved fairy-tale retellings. With the help of a gutsy, brainy heroine, it rises above a mere retelling and becomes THE retelling.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty, 2 Sep 2006
By amyangel (Staffordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
This book is really great, and really brings the story alive - I liked the disney film when I was younger, but this is much better and I think it's more like the traditional version!! And, it's definately a story that you will read over and over and still enjoy it.

I would recommend it to everyone!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The beautiful take on beauty and the beast.
Retelling the story of beauty and the beast

When beauty's father shelters from a storm after visiting there old home in the city, the castle was more than welcoming... Read more
Published 22 months ago by emjem

5.0 out of 5 stars Review Of "Beauty"
This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It conjured up every emotion I have ever felt, at one point it almost felt as if my heart was being broken as well as the... Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2007 by Mr. Nicholas S. A. Gibbons

4.0 out of 5 stars A romantic fantasy fairytale!
Before I go any further, I have to tell you that this is a book for girls... girls only! This is a romantic re-telling of that old favourite "Beauty and the Beast"... Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2007 by S. Barnes

5.0 out of 5 stars Most beautiful book
'Beauty' was one of the best books I have ever read! I found it slightly confusing towards the end, but the descriptions throughout were beautiful and the images it created in my... Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2006 by Jen

5.0 out of 5 stars A BRILLIANT story
'Beaty,' is fantastic. I enjoyed it so much. I usually find it diffcult to re-read books I have read before, but I don't think I will find it difficult to read this again. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2005 by Maidie

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty, what a perfect name for a beautiful book!
This is a wonderful read and it sets a wonderful twist to the original classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A truely amazing book!
This book is a true gem, and I would recomend it to anyone, of any age. I would definately favour it above "Rose Daughter", which, although is a very good book, just doesn't have... Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2003 by carolyn00

5.0 out of 5 stars enchanting...
Beauty is a re telling of the story of Beauty and the Beast... but better as it is believable! I am sure Disney read this when producing his animated version of this story. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2003 by MRS A.P. MOORE

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, romantic but not overly so: an enjoyable read
Beauty is a retelling of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast. It follows the original quite closely, which is similar to the modern Disney version, but with more detail,... Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!!!
Beauty is a great book for I think kids in the 5th or 6th grade. I read it first in like, 4th grade, and I loved it so much. Read more
Published on 6 May 1999

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