Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley was amazing. There were rich descriptions, scenes, and characters.

In this book, Honor (aka Beauty) is a sweet young woman who thinks herself far from a beauty. When young, she asked her father about her name and he explained. When he finished she simply said, "I'd like the name Beauty better." The name stuck and soon Beauty herself forgot her true name. (Odd, how could you ever forget your real name, unless it had been centuries since someone had called you by it?)

When her father goes to the city, with high hopes for the family, he gets lost on the way home. As the tale goes, he is treated finely and when he hopes to leave, picks a small rose.

A humble thing, but nonetheless the Beast sees this as in insult. In this version, to pay the price, he must bring back the daughter willing to come within a months time or he shall suffer. Valiantly, Beauty says she will go, as it was she who wished for the roses.

Beauty is dressed in silks and jewels, fed the finest on silver platters, and has become a friend to the Beast. Each night when she is asked if she will marry him, she says no.  She is slowly growing more sorrowful each night. Beast tells her he can give Beauty the gift of dreams; dreams about her family.

Beauty views her sister's fiance alive, who they thought was dead by a shipwreck. Determined to help, Beauty must become brave enough to ask the Beast. But will she?

A great read; I think this was funny, magical, and beautifully written.