This is one of my favorite "comfort reads." I don't know if this re-telling of Beauty and the Beast is supposed to be Young Adult or not, (I am 31.)... all I know is that there's something special about the journey I take with Beauty when I sit down and read Robin McKinley's version of her story.

I always fall in love with Beauty, her family, and the world they live in â" right from the beginning of the story. I love meeting Beauty's sisters, Hope and Grace. I love hearing Beauty tell how she ended up being nicknamed Beauty, instead of using her given name, Honour⦠even though she was a bookworm who had not inherited the same tall, willowy beauty that her sisters have. I become one of the family with them, sharing their grief as Grace's fiancÃÆ'é is lost to the sea, sharing their despair as their father's fortune is lost as well, and sharing their determination to be happy in their new poorer life in the far magic-tainted North with Hope's new husband.

And then the magic roses start to grow along the wall of the house nearest the forest, and their father gets lost in a storm and comes home with a hopeless story and a single perfect roseâ¦

Beauty's time in the castle with the Beast is an ever-changing exploration of a realm she didn't know existed, and Robin McKinley's gentle portrayal of it is exquisitely fascinating. I love how Beauty's days in the castle with the Beast rarely change⦠yet the story keeps evolving in a way that draws me ever further into it, so that I am learning, along with Beauty, to allow my heart to trust⦠to see the colors that flavor that fourth dimension that the castle seems to have⦠to hear the voices in the Breeze that acts as Beauty's maid⦠to listen as those voices chat about the mysterious tragedy of the castle⦠to learn that the Beast is not what he seems. By the time Beauty understands the mystery, my sight and hearing are clearer along with hers, and I am pleased to read that she finally knows her heart. I am never surprised that as her heart and mind have grown, so has her body and her spirit. How satisfying it is to see that both of her names now fit her so accurately! For she is both Honour, and Beauty now.

This truly is a beautiful story, beautifully told.

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This is a beautiful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. McKinley puts her own special twist to the story. Lovely book.

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I have always had a soft spot for fairy tales, and this is one of the re-tellings that has earned a place on my keeper shelf. Even after 10+ readings, the familiar story still puts a smile on my face. McKinley does an excellent job of world-building and gives it just enough extra spin and detail to leave her own unique mark on a beloved tale.

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Really good story. Seemed though at the end she abruptly ended it due to a deadline. Also the love story was not deepened as adequately as I would have like. Enjoyable read though!

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I never cared for Disney's version of the Beauty & the Beast until I read this book. It gave me an entirely new appreciation for the story... A great read for all ages.

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This is an excellent story; my daughter loved it so much she is not giving it back to me to trade.

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I read this book for the first time many years ago and remember loving it. On this reread, I found myself being a bit impatient at the beginning of the story - I think that I just wanted Beauty to get to the castle and the Beast, but once I let my patience settle down a bit, I got right back into the story and loved it once more.

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I love this book. It is one of my favorites, and I try to reread it every couple of years. When his business went under, Beauty's father moved his family to the north with his future son-in-law. The area they moved to is on the edge of a haunted forest. When Beauty's father must return to the city, he gets lost on the way home and ends up in the forest, which leads him to an enchanted castle. When he takes a rose to give Beauty, a Beast tells him he must bring one of his daughters to the castle to live with him. Beauty volunteers to go. She is afraid at first because the Beast is large, and the castle appears deserted. She does get the feeling that she is not truly alone. She finds that the time she spends with the Beast shows her that he is not the terrifying monster she thought he was. Beauty discovers they have a lot in common and enjoys spending time with him. After a while, she starts hearing the voices of the enchanted beings in the castle. When Beauty learns the fate of her sister's fiancé, she asks the Beast to let her go home and tell the news. He tells her she has a week, but if she is gone longer than that, he will die.

I liked how Beauty's family was such a loving family, not the poor little girl abused type of family. I loved Beauty and her independence. She seemed very adaptable and handled her time at the castle very well. I also loved the way that she was able to look past the surface of the Beast and see who he was. I loved the enchantments in the castle and how real all of it felt. The library was incredibly awesome. There were some entertaining parts, like the argument between Beauty and the "breezes" over the silver dress was great. The ending was a perfect fairytale.

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I read this book for the first time many years ago and remember loving it. On this reread, I found myself being a bit impatient at the beginning of the story - I think that I just wanted Beauty to get to the castle and the Beast, but once I let my patience settle down a bit, I got right back into the story and loved it once more.

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I read this book for the first time many years ago and remember loving it. On this reread, I found myself being a bit impatient at the beginning of the story - I think that I just wanted Beauty to get to the castle and the Beast, but once I let my patience settle down a bit, I got right back into the story and loved it once more.

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I love this book and I reread it often. Hands down my favorite rendition of Beauty and the Beast, and I am very much a fan. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast or who likes a good fairy tale.

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Move over Disney! This is a wonderful telling of the Beauty & the Beast story that will captivate and move you. Wonderfully written and you will be sure to fall in love with the characters! McKinley's account of the story is slightly different, but adds to the enchanting tale in ways that will only make you appreciate it more. Highly recommended!!!!

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A lovely version of a classic.

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