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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"Beauty" has been for a long time and remains one of my favorite fairy tale novelizations. It's a delightful read, not as long or complex as some of Robin McKinley's later works, but it has sweetness and a heart and has withstood many re-readings. I remain convinced that Disney swiped several details of this book (book-loving heroine, servants that seem to have become part of the furniture) for their movie "Beauty and the Beast".

If you like this book I also recommend Shannon Hale's "The Goose Girl."

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I found the characters engaging and realistic. Robin tells a wonderful tale without being trite. I feel that this a better version than Rose Daughter, also by Robin. This version is closer to the story we grew up with but without the sugary taste of a "Good girl doing the right thing". One of her best.

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Beauty is a wonderful re-telling of a cherished love story: Beauty and the Beast. It is the traditional telling of the fairy tale and my only gripe is that it wasn't long enough and sometimes weeks in the story line would be skipped with just a glossing over of the events that occurred. I am looking forward to reading Rose Daughter 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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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 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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Ah, how much I enjoy the writing of Robin McKinley! I had forgotten until I read this delightful version of Beauty and the Beast. Writers whose words make seem to move flawlessly through the story until you've finished are so very talented. Robin McKinley is one such author. This version pictures Beauty as the youngest of three daughters who is a tomboy with the key interests of horseback riding and reading. When their father loses his fortune the family is forced to auction off the remainder of their belongings and move into a small cottage with a son-in-law to be near a dark forbidding forest. The family is warned never to go into the forest for those who enter never return. When father is lost during a snowstorm he finds himself within the forbidding forest. He meets a beast when he picks a rose from the beast's rose garden and must either forfeit his life or give the beast one of his daughters. The youngest, a tomboy, believes that she is least important in the family and is determined to take her father's place. And, the story unfolds from that point. It's so well done that I highly recommend the read to both young and old.

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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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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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This book is a great retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

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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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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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Great retelling of a familiar story.

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I was so nervous since Beauty and the Beast is a favorite story of mine. Started out slow but then I literally couldn't read fast enough, I had to know what would happen next. I loved this version with no Gaston and sweet sisters and a brother-in-law to look out for Beauty. The messages still come through so beautifully, that inner beauty can transform a person and the power of love. The magic/enchantment elements were well woven in, interesting without being unbelievable. I loved how Beauty's horse was a character unto himself, well thought out and described. I really enjoyed this version and am so glad I took a chance on it.

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A wonderful retelling of a favorite story! This particular book is brand new too!

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