Rating: 
Summary: Rose Daughter
Review: I liked this book a lot. It was much more interesting than the traditional story. It was definatly worth reading, but I've never reread it because it really wasn't as good as Beauty. It seemed much more dark and gloomy. Also, the ending wasn't as good as it could have been.
Rating: 
Summary: Totally wrong ending
Review: Have you ever read a book that was absolutly perfect untill the end? The end of this book destroys the whole point of the fairy tale. I was so disapointed. It seemed that McKinley just threw everything together to create an ending. I was so excited, this book was so good untill the last two or three chapters. Then it just disgusted me. I would write a whole new ending for this book and then it would be perfect. But unless you want to write your own ending, don't waste time or money on this book. I must say though, that the sisters were great and I loved the way she wrote them. That was actually worth my time. I gave a star to each of them.
Rating: 
Summary: A Refreshing Change
Review: Reader beware: the only way to read this book is to NOT compare it to "Beauty." Otherwise you will be disappointed because it is not the same book and takes on a different perspective to the tale. However, the characters are more realistic and complex. Lionheart and Jeweltounge (the sisters) were interesting characters although I really liked what she did with the beast the best. He was much more "human" in terms of emotions and his relation to Beauty. A good book. Not quite as happy as "Beauty" but definitely a nice read.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: I didn't think that I would like the book much because I have never been a fan of Beauty and the Beast, but this book really surprised me. Robin McKinley gives a whole new depth to the original story. This book has very good descriptions of the way the characters are feeling, and at times I felt great pity for the beast (who loved roses but was too clumsy to care for them). The only problem with the story is that I liked Beauty's sisters better than I liked Beauty, but overall I think this story is very well-written and would reccommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy. (if you like this book, I would also reccommend The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley and books by Mercedes Lackey)
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: I love Robin McKinley's books!! I wasn't sure if I wanted to read Rose Daughter at first, because I loved Beauty so much, and I didn't want Rose Daughter to change my perception of the story. One thing, though, that you realize while reading this is that Beauty and Rose Daughter are different stories that don't need to be always compared. The writing style in this book is so beautiful it brought me to tears. It's almost beyond this earth. I love Lionheart and Jeweltongue! They are the greatest sisters in literature! They are so funny and wonderful and so completely different from eachother! Beauty is also unique. She has such a kinship with the earth and the creatures of the earth. Her character fits so well with the Beast. I loved the way this Beast had a different story behind him than in the traditional fairy tale. Robin McKinley has a way of bring you into her stories that makes you feel like you have shared the experiences of her characters. Reading this book I could almost smell the scent of rose!
Rating:
Summary: Great book, but not McKinley's best
Review: I enjoyed Rose Daughter very much when I read it recently. However, I didn't enjoy it as much as McKinley's earlier Beauty: A Retelling of the Story Beauty and the Beast. But, it did have more depth in many aspects of the story, such as Beauty's former family life and her love for the Beast. I did like the descriptions and depth of the book, but I felt that some of it dragged on, and I didn't enjoy the characters quite as much as those in McKinley's other books. I would recommend this book, but not as strongly as others written by McKinley.
Rating:
Summary: It's not "Beauty," but it has its moments.
Review: I first read this book when it came out four years ago. I remember feeling vaguely dissatisfied and grumpy about the ending. After rereading it, I am willing to forgive it for not being "Beauty." "Rose Daughter" has a far more fairy-tale feel to it. It has names like Lionheart, Jeweltongue and Beauty. Magic is all around it, with not much explanation. This makes sense. After all, it is magic. Roses are the key images here, and Beauty is the gardener who brings them back to life. She and the other Beauty share a few traits, like the love of roses, kindness, diplomacy and the devotion of family. I'm always pleased when stories show family as being a positive, rather than an unfortunate burden. Such is the case here. That said, I still like "Beauty" much better. "Rose Daughter's" Beauty, though kind and brave, still cries too much to suit me. I pity her and I like her, but I have to sigh every time she cries and she cries a lot. As a matter of fact, she does less and cries more. Still, this book has a lyrical quality to it, and I can recommend it freely.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing at times.
Review: I purchased this book as soon as it was published. I love "Beauty" by this author, and I welcomed any view of this tale by her. I think the problem was that I love "Beauty" too much. It is one of my favorites; I've probably read it at least 12 times. "Rose Daughter" didn't have the variety of characters nor the excellent narrative that "Beauty" does. Sometimes the story got confused and at other times it dragged a bit. It's certainly worth reading, but "Rose Daughter" is more philosophical, meaning bound in metaphor, but buried a bit too deep for me at least for the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Romantics, gather round!
Review: How many of you are hopeless romantics, especially when it comes to timeless love and friendship? Well, I know I am, and this book tops the list of must reads. After reading Beauty, I was enchanted with the amazing style of Robin McKinley, and the way she brought out each character in a new light, and gave even the sisters a human touch. In Rose Daughter, we meet a whole new family of characters, a whole new perspective, and a brand new enchanting tale. Rose Daughter presents a family torn by loss of money, and loss of a father due to mental illness. The girls survive in a small cottage left to their late mother, a child of nature. The palace in which the Beast resides is amazing, and I am always looking forward to seeing what new surprise will await her. Read it; it's magical, enchanting, and superbly written, and you're sure to fall in love!
Rating:
Summary: Darker; More "French" Somehow
Review: ALmost twenty years after her original breakthrough success with "Beauty", McKinley returns to the tale of Beauty and the Beast. This is a somewhat darker version of the tale than "Beauty", which was, somehow, very "American" in tone in my mind. This book, somehow, seems rather "French" to me (in keeping with the original source of the tale, if nothing else, i suppose). But i suppose this "Frenchness" i seem to sense may come because i suspect that at least part of the imagery for this book came from Cocteau's wonderful 1940's film with Jean Marais and Josephine Day (which i heartily recommend to anyone who enjoys any version of the story) -- Beauty's nightmare of running down a dark corridor lighted at intervals by candles in wall sconces certainly resonated with some of the imagery in the film, and her father's first view of the Beast and his costume certainly did also. But this beast is different from Cocteau's; there is less of the frisson (however mild) that we get when Cocteau's Beast, his hands covered with the smoking blood of his prey, claws at Beauty's door. This Beast, almost from the start (except when he is terrifying Beauty's father, to set in motion the events that will bring Beauty to him) is quieter, more melancholic; a philosopher-Beast, one might say. I'm not sure if it was altogether a good idea to remove the mantle of scariness from the Beast, even if it was then transferred to other elements, some part of the existing tale, some invented for this book; i feel as if the Beast should *gradually* be revealed as harmless. One of the most telling moments in the Cocteau film (i seem to be referring to that a lot) is at the very end, when the handsome Prince who was the Beast just moments before tells Beauty not to be afraid -- and she looks shyly up at him, holding his hands in hers, and says "I like to be a little frightened -- with you." "Beauty and the Beast" at heart, is partially about discovering that that which we fear -- the Unknown, in the strictest sense -- is not that scarey. Facing our fears and confronting and laying them to rest -- if only in a metaphorical manner -- is part of its appeal. To a great extent, this book doesn't offer that, except in the last third or so. But, of course, it is Very Much about discovering that a scarey exterior may hide a gentle and noble heart; and that even the smallest and weakest of us can, if we be determined enough, and hold on and don't falter, no matter what odds seem against us arrayed, make a Difference. And that, added to lovely prose and smooth storytelling, makes this a four-star read and i recommend it.
|
