Rating:  Summary: Good, but not her best Review: I know I'm running the risk of being redundant because this has been said by many other readers, but McKinley's first interpretation of "Beauty and the Beast" is the better of the two works. Perhaps devoted McKinley fans like myself love the first book better because it was the original. However, McKinley has found new and charming ways of making this a wonderful story, and the book is a worthwhile read for fans both of faerie tales and of McKinley.
Rating:  Summary: Um, yuck? Review: ok, i have to admit that some of the details in rose daughter were lovely, but a bit too much at times. i mean, how much time can a person spend in a rose garden anyway? take my advice and read Ms. McKinley's earlier book Beauty. it remains one of my favorites.
Rating:  Summary: Ick. Review: Yuck. I don't know where to start. There are some lovely parts to this book, and the descriptions and writing style are lovely, but something's definitely lacking. The Beast is a remote character, the plot has no spunk, there's terror but no joy or laughter. The heroine is just a little too vague; the reader can't really connect very well. The same goes with the supporting cast. The plot takes forever to get practically nowhere. However, like I said earlier, there's some wonderful stuff in this book; the reminiscings on Beaty's dead mother and her home back in the city, the sisters are nice sketches, the descriptions of the cottage and the roses are wonderful, and, unlike the first retelling, this book has an element of urgency and true fear. Whereas the first Beauty book was nothing but sweetness and sugar, this book has a little edge to it; the darkness, if it must be there, and the soberness, is an interesting additon to the tale. This doesn't make up, however, from the inherent flaws embedded in the book, but if you love rewritings of fairy tales, this one will be interesting to get.
Rating:  Summary: Great Topic Review: This book was very interesting even though it's not my favorite book. I loke the story better before Beauty went to the Beast's Castle. I read Rose Daughter as a school book. We were comparing Rose Daughter to Robin McKinley's earlier book Beauty. I think Beauty is my favorite out of the 2 though Rose Daughter is very well done.
Rating:  Summary: Rose Daughter was a five star book by far! Review: To sum up Rose Daughter in one word, I would have to choose the word exhilarating. Beauty in itself was a wonderfully written book. But Robin McKinley had to go one step further, and I applaud her for that! If your read Beauty before you read Rose Daughter, don't get discouraged by the begining of Rose Daughter. Each begining starts off the same way, but the stories are very different from each other. With the help of Robin McKinley's artistic descriptions, you feel like you are actually there in the novel. Rose Daughter also has very good morals. Robin McKinley has Beauty tell the story through her eyes, and allows you to see Beuaty's world in its fullest.
Rating:  Summary: Love conquers all in this beautifully written novel. Review: Beauty is a strong character who comes alive on the pages and guides one through the every changing land of fantasy. This is by far the best telling of the story of Beauty and the Beast. The detailed description allows you to imagine the unreal beauty of this magical land. It is a great novel for those who are romantics at heart.
Rating:  Summary: Wow, what a book! This is a book on your must read list! Review: I believe this book was so much better than Robin McKinley's first book, Beauty. I loved Beauty, but the author went into so much depth with Rose Daughter. The whole story is based on the movie Beauty and the Beast, but in the book every detail is described so well, that you really feel like you're the main character. Beauty, the main character, went through so much adventure, that it was so exciting and thrilling to read on. Beauty has the power to make roses bloom and has the power to transform the heart of the Beast.
Rating:  Summary: An enchanting story of the classic Beauty & the Beast Review: The book ,with it's beautiful descriptions and thought-out chapters, were wonderful. The only problem was that the ending lacked a certain "umph" to the story. I was very disappointed with the ending, but loved the way she let her imagination flow into the story.
Rating:  Summary: A good read Review: I found this story to be not as absorbing as McKinley's other stories, but her wonderful style of writing still made it a good read. I found myself to be more empathic towards Lionheart and her story, rather than Beauty though.
Rating:  Summary: Confusing Jumble Review: I have been a long time fan of Robin McKinley's novels (especially the Damar books). I read "Beauty" twelve years ago as a child, and even today as a graduate student, I still find myself returning to my tattered copy. "Beauty" is a wonderfully carved gemstone; each facet cut precisely so that it bounces off the other cuts to make the whole sparkle wonderfully. "Rose Daughter", I found to be a confusing jumble. Light enters it, but bounces off at all sorts of wild, awkward angles, making it flash one moment and dull the next. The pace is mostly irregular: fast and slow at just the wrong moments with none of the wonderful buildup and evolution that I find in "Beauty". I would also agree with a reviewer who noted that in "Rose Daughter", Beauty seems to be merely a backdrop for the magic that surrounds her instead of the other way around. And because the magic seems to take precedence, I found the story rigid, as it tries to cling too tightly to the rules it has set up for itself (such as the quickly tedious: "What animal will Beauty find when she wakes up this morning?"). This reversal of priorities also leaves an "at-arms-length", shallow feel to the novel. The development of Beauty, Beast and especially their interaction seems to have been sacrificed for metaphor and plot, as none is convincingly developed (the events leading up to Beast's enchantment may have been explained more thoroughly in this version, but Beast himself remains an elusive figure that I found difficult to care about). Also disappointing, was that in "Rose Daughter", McKinley doesn't seem to take the time to really explore this world she's created for us. There's no "roll-around-on-the-tongue" savoring of the setting. Any exploring that does take place is not done for its own sake, but to move along the plot. I found this the most regrettable part of the book.
|