Monday, September 19, 2011

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast
By Marie Le Prince de Beaumont 

I have been wanting to read this version of Beauty and the Beast, it has been the influence to the very popular and common versions of the story. I decided to read a little about it on Wiki, (you should too) and I found out that Beaumont rewrote the story from the earliest version of Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve originally called La Belle et la Bete. Villeneuve version has more back story on the Beast and Belle and stays with the more darker fairytale type of stories. I wish I could get my hands on this version as well. There is a translated versions of Villeneuve's story, I found a Kindle version of the story for $2.99 along with some other original stories. Ten Children's Original Fable Favorites

Beaumont's version is very simplistic, but still enjoyable. It is a quick and fairly easy read. Somethings were a little hard to follow, the flow and transitions aren't what I'm use to.

You can find Beaumont's version on the kindle for free or in fairytale books in new and used bookstores. 



The story Beauty and the Beast has inspired many different retold tales. Some are sweet and beautiful just like the Disney version. Others are a little dark, but still capture the essence of Belle and the Beast.


Other Books
Retold Beauty and the Beast books I have also read are:

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli

Beauty: The Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

Beastly by Alex Flinn

The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block

Belle by Cameron Dokey

Goddess of the Rose by PC Cast (my review)

There are many more, but these are the ones that I have personally read and are on my shelves

What version of Beauty and the Beast have you read? Do you have a favorite among them?


<3Books
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2 comments:

Bonnie @ A Backwards Story said...

I love fairy tales...B&B is one of my all-time favorite one...

My favorite retelling is HEART'S BLOOD by Juliet Marillier *swoon* (Which was one of the first books I ever reviewed... http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com/2010/03/hearts-blood-by-juliet-marillier.html)

Last week, I read and reviewed THE PRINCESS CURSE, which is a mash-up of three different fairy tales, including B&B. I liked it so much, I went back and bought my own copy! (review: http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com/2011/09/mythological-mondays-princess-curse-by.html)

September 25, 2011 at 8:07 PM
Kristina said...

@Backwards Story
B&B stories are fantastic thanks for showing me your reviews, I'm putting them both on my TBR and To buy lists right now.

September 26, 2011 at 11:34 AM

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