Beauty by Robin McKinley
Beauty is a spectacular reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty does not consider herself beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, Beauty is a nickname that stuck after one of the obnoxiously precocious moments in childhood. She is bookish, and loves horses, and these hobbies are facilitated with ease until her father's merchant ships are lost at sea. Their removal to a poor country village showcases a beautiful family that are loving and industrious. McKinley combines the real world and a fantasy world with delicious dexterity. The Beast and his realm are utterly believable in their parameters, and the Beast himself is endearing and charming. This book has been a favorite of mine since childhood, and I continue to read it to this day.
Snow by Tracy Lynn
Snow brings the tale of Snow White into the Victorian age. Jessica, Daughter of a Duke is left isolated for years in Kenigh Hall in Wales, until her father remarries the Duchess. Jealous of Jessica's burgeoning beauty, the Duchess forces Jessica into servitude and out of the light, until her hair grows in black as night, and her skin turns white as snow. Discovering the Duchess' plot to kill her, Jessica, now nicknamed Snow, runs away to London and falls into the company of the Lonely Ones, societal misfits and pickpockets. Snow's journey in the dark underbelly of Victorian London is intriguing and quite the page-turner. Plus, Raven is dreamy!
And right now, rather than writing my paper, my attention is utterly focused on the SyFy channel's new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, called simply Alice. It is most excellent.
1 comment:
Ooh, I got hooked on Alice. I always love it when the story changes and the character ends up with someone you secretly wanted them to be with from the beginning...
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