Rose Daughter

By: Robin McKinley

Narrated by: Bianca Amato

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

"It is the heart of this place, and it is dying," says the Beast. And it is true; the center of the Beast's palace, the glittering glasshouse that brings Beauty both comfort and delight in her strange new environment, is filled with leafless brown rosebushes. But deep within this enchanted world, new life, at once subtle and strong, is about to awaken. Twenty years ago Robin McKinley enthralled listeners with the power of Beauty. Now this extraordinarily gifted novelist retells the story of Beauty and the Beast again - but in a totally new way, with fresh perspective, ingenuity, and mature insight. In Rose Daughter she has written her finest and most deeply felt work, a compelling, richly imagined, and haunting exploration of the transformative power of love.

©1997 Robin McKinley (P)2013 Recorded Books

best ending

Wonderful twist to a classic tale. calm narrator and a quick listen throw. this is my 3rd time listening to it. it is one of those storys that keeps you loving it every time you hear it.

Fairytale for adults & all ages.

I really enjoyed this. The prose is beautiful, lush and magical. It is well written and the narration is flawless and captivating. I’ve read a couple of McKinley’s books now and she is incredibly talented. This is a lovely story to read on your own or share with a child. Especially if in a garden!

Truly amazing

I have very much enjoyed this rewriting of beauty and the beast. This book leave you with a smile on your face and a light hart.

beauty and the beast

as the title says its the re written story of beauty and the beast done beautifully so much details as your listen this book it teaches you so much , but the ending as magical as it could be ...its different .loved it!!

Magical

This is a wonderful and magical retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Check it out.

Not a Sequel to Beauty

To be fair it does say in the description that McKinley is retelling the story again not that she is revisiting the characters that she wrote in Beauty. Still, I really enjoyed the first book and was maybe a little too eager to hear more about them and what growing up in an enchanted castle would be like (after all 'daughter' is right in the title). So I started off this book disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a pretty good book, but Beauty was full of innocence, wonder, and forthright humor and this time the story is all mystic and full of symbolism. I prefer Beauty and there is not enough new here to recommend reading it in addition to that book.

Beautiful narration of a tedious story

This story was beautifully narrated by the talented Bianca Amato, but I would get so lost in the flowery descriptions that I would fall asleep. I believe the author spent more time describing the carpet of the castle and how chairs transformed than she did on the relationship between Belle and the Beast. Who cares if you can picture the castle if you can’t picture the relationship?

A repeated story

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Plot identical to Beauty. Did not even finish.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robin McKinley again?

Yes, Beauty was great. I will try another

I liked her first version better

This book is much more mystical than the first. The theme centers and roses and then brings up roses in almost every sentence. If the main character isn't remembering the scent of them, she's discovering their name, finding them in her garden, cultivating them, collecting them, saving them, glorying in them, pruning them, tying them up, making wreaths, learning stories about them, making friends of them....I think you get the picture. So did I. Very quickly. No need for so *much* repetition. The main character and her sisters were well fleshed out, but no one else was. The beast barely got a look in. And I'm not at all sure what happened at the end. Just lots and lots of roses and symbolism. A good read for some who enjoy nuance but for those who are looking for a good story....maybe not.

Don't expect an "expanded" Beauty

Very different in tone and plot to Beauty. Many authors probably wish they could revisit a youthful success, look at the story and tell it differently now that they see the world differently. I'm glad McKinley did it and let us read it. Can foresee a day when I have to decide if I'm in a Beauty mood or a Rose Daughter mood.

The performer's more mature voice and interpretation of the story were superb. Many performers sound like they're reading aloud for the first time - odd tone and emotion that doesn't match the following descriptions - and ruin the book. This one clearly put the work in. I appreciate it. It was effective.