saoki's review
2.0
My first Sheri Tepper, but I understand I should have chosen a different one. Beauty is a great character and I'm a sucker for fairytale inspired books, but this story holds several of my biggest squeaks. I managed to avoid thinking too hard about the time travel problems, the religion or the the whole "fidipor" thing, but then the the banana republic trope showed up. Granted that it wasn't a simple banana republic, it was a Garcia-Marquez inspired one, and it had An Important Point To Make, yet it still feels like a white woman poking fun at some things that are actually pretty terrible. After that I wasn't in the right frame of mind to read this book, as every slightly weird thing made me drop it. As of now, I'm not sure I could ever possibly return to this author.
nightowl22's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ashtardeza's review
3.0
This book stuck with me, but man... did it weird me out.
I read a Dutch translation, which seemed to have been translated a bit clumsily so that might be part of the cause.
The book takes a rather cynical view on different fairy-tales, with Beauty ending up as Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and if I remember correctly also Cinderella.
It made me curious for Tepper's other work, and I'd love to get my hands on the English original to see how much was the translation, and how much was the book itself.
I read a Dutch translation, which seemed to have been translated a bit clumsily so that might be part of the cause.
The book takes a rather cynical view on different fairy-tales, with Beauty ending up as Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and if I remember correctly also Cinderella.
It made me curious for Tepper's other work, and I'd love to get my hands on the English original to see how much was the translation, and how much was the book itself.
aerorach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
woduz's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
xeyra's review
5.0
Beautiful! And sad. And completely different from what I expected. And entirely enjoyable.
felinity's review
2.0
Interesting take, but I think I prefer the more traditional varieties of Robin McKinley, or those by Mercedes Lackey. This one just felt... long and awkward, at times. I've read "Beauty" a few times, but with spaces of around 7 years between each reading, and I'm still on the fence as to whether I like it. I liked it more when I first read it as a teenager, and less with each re-read, so I should probably stop now.
sortabadass's review
2.0
I like a lot of Sheri S Tepper's rhetoric, but I couldn't get into this book. In my opinion, she is better at sci fi than fantasy.
joelevard's review
4.0
This is a deeply strange book, twisting fairytale tropes to tell a story of environmental collapse, destructive religion, sexual abuse, feminism, and gender politics, among many other things (including the loyalty of cats, who so rarely get their due in literature). I don't know how well it hangs together but I loved reading it.