Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast

Folktales #1

by Robin McKinley

When the family business collapses, Beauty and her two sisters are forced to leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside. However, when their father accepts hospitality from the elusive and magical Beast, he is forced to make a terrible promise - to send one daughter to the Beast's castle, with no guarantee that she will be seen again. Beauty accepts the challenge, and there begins an extraordinary story of magic and love that overcomes all boundaries. This is another spellbinding and emotional tale embroidered around a fairytale from Robin McKinley, an award-winning American author.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Retellings, Beauty and The Beast

271 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 1978

About the author

Robin McKinley is an American author acclaimed for fantasy novels and inventive retellings of classic fairy tales, often featuring resilient heroines and richly imagined worlds. She gained early prominence with Beauty, a reworking of Beauty and the Beast, and achieved major recognition when The Hero and the Crown won the Newbery Medal, establishing her as a leading voice in children’s and young adult fantasy. Drawing on a widely traveled upbringing and a lifelong devotion to folklore, she has reinterpreted stories such as Sleeping Beauty and Robin Hood while also creating original works, including the Damar novels and later titles like Sunshine and Dragonhaven. Her fiction is known for emotional depth, moral complexity, and sensory detail, blending adventure with themes of courage, identity, and compassion. In addition to novels, she has written short story collections, edited anthologies, and collaborated on projects exploring mythic elements. Her influence on modern fantasy has been widely recognized, culminating in her designation as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. McKinley’s body of work continues to attract devoted readers across generations for its distinctive voice and enduring imaginative power.