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Beauty by Susan Wilson
What if the fairy tale came true?
In this bittersweet love story, it isn't Beauty who needs to discover the man inside the Beast—but the man himself.
When Alix Miller takes off for a remote spot in New Hampshire to paint a portrait of the reclusive aristocrat, Leland Crompton, nothing has prepared her for what's in store. The housekeeper is unnerving. The castle-like house—with its massive chimney, mullioned windows, and ironwork gate with wrought-iron roses—gives her chills. And Lee himself is disfigured by a rare, genetic disease.
In the long hours of work that follow, deep in the wintry woods, Alix discovers that beneath Lee's exterior lies a remarkable man, a man she could come to love. The problem lies in convincing Lee.
In this bittersweet love story, it isn't Beauty who needs to discover the man inside the Beast—but the man himself.
When Alix Miller takes off for a remote spot in New Hampshire to paint a portrait of the reclusive aristocrat, Leland Crompton, nothing has prepared her for what's in store. The housekeeper is unnerving. The castle-like house—with its massive chimney, mullioned windows, and ironwork gate with wrought-iron roses—gives her chills. And Lee himself is disfigured by a rare, genetic disease.
In the long hours of work that follow, deep in the wintry woods, Alix discovers that beneath Lee's exterior lies a remarkable man, a man she could come to love. The problem lies in convincing Lee.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
4 people are currently reading
2282 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wilson
22 books574 followersBorn in Providence, RI, raised in Middlefield (Rockfall) Connecticut. Post High School Education, Middlesex Community College, Middletown, CT and Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT.
Married, two grown daughters and a granddaughter and two grandsons - plus four step grands.
Lives in Oak Bluffs, MA, on Martha's Vineyard.
Those are the stats. I am a novelist, ten published, one in progress. I frequently contribute to the on-line magazine, Stay Thirsty.
Married, two grown daughters and a granddaughter and two grandsons - plus four step grands.
Lives in Oak Bluffs, MA, on Martha's Vineyard.
Those are the stats. I am a novelist, ten published, one in progress. I frequently contribute to the on-line magazine, Stay Thirsty.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
October 1, 2012
This is an interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Alix and Lee, the painter and the deformed man. It was beautiful and convincing as it unfolded. However, the ending really didn't work. It felt rushed, sloppy, and, in some key ways, unnecessary. **SPOILER** What I wanted to see was how their relationship progressed as they worked at being married. That really had to bring up a lot of issues for both of them, but it was all skipped over as suddenly Alix wanted to have a baby, which Lee did not because he didn't want to pass his genetic disease on. So that became the focus. And then ... **SUPER SPOILER** why did the author think it was necessary for her main character to die at the end? How did this make Lee's character development more accurate or believable? Couldn't he have learned to love his child while still loving his wife? It just seemed contrived and buying into that whole concept of death making love more real or something. I think it's cowardly when an author kills off a main character as an easy way to further the plot rather than working with that character to progress the plot. Let the character live. If the death is crucial to the story (which in this case, I didn't agree that it was), then okay, but otherwise ... oh well. So, would have gotten more stars if the ending had been better.
June 23, 2010
I could have sworn I reviewed this. Oh well. I should have liked this. It had all the elements I enjoy. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast for crying out loud. How could I NOT like it? The 'beast' was a man from a wealthy family with a disfiguring disease. The 'beauty' was an artist who was filling in for her ill father, commissioned to paint the man's portrait. Good so far. LOVELY so far.
After they meet, great, I'm along for the ride and enjoying it, despite some minor issues I had with the actual style it was written in.
Then came the ending. WHAT? I usually find myself rating fairly high if I enjoy (more or less) everything to do with a story up until the ending. But this ending? I hated it. HATED. IT.
And somehow it sucked whatever enjoyment I had for the rest of the story along with it.
After they meet, great, I'm along for the ride and enjoying it, despite some minor issues I had with the actual style it was written in.
Then came the ending. WHAT? I usually find myself rating fairly high if I enjoy (more or less) everything to do with a story up until the ending. But this ending? I hated it. HATED. IT.
And somehow it sucked whatever enjoyment I had for the rest of the story along with it.
December 17, 2017
Alix Miller is hired to paint a portrait of Lee Crompton, who is a disfigured recluse. For practicality, she lives with him while she works on it. I'm not going to say more on the plot because the synopsis is pretty self-explanatory. What I will say is that I absolutely loved this book. I've had Beauty since 1996, and it has made it through every book donation clean out that I've had. It is a quick read - I can read through it in a few hours - and it is a fantastic story. It's on my "Keep Forever" shelf, and I pull it out and read it every once in a while.
September 5, 2019
A modern re-telling of Beauty and the Beast: with a painter, who goes to New Hampshire, to paint the portrait of a recluse disfigured by a genetic disease. This was an all nighter for me. It's only 200 pages, but I couldn't put it down. This was a wonderful love story, with characters that were genuine and endearing. I read this book 20 years ago, and still have it on my bookshelf.
March 27, 2021
This was absolutely excellent, IMO! I heard a spell-binding retelling of this fairy tale at the National Storytellers Festival several years ago and have never forgotten it. Since then I have been particularly interested in this story. Having read several Wilson's later works, I decided to read this one as well. I adore her writing style, especially her characterization skills. She did not disappoint with this story of Lee and Alix!
June 28, 2009
I'll love any book that has a disfigured leading character, and what was good about this book was that instead of it being 'At first, I was taken aback but I can see the beauty there. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' it was 'He's ugly. No, ugly ugly.' Aside from that, the leading lady was the right amount of feminine to make her believable and not annoying. So that makes for two winning characters in my book.
Lastly, the book is a great realistic version of a re-told fairy tale and despite the mood it left me in, I appreciate the short journey.
Lastly, the book is a great realistic version of a re-told fairy tale and despite the mood it left me in, I appreciate the short journey.
May 25, 2012
I love the story of Beauty and the Beast which led me to read this book. It started off well and I was enjoying this take on the Beauty and the Beast story. However, the ending completely ruined this book for me. It wasn't what I was expecting to happen and it is not a book I will be reading again.
April 11, 2010
This was a pretty enjoyable read and nicely written, but the fair lack of conflict and terrible ending made the whole thing seem pointless.
September 11, 2016
This book is a contemporary (1996) romance based on the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. Alix, who comes from several generations of portrait painters, is commissioned by Lee Crompton, a wealthy recluse, to paint his portrait, as Alix's family has done for Lee's family for over 300 years. The catch of course, is that Lee is deformed and holes himself up in his country mansion.
The book was ok. I definitely thought the characters of Alix and Lee were well written, sympathetic, and engaging, and it's hard not to fall a little bit in love with Lee just like Alix does. But there were a couple issues with this book that made it hard to give it a higher rating.
First, the horrible deformed Lee has...acromegaly. Certainly, it's an unfortunate illness, and people who struggle with it have a myriad of health problems, but do you know who had acromegaly? Andre the Giant.
And Richard Kiel
Like, sure - they're not Brad Pitt, but the book literally has kids seeing Lee and running away screaming. He actually calls himself a "monster," like he's the freaking Phantom of the Opera. I even tried looking up images of NON-famous people with acromegaly, to see if maybe Andre and Richard were just particularly photogenic, but no - pretty much everyone with acromegaly has that look -- big hands, taller than average, slightly boxy. I mean, I'm sorry, but I thought going into this that we'd be dealing with a Joseph Merrick type situation, not a...Ted Cassidy situation. (Lurch from the Addams Family)
Second, the end of the book is kind of a downer. And I actually can get really into downer endings. Often, when I hit a downer ending, I'll have a Darth Vader "NOOOOOOOOOO" moment, then run through in my head what it would have looked like as a happy ending, and say to myself, "No, you're right, author, this only works as a downer ending. The book officially sucks with a happy ending." It didn't feel that way here. There was no...reason for it, no purpose. You tack on a different ending in your brain and the book gets BETTER, not worse.
So was it worth getting from the library? Sure. Was it worth reading once? Yes. Would I read it again? No. Would I add it to my permanent collection? No.
Not going on my Phantom of the Opera shelf because a boxy chin and big hands does not a Phantom character make.
The book was ok. I definitely thought the characters of Alix and Lee were well written, sympathetic, and engaging, and it's hard not to fall a little bit in love with Lee just like Alix does. But there were a couple issues with this book that made it hard to give it a higher rating.
First, the horrible deformed Lee has...acromegaly. Certainly, it's an unfortunate illness, and people who struggle with it have a myriad of health problems, but do you know who had acromegaly? Andre the Giant.
And Richard Kiel
Like, sure - they're not Brad Pitt, but the book literally has kids seeing Lee and running away screaming. He actually calls himself a "monster," like he's the freaking Phantom of the Opera. I even tried looking up images of NON-famous people with acromegaly, to see if maybe Andre and Richard were just particularly photogenic, but no - pretty much everyone with acromegaly has that look -- big hands, taller than average, slightly boxy. I mean, I'm sorry, but I thought going into this that we'd be dealing with a Joseph Merrick type situation, not a...Ted Cassidy situation. (Lurch from the Addams Family)
Second, the end of the book is kind of a downer. And I actually can get really into downer endings. Often, when I hit a downer ending, I'll have a Darth Vader "NOOOOOOOOOO" moment, then run through in my head what it would have looked like as a happy ending, and say to myself, "No, you're right, author, this only works as a downer ending. The book officially sucks with a happy ending." It didn't feel that way here. There was no...reason for it, no purpose. You tack on a different ending in your brain and the book gets BETTER, not worse.
So was it worth getting from the library? Sure. Was it worth reading once? Yes. Would I read it again? No. Would I add it to my permanent collection? No.
Not going on my Phantom of the Opera shelf because a boxy chin and big hands does not a Phantom character make.
March 8, 2017
(Recensione referente ad un'edizione italiana posteriore su licenza, tulipani viola in copertina).
Titolo italiano "Gli occhi del cuore".
A volte le cose migliori della vita si presentano con un volto inaspettato.
Solo un romanzo? Non importa. Dice comunque la verità.
Peccato solo per il finale. Lo avrei voluto consolatorio e felice.
Titolo italiano "Gli occhi del cuore".
A volte le cose migliori della vita si presentano con un volto inaspettato.
Solo un romanzo? Non importa. Dice comunque la verità.
Peccato solo per il finale. Lo avrei voluto consolatorio e felice.
August 4, 2012
I made the mistake of reading this on a plane...which meant I couldn't throw it out the window when I finished. There are books that have endings that make me sad even while I see the logic that led to that ending. But this just felt mean and unnecessary.
March 20, 2017
OH GOD I CAN'T STOP CRYING
I love Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one, persuasively modernized to the 1990s, was a treat of a romance.
I love Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one, persuasively modernized to the 1990s, was a treat of a romance.
February 18, 2020
3 1/2 stars. Not sure why the author felt the need for that ending!
July 27, 2020
That ending though!!!! Ahh
June 5, 2017
I love fairy tales, and Beauty and the Beast is a favorite--but not romance novels as a genre. This is a bit of both.
This fairy tale makeover, set in modern times, has some redeeming value in that it's not syrupy.
This fairy tale makeover, set in modern times, has some redeeming value in that it's not syrupy.
July 23, 2013
Oh, Beauty, how you tricked me. I was so ready to give this book a rave rating and review. I feel so conflicted...so, I am going to split the difference and write a two-fer...
Why I want to give this book 5 stars:
I was in love with idea of a real-life Beauty and the Beast story and from the beginning, the author did a wonderful job of capturing the emotions and complexities of Lee and Alix's growing relationship. The writing, beautifully done, wrapped me up in the story and held me tight. The struggles of Lee to believe he was worth Alix's attention and eventually her love were sheer pain and joy to read. There were sweet moments between the two of them that will remain some of the best moments I've ever read.
Why I cannot give this book 5 stars:
This experience was like watching an Oscar movie with amazing characters, unique storyline, beautiful settings and scenery and then an ending that slaps your movie-watching face and you are left saying "what in the HELL just happened?!" Maybe some would say I lack artistic appreciation for twists in a plot that add depth and dimension and I cannot truly be a literary genius if all books must have a warm and fuzzy ending. To that I would say "BALONEY"...
Harry Potter didn't have the ending I would've liked and MANY of my favorite characters died in that series. I bawled til my eyes were swollen when Dumbledore succumbed to the death curse and yet I knew it had to happen, I knew what motivated the author to do that...SPOILER ALERT! With Beauty, it made no sense whatsoever to write an ending like this to an otherwise amazing story! To allow one of the main characters to die just felt cruel and unfair when one had already suffered so much!!
Add that craziness to the fact that the last few chapters were so rushed and covered too much time without any of the nuance and detail of the first 3/4 of the book and it felt like someone else took over the writing.
Who knows, maybe the longer I digest and let the words of the story settle in my bones, I will feel differently...I did mostly love this book, I just wish Susan Wilson hadn't rushed and had made some different creative choices...
90% Beauty 10% Beast, 3 stars it is.
Why I want to give this book 5 stars:
I was in love with idea of a real-life Beauty and the Beast story and from the beginning, the author did a wonderful job of capturing the emotions and complexities of Lee and Alix's growing relationship. The writing, beautifully done, wrapped me up in the story and held me tight. The struggles of Lee to believe he was worth Alix's attention and eventually her love were sheer pain and joy to read. There were sweet moments between the two of them that will remain some of the best moments I've ever read.
Why I cannot give this book 5 stars:
This experience was like watching an Oscar movie with amazing characters, unique storyline, beautiful settings and scenery and then an ending that slaps your movie-watching face and you are left saying "what in the HELL just happened?!" Maybe some would say I lack artistic appreciation for twists in a plot that add depth and dimension and I cannot truly be a literary genius if all books must have a warm and fuzzy ending. To that I would say "BALONEY"...
Harry Potter didn't have the ending I would've liked and MANY of my favorite characters died in that series. I bawled til my eyes were swollen when Dumbledore succumbed to the death curse and yet I knew it had to happen, I knew what motivated the author to do that...SPOILER ALERT! With Beauty, it made no sense whatsoever to write an ending like this to an otherwise amazing story! To allow one of the main characters to die just felt cruel and unfair when one had already suffered so much!!
Add that craziness to the fact that the last few chapters were so rushed and covered too much time without any of the nuance and detail of the first 3/4 of the book and it felt like someone else took over the writing.
Who knows, maybe the longer I digest and let the words of the story settle in my bones, I will feel differently...I did mostly love this book, I just wish Susan Wilson hadn't rushed and had made some different creative choices...
90% Beauty 10% Beast, 3 stars it is.
December 28, 2024
This book is a beautiful retelling of Beauty & the Beast. I loved it all the way through. I especially loved that the Beauty is an artist.
But the ending was shocking and horrible. The Beauty dies?!!? I could not believe the author would end such a beautiful story that way. To be honest, I was reminded of the TV show from the late 1980s: Beauty & the Beast. It starred Linda Hamilton as the Beauty and Ron Perlman as the Beast. I loved that show and it is responsible for my interest in Beauty and the Beast in the first place.
However, due to a perfect storm of behind-the-scenes stuff, the series ended with Catherine, the Beauty, dying in the most horrible of horrible ways.
While there were some fans of the show who accepted that ending, most did not. It was just too horrible and out of place for what was - up until then - a beautiful love story. Two seasons worth of said love story.
Only, in the case of this book, there are no actors involved - no real lives here! So Wilson did not have to end the story that way. I can't help be feel that she was influenced somehow by the television show because you definitely will not find ANY other version of the story that kills off the Beauty.
BTW, this book was turned into a TV movie shortly after the book came out. It starred Janine Turner as Alix and the ending was changed so that they live happily ever after. It's only because of this fact that I settled on 2 stars for my rating. The TV movie "fixed it" and it's a beautiful story - as it should be. Otherwise, the book on it's own would be 1 star - or less if I could give it less.
I will never be able to understand some writers! :(
But the ending was shocking and horrible. The Beauty dies?!!? I could not believe the author would end such a beautiful story that way. To be honest, I was reminded of the TV show from the late 1980s: Beauty & the Beast. It starred Linda Hamilton as the Beauty and Ron Perlman as the Beast. I loved that show and it is responsible for my interest in Beauty and the Beast in the first place.
However, due to a perfect storm of behind-the-scenes stuff, the series ended with Catherine, the Beauty, dying in the most horrible of horrible ways.
While there were some fans of the show who accepted that ending, most did not. It was just too horrible and out of place for what was - up until then - a beautiful love story. Two seasons worth of said love story.
Only, in the case of this book, there are no actors involved - no real lives here! So Wilson did not have to end the story that way. I can't help be feel that she was influenced somehow by the television show because you definitely will not find ANY other version of the story that kills off the Beauty.
BTW, this book was turned into a TV movie shortly after the book came out. It starred Janine Turner as Alix and the ending was changed so that they live happily ever after. It's only because of this fact that I settled on 2 stars for my rating. The TV movie "fixed it" and it's a beautiful story - as it should be. Otherwise, the book on it's own would be 1 star - or less if I could give it less.
I will never be able to understand some writers! :(
October 14, 2016
I don't know where to begin with this review...I just LOVED this book! It's so beautiful, heart-touching and, most of all, realistic!
A painter hired to paint an ugly man in the backwoods of New Hampshire. WHat;s not to love about this tale? It's bittersweet, and unlike any retelling of The Beauty and the Beast I've read before!
As of today, this is my all-time favourite book, and I'd be reading it for a sixth time and it will still bring tears to my eyes.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy a bittersweet love story, and retellings of The Beauty and the Beast. :)
A painter hired to paint an ugly man in the backwoods of New Hampshire. WHat;s not to love about this tale? It's bittersweet, and unlike any retelling of The Beauty and the Beast I've read before!
As of today, this is my all-time favourite book, and I'd be reading it for a sixth time and it will still bring tears to my eyes.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy a bittersweet love story, and retellings of The Beauty and the Beast. :)
May 26, 2020
First, let me say I am a sucker for anything that reflects the Beauty and the Beast dynamic. This short book was absolutely wonderful. It was not very long, but that did not leave me feeling unsatisfied in any way by the end (as some short novels can). The characters were lovely and endearing. Once I finished this book, all I could do was sigh and say “Oh, my heart.” One of the best romantic books I’ve ever read. I would recommend this to anyone.
June 29, 2008
A wealthy New England recluse accedes to family portrait-painting tradition and falls for the artist in this magic-free modernization of Beauty and the Beast.
July 27, 2019
This is one of my favorite reads. If nothing else sounds interesting, this is what I pick up. Its the typical story of beauty and the beast but set in modern day.
September 6, 2010
One of the saddest and most beautiful books I have ever read. If one day I own it I will reread it.
March 8, 2011
It was a good story, but it could have been even better without the swearing and sex. Lame additions that don't further the plot at all.
July 14, 2017
Beauty by Susan Wilson is a rewriting of Beauty & the Beast with a twist. The setting is not a magical fairyland with household objects who are under a spell that can only be broken by true love’s first kiss. Instead, the story is a realistic portrait of a young man whose own self-worth is distorted by a disease which has caused him to gradually become deformed. Unlike Beauty & the Beast where the “beast” transforms from a monstrous creature into a prince, the “beast” in this novel doesn’t change his appearance. Instead, he transforms his outlook on life and how he sees value in himself. The exploration of inner beauty is an interesting approach for a story based on the timeless fairy-tale of Beauty & the Beast.
This is my second time reading this book. It is a delightful adaptation of Beauty & the Beast, and guaranteed it will make you cry at some point. Even during my second time around reading this book, I teared up in certain places. I enjoyed its realistic storyline which demonstrates that the story of Beauty & the Beast has a real-world application. Instead of solely focusing on Alix’s gradual realization of her love for Leland, the story tends to focus on Leland’s gradual acceptance of his deformities.
The novel is a quick and easy read. Wilson’s writing style is slightly lacking in places. Instead, her strength appears to be the plotline she has created rather than how she tells the story through Alix’s perspective. The surprise twist at the end was a little unnecessary. It seemed as if the author placed it in for dramatic effect rather than as a necessity to the overall plotline. Overall, I would say that this is a good romantic chick-flick sort of novel.
This is my second time reading this book. It is a delightful adaptation of Beauty & the Beast, and guaranteed it will make you cry at some point. Even during my second time around reading this book, I teared up in certain places. I enjoyed its realistic storyline which demonstrates that the story of Beauty & the Beast has a real-world application. Instead of solely focusing on Alix’s gradual realization of her love for Leland, the story tends to focus on Leland’s gradual acceptance of his deformities.
The novel is a quick and easy read. Wilson’s writing style is slightly lacking in places. Instead, her strength appears to be the plotline she has created rather than how she tells the story through Alix’s perspective. The surprise twist at the end was a little unnecessary. It seemed as if the author placed it in for dramatic effect rather than as a necessity to the overall plotline. Overall, I would say that this is a good romantic chick-flick sort of novel.
November 13, 2021
In an old bookstore this little paperback sat on a shelf just about my eye level. I didn't notice it at first, but a thought came into my head at the time; lets run my hand along the spines of all of these books and randomly stop on one. When I did, I took this pretty little guy out of the shelf, and made the commitment to buy it no matter what it was about.
I was apprehensive at first due to the way the cover looked. The cover of the book I owned had an image of a pathway that appeared to be right out of a early 2000's better homes and gardens magazine with a dusty instagram filter on it. However, the book on the inside was anything but dated. The book felt modern to me, as it was a re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast storyline. It was spectacular.
Towards the end, no spoilers necessary, I felt my heart shatter. This was the first book I had ever read that gave me the sick-to-my-stomach feeling. It moved me in such a way that I began to sob right there in the cafeteria where I often enjoyed to hide away from the world. And this book was the perfect escape. Taking on the identity of an artist, travelling through her rocky storyline of developing trust not only with a stranger, but within herself to take on a challenge...absolutely moving. I will forever treasure what this book has done for me, and the woman it has made me to be.
I was apprehensive at first due to the way the cover looked. The cover of the book I owned had an image of a pathway that appeared to be right out of a early 2000's better homes and gardens magazine with a dusty instagram filter on it. However, the book on the inside was anything but dated. The book felt modern to me, as it was a re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast storyline. It was spectacular.
Towards the end, no spoilers necessary, I felt my heart shatter. This was the first book I had ever read that gave me the sick-to-my-stomach feeling. It moved me in such a way that I began to sob right there in the cafeteria where I often enjoyed to hide away from the world. And this book was the perfect escape. Taking on the identity of an artist, travelling through her rocky storyline of developing trust not only with a stranger, but within herself to take on a challenge...absolutely moving. I will forever treasure what this book has done for me, and the woman it has made me to be.
August 29, 2025
This was a tradition between the Miller and Crompton families - Miller artists have painted portraits of Cromptons' for generations. Alix Miller must take the place of her father who has not been feeling well lately. When she arrives at the New Hampshire estate after a long drive, Alix decides to take a walk in the woods where she becomes lost. Her rescuer is Lee Crompton, the person she is there to paint. When she first lays eyes on him she is frightened by his appearance. Lee is afflicted with acromegaly, a disfiguring rare genetic disease. But hours spent together as the portrait is being painted allows Alix to recognize the wonderful person whose medical condition has turned him into a recluse. Midway through the project Alix must return home to care for her father while he is dying from pancreatic cancer. Lee helps to get her through this difficult time by being there when Alix needs a friend and someone else to spend time with her father. This is a wonderful love story with a character who truly believes no one could ever love him for who he is. Have a box of tissues handy. You will need them.
July 8, 2023
I'm going to be very honest with this review. I was starting to like it at about the halfway point, however, the ending absolutely destroyed any positive emotion this Beauty & the Beast retelling gave me. I won't spoil anything, but I am just disappointed to have wasted my time reading it.
I normally love a "modern" fairy tale retelling, mainly since this one was set in the mid-90s in New England (where I grew up!). There were so many things I loved about the general idea - Alix's family having painted every generation of Lee's family going back for generations. They move forward with doing the same for Lee, however, he is essentially a hermit who does not want to be physically seen because of genetic defects that cause him to look and feel like a beast.
They build a relationship and become very close friends through their shared experiences, grief, trust and love. If it had ended about 3/4 of the way through, I probably would've given this a solid 3.5 - but no.
This is going straight into the donation pile.
I normally love a "modern" fairy tale retelling, mainly since this one was set in the mid-90s in New England (where I grew up!). There were so many things I loved about the general idea - Alix's family having painted every generation of Lee's family going back for generations. They move forward with doing the same for Lee, however, he is essentially a hermit who does not want to be physically seen because of genetic defects that cause him to look and feel like a beast.
They build a relationship and become very close friends through their shared experiences, grief, trust and love. If it had ended about 3/4 of the way through, I probably would've given this a solid 3.5 - but no.
This is going straight into the donation pile.
Read
June 5, 2022DNF at page 54. I was initially intrigued by the premise of a BATB story with portraiture at its heart but at this point it’s become clear that this is just too dry for my taste. Scenes that I would think should be full of emotion are delivered in a matter of fact way.
I also just tend to get a bit of pause when I read books that borrow the language and motifs of BATB when applied to people with injuries/deformities (the latter, in this case, in the form of a genetic disease). I don’t know, I’m sure it can be done well but in my experience it comes off as cruel to frame polite, well-adjusted people who happen to be deformed as beasts in a way that calling surrealistic, mean, literal monsters that doesn’t. Arguably that’s the point, but… 🤔 🤷♀️
In any case, this one wasn’t my cup of tea largely because of the aforementioned dryness. I skimmed the end and quite frankly was glad I didn’t waste any more time reading this.
I also just tend to get a bit of pause when I read books that borrow the language and motifs of BATB when applied to people with injuries/deformities (the latter, in this case, in the form of a genetic disease). I don’t know, I’m sure it can be done well but in my experience it comes off as cruel to frame polite, well-adjusted people who happen to be deformed as beasts in a way that calling surrealistic, mean, literal monsters that doesn’t. Arguably that’s the point, but… 🤔 🤷♀️
In any case, this one wasn’t my cup of tea largely because of the aforementioned dryness. I skimmed the end and quite frankly was glad I didn’t waste any more time reading this.
May 19, 2021
I wanted to really like this novel. And I did like it. Until near the end. The ending felt rushed. Somewhat of a "hurry up, we need to end this book." In my opinion, it had the potential to be so much more. Something of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. An artist is hired to paint the portrait of a recluse with a deformity. I was quite enjoying it, until a certain point (no spoilers, I'm just leaving it at that). And then, as I said, it felt like the author had somewhere to be, and couldn't finish writing the novel later, so just hurried the story along to end it. This could have easily been a 4 star rating, but for that. Still, I'm not sad that I read it.
August 16, 2021
Overall I would recommend this book as a less magical, modern telling of Beauty and the Beast. I wish it had more descriptions of physical characteristics, but I could easily imagine the characters from descriptions of their personalities. I also wanted more spice, but understood how that changed the story. The "Beast" didn't change as much in his demeanor as the beginning had anticipated. However, a part of the book that resonated with me was the death of a certain character. After experiencing for myself the wait for death that the main character experienced, I felt and understood all that was happening in those chapters. It was emotional and beautifully written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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