What is the official indicator that
someone is beautiful? Is it how they look; their face or body, their hair or
eyes? How do we tell if we are pretty or not? Well, in Alex Finn’s Beastly, true beauty comes from within.
This is a modern day twist on the fairytale, The Beauty and the Beast, but it combines a few different stories
that are intertwined. But, the overall story is very similar.
Kyle
Kingsley has the world on a string. He’s tall, blonde, gorgeous, popular and
rich; everything that everyone wants to be. But he’s not the kindest person in
the world, humiliating a girl, Kendra who has ugly features, at his private
schools dance. Kendra is actually a witch and curses him to live as a beast,
but there is an upside you read about. His father gets him an apartment and he
isolates himself.
The
funny thing I like is the chat room transcripts where Kyle talks to other teens
that have been transformed into creatures like him. One of my favorite
characters is Will, Kyle’s blind tutor and his dog, Pilot. Will becomes really
good friends with Kyle and they have some good conversations. The only other
person there with Kyle is Magda, the maid. She is kind of mysterious until the
end where you learn who she really is.
Of
course, being a version of The Beauty and
the Beast, Kyle comes across a drunken guy in his greenhouse, and takes him
‘hostage’. His daughter, Lindy, who goes to school with Kyle, offers to stay
instead. Lindy, contrary to Belle, is not beautiful in the book. The rest of
the book is slightly predictable, since we all know the outcome, but there are
some fresh twists and it is modernized, so it’s relatable, kinda. The screen
adaptation with Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer and Mary-Kate Olsen, is slightly
different, but surprisingly accurate compared to how most books turned movies
end up.
Here is the trailer for the 2011 movie. Oh, I forgot to
mention that the brilliant Neal Patrick Harris plays Will. Even better.
RED’S ALL STAR REVIEW: 3 ½ out of 5 stars. Again, it was
predictable, but a fairytale, so it has to be enjoyed.
MASS APPEAL: Anyone who loved the original Beauty and the Beast, or the other Disney
fairytales will love this modern update. Fans of the actors in the movie will
not be disappointed, either.
Click here! to buy this book on Amazon.
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