Mini Book Review: While Beauty Slept
While Beauty Slept, by Elizabeth Blackwell, is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Blackwell does a great job of incorporating elements from the original story in skewed or unexpected ways. She also brings the reader into the complex life of a royal court, with its elaborate courtesies, rigid social hierarchies, and constant jockeying for position.
One aspect of this book that I really liked is the array of strong female characters. The narrator overcomes personal tragedy and makes her own way in a world that is initially completely strange to her. The princess who becomes the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty story is determined to escape the restrictions court life places on her. Her mother had the courage to leave her homeland and everything she had known to be with the man she loved. Even the villain has a kind of strength, demonstrating a cunning and determination that most people in the setting of the story wouldn't have credited a woman with.
The one complaint I had is that the title is somewhat misleading. When I started reading it, I expected most of the story to take place during the time when Beauty is in her charmed sleep. But the event that's analogous to that sleep doesn't occur until three-quarters of the way through the book. However, I can't fault the story for that, as the tale Blackwell tells is interesting and engaging. I just think that a different title might have made more sense.
One aspect of this book that I really liked is the array of strong female characters. The narrator overcomes personal tragedy and makes her own way in a world that is initially completely strange to her. The princess who becomes the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty story is determined to escape the restrictions court life places on her. Her mother had the courage to leave her homeland and everything she had known to be with the man she loved. Even the villain has a kind of strength, demonstrating a cunning and determination that most people in the setting of the story wouldn't have credited a woman with.
The one complaint I had is that the title is somewhat misleading. When I started reading it, I expected most of the story to take place during the time when Beauty is in her charmed sleep. But the event that's analogous to that sleep doesn't occur until three-quarters of the way through the book. However, I can't fault the story for that, as the tale Blackwell tells is interesting and engaging. I just think that a different title might have made more sense.