2018 Reviews Week 6

💖 2018 Reviews Week 6 💖

February 5th- 11th

Book 19: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

Read February 9th

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I have been wanting to read a Jane Austen book for years but never have picked one up. The book that I figured would be the perfect one to start with was this one because of its reputation. I am very happy to say that this not only held up to what I figured but was so much better. This is one of my favorite romances ever. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth feel so right together and the build-up to their relationship was perfect. I loved watching them fall in love and knowing it far before, at least she ever does. I believe Mr. Darcy knew for a good portion of the book. Their hate-love relationship is one of the best that I have ever read and I'm glad I can finally say that I did. 

Also, I really loved Elizabeth's father, Mr. Bennet. I really enjoyed his scenes especially when he is messing with his wife. He is a loving father that cares for each of his daughters, but Elizabeth is obviously his favorite. It's great to see his relationship with the family and just the relationship between each of the family members.

This is a novel that I believe fully deserves the amount of praise that it has always received. It's now over two hundred years old and still is considered one of the best classics. It's obvious why and it has become one of my absolute favorites. 

Book 20: The Beauty and the Beast 

by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

Read February 10th

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There will be spoilers in this review. If you have not read or watched any form of Beauty and the Beast and are interested in doing so don't read this review before you do. 

This book was not what I expected. I have known and loved the story of Beauty and the Beast since I was very young. Not only the Disney version but also the original. Well, at least what I believed was the original. This is actually the original novel of the fairy tale. What I have read before was actually the abridged version by  Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. I can see why it was shortened. 

One of the aspects that really sticks out in this is the actual overarching story. Most know the story, Beauty takes her father's place in the Beast's castle. They spend time together and eventually they learn that appearances are not important. It is what is inside that counts. Beauty and the Beast (who is really a prince) fall in love and she breaks the curse set upon him. That story is here but there's much more too. 

This book stretches the story out more than it really needs to be. It could have worked if the characters were not bland and were actually interesting. They really aren't though so it doesn't.

The major part of this story that I have come to know is the Beast's arc. In the novel that arc doesn't exist. The Beast/ Prince doesn't change in this story and he never really has to. He was not even an arrogant person or anything before his transformation.

This is a big spoiler for this book so if you don't want to know don't read the red text.

A fairy basically has raised the Prince for his mother because she has been fighting in battles. Eventually, the fairy wants to get married to the Prince. He does not want to marry her because she has basically raised him and is like a mother to him. Also, she is quite old. She takes this as the fact that he thinks she is ugly so she curses him. I am glad that this has been changed in later adaptations of this story because it really makes this story better. Without his arc, this story just becomes a very unbelievable love story that I just could not get into. 

I am going to be doing a Perspective book to movie adaptation review on this and the Disney version (probably both of the movies together). I will be going into much more details there about the actual plot.

For a book that I have been excited to read for a long time, this really disappointed me. I love the story of Beauty and the Beast but not this version. I think that the changes that were made afterward make it so much more compelling of a story.