Reviews Week 11

Reviews Week 11
March 12th-18th, 2018

Book 34: Eric by Terry Pratchett

Read March 12-13
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Parodies elements of Faust, The Illiad, The Odyssey, and Dante's Inferno.
Synopsis 
Eric, a fourteen-year-old demonology hacker, has tried to summon a demon to make three wishes. Instead of getting a demon, he somehow gets Rincewind (the worst wizard ever, well at least one of them). Eric is very bad at his job but Rincewind might just be worse. For his three wishes, he wants to live forever, become the master of the kingdoms in the world, and meet the most beautiful woman who has ever lived (or at least one of the top 100 or so).

By some unforeseeable reason, Rincewind is somehow able to make these wishes happen. At least a version of them. Eric does not know what he has gotten himself into. The adventure that he, Rincewind, and the Luggage go on will make him wish that he was never born.

Thoughts
The ninth novel in the Discworld series and the fourth in the Unseen University/Rincewind subseries. Rincewind is one of the characters I always enjoy seeing in the series. His books have never been my favorites but this one was the best so far of his subseries. He is hilarious to read about especially with all of the other characters of the Discworld. This is another book in the series that can be read by itself but I still do recommend reading the other books. There are so many in-jokes in this book that make more sense after reading the other books. You don't have to read them to read this book though. I have reviews for many of the other books in the series if you would like to check them out. Here is a link to them: Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

My favorite part of this book is the parodies throughout. I love how Terry plays off of these stories and is able to create his own unique take on them. His dry wit and jokes always amuse me and this was one of the best.

I am going to say that I'm not a big fan of the illustrations in this version of the book. They were okay but not the best for the series. Paul Kidby is a much better illustrator. One of my major complaints is that Rincewind is made to look too much older than he should be. This does not go against my reading experience or how much I enjoyed the book. It is still another favorite from the series.

Favorite Scenes

1. The Discworld's version of the Battle of Troy: This was probably my favorite part of this book and one of the best scenes in the series so far. I loved Terry's takes on these scenes and how this played into one of Eric's three wishes. 

2. Eric and Rincewind's voyage into Hell: I'm not going to go to much into details here but this was another part of the book that I loved. Terry's character that is supposed to be a version of Odysseus is the best minor character in this book. His scene in Hell/Hades/ The Underworld is hilarious. 

Book 35: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 

by Jonathan Safran Foer 

Read March 16-17
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After Oskar's father dies in the World Trade Center on 9/11, Oskar finds an envelope with a key. He sets out on a mission to figure out the mystery of this key. It will lead him on a journey throughout the five boroughs of New York, to meet many different people and also to find some peace. There feeling of uncertainty that follows, when he believes that his mother is not grieving for his father in the correct ways. He is also trying to come to terms with how he should feel himself. He might have lost his father but this new mystery makes him feel close to him still. What lock will the key fit into and does it even matter?

Told in a stream of consciousness narrative, we follow Oskar and also his grandparents. Oskar's perspective was written in an interesting way that I was engrossed in the entire time. He would be thinking about one thing and would tell you about it and then go to something else entirely. Sometimes you might even wonder why something he has said was important. It all is.
We also get the story of Oskar's grandparent's whose love story was a stunning experience.

Jonathan Safran Foer has a writing style like no other that I have ever read. I thought that all of the perspectives felt authentic and added a lot to this heartbreaking story. I connected to each of the characters but to Oskar the most. He broke my heart, especially with that powerful ending. I would have been around the same age as Oskar when 9/11 happened and I cannot even begin to imagine what he goes through in this book. The grief that he, his mother, and grandmother have to go through was something that was reflected well in this narrative. This is a story that has touched my heart more than most and I know that I will always remember it. I have never cried as much with a book like I did near the ending of this.

I will be doing my book to movie adaptation review on this compared to its movie. This was a movie that I really loved when I watched it years ago. I can't wait to see how they compare to each other. 

St. Patrick's Day Book Tag

☘️ St. Patrick's Day Book Tag ☘️

March 17th, 2018

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of the other Irish out there or to anyone celebrating. I'm hoping for some luck of the Irish this weekend.

This tag was created by BookaflixTaylor on her Youtube channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISNX3Fpt3cc

St. Patrick’s Day- Your Favorite Green Book
☘️ The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer- This series will always be a favorite.


Corned Beef & Cabbage- A Book That Made You Hungry
☘️ Heartless by Marissa Meyer- Cath is a baker in a good amount of this book and every time she talked about her baked goods, I wanted to eat them. 


Four Leaf Clover- A Book or Item that was a Rare, Good Luck Find
☘️ Stardust by Neil Gaiman- This edition of Stardust came out in 2007 when the movie came out. Originally, the book was illustrated just like this when it came out in 1997.  Then it was published as a regular novel years later. I feel lucky to be able to have this edition. It's stunning.


Irish Whiskey- A Book So Bad, You Need a Drink to Get Over It
☘️ Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais- It would actually be kind of ironic if I needed to drink to get over this book but anyway. I read this book during my second semester in college sometime in early 2013 for my European Literature class. I despise this book with all of my being and I read a good amount of it for class, we didn't actually read the entire thing though. It's over 1000 pages long and I probably would have gone insane if I had to read the entire thing. This book is the worst thing I have ever read. It's been five years and I still remember some of the "humor." The obscene humor is gross and I hated every moment of it.  


Irish Dancing- A book So Good, it Made You Want to Dance in Excitement
☘️ My most recent one is Eric by Terry Pratchett. It was so darn great! Can't wait to write my review for it.


Ireland- A Book that Made You Want to Travel to Another Country
☘️ Greece because of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares- I remember becoming obsessed with Santorini when I read these books back in middle school and high school. These were a favorite of mine for a long time. 


The Pub- A Meeting Place in a Book You Would Love to Go to
☘️ The Room of Requirement in Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

☘️ The Fairy kingdom in The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

☘️ The Heart of Gold from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams because I would love to travel with Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, and Trillian.

Future Classics Book Tag

Future Classics Book Tag

Tag Tuesday- March 13th, 2018

I have loved reading classics since I was in middle school. They are actually one of the reasons that I went into teaching English, to begin with. I enjoy reading classics and also literary fiction books that I believe could be classics someday. 

Original by Eric Karl Anderson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMLUIAIHkfs

1) Pick an established classic that you think will still be relevant in the future. 
Obviously, anything Shakespeare because the themes still resonate with us after so many centuries. I know that they will in the future also.


2) Pick a recent book which you feel has gone under the radar, but which you’re confident will be a future classic.
School of Velocity by Eric Beck Rubin-One of my most recent reads that I believe deserves to be considered a classic one day. It holds a lot of great messages and I feel like it will stand the tests of time like many of the other classics out there. A wonderful book that I enjoyed a lot. I have just done a review on it if you would like to check that out. 2018 Reviews Week 9


3) Pick a title that won one of your favorite book prizes recently which you think will still be lauded in 50 years time.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt- It got the Alex Award in 2013 by the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) This is an incredible book that I think should be praised for 50+ years.

4) Pick a recent book you haven’t read yet, but which you think might become a classic based on reputation alone (reviews, responses on GoodReads, booktube recommendations, etc).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas- This is one of the most popular books in recent times and I do believe that it will be considered a classic one day.

5) Pick a favorite book that you want to save for your grandchildren (or your friends’ grandchildren) to read in 50 years time.
There are so many books that I would save for my future grandchildren to read. the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling,  The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer, anything by Leigh Bardugo or Laini Taylor, The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett or anything by him, and so many more. That's just to name a few.

   

2018 Reviews Week 10

☘️ 2018 Reviews Week 10 ☘️

March 5th- March 11th, 2018 

Book 32: Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, 

Death, and Jazz Chickens

by Eddie Izzard
Read by the author
Listened to March 6th-8th

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It was a joy listening to this book this week. Eddie Izzard is one of my favorite stand-up comedians ever and I wanted to listen to this audiobook ever since it came out. I finally got it from the library this week.

This tells the story of Eddie's life from his humble beginnings to now. I enjoyed learning about his life and how he became the talent that he is today. His sections on his mother were heartfelt and genuine. Also, everything else about his family and his life dealing with how people think of him was the most interesting aspects of this book. This was a different side to him that I enjoyed listening to.

There were also the bits that I was used to and had me laughing out loud a lot. I don't believe I have ever laughed so much while listening or reading a book in my life as I did with certain parts of this.  It never felt like he was reading the material. It felt like he was there talking to me and telling me these stories. There was extra material in the audiobook that is not in the regular book. He would go off on Footnotes, they were some of the funniest parts that I ever listened to.

If you are a fan of Eddie's I would recommend this book. If you are a fan of a great humorous memoir, I would also recommend this book. Especially, the audiobook. It was like listening to one of his comedy shows. This was so genuine and enjoyable.

Book 33: Fire and Bone by Rachel A. Marks
Read by Will Damron and Kate Rudd
Listened to March 9th- 10th

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This was the first book that I read dealing with Celtic Mythology and I loved every moment of it.
Sage has lived on the streets for awhile and is trying to make do with what she can. This is until she finds out that she is a daughter of a Celtic Goddess. She is then taken in to learn about this mythological world and also about how to control her powers that were dormant until her eighteenth birthday. Now that she is of age, she has been asked to join forces with one of the five deities that rule over the land. The families or members of the groups are all willing to do anything to get her on their side. She is tempted by it especially since she grew up with nothing. All the glam and magic stand out but she's not sure if she's willing to give up her life on her own for it. Also, there's a prince who is trying to vie for her affection on one of the sides, who could give her a great ranking.

 Kate Rudd narrates Sage's perspective as we learn along with her about this magical world and the secrets that it hides. In the story, another character named Faelan also narrates, read by Will Damron. Faelan is the person assigned to teach Sage of this mythological world and is as mysterious to her as her identity. Both narrators do an incredible job narrating the characters and perfectly reflecting their personalities. I loved going back and forth between them. This was one of the best books that I have read that has multiple perspectives. Enough time is spent with both so that the reader gets each side and learns from each. There were plenty of reasons to use two perspectives and they were used in a productive way that added to the overall story. Also, both characters had distinct voices that stood out.

This book had me really intrigued with the mystery elements throughout. I loved not being able to guess everything that was going to happen. The love story (triangle) was an element that I actually really liked. I have never been a fan of love triangles but this one was different than I expected. There has never been a love triangle that I cared for both of the guys and this one had me liking both. I never expected that going in either. I won't spoil any of that for you because some of the plot points with Sage and her "love interests" are quite entertaining to read or listen to. It went in directions I would have never expected and I loved every moment of this book.

I would go into this book knowing hardly anything because I think that the surprises were so much more thrilling when I knew the bare minimum. A great tale that had me wanting to learn more about Celtic Mythology and Irish lore. It was a fun read that I enjoyed the entire time. I cannot wait for the next book. It is an urban fantasy tale that has heart, mystery, love, and a story that will pull its readers or listeners in.

If you love mythology, fantasy, urban fantasy, magic, witches, druids, and many other fantasy elements, please pick this book up. It's a wonderful read that I hope more people will find.

(Oh and Will Damron's accent was incredible. I loved listening to this audiobook so much.)

*I received this book for free for an honest review.* 

Dedication to Terry Pratchett

Dedication to Terry Pratchett

March 12th, 2018

It has been three years since Terry Pratchett's death on March 12th, 2015. There's not a day that I don't think of his books or how amazing his mind was. He will always be missed. #SpeakHisName. He has become one of my favorite authors of all time and is a writer that I admire a lot. 

I remember when I first picked up one of Terry's books. It was in late 2013, I was trying to find books that were similar to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Good Omens was recommended to me. I had never heard of Terry Pratchett before this but I had heard of Neil Gaiman before, having read Stardust. A little bit after that I bought the book and fell in love with the writing style. After I read the book, I looked up what else Terry had written and found out about the Discworld series and all of the other books he had written. At the time, the Discworld series was at forty books, which intimidated me. I wanted to pick the books up but a forty-book series (which would become a forty-one book series) scared me away a bit. 

On the day of his death, I was on Facebook looking at posts on a Harry Potter fan page. They had posted about Terry that day saying that he passed away earlier in the day. I remember looking at the quote that they had put, “No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away...” ― Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man, and tearing up a little. I never knew the man in real life and I wish that I had. I really at the time did not even know him as a writer either and on that day I vowed that I would read his entire Discworld series someday. 

Fast forward to last year, I had asked my parents for my college graduation present for the Discworld series (well the ones that were out at the time in the Gollancz Discworld Collector's Library series). I started reading the series in March and fell in love with the Discworld and its characters. Now, I wish that I had read the series years before but I'm glad that I'm reading them. Terry has not only become one of my favorite writers of all time but also someone that I look up to as a writer. I'm still a young writer in regards to someone like him and one day I hope to be half as good as him. He was one incredible man.

I have read nine of the books so far and I'm reading Eric right now. If I wanted to I could have read the series probably in two months, three at the most, but I didn't want to. I enjoy writing my reviews of these books and taking the time to really feel a part of each book. I have enjoyed every visit to Ankh-Morpork, the Unseen University, my time with each of the characters: Rincewind, Death, Granny Weatherwax, the Librarian, the Luggage and so many more. I want to be able to take the time to enjoy this series for the first time and can't wait for many more readings of the books. 

So on this day, I wanted to honor Terry with this dedication. Over the past year, I have enjoyed writing reviews on here for the books I have read (well besides The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, I wasn't doing reviews at that time) of his and will continue to do so. I have also enjoyed talking about his books and recommending them to anyone I can. If anyone is feeling intimated by his books like I was, don't be. It's a series that I believe everyone should try and trust me if you're a fantasy fan it probably won't be hard to get sucked in by this world. He had a one of kind writing style that I cannot get enough of. My Terry Pratchett collection keeps growing all the time and I hope one day I'll be able to say I own all of his books. 

Love you, Terry. 

2018 Reviews Week 9

2018 Reviews Week 9
February 26th-March 4th, 2018

Book 29: His Grandfather's Watch-

Read February 27th, 2018

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I was a big fan of the two storylines in this book and really enjoyed reading from both time periods. This was a sweet and heartbreaking tale that was a great read.

It was a quick read, I believe under one hundred pages, that took my heart and ripped it into pieces. A good story but I will say it is heavy and beautiful at the same time. I really did enjoy it though.  

Book 30: One Small Thing 
by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea 

Read March 1st, 2018

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This was a cute book about a man raising his daughter and falling in love along the way. I loved the unconventional family that was formed in this book for Rue, Erik, Alice, and Dusty, the whole time. A great little book with a love story that I fell in love with. I will say though that I wasn't sure from the first chapter but it really got good after a while. There are some minor problems throughout the book and some of what happens does not make sense. Overall though, this was a book that I enjoyed and had a good time reading. I probably will be picking up the second soon because I loved Dusty and it's about him.

Book 31: School of Velocity by Eric Beck Rubin

Read March 3rd, 2018

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A story of first love, misunderstandings, friendship, music, and an obsession with the past. This book in some parts reminded me of Gatsby, especially with Jan's want and obsession with his past. He, throughout the entire book, is reminiscing about his relationship with his childhood best friend Dirk. We learn slowly along with Jan what really happened so many years before. Jan was in denial in the past and he still is in the present.

Music is just as big a part of this plot as the past is in Jan's mind. If it wasn't Dirk, or his childhood taking over his mind, it was music. Jan is a musician who has a condition that causes him to have crippling auditory hallucinations, which are destroying him. Music has always been his life and slowly, he's realizing that might be over.

 The concentration and discussions on music were one of the aspects that I didn't enjoy as much as the rest. I was not able to relate to it and a lot of what was being discussed really did not make sense to me. That's really just because I don't know music that well. I love music but I don't play it and have never really understood the terms. It did not ruin the book for me if anything it made me want to know more. It just didn't interest me as much as the other discussions.

The entire plot we learn of Jan's life before, during, and after his encounters with the strong-willed, misbehaving, and charming Dirk. I was waiting for the inevitable meetup of Jan and Dirk and will say that it broke me a little. Jan is clinging so hard to those memories of the past that he is not able to understand that it can't possibly be the same as when he was a teen. I really loved the idea of what we think happened in our minds might not be what is actually reality. Or that there's just so more to it all than what we think. It really has me thinking "What If?"

This book gave me serious Gatsby and A Separate Peace vibes, which was something I thoroughly enjoyed throughout. Gatsby wanted this envisioned past with Daisy, what he believed he could have with her and never realized that it would not be possible. Jan, has some moments of this, though I don't think he ever really understands them. Jan and Dirk's time in school made me think of Gene and Finny from A Separate Peace. Dirk was a reckless daredevil young man and Jan is this quiet boy who falls in real well with Dirk. We see them become close and know that this friendship will have some disastrous consequences.

I both loved and hated what this book made me feel. That's not a bad thing. The ending broke my heart and devastated me. I have not been able to stop thinking about it. This book made me feel a lot of things that I haven't in a long time while reading or if ever. It was a beautiful story that I believe could one day be considered a classic. I'm glad that I took the time to read it and that I found it. I know that I will not forget it anytime soon.

*I received this book for free for an honest review.* 

Perspective: A Book To Movie Adaptation of Beauty and the Beast

Perspective: 
A Book To Movie Adaptation Review of 
the novel The Beauty and the Beast 
by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
&
the movie Beauty and the Beast 2017
 directed by Bill Condon

 

“If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?" - Disney's Beauty and the Beast 2017

There will be spoilers in this whole review. If you have not seen the movie and/or read the book and want to, don't read this post.

The Plot

The basic plot is the same in both versions of the story. Beauty takes her father's place in the Beast's castle after he steals a rose from his garden. 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. Other than that there are many differences to the plot. 

Before I begin this review, I do want to say a couple of things. All of the thoughts that I have mentioned below about both versions of this story (the book and the movie) are based on what I enjoy in a story. I'm sure that there are plenty of people that would enjoy the book more but I don't. I do find what has changed from the original novel to the story I grew up with in the original Disney movie, are interesting to look at. In this review, I will be mentioning the large similarities and differences. If I looked at all of the little ones I would be here all day. 

 Below, I am talking about the new Disney movie but there are not many differences between the two. I knew full well going into this that I hold a bias towards the movie because of my heavy nostalgia for it. I adore the 1991 Beauty and the Beast. Belle was one of my first role models. Going into the novel, I wanted to love it but that did not happen. I am thankful for it though because without the author's original story the Disney versions would not exist. 

The Stars of Beauty and the Beast 
(2017 Disney Version): 

Emma Watson as Belle: 

Dan Stevens as the Beast:

Kevin Kline as Maurice:

Luke Evans as Gaston: 

Josh Gad as LeFou:

Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, 

and Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza:

Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts and Nathan Mack as Chip:

Similarities 

The Beauty/Belle as a character: 

  - In the most simple ways, Belle from the movie and the Beauty of the book are similar. They are both caring and would do anything to save their father, even risking their lives. 

  - They both really do not care about what others think about them. The Beauty of the book does not ask for much from her father whereas her sisters ask for too much. They believe that she is strange because she is being a decent person. Belle, in the movie, is considered strange because she is a bookworm. Also, because she is forward thinking. Both do not let what others say bother them and they stay strong through it all. 

  -Both are known to be beautiful. This much is obvious with just the names. The Beauty of the novel is actually only known as The Beauty. We never actually even get to know her name. Belle in the movie is also very beautiful but this also goes along with her personality. Both are beautiful inside and out. 

The Castle:

  - The similarity between the castle in both the book and the movie is that it is much more than it seems. Belle and the Beauty both explore their version of the castle and find more than they could have ever imagined. 

The Beast is a Prince:

  - The Prince gets turned into a Beast in both versions of the story though there are many differences to why he does. 

Differences 

The Antagonists: 

  - In the novel, the Beauty's sisters are antagonistic in the case that they are cruel to the Beauty because she is kind. Like I have said above, the Beauty of the book is known for her beauty but also because she cares about her family. She doesn't want to even ask for anything from her father. It's not until her cruel and rotten sisters start to make comments about it that her father basically pleads with her to ask for something.

  - Also in the novel, there is an evil fairy that turns the Prince into a Beast. I'll focus more on the transformation later on. She is really evil to be evil. 

  - In the movie, the antagonist is Gaston. He is interested in marrying Belle and will do anything in his power to get her for himself. Over the course of the movie, Gaston changes from being a charismatic man (who Belle can see is actually a pompous man) to a vile creature. In both Disney versions of the tale, he is a foil to the Beast. He is really what the prince was like at the beginning of the story. A handsome man who is conceited and cruel to those around him. He only grows worse over the course of the movie. 

  - I find Gaston as a much more interesting villain for the tale, especially because of him being the Beast's foil. What really makes Gaston a more intriguing antagonist is the fact that he is so conceited in himself. Gaston believes that he deserves Belle for himself because he is handsome and that no one else does. He helps show the message of the movie perfectly. Beauty is found within. Just because he is a gorgeous man it doesn't mean he is worth it. Belle knows this from the beginning and over the course of the movie we learn how right she really was.

Belle/ the Beauty as a Character:

  - One of the major differences between the stories is that Belle is a much more developed character than The Beauty. In the movie, we get to learn about Belle's aspirations. She's a reader, inventor, and a teacher (at least somewhat). She still has a heart of gold and cares for those around her. But she becomes a three-dimensional character in the movie, while her book counterpart is bland and forgettable. 

  - Belle stands up for herself and fights for her father, the Beast, and her friends. She is someone for little girls to look up to. The Beauty, on the other hand, is an archetypal woman for the Beast to fall in love with because she is beautiful. Yes, she has a kind heart but this is not really shown too much. It's told to the reader. I really enjoy the additions to Belle's character in the Disney movies.

Life in the Castle:

  - In the novel, a lot of the focus of the Beauty's time in the castle is how extraordinary it is. She sees and does so many interesting things that make her fall in love with the castle. I can see why she does. We never really get her spending much time with the Beast, which is supposed to be the heart of this story. They see each other each night and he always asks her the same thing, "Will you marry me?" She does spend time with the Prince in her dreams though she doesn't realize that these two people are the same person. A lot of this time is spent with her saying how handsome he is and it doesn't make for an interesting storyline. 

  - In the movie, we get to see their relationship develop in a means that makes sense for both of the characters. Belle and the Beast do not get along with each other at the beginning of their relationship. As the story continues on they both learn about each other. They become close because of a mutual affection for each other but also because they have similar interests. It makes for a more interesting romance for the audience to watch. We want to see them get together and for them to develop into something more. 

-Out of both, I really enjoy the movie's aspects of Belle's time in the castle because it is spent with her actually spending time with the Beast. They develop the relationship instead of just showing the wonders of the castle. The love story in the novel does not feel real at all. No time is really spent on it and this is a romance. 

The Transformation:

  - In the book, 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. He is transformed into a Beast because of this and is meant to learn a lesson. But the Prince is never actually being conceited or nasty at all. 

  - Actually, when we meet the Beast at the beginning of the novel, he seems kind-hearted. The only reason he even gets angry at the merchant (the Beauty's father) is that he has stolen from him. Which I don't blame him for because he was so kind to merchant beforehand. After the Beauty comes to live with him, he's kind to her never getting angry. There is never really a moment that I believed he was a horrible creature. He might have looked hideous but he never acted like it. So what lesson does he really have to learn? Yes, he does not like his appearance but he never really complains about it. 

  - In the movie, it makes much more sense for the Prince to be cursed. He's conceited, pompous, and just unlikeable. Over the course of the movie, we get to see him grow as a character. He learns that his looks are not everything and he grows as a person. This makes for a much more intriguing narrative and character arc. We as an audience get to see the growth of his character. The novel does not have this growth. He never really needs to change because he never was a horrible person. The growth of the Beast's character is one of the most interesting pieces of the movie and without it, the novel felt empty. 

Belle/ The Beauty's Life Outside of the Castle:

  - Belle is much closer to her father in the movie and we actually get to see this relationship between the two. She has learned and become who she is because of Maurice. 

  - The relationship between the Beauty and her father in the novel is not focused on a lot. We do see though that she is his only daughter who seems to care for her father and not the money that he makes. It's obvious of why he cares for her so deeply. Also in the novel, the father is told by the Beast that he will be his prisoner or one of his daughters will take his place. He goes home and tells his children of what has happened. There is a difference here that I really did not like. He willing lets his daughter go to live with the Beast. He goes home with the complete knowledge that most likely the Beauty will take his place because she adores him. Could you see Maurice from the movie doing that? No, because he never would have. I'm glad they made the change in the Disney versions of this story. 

- In the novel, we also get a focus on the rest of the Beauty's family. She has five sisters and six brothers. The brothers are hardly ever mentioned and the sisters are just there to be awful. Also, they make the Beauty look so much better by comparison. Much of our introduction to the Beauty at the beginning of the book is by comparisons to her sisters. My favorite aspect of the novel was actually the beginning with the introduction to the family. I felt for these characters and their suffering and I thought that the merchant really wanted to better his children's lives. He might make some questionable decisions later on but at the beginning, I really cared for his struggles. 

  - In the movie, we see her in comparison to the rest of the town. We get to see Belle's personality shine through her interactions with the villagers. She wants to better her life and her father's. We also get to see her in her interactions with Gaston. Belle is never guided in her thoughts by the appearance of others. She cares about what they are like and over the course of the movie we get to see much more of this. 

The Ending: 

  - In the novel, the Beauty leaves the Beast to go home and see her father and family because she is missing them. She is meant to leave for two months. The Beast tells her that if she stays away from him any longer he will die of heartbreak. She makes a promise to come back. After the two months end, she comes back and finds the Beast dead. He died of a broken heart. She cries over his body and he comes back to life. He is eventually turned back into a Prince because he got someone to fall in love with him. This is not how the book ends. There is actually one hundred pages after his transformation. 

   What takes up the rest of the novel is the explanation of how the Prince became a Beast (which I have mentioned above). Beauty and he eventually do get married but it really becomes very slow at the end.

  -In the movie, the ending is much more climactic. The Beast lets Belle go home so she can save her father. When she gets there she realizes how much of a beast Gaston has become and she tries to stop him. Gaston learns about the Beast and guides the mob to attack the Beast. During the attack on the castle, Gaston shoots the Beast and kills him. The Beast dies defending himself and Belle (at least it looks like he is going to die) and as a hero in his story. Belle's love is what brings him back in this like in the novel, but it's because the enchantress witness's the change of the Beast. You feel much more for both characters at the end of this story and pull for them to get their happy ending.

  - I really think that the ending that Disney has made for this movie and originally in the 1991 version is just a better one. It is much more action packed but also feels much more heartfelt. You can feel the love that Belle and the Beast have for each other. It's devastating watching the Beast's face when he believes that Belle has betrayed him. It is also heartbreaking when he sees her after she screams for him at the end. Every emotion is so evident and it is one of the most beautiful endings I have seen in a movie in a long time. The novel's ending goes on for way too long and the payoff is not worth even reading it. It could have ended much earlier and it still would have felt the same. Lackluster and not thrilling at all. That's why I believe the movie ending is fantastic and the novel's ending is not even close to comparing to it.

Overall Thoughts

Beauty and the Beast has been one of my favorite stories since I was a kid. I love the 1991 Disney version of the movie and I love the 2017 live action version. This story is and will always be special to me. Going into reading the book, I was excited and had high expectations for it. I'm sad to say that I did not really enjoy reading it. I believe that it could have ended about a hundred pages earlier (there is an abridged version that does) because the whole ending sort of felt pointless. So yes, I love both of the Disney movies a lot more than the novel and I don't mind saying that. This is a case that I believe the movie is better than the book. It has the same story but has been changed enough that it makes it so much more of an interesting and heartfelt story.

The movie that started my love for this story.
It is one of a kind and holds a special place in my heart.