From the opening tale of a defiant Red Riding Hood to a final, bittersweet vision of a post-Neverland Wendy, this collection of reimagined fairy tales will hold listeners spellbound. While narrator Polly Lee's resonant British-accented voice may remind listeners of the customary storytelling style associated with European fairy tales, the stories herein are far from moralizing nursery fare. Indeed, the juxtaposition of Lee's classic delivery and author Chainani's sharp-edged retellings lends a transgressive thrill to the audiobook experience. Lee's carefully controlled emotions serve to highlight the formidable (sometimes fearsome) femininity displayed by characters of various genders, and her genteel tones make moments of violence seem more threatening in contrast. Overall, it's a triumphant example of using a traditional approach to accentuate deliciously nontraditional stories. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales
Narrated by Polly Lee
Soman ChainaniUnabridged — 6 hours, 7 minutes
Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales
Narrated by Polly Lee
Soman ChainaniUnabridged — 6 hours, 7 minutes
Audiobook (Digital)
Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
Already Subscribed?
Sign in to Your BN.com Account
Related collections and offers
FREE
with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription
Overview
Author Soman Chainani breathes new life into 12 well-known fairytales in this pulse-pounding collection of richly reimagined classics. Dark and daring, Beasts and Beauty is as enchanting as it is captivating, with beautiful prose that readers won’t want to put down until the very last page.
You think you know these stories, don't you?
You are wrong.
You don't know them at all.
Twelve tales, twelve dangerous tales of mystery, magic, and rebellious hearts. Each twists like a spindle to reveal truths full of warning and triumph, truths that free hearts long kept tame, truths that explore life . . . and death.
A prince has a surprising awakening . . .***************************
A beauty fights like a beast . . .
A boy refuses to become prey . . .
A path to happiness is lost. . . . then found again.
New York Times*bestselling author Soman Chainani respins old stories into fresh fairy tales for a new era and creates a world like no other. These stories know you. They understand you. They reflect you. They are tales for our times. So read on, if you dare.*
THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL is the #1 movie now streaming on Netflix-starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh,*Sofia Wylie, Sophie Anne Caruso, Jamie Flatters, Earl Cave, Kit Young,*and many others!*
Editorial Reviews
Haunting, funny, suspenseful, sweet. Fresh and modern with plenty of plot twists. . . All readers will have something with which to identify. Iredale’s illustrations are gorgeous, bloody, and magical.” — Horn Book (starred review)
“A brilliant, bloodthirsty fairy-tale collection. Twelve well-known tales are retold through a racially, ethnically, and sexually diverse lens for a modern audience.” — School Library Journal
"A volume that transports readers to a place where the lines between beastly natures and beautiful appearances can be difficult to discern. Expertly crafted . . . Chainani’s writing is raw in what it lays bare on the page, perfectly appropriate to revisiting these beloved, ubiquitous stories that may have left readers with naïve expectations or dissatisfied conclusions. For any lover of fairy tales who seeks alternative endings." — Kirkus Reviews
“Chainani takes 12 time-honored tales and overhauls their traditional tellings, adding an astonishing amount of depth and beauty in the process. Lush, transporting, and occasionally eerie, easily conjuring fantastical worlds. . . An intriguing and inclusive update for modern audiences.” — Booklist
“Terrifying, chilling, unexpected, and glorious. A must-read for any fairy tale devotee who wants to view classic stories through a new lens.” — Medium
Beasts and Beauty puts a fresh spin on everyone’s favorite fairytales. — Culturess
“Vigorous, chilling. Chainani is a terrific storyteller." — Wall Street Journal?
Beasts and Beauty puts a fresh spin on everyone’s favorite fairytales.
Terrifying, chilling, unexpected, and glorious. A must-read for any fairy tale devotee who wants to view classic stories through a new lens.
Haunting, funny, suspenseful, sweet. Fresh and modern with plenty of plot twists. . . All readers will have something with which to identify. Iredale’s illustrations are gorgeous, bloody, and magical.”
Vigorous, chilling. Chainani is a terrific storyteller."
Chainani takes 12 time-honored tales and overhauls their traditional tellings, adding an astonishing amount of depth and beauty in the process. Lush, transporting, and occasionally eerie, easily conjuring fantastical worlds. . . An intriguing and inclusive update for modern audiences.
Chainani takes 12 time-honored tales and overhauls their traditional tellings, adding an astonishing amount of depth and beauty in the process. Lush, transporting, and occasionally eerie, easily conjuring fantastical worlds. . . An intriguing and inclusive update for modern audiences.
10/01/2021
Gr 6 Up—An exhausted prince beset by a vampiric thief he comes to love; a merchant's "dutiful" daughter who secretly longs for freedom; a mermaid who begs a sea witch to make her human; a sea witch once rejected by the merking himself—these are just a few of the characters, familiar and yet new, that readers will meet in Chainani's latest title. Here, 12 well-known European tales are retold through a racially, ethnically, and sexually diverse lens for a modern audience. Stories tackle such issues as consent, racism, abuse, and neglect, yet all harken back to a central theme: love. This is not the love readers have come to expect from fairy tales, however; Chainani's yarns question every aspect of the classic happily ever after. Still, older readers who enjoy a well-crafted reimagining—and don't mind an ambiguous, occasionally depressing ending—are sure to devour this collection. Most characters present as BIPOC, and some are LGBTQ. VERDICT A brilliant, bloodthirsty fairy-tale collection that would better suit an older audience. Share with fans of compelling myth and folklore anthologies like A Thousand Beginnings and Endings or Daniel M. Lavery's The Merry Spinster. Recommended for YA and adult collections.—Kaitlin Frick, Darien Lib., CT
From the opening tale of a defiant Red Riding Hood to a final, bittersweet vision of a post-Neverland Wendy, this collection of reimagined fairy tales will hold listeners spellbound. While narrator Polly Lee's resonant British-accented voice may remind listeners of the customary storytelling style associated with European fairy tales, the stories herein are far from moralizing nursery fare. Indeed, the juxtaposition of Lee's classic delivery and author Chainani's sharp-edged retellings lends a transgressive thrill to the audiobook experience. Lee's carefully controlled emotions serve to highlight the formidable (sometimes fearsome) femininity displayed by characters of various genders, and her genteel tones make moments of violence seem more threatening in contrast. Overall, it's a triumphant example of using a traditional approach to accentuate deliciously nontraditional stories. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
2021-07-13
A volume that transports readers to a place where the lines between beastly natures and beautiful appearances can be difficult to discern.
Here are 12 familiar European fairy tales, folktales, and classic stories retold in ways that evoke elements of the traditional versions, populated by slightly different casts, and focusing on particular aspects of their usual forms. The tales include, among others, an ironically named Snow White with dark skin, persecuted for the form her beauty takes; South Asian siblings who hopefully follow a trail of rosewater and saffron sweets after being left in the forest by their father and stepmother; and a beautiful brown-skinned prince cursed to appear as a beast and the Chinese girl who moves into his castle to spare her father’s life (the two of them bond over books). The entries are expertly crafted with a deep understanding of the source material and are updated with feminist sensibilities, the addition of some queer relationships, and the inclusion of racial and ethnic diversity. Chainani’s writing is raw in what it lays bare on the page, perfectly appropriate to revisiting these beloved, ubiquitous stories that may have left readers with naïve expectations or dissatisfied conclusions. Chainani infuses his retellings with practicality while still evoking the wonder, terror, and magic of the fantasy realms. Final illustrations not seen.
For any lover of fairy tales who seeks alternative endings. (Fantasy. 11-adult)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172991899 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 09/21/2021 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Age Range: | 10 - 13 Years |
Videos
