There is no land, oceans and no animals left. The thousands of people live in tiny cells and are numbered and rationed food wafers and drinking water. In the 21rst, there are cement buildings and no outside. The documentary filmmakers are from the 21rst century and they are mucking around in the 14th century, hoping to catch the enchantment of Westfaire, as the magic roses clamber over its walls, calling it the ‘last bit of magic.’ They drag Beauty back to the 21rst, then to the 20th, where she becomes educated beyond her centuries and sees what humans have made of their world. And by the time she gets kidnapped by this group of documentary filmmakers, you are so absorbed in the story that you just think: My god! Yes it’s weird, but what will our spunky heroine do next? But its good, believe me, its really good. The two hover over her via a magic pool, hoping to protect her from harm and guide her to a safe place.īeauty escapes from the beautiful Westfaire – with the intention of finding her mother- only to be kidnapped by documentary filmmakers from the twenty-first century. Through a series of odd events, Beauty finds herself side-stepping the Curse and embarking on a fantastic adventure that takes her through a story of the ultimate battle for good against evil.ĭuring the telling of the story, told in first person by Beauty, there are plenty of witty and observant asides written by Carrabosse, old Tick-Tock (as Puck -yes, Puck is in here too – calls her) Fairy of the Clocks, who along with the seraph Israfel, has placed something magic inside of Beauty when she was born.

She bounces back from whatever life hands her, and through it all she writes her story honestly and meets every situation with a kind of forthright courage. She is not too smart, but she is buoyant. Surrounded with a bevy of well-meaning aunts to see to her education, a father who does not care for her, a mother who has mysteriously vanished, and a Curse hanging over her head, Beauty is a still a typical teenager irrepressible and full of growing pains and questions about the world around her.īeauty is an exceptionally lovable heroine. (For teenagers, Beauty by Robin McKinley is a nice fairy story turned into a young adult novel, but for adults, Tepper’s version is more in-depth and interesting)īeauty, daughter of the Duke of Westfaire, is described as loquacious, beautiful, and curious. The story of Sleeping Beauty has been told a thousand times in hundreds of different languages, but never have I read a better version of it than Sheri S. My mother read it first and then handed it to me saying I would like it, and oh boy does my mom know me. I can’t say enough about how much I love this novel. This is one of my favorite books in the whole world.

Beauty sheri tepper