Beauty - Softcover

Tepper, Sheri S.

3.84

5,853 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553295276 ISBN 13: 9780553295276

Publisher: Spectra, 1992

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

"Magnificent. . .This adult fairly tale entertains and delivers a message in the best tradition of the fantasy classics."-- "The Denver Post."

With the critically acclaimed novels "The Gate To Women's Country, Raising The Stones," and the Hugo-nominated "Grass," Sheri Tepper has established herself as one of the major science fiction writers of out Time. In "Beauty," she broadens her territory even further, with a novel that evokes all the richness of fairy tale and fable. Drawing on the wellspring of tales such as "Sleeping Beauty, " Beauty is a moving novel of love and loss, hope and despair, magic and nature. Set against a backdrop both enchanted and frightening, the story begins with a wicked aunt's curse that will afflict a young woman named Beauty on her sixteenth birthday. Though Beauty is able to sidestep tragedy, she soon finds herself embarked on an adventure of vast consequences. For it becomes clear that the enchanted places of this fantastic world--a place not unlike our own--are in danger and must be saved before it is too late.

"Tepper is a wise and compassionate narrator, and when it comes to spinning a yarn that you don't ever want to stop reading, there are few better spinners than she."-- "The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction"

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Beauty is the half mortal, half fairy daughter of a 14th century English duke. A fairy curse puts the entire household into an extended sleep, but Beauty escapes using a magic cloak. Outside the castle, she is captured by a film crew from the 21st century who have come to film the end of magic. Beauty lives for a while in the overpopulated, ugly 21st century where nature has been completely destroyed by humans and magic no longer works. She escapes, and her subsequent adventures take her to imaginary countries, the land of Faery, the late 20th century (where she is brutally raped), and to various times during her own century where her descendants become, in turn, Cinderella, Snow White and the Frog Prince.

Like much of Tepper's fiction, this book is driven by a controlled fury. She sees the destruction of beauty all around us by those who believe humanity has a right to use up the rest of nature, and this book is a stark warning that if we don't change our ways we will destroy the world. Her heroine is the guardian of all that is beautiful in the world, of all that is being devoured by human greed. An angry novel, it makes its point heavy-handedly in places, but with great poignancy overall. It's a powerful and thought-provoking read. Elizabeth Sourbut

Review:

"Tepper is a wise and compassionate narrator, and when it comes to spinning a yarn that you don't ever want to stop reading, there are few better spinners than she."--The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction

"Magnificent. . .This adult fairly tale entertains and delivers a message in the best tradition of the fantasy classics."--The Denver Post.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.