Rose Daughter

‘Rose Daughter’ by Robin McKinley is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (but a different story than her other retelling called ‘Beauty’ which I reviewed under the name The Magic of Beauty). McKinley wrote this version twenty years after she wrote Beauty.

There once was a rich merchant who had three daughters. The oldest was called Lionheart because she was very brave. The second was called Jeweltongue because she was clever. And the third was called Beauty. Their mother was a beautiful woman who surrounded herself with many people: friends, hangers-on, soothsayers, magical people, and even a bad-tempered pet dragon that she kept on a leash. Their mother died when Beauty was only five years old. After their mother’s death, their father refused to have anything to do with magic or magical people.

The merchant lost much of his heart with the death of his wife and he was unable to concentrate properly on business matters. As such he eventually came to ruin. It was while Beauty was reading through her father’s papers that she found a copy of a will that her and her sisters had inherited a little house, called Rose Cottage, which was far off in another village. And because the house was in their names, her father’s creditors couldn’t claim it. So they packed up what was left and moved the village of Longchance.

It wasn’t until they reached the cottage that they learned why it was called Rose Cottage. To most people, the name would have been obvious, but not to them. For roses in their world could only be grown by magic or by love. It turns out that the former owner was said to have been a greenwitch, which is why there were literally rose bushes all around the house and scattered throughout the gardens.

Of course then story the turns typical and the merchant gets a letter and goes back to see to one of his lost ships that finally made it to port. On the way home he finds himself in a castle and feed on a stormy night. But when he goes to leave, he tries to take the rose that was in a glass vase on the table. The beast yells at him for stealing. But here the story differs in that the merchant tells how his daughter grows roses. The beast loves his roses, but they are dying and there are only a few roses left, where there used to be hundreds. The beast lives in another dimension where there is much magic and his trees, flowers, vegetables, and fruits grow all year long, which is why he’s so sad that his roses are dying, not going into ‘winter mode’ or going dormant for a season or two. So the beast demands that Beauty come to his castle and bring his roses back to life!

This story is different from other stories in that the beast is under a simple curse that will be lifted by a woman who will agree to marry him. He gained his form in another way, but there is a curse and a legend, and many surprises as well. I won’t spoil them, so you’ll just have to read what happens for yourself!

Book format only