Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge
Age 16+
General Fiction
Author Lisa Jensen turns a classic tale on its head and makes you question all you think you know about beauty, beastliness, and happily ever after.
They say that Château Beaumont is cursed, but servant girl Lucie doesn’t believe in such foolishness. How could anyone as handsome as Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir, Chevalier de Beaumont and master of the estate, be cursed? But when the chevalier behaves with brutal cruelty, Lucie vows to see him suffer. A wisewoman grants her wish with a spell that transforms handsome Jean-Loup into monstrous-looking Beast. At last the chevalier’s appearance reflects the monster he is inside. But Beast proves to be nothing like Jean-Loup. Jean-Loup would never tend his roses so patiently; Jean-Loup would never pick up a pen and attempt poetry; Jean-Loup would never express remorse for the wrong done to Lucie. Gradually, Lucie realizes that Beast is an entirely different creature from the handsome chevalier, with a heart more human than Jean-Loup’s ever was. Lucie dares to hope that noble Beast has permanently replaced the cruel Jean-Loup — until an innocent beauty arrives at Beast’s château with the power to break the spell.
Creators
Lisa Jensen is the author of the adult novels Alias Hook and The Witch from the Sea. She is a longtime film critic and columnist for the alternative weekly Good Times and runs an arts and entertainment blog. She lives in Santa Cruz, California.
Reviews
I had so many moments where I felt the familiar-yet-fragmented elements of Beauty and the Beast were explained and enhanced for Jensen having interpreted them.
Striking Keys
Haunting language and lush descriptions engage the senses, making this a memorable, worthy addition to the canon of Beauty and the Beast retellings
Publishers Weekly
