Ebook While Beauty Slept, by Elizabeth Blackwell
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While Beauty Slept, by Elizabeth Blackwell
Ebook While Beauty Slept, by Elizabeth Blackwell
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“Elizabeth Blackwell is a story-telling genius. Her mesmerizing writing weaves a spell that will enchant you. While Beauty Slept breathes new life into the fairytale genre with a historical twist that will take your breath away.” —Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries and Heather Wells mystery series
I am not the sort of person about whom stories are told. Those of humble birth suffer their heartbreaks and celebrate their triumphs unnoticed by the bards, leaving no trace in the fables of their time…
And so begins Elise Dalriss’s story. When she hears her great-granddaughter recount a minstrel’s tale about a beautiful princess asleep in a tower, it pushes open a door to the past, a door Elise has long kept locked. For Elise was the companion to the real princess who slumbered—and she is the only one left who knows what actually happened so many years ago.
As the memories start to unfold, Elise is plunged back into the magnificent world behind the palace walls she left behind more than a half century ago, a labyrinth where the secrets of her real father and the mysterious fate of her mother connect to an inconceivable evil. Elise has guarded these secrets for a lifetime. As only Elise understands all too well, the truth is no fairy tale.
- Sales Rank: #712569 in Books
- Brand: Blackwell, Elizabeth
- Published on: 2014-11-04
- Released on: 2014-11-04
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.25" h x 1.00" w x 5.44" l, 1.00 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 464 pages
From Booklist
In this magical reimagining of the fifteenth-century fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty’s story is told from the perspective of Elise Darliss, a poor farm girl who finds a place in the castle as a maid. Thanks to a strong work ethic and her rare ability to read and write, she eventually earns the position of private maid to the queen herself. The queen is kind, and Elise comes to know her well, and when the legendary princess is born, she befriends her, too. The rest of the tale is famously well-known, but Blackwell treats readers to a retelling that makes historical fiction of the fantasy. And, while she relates what really happened at the castle, we also get to see Elise bloom as she grows from farm girl to respectable lady. The story is dark and enchanting, if a little contrived at times, and Blackwell’s rendering of the medieval setting is rich and detailed. Following in the inspired footsteps of Gregory Maguire’s fairy-tale twists, this debut novel puts a spellbinding new spin on a classic yarn. --Cortney Ophoff
Review
"Following in the inspired footsteps of Gregory Maguire’s fairy-tale twists, this debut novel puts a spellbinding new spin on a classic yarn.” —Booklist
“Unexpected and heartrending . . . A gripping tale full of romance, secrets, and promises made and broken. This beautiful, original reinterpretation of a classic story is engrossing and often surprising.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Blackwell is a storytelling genius.” —Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Elizabeth Blackwell’s writing is magical in this complex, dark, and sensual retelling of ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ Imaginative, evocative, full of surprises, this is a captivating debut.” —M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of Seduction
" While Beauty Slept is like no version of the Sleeping Beauty story that you’ve read before." —Alma Katsu, author of The Taker trilogy
About the Author
Elizabeth Blackwell is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parenting, and the Chicago Tribune, among other publications.
Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
One of the Best Books I've Ever Read - Definitely a New Favorite!!
By Stephanie Ward
'While Beauty Slept' is the beautiful and tragic fairy tale reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. The novel follows main character Elise - now an old woman - as she tells her great-granddaughter what really happened behind the story of Sleeping Beauty. Elise should know it well - she was the princess' companion when everything happened. The novel is Elise's story - of her life before and while at court, the lives of several powerful women, and the secrets of the princess herself - and what really happened during that fateful time.
I'm rarely at a loss for words while writing a review, but this book has left me completely speechless. Nothing I write will do this novel the justice it deserves, but I'll do my best to share my thoughts and opinions. Where to start? The entire book is magical. I was hooked from the very first line and I didn't quit reading until I had literally read the entire thing - which happened to be all at one time. The cast of characters that we meet in the story is unusual - a haphazard mix of the poor and the incredibly wealthy, a blend of men and women who search for happiness but remain lost, while others find exactly what they were looking for - even if it means not having the life they thought they wanted. Each character in the story - mostly the secondary ones - have distinct personalities and quirks that make them unique. The author wrote about each one in such a personal way that I felt as if I saw them - knew them - even if it wasn't more than an acquaintance. I don't even know how to describe Elise along with the other major characters in the book. Elise is determined to make something out of her life by working as a servant in the castle. She makes her way there and eventually starts moving up the hierarchy. She's humble, smart, and devoted - to her mother and later to the princess and the other women at court she becomes a confident to. Elise matures completely throughout the span of the story - in the beginning of her tale, she is a mere girl, but by the end she is an old woman telling her story to her great-granddaughter. Elise grows and matures in all ways - emotionally, physically, mentally, and any other way possible. I loved watching her character grow and expand throughout the story.
The plot of the novel is phenomenal. It's said to be a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, but it's so much more than that. It's a story of love, loss, grief, hope, dark secrets, fate, and friendship - just to name some of the themes that run throughout it's pages. Almost all readers know at least the basics of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, so parts of novel do match up with the story we've known for so long. I liked it when the two synched up because it made me remember the old adage that says in every lie (or legend) is a nugget of truth. Those words are more than appropriate for the story and I think it made the book just a bit easier to believe - that what happened in the story may have really happened. The writing was phenomenal. The author used just enough detail and imagery to make me jump inside her world, but she didn't overdo it. There weren't overdone descriptions or flashy imagery that could mess up a story and the reader's experience. It was written with a simple beauty and a natural flow that carries the reader away on the journey with Elise without even realizing that it happened. The simplicity of the imagery and details only enhanced my reading of the book. It had a perfect balance of the two that kept the readers fully engrossed in the story without overstimulating their senses. As I mentioned above, I absolutely loved every aspect of this book. Every. Single. One. I can't find a bad thing to say about it at all. I got so caught up in the story and was so far into the world the author created, that I had major visceral reactions to situations that happen. I don't normally react so strongly to a book - very rarely do I actually cry or get so mad that I don't want to read anymore. When I come across a novel that can get that kind of gut reaction out of me - I know that it's something amazing. And this one had me on an emotional roller coaster of feelings - I was laughing at times, sobbing during others, and so mad that I almost flung the book across the room and started ranting at the characters. Even after finishing the book, I couldn't get it out of my head. The characters, the story, the world that they lived in - I couldn't stop thinking about them or certain parts of the story line itself. This is one book I know for sure I will be re-reading time and again because of it's magnificent writing style and enchanting story. I can't recommend this book highly enough! Every reader should give it a shot - even if you're not a fairy tale type reader - because the quality of the writing and the story itself will sweep you off your feet. Fans of fantasy, fairy tales, retellings, and historical fiction need to read this book NOW. I swear you won't be disappointed.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
I've been recommending this to everyone!!
By Rhiannon
My review: I was so excited to read this book. Bracing for the second snowstorm in two weeks, I stocked up on supplies and we all planned on just hunkering down at home. I snuggled up and read the best retelling of Sleeping Beauty I could ever imagine. I'm not a fan of sweeping, sighing romances and too often fairy tale retellings are too sappy for me. The main character of While Beauty Slept is not the princess but instead a village girl who leaves her childhood farm to work in the castle. Beginning as a chambermaid and rising through the castle caste system to become the closest person to the royal family, Elise Dalriss is constantly questioning everyone's motives. This story has everything a great fairy tale should have: a castle, doting townspeople, and a loving king and queen, but also: twin sisters practicing herbal medicine and dark arts, womanizing knights, and betrayals. I compare this book to Mists of Avalon with an upstairs/downstairs theme because Elise is a servant but in direct contact with the royal family. 55 years ago, Disney adapted Grimm's Sleeping Beauty for the big screen and this year Maleficent releases in May. Blackwell's timing for this release is perfect. I read this book in paperback version and I suggest reading it in the same format if possible because this book begs you to cuddle up with it at night for a grown up bedtime story.
** I received this book in exchange for an honest review **
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
This is the version of Sleeping Beauty I want my daughters to read!
By Kate E. Stephenson
This is the version of Sleeping Beauty I want my daughters to read!
Since entering adulthood, it has been my strong conviction that much of what ails American culture in particular but perhaps on a more global scale are Disney movies. The idea that good always conquers over evil, and that the princess always gets her handsome perfect prince in the end is ludicrous. But we grow up with those notions. Cautionary folk tales have been morphed into unrealistic brainwashing fairy tales.
Thank God for authors like Elizabeth Blackwell who have the good grace and wonderful creative ability to weave a more complex tale more reflective of real life.
Now that is not to say that I don’t enjoy some escapist reading on occasion—I do. But Blackwell’s revisioning of this classic fairy tale story is refreshing and refreshingly honest. From page one through to the very last page, Blackwell kept me eager to read the next line. Most apparently Blackwell borrows from Sleeping Beauty but there are also elements of Cinderella. Blackwell skillfully tells her story through the eyes of Elise a servant of the royal household, instead of through the princess. This device allows Blackwell to add dimension and depth to the story, allowing the reader to see the royals as people instead of heroes or idols and allows regular people to have heroic moments.
There is pain and suffering in this tale—Blackwell sugarcoats nothing. But there is also a tremendous amount of hope and redemption here that reflects a life worth living even without the guarantee of a happy ending.
While Beauty Slept is a superb modern interpretations of the classics and a welcome addition to my library. For the Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland lovers, this should be an absolute hit. And if you love Gregory McGuire’s Wicked or Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister or the original Grimm’s fairy tales, this is a must read.
(As published on ChickLitPlus.com; I received a copy of While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell in exchange for an honest review.)
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