The Rose and the Beast

Fairy Tales Retold

by Francesca Lia Block

A collection of modern, gritty retellings of nine familiar fairy tales. Here, rather than getting pricked by the needle of a spinning wheel, Sleeping Beauty falls under the spell of heroin, and Little Red Riding Hood is pursued, not by the wolf, but by her lecherous stepfather. Named one of the Best Children's Books 2000 by Publishers Weekly.

Editions of The Rose and the Beast

ISBN 9780613442497	Binding/Format Prebinding	Publisher Bt Bound	Date 2001	Price $34.95	New
ISBN 9780060281298	Binding/Format Hardcover	Publisher Harpercollins Childrens Books	Date 2000	Price $1.00	Used, Very Good
ISBN 9780060281304	Binding/Format Reinforced Hardcover	Publisher Harpercollins	Date 2000	Price $3.00	Good
ISBN 9780064407458	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Harpercollins Childrens Books	Date 2001	Price $2.23	Like New

Publisher Notes

With language that is both lyrical and distinctly her own, Francesca Lia Block turns nine fairy tales inside out.

Escaping the poisoned apple, Snow frees herself from possession to find the truth of love in an unexpected place.

A club girl from L.A., awakening from a long sleep to the memories of her past, finally finds release from its curse.

And Beauty learns that Beasts can understand more than men.

Within these singular, timeless landscapes, the brutal and the magical collide, and the heroine triumphs because of the strength she finds in a pen, a paintbrush, a lover, a friend, a mother, and finally, in herself.

Best Children's Books 2000 (PW)
Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL)

Media Reviews

"The author sets her tales in refracted space similar to an Escher drawing, rebuilding Los Angeles as a fairy-tale universe where wolves are sexual predators, seemingly helpless females carry knives they know how to use, and an abusive childhood can be redeemed by love."