Beauty Book Review.

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Title: Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Author: Robin McKinley.

Gene: Romance, Fantasy, Retold Fairy Tale.

Plot: When their merchant father’s business crashes suddenly following the loss of four ships, three sisters named Grace, Hope and Honor {nicknamed Beauty though she dislikes it as she believes she isn’t a beauty} have to adjust rapidly to a new lifestyle. With few choices left to them, the family decides to leave the city and move to the country where witches, dragons and whatnot roam freely; Gervain Woodhouse, an ironworker in their father’s shipyards, offers his help as he will be moving back to the country and wants to marry Hope. They accept and the combined family moves into a little cottage together several months of travel later, and fall into a steady routine. The two older girls tackle the housework and bookworm Beauty does odd jobs; chopping wood, tending the garden, helping Ger in his blacksmith shop and using her massive horse Greatheart to help haul logs from the nearby forest.

Ger warns the family to stay away from the dark forest bordering their land and informs inquisitive Beauty that there is a local legend that a Beast who was once a man lives deep inside the forest, devouring all wildlife and trapping wayward strangers. Beauty promises to stay out of it and life goes on, with Ger and Hope getting married and having twins {a girl and a boy}. One day, a few years after their sudden departure from the city, one of Mr. Huston’s ships comes into port and he is called away to the city to attend it. On his way home he gets lost in the very forest that Ger warned them about and, much shaken, returns home with a rose in full bloom for Beauty and a tale of a “dreadful Beast” who lets him go free but makes him promise to send him one of his daughters in exchange for his life. Hope is obviously married, Grace is beautiful but heartbroken and Beauty is courageous, she uses her baby-of-the-family influence to talk her family into letting her go in her father’s stead. He tries hard to dissuade her; “But he is a Beast,” he says and she replies, “Cannot a Beast be tamed?”

In the end, Beauty gets her way and goes to live in the castle, bringing her big horse with her of course. The Beast, while frightening to look at for the first several days, eventually becomes her good friend and the two spend time reading to each other in the library, walking in the garden at sunset and talking together. Beauty introduces Greatheart to him and while both big boys are uneasy around each other at first they get use to each other. The unusualness of the castle loses some of it’s unusualness for Beauty as her stay lengthens and she grows more comfortable there but every night after finishing her dinner, the Beast asks, “Beauty, will you marry me?” and every night she replies, “No, Beast.”

After almost a year in the enchanted castle of the Beast, Beauty is allowed to go home for a week long visit and upon her return journey she gets lost and alarmed in the forest, stumbling through it for hours after dark with her sense that something is wrong with the Beast growing till she comes upon the darkened castle and then spends the other half of the night hunting through the many rooms looking for her Beast till, finally, she finds him and tells him that she loves him. Quite unexpectedly, the spell cast over the Beast is broken and he regains his human shape and voice while the whole castle comes to life again. And, of course, they all live happily ever after.

Likes/Dislikes: As Christians, we know that magic, curses {except for the ones in the Bible}, spells and “sixth senses” are of Satan’s doing, that understood and with a good grasp of Biblical truths, this book is very good. Loving someone despite their outward appearances is something everyone should learn and this retelling of a classic fairy tale is very well done, the words flow smoothly together and pull the reader effortlessly into the folds of the story till the last page, whereupon the reader reemerges to discover that they had just been “inside” a good story.

Rating: 13 and up, mainly for the discernment level to handle the magic, which isn’t in large doses but is there nonetheless.

Date Report Written: June 25, 2010.

Recipes.

Once again, I find that I have been too busy this week to write a new book review for you {I should really put mom's suggestion to use and write big batches of them so I'll have some on hold for weeks like this} so I'm giving you some handy and frequently used recipes that can be found pined to the wall in our kitchen. :)

Honey and Vinegar.
A morning {usually} homemade prevention medicine, this is easy to make and very healthy.

I capful vinegar {any kind will do I think but we use apple cider vinegar}
I spoon honey
3 drops hot sauce
I slice of garlic
2 to 3 drops of mustard {or whatever my brother puts in his}

Stir it up with the end of a spoon and pretend you're in a John Wayne western!

Cream Cheese Icing.
We use this on all our cakes and it's great! My sister makes it so well!!

Half box of powdered sugar
2 boxes cream cheese
2 teaspoons maple extract {or vanilla}
1/4 cup honey

Beat it together in the mixer or with a hand-held mixer until blended and rather thick then slap it on the cake and ignore all the spoons that dip in for a taste behind your back. ;)

Chocolate Covered Raisins.
A recent hit with my family, this recipe is way flexible in it's ingredients.

1 bag of chocolate chips {real chocolate mind you and use 2 bags if you've a chocolate loving family}
Roughly a cup or so of raisins
Additional things to throw in and make different combinations of are dried cherries, walnuts, pecans, cashews, sliced almonds, peanuts, coconut and other dried fruits.

In a double-boiler {I think that's what it's called}, melt the chocolate till smooth, throw in the ingredients, stir till combined, turn the heat to low {to keep the chocolate warm} and use two spoons to drop rounded mounds of chocolate onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment. Stick in the fridge for a couple hours or the freezer for fifteen to thirty minutes then bag the goodies, they'll be solid the next day and won't melt in your fingers immediately like they do when you're bagging them. Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons.

These are Dad's favorite cookies and from the speed at which they disappeared when I made them, his family shares his taste! :)

2 2/3 cups flaked coconut {seven ounces}
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 ounces semisweet chocolate {optional}
1 teaspoon shortening {optional}

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease and floor a cookie sheet {we used two and lined them with parchment paper}, set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine coconut, sugar, flour and salt, stir in the egg whites and vanilla then drop the mixture {it'll be rather sticky so don't use your hands} by rounded teaspoons two inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are light brown then transfer them to a a wire rack and let cool. If desired, melt chocolate and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often, then dip the bottoms of the cookies in the melted chocolate or drizzle over tops in a crisscross pattern, let the chocolate cool and then enjoy!
I used a bag of chocolate chips with no shortening and threw a bunch of raisins into the leftover chocolate to make clusters {which rapidly disappeared also} and though it says it makes about thirty cookies, I doubled the recipe and got thirty-four. Interesting. Take note that the chocolate will be hot so your fingers might get burned, or at least, overheated. ;)

Proverbs 31, KJV.

“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

She percieveth that he merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delievereth girdles unto the merchant.

Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”
~ Proverbs 31, KJV

Link to a Poem.

This is a very good poem and a very true one, you should read it.

Strictly Speaking: Our American Birthright

Voyage of the Dawn Treader Book Review.

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Title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Author: C.S. Lewis.

Gene: Classic, Christian, Fantasy, Sequel.

Plot: The Pevensies {or half of them at any rate} are back for more adventures in the wonderful land of Narnia. Their parents and Susan are spending sixteen weeks in America and Peter is spending his summer holidays studying for exams with the Professor and the youngest two, Edmund and Lucy, are therefore left with no other choice than to stay with Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta for the summer. This arrangement is made even more unpleasant by their cousin Eustace Scrubb who is bossy and generally not very pleasant to be around. One afternoon when all three are in Lucy’s room having an interesting discussion {Edmund is really trying to get Eustace to leave of course} the picture of the ship they’re staring at unexpectedly comes alive and they find themselves quite suddenly inside the picture, swimming about in the cold water.

They are hauled onto the ship and are reunited with their old friend Caspian, now firmly in his place as King of Narnia and on a voyage to find the seven lords who were loyal to his father and were therefore banished by his nasty uncle Miraz. Reepicheep is also on board and is bent on sailing to Aslan’s own country {since they’re heading East anyway}. Almost right away, after Caspian gives them a tour of his fine ship and everyone has had a chance to settle down, Eustace and Reepicheep almost have a duel when Eustace plays a joke on the mouse and is repaid when the mouse coolly smacks him around with the flat of his blade. Following that the children, Caspian and Reepicheep are captured by slave traders while walking across a more-or-less deserted island belonging to the Lone Islands and, of course, to Narnia. One of the missing lords arrives and frees Caspian who then rounds up his men and, with a fine show of strength, sets the others free, reestablishes his authority over the islands and sets the Lord Bern up as governor of the Lone Islands before sailing off and getting caught in a bad storm then having their water supply run low following the calm that came after the storm.

They spot an island several days later and find fresh water to replenish their supply with which makes everyone happy of course, till Eustace slips away in order to avoid doing his share of the work and manages to be turned into a dragon, the results of his own selfish greed. Aslan arrives later, after Eustace has befriended his shipmates in his dragon form, and restores Eustace to his human form in time for him to join the others and continue the voyage. They encounter a sea serpent {who isn’t very bright} and have a narrow escape when they find a pool that turns things into solid gold. Then Lucy makes a group of strange people, the Dufflepuds, visible again after they get tired of being invisible and Aslan joins her before they meet the magician who lives on the island with the Dufflepuds and when their stay at that curious island is up they very nearly land at the Dark Island where nightmares come true; Aslan leads them safely away from there however when Lucy cries out to him. Then they come to the last island where they find the last three lords fast asleep and meet a star named Ramandu and his beautiful daughter who later becomes Caspian’s beloved wife {and who, while the others are discussing whether to eat the food on the table or not, gives them a bit of advise: “You can’t know, you can only believe – or not”}; Ramandu explains how to wake the sleepers and sends them on the last part of their journey, toward the Far East and to Aslan’s country.

When they can go no farther, Reepicheep and the three children go on alone and Caspian with his men head back home to Narnia; Reepicheep crosses over into Aslan’s land and Aslan himself sends the other three home to England, after telling Edmond and Lucy that they won’t be coming back again.

Likes/Dislikes: Magic is of course spoken of, talked about and used several times which most Christians will disagree with and while Eustace is suppose t o be rude and obnoxious, he comes across as rather amusing instead. All in all, a very entertaining and exciting classic adventure story and one worth rereading.

Rating: PG-8 and up only because it might go over younger children’s heads. Reading it aloud is recommended.

Date Report Written: May 29, 2010.

Reviewer’s Note: The new movie installation in Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia is scheduled to be released to theaters on December 10^th, 2010 and is, of course, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.