A Land Serene

Title: Memoirs of Cleopatra
Author: Margaret George
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 1998
Format: Paperback
Pages: 976
Times Read: 1
Rank:

Summary: Cleopatra has captivated generations, and this huge novel will ensure additional adulation. Beginning with a memory at age three of witnessing her mother's death and ending with her own suicide, Cleopatra tells her story. Both the telling and the tale are exceptional. George combines history and legend with her own imagination to produce a fascinating portrait. Strangely, some of the more implausible events, such as Cleopatra's being hidden in a rug and taken to Caesar, are fact, not fiction. The graceful use of the language and the intense action make for compelling reading.
~ Library Journal

( Review )

Title: Beauty
Author: Robin McKinley
Publisher: Pocket Books, 1978
Format: Paperback
Pages: 247
Times Read: ~30
Rank:

Summary: This much-loved retelling of the classic French tale Beauty and the Beast elicits the familiar magical charm, but is more believable and complex than the traditional story. In this version, Beauty is not as beautiful as her older sisters, who are both lovely and kind. Here, in fact, Beauty has no confidence in her appearance but takes pride in her own intelligence, her love of learning and books, and her talent in riding. She is the most competent of the three sisters, which proves essential when they are forced to retire to the country because of their father's financial ruin.

The plot follows that of the renowned legend: Beauty selflessly agrees to inhabit the Beast's castle to spare her father's life. Beauty's gradual acceptance of the Beast and the couple's deepening trust and affection are amplified in novel form. Robin McKinley's writing has the flavor of another century, and Beauty heightens the authenticity as a reliable and competent narrator.

~ Amazon.com

( Review )
The rows of books tugged unrepentantly at the edges of my sight. I walked like one bewitched to the nearest shelf. "I didn't know there were so many books in the world," I said caressingly, and the Beast's answer was heard only in my ear and did not register in my brain: "Well, in fact, there aren't," he said..."This library is  - well -"  He paused. "Most of these books haven't been written yet...But don't worry, they will be."
~ The Beast