Monday 13 March 2017

Tales From the Past: Beauty and the Beast

Romance Novels and Fairy Tales Part 1


Many romance novels are based on fairy tales. For example, Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre have similar themes to Beauty and the Beast.

Fairy tales date back thousands of years and have similarities across cultures. Some psychologists think fairy tales span time and place because they relate to essential dilemmas we all grapple with, life lessons many of us learn, and basic truths about what it means to be human.


What message lies behind the Beauty and the Beast story?


Josh Gressel argues Beauty and the Beast imparts the essential message, we must learn to love and accept those parts of ourselves we dislike, and experience as “beast-like”. Beauty needs to find what is beautiful in the beast, and the beast needs to accept that his issues are part of him, and to learn to cope with them. Only then can they find true love.

Fairy tales appeal to children and adults because of the essential truths they impart.
Many engaging, well-written, recently published romance novels use a Beauty and the Beast theme.

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Some Beauty and the Beast romance novel page-turners


In The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Lucy comes to realise Josh's sometimes difficult behaviour stems from shyness, and failure to deal with major issues from his past. She falls in love with his caring nature and masculine vulnerability, and can accept his flaws, once she understands him better. Josh must learn to accept his personality in its entirety, and realise he can fall in love, and be loved in return.

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Kate Forsyth writes of Ava's growing understanding of her husband Leo in The Beast's Garden. Her fear of her husband changes to fear for him when the Valkyrie plot fails, he is arrested and sentenced to be executed. This intriguing, page-turner is filled with romance and suspense as the tale of Beauty and the Beast is retold in a Nazi Germany setting.

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When Beauty Tamed The Beast by Eloisa James is a delightful, historical novel with a Beauty and the Beast theme. Both hero and heroine must learn to accept the flaws in themselves, and in each other before love can triumph.

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What is your favourite Beauty and the Beast romance? What do you think is the central message of the Beauty and the Beast tale?


I love to love:   

Friday night dinners out with my husband are the best part of my week.

I love to laugh:   

Sally Thorne's humour in The Hating Game is the best.

I love to learn:   

I think much of life is about learning and personal growth. Sometimes challenging, often fun.

12 comments:

  1. I love this trope. There is so much scope for internal conflict and redemption.

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    1. Hi Cassandra, So many enjoyable, page-turners have been written with a Beauty and the Beast theme.

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  2. Hi Sharon! The timeless themes of fairy tales make them such a great source of ideas for romances. I really enjoyed Sally Thorne's take on the B&B theme in The Hating Game.

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    1. Hi Marilyn, I loved "The Hating Game" too. I'm very much looking forward to reading Sally's next novel.

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  3. Have to say, Sharon, that Beauty & the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales, so when it's written into a romance - win, win! I love it so much that I've already booked Gold Class seats for my daughter and I to enjoy the new Disney movie coming out soon. We figured this was one movie we wanted to enjoy in style... I think my favourite B&tB romance is 'Ravished' by Amanda Quick. The hero is locally known as the Beast of Blackthorne Hall - and it takes the special heroine Miss Harriet Pomeroy to find the real man inside the beast. I really love the illustrations you've used above, the only one I haven't read is the Kate Forsyth, but it's on my TBR pile. The others were terrific romances, I totally enjoyed both of them. And both made me laugh, which I love in my reading. Thanks so much for this post, and I look forward to more fairy tales to come. They translate so well into romance, it's such a wonderful marriage of two genres.

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    1. Thanks Malvina. I just downloaded "Ravished" to my kindle. One thing I love about this blog is the way we share reading recommendations. The blurb on Amazon together with your words made this book a must-read for me.

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  4. Hi Sharon. Great post. I love redemption stories and the Beauty and the Beast ones do that so well. Thanks for recommending 'The Beast's Garden'. Have it on my Kindle now.

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    1. Thanks Enisa. The Beast's Garden is a fascinating Beauty and the Beast story with a gripping plot set in Nazi Germany. I hope you enjoy it.

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  5. Thank you so much for recommending 'The Beast's Garden', Sharon! I hope anyone who picks it up loves it too. its always been a favourite of mine. And I have to read some of the other books you've recommended. I love a good romance :)

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    1. Thanks very much for "dropping by" Kate. I loved "The Beast's Garden". It's a beautifully written story with an intriguing plot. I'm looking forward to reading more of your novels.

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    2. Kate, so excited to see your reply here. I loved your talk at Sutherland Library in Sydney last year. The Beast's Garden is now waiting beside my bed to be read... your stories are amazing, thankyou for sharing them!

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  6. Same, with new recommendations! My TBR keeps growing!

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