Beauty Reborn

Lowham adeptly wrangles classic elements of “Beauty and the Beast” to craft a sensitive and slow-burning retelling that tackles issues of sexual violence. As recompense for the rose her merchant father plucked from the castle garden, 18-year-old Beauty—so named by her deceased mother, who “valued handsome appearance above all other virtues”—delivers herself to the enchanted residence of the mysterious Beast. Intellectual Beauty, who is still coping with having been sexually assaulted by her former suitor, a lord baron’s heir, secretly hopes the Beast will devour her, as she “would rather die” than have to face the suitor again. Instead, the magical, inexplicably empty estate provides an environment in which she and the Beast slowly develop a rapport through reading and philosophy. Beauty finds solace in the castle, and the distance from her family helps her reevaluate her complex relationships with them. Via intense flashbacks to Beauty’s life before living with the Beast, Lowham addresses Beauty’s harrowing history. While this lavish version of the original tale is comfortingly familiar, the creator’s narrative stands out in its portrayal of themes surrounding trauma and recovery alongside familiar musings on perceived differences between humans and monsters. Characters read as white. Ages 13–19. (May)