While Beauty Slept

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt

This is a wonderful retelling of an age old fairy tale that gives plausibility to the story. It seems that retooling fairy tales has become the new thing, yet most do not live up to the old standard. While Beauty Slept does more than justice to the tale of Sleeping Beauty, it brings more character and life to the story. Not only does this book explain the story, it also adds more twists and turns to it to bring even more life to that wonderful story.

Elise Dalriss hears her great granddaughter telling her siblings a story she heard in town. Elise knows this story as it is one she actually lived. She recounts her life from her humble beginnings to her life at the castle. The reader is drawn in as it unfolds. The characters are well developed and engaging. Castle life is described in detail that entertains and delights the reader. Characters that are familiar to those who know Sleeping Beauty, are brought to life with more detail and explanations of how and why things happened.

I would recommend While Beauty Slept to anyone that enjoys the retelling of fairy tales or the interesting comings and goings of castle life. Elise is a wonderful character that draws the reader in and tells her story with love and care. I am not usually a fan of the usual retelling of fairy tales, but this one is exceptionally well done. Elizabeth Blackwell’s writing style is enjoyable and delightful. Anyone that enjoys historical novels will like this one as well. It tells the tale of Sleeping Beauty in a way that it could have actually happened. A pleasant surprise for sure.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*

While Beauty Slept is an expertly woven retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It retains many elements from the tale we all know – a shunned woman, a coddled and overprotected princess, a kind guardian, a curse on a castle. But the reader is given a fresh perspective from which to observe these details, subtly insinuating that everything you know (especially if you’re like me, and your first knowledge of Sleeping Beauty was via the Disney film) might be a fanciful retelling of the truth – a truth that is finally acknowledged in While Beauty Slept.

While Beauty Slept follows Elise, a young lady with humble beginnings who eventually finds herself in a life of service to the king and queen. It is through her eyes that readers will witness triumph and tragedy that unfolds at the castle. Elise does have important experiences of her own, but her life is closely entwined with the king, queen and their daughter Rose, especially since she’s a favored servant and friend. The unexpected use of her perspective, as she is not the “Beauty”, nor part of the royal family, is key in helping readers piece together the facts from the beginning till the end.

What’s best about While Beauty Slept, however, lies in the story. The author combines the story of Elise’s life as a royal attendant and the original elements of Sleeping Beauty so well. It’s a tale of the divide between upstairs and downstairs, laced with fairytale feels and pieces of history – and it’s irresistible. With each page, the reader is further drawn into the court’s political intrigues, a family torn asunder, romance and danger. Blackwell builds the story, carefully placing her well-crafted characters in it, and the result is the reader’s inability to do anything but continue reading immediately after finishing a chapter.

In spite of my overall positive reaction, there are a few things about While Beauty Slept that might be off-putting. First, there was the foreshadowing of the evil to come, which happened repeatedly in the first half of the novel. While it normally wouldn’t have bothered me, it was a little too much to constantly encounter it. Second, apart from Elise, the other characters felt a little underdeveloped, even with their histories and motives slowly revealed. Since this is inspired by a fairy tale, it didn’t douse my personal feelings for While Beauty Slept, but it might do that for other readers.

Even with my minor reservations, While Beauty Slept swept me up completely. It was the first reading experience I’ve had in a while where I felt like I was being carried along by the story’s current, unaware of what might happen next or which character it would happen to. So, it should come as no surprise that I would highly recommend While Beauty Slept!

WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT is the retelling of the tale of Sleeping Beauty. But author Elizabeth Blackwell excises the magic and fantasy to imagine the reality that could be at the root of a myth about a sleeping, enchanted princess. The result is a story of a rigid and vaguely medieval society in which women must find strength, power and identity in unexpected and often dangerous places.

Our narrator and guide to the Castle of King Ranolf and Queen Lenore, the town of St. Elsip and the world beyond, is Elise Dalriss. Raised on a small farm by her loving but overworked mother and the cruel man who adopted her, and with her many younger siblings, Elise is expected to work hard and eventually marry a man of similar station. Elise is bright and both pragmatic and dreamy, and wonders about life in the castle where her mother once worked. Castle service is one way for women in the kingdom to create a certain type of security for themselves, but Elise’s mother is hesitant to allow her to go. While the castle holds the promise of good food, better clothing and a bit of security, she knows it is also a treacherous place where women are at the mercy of men physically.

When Elise’s family is all but wiped out by an outbreak of pox, Elise finally makes her way to the castle. Her mother’s old connections (and secrets) secure her a job as a chambermaid, and her intelligence, hard work and kindness bring her to the attention of the Queen.

Queen Lenore is a beautiful and sad foreign-born woman whose passionate marriage has chilled after years of infertility. With the help of the King’s aunt, the power-hungry and fierce Millicent, she finally conceives. Elise as the Queen’s closest servant and trusted companion witnesses the pregnancy and then the terrible revenge Millicent promises the royal family after she is cast out of the castle when the baby is born. Millicent’s timid sister Flora, an elderly herbalist, does her best to protect the family from Millicent’s evil intentions, but they all live in fear as the baby, Princess Rose, grows into a beautiful and headstrong young woman. When Millicent’s retribution takes place, it is devastating for the entire kingdom and changes the lives of Elise and Rose in heartbreakingly complex ways.

WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT is an incredibly entertaining book. Blackwell does great things with the familiar fairy tale, giving its characters depth, vitality and context. Gone are the sorcery and spells, and in their place readers find the brutal truths of life led in the face of social, political, medical and emotional turmoil and uncertainty. The issue of gender and power are particularly rich, although love and marriage are the ideal outcomes, and the desire on the part of a woman for political power is understood to be corrupting. It is a novel that will appeal to many readers because of its strong writing, fascinating characters and engagement with complicated themes.

Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Unlike other re-tellings of fairy tales, While Beauty Slept doesn't take its reader into the realm of the fantastical but rather into the reality that might lay behind what became fantasy. Often fairy tales and nursery rhymes are based in history yet hidden behind layers to hide the true tale. This novel takes us into what might have been the life of the princess who became Sleeping Beauty.

I must admit to a thorough enjoyment of this genre of story and this book was no exception. In fact I think I might have enjoyed it all the more because it was presented as reality instead of fantasy. It begins with a very old woman Elise, hearing her great granddaughter relate the story that we have come to know as Sleeping Beauty. What that child does not know is that Elise live the truth of the story and the truth is far more frightening than any minstrel's song.

Elise you see, went to live in the castle when she was a young girl and found herself in thrall to a powerful woman; was she witch or just mad? As Elise moves up the castle hierarchy from lowly servant to ladies maid to the queen herself she finds herself drawn to the king's sister who also holds sway over the queen. When the queen finally becomes pregnant after years of marriage the whole countryside rejoices - but there is a dark side to the pregnancy that the queen won't reveal. Her sister in law claims to have helped her get pregnant and wants access and power because of this instead she is banished from the kingdom. This leads to curses and ultimately war.

This is a book in which mood plays a supporting role and I felt the impact of that mood in the very first chapter. It was dark and heavy and it weighed heavily on me as I read until almost the very end of the book. Such was the power of the words used by Ms. Blackwell. I knew something bad was coming but I was never quite sure what until it came. The characters are all very well developed and their actions are true to their time period. The ending was somewhat anticlimactic but I suppose it was true to an historical finish as opposed to a fairy tale one. It's a book I'll want to read again for I know I'll find something in a second reading I missed in the first.

4.5

*I received a free copy of the book from the publisher for my honest review

This was a very well done fairy tale retelling that is done as historical fiction with no magic. This was really well written and I enjoyed it a lot.

I listened to this on audiobook the audiobook was read by a narrator with a heavy and rich English accent which worked very well for this story. It was a great listening experience.

The book starts with our main character, Elise Dalriss, recounting the true tale of Sleeping Beauty to her great granddaughter. Elise was raised on a poor farm and when her family was decimated by the pox, she left and went to the castle to seek a position there. Through a series of coincidences she finds herself as the Queen’s Handmaiden shortly after arriving and the object of scorn of many other castle servants because of her quick rise in rank. However the Queen’s life has been plagued by sadness, the Queen is barren and would do anything to give the King of heir. Elisa finds herself the Queen’s closest confidant and witness to the hopes and devastations of a kingdom.

More than anything this book is a historical fiction. Although it is occasionally hinted at that the two elder sisters, Maleficent and Flora, might have beyond human powers that is mostly seen as superstition of the servants. There are no magic faeries or bitter curses here, just a bitter scheming old woman and the horribly contagious disease of the pox.

Elise is an interesting character. She is ambitious, although she doesn’t realize her drive until later in the story, and loyal to a fault. She time and time again chooses her duty to the Queen over her own happiness. It was interesting to read about a level-headed character that always chooses duty over her own needs. Elise’s survival of the pox at a young age also makes her resistant to the disease which puts her in an interesting position.

Elise does not have a wide circle of companions. She has an aunt in the city she converses with and eventually meets a young cobbler’s apprentice that she is drawn to. But her main duty is the Queen, and Elise spends all her time by the Queen’s side.

The story takes place over a number of years. We read about Elise as a child and about her early years in the castle. We also read about Elise in her upper 20’s when she finally marries and again in her 30’s. The beautiful thing about this story is how it shows the changes that can befall a person’s life so swiftly and how little control you have over certain things. I was also struck by how isolated the ladies in waiting are at times. They do not know anything about the world beyond the castle walls and are mostly content to just do their day to day duties.

The book does a good job of retelling Sleeping Beauty without magic in a way that is historically probable and could have actually happened. Beauty, the Queen’s daughter, actually isn’t the focus of most of the book. Her isolation in a tower is not at all what you are expecting, but it makes sense. This story shows how much more could be involved in a story like Sleeping Beauty and looks at an origin for that fairy tale that sounds surprisingly plausible.

There are a couple of points where the story gets a bit slow. However, for the most part it was engaging and well paced. The writing is very beautiful and I was able to easily imagine the characters and surroundings.

Overall I really enjoyed this historical fiction retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This retelling is enchanting and incredibly engaging, I really loved how a plausible and realistic historical story retells this famous fairy tale. Highly recommended to those who love historical fiction and/or fairy tale retellings.

There was nothing I disliked about this book. It was a fun summer read, a wonderful romance, and a terrific but tragic plot! It really put a more realistic spin on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that you could see actually come true. The narrator is a likable and strong heroine. The "sleeping beauty" grew to be a strong and intelligent woman and neither heroine outshone the other. This is a must read for anyone who loves fairytales and compelling stories with strong heroines.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

Told from an interesting perspective - a woman who spent many years in service in a castle and knows the truth behind the sleeping beauty story and is ready to share the truth. Elise loses her entire family and returns to her mother's home town and previous place in the castle. She quickly rises to a great position within the castle and has quite some interesting experiences while trying to mix and mingle amongst the elite.

First, I loved how the story was presented - as a story told from a great grandmother to her great granddaughter I loved it. It allowed for Elise to just tell the story from beginning to end and to give her story purpose and reason. I also loved the amount of time that her story spanned and although it is set up that she definitely ends up with a family, it doesn't ruin who the family is started with. Although it didn't end up being quite the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, I loved it just the same.

Fantastic retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale in an almost perfect fusion of historical fiction and fantasy fiction styles. This tale follows Elise, Sleeping Beauty's childhood companion, through her coming of age, and into her thirties as a flashback from her elderly self. I particularly appreciated the story arc following not just her teen years, but exploring the consequences of choices she made right through into middle age. Adult themes are present throughout the book, but tastefully done (violence, sex, death).
Like a beautifully rendered watercolor, Elise is a boulder of constancy in the turbulent water of a Middle Ages court. It was refreshing to have a heroine that didn't make rash or rebellious choices, but whose life was dramatically shaped by others who regularly made selfish and conniving decisions. Readers are so used to the typical character growth arc in a coming of age tale that it is startling to see a character painted simply by the darkness and shadows swirling around them.
I found one of the editor's choices off-putting, which is why I marked my review down a star. The author overdoes the foreshadowing to the point of being annoying. I would have enjoyed the book much more without the repetitious "If I knew then what I know now..." We're all familiar enough with this fairytale, even redone, that we pretty much know the disaster that's going to strike, and how it will eventually resolve. I felt it was poor editing to keep that phrase repeating over and over again and spoil an otherwise sensitive and beautifully told tale. Publishing the foreshadowing with a yellow highlighter would have been more subtle.

I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work, and highly recommend this as a summer "can't-put-it-down" read.

An interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that creates plausible explanations for almost all aspects of the fairy tale. Told from the perspective of a servant, it chronicles the tale we know so well in such a way that makes it seem less of a fairy tale and more of a family drama. To be sure there is a bit of magic or mystery, but the ultimate reason for the castle being under a "spell" may have been a mystery to the characters, but not to us. The twist at the end was a nice surprise too -- sometimes people end up exactly where their personalities and gifts should have placed them in the first place. If only that happened all the time!

This is a retelling of the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty". Elise Dalriss begins telling the story when she is a great grandmother. From sad and very humble beginnings, Elise rose to lady-in-waiting to Queen Lenore. Queen Lenore and her husband King Ranolf have been wed many years and have not had children to inherit the throne from the King. When the Queen becomes pregnant, their is great rejoicing in the kingdom.

Elise becomes confidant to the Queen but gives up much to stay in the castle. She learns to love the Queen and her young child. However, forces are at work that will bring sadness and great unhappiness to the kingdom even though the Queen has finally borne a child to inherit the kingdom.

"While Beauty Slept" is Elise's story as well as that of Sleeping Beauty and how she ultimately reigns over her kingdom after great wars and sickness. This is not the story of Sleeping Beauty as we know it from our childhoods but an interpretation for adults that is very different. This is an enjoyable read but not that memorable.

Though retellings of fairy tales are very much in fashion these days, this one is unique in the telling. It's written more as historical fiction. The author manages to make the story familiar enough so that the reader can point out what was inspired by the fairy tale elements, and yet the story is unique enough to keep the reader entertained and even guessing as to how it will end.

Familiar and yet unique is a hard line to straddle, but Blackwell does it well. When reading this you could easily believe that this is the story from which the Sleeping Beauty tale began. The characters are multidimensional and complex. They aren't one-dimensional stereotypes. Elise, though a servant, has a unique perspective and contact with the more familiar characters of the story, and it is through her eyes that this story comes to life. Through her choices, her mistakes, her regrets, and her fears, we see so much more than a fairytale.

The only thing I might change is the title. It gives the impression that the bulk of the story takes place while Beauty (Rose) is actually sleeping. It's actually so much more than that. It begins long before Rose's birth, and continues through her life, and then into her sleeping, though it isn't so long a sleep as some might expect.

In this reimagined tale of Sleeping Beauty, the main character is Elisa, an attendant to the queen when Princess Rose is born. The story begins with Elise as an old woman. When she overhears a great-grandchild tell the fantastical version of the tale of a princess who slept for one hundred years, she decides it is time to tell the real story. It is the story of a queen desperate for a child, a treacherous aunt and her curse, and a king trying to save his heir.

Elise’s narrative reveals her own personal journey (her fears, hopes, and love life) and her place in the center of it all – protecting the queen and the princess. The strength of the novel lies in Elise’s strength as a character. The medieval setting is rich and detailed, and this novel will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction full of palace intrigue.

In this reimagined tale of Sleeping Beauty, the main character is Elisa, an attendant to the queen when Princess Rose is born. The story begins with Elise as an old woman. When she overhears a great-grandchild tell the fantastical version of the tale of a princess who slept for one hundred years, she decides it is time to tell the real story. It is the story of a queen desperate for a child, a treacherous aunt and her curse, and a king trying to save his heir.

Elise’s narrative reveals her own personal journey (her fears, hopes, and love life) and her place in the center of it all – protecting the queen and the princess. The strength of the novel lies in Elise’s strength as a character. The medieval setting is rich and detailed, and this novel will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction full of palace intrigue.

I really enjoyed this take on the classic fairy tale. It was written more like historical fiction than fairy tale, and I liked the format. I thought it fit well and made the story seem more real. I liked the characters and thought many of them were well developed. I especially liked Elise, Queen Lenore, Rose, and Mrs. Tewkes. I liked that Elise narrated it, and thought she did a good job. I have always been intrigued by castles, knights, and princesses, but after reading this I'll take my home and my vaccinations over castle life any day. I thought Ms. Blackwell's descriptions were very good and felt like I lived there with Elise. The ending was a bit more depressing than I had hoped for, but it was fine. There is no language, some violence, including a murder, and some "intimacy" scenes. I would recommend it for ages 16 and up. You may read my full review on my book blog: the-readathon.blogspot.com.

"While Beauty Slept" by Elizabeth Blackwell retells the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale from the pragmatic standpoint of Elise, first attendant to Queen Lenore, mother to Rose AKA Aurora or Sleeping Beauty. Blackwell's Elise is a competent narrator, but unfortunately her economy of emotion, even when she, herself is in love, taints the story with too much efficiency, leaving the reader craving the magic of the children's story. Although the ending fades in a blur of "happily ever afters," the overall sense of satisfaction that a reader should glean from devoting time to such a novel is lost in dour sentiments that amount to nothing but the desire to get to that last page and get on to a better read in the form of another book.

I suppose an analysis of the actual fairy tale with all its psychological/sexual implications removed could result in the historical existence of a medieval kingdom such as the one depicted in this novel--under constant threat and siege with the added perils of disease and pestilence an everyday consideration. And, yes, as it is the way of the world, Elise, as a girl of little means--the eradication of her family by plague forces her to seek employment in the City supporting the Royal Palace--must find a way to survive with her country values intact, but perhaps, morphed by the ambition she discovers is very much a part of her nature. The resulting character rises to a position of influence--she very much reminds this reviewer of a Victoria Holt heroine--check out Lord of the Far Island or The Devil on Horseback [ 1977 ] (he was a notorious philanderer...)--where she goes about her job with such efficiency that no amount of emotion ever fails to topple her immense strength, but formulates her as a great wall rather than as a soft human being. Even when she falls in love, Elise is thinking, thinking, thinking and despite her protestations of much desire, seems to be forever out of love's grasp, but willing instead to carry on with her tasks and continue to be indispensable to those she serves. Zzzz!

The rest of Blackwell's characters are two-dimensional. Most disappointing is the evil Millicent--the Maleficent witch so perfectly captured by Angelina Jolie in the Disney flick. In "Beauty," Blackwell portrays her witch as an old feminist, angry that she did not inherit her father's throne and desperate to influence her nephew, the king who has, Her anger erupts in conjunction with her loss of favor and as in the original story, curses and banishments swirl about with riddles about spinning wheels and pricks from needles. As the ultimate terrorist, Millicent infiltrates and destroys through fear, poisoning minds slowly and surely with real life sightings and persistence that succeeds in darkening the entire ambiance of the tale into the very definition of modern horror. Nevertheless, all these shadows make for a very dim and hopeless read, taking it all out of the realm of fairy tale and depicting instead, the sadness of life.

Bottom line? "While Beauty Slept" ranks as just an okay reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale whose rushed "happy ending" was plagued by too many sadnesses to produce the upbeat feel that the reader expects upon reaching its last page. Some may like the realism, but those expecting the magic of a fairy tale, search on. If the pragmatic nature of the main character appeals look at the novels of Victoria Holt for the same type of first person voice with far better plot resolutions.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

I have read many adaptions on fairy tale stories which is starting to make a stronger appearance in the book world. I love this. Fairy tales always make for good reading. Plus I like to see how creative the author can get with these tales. However I have to say that I really liked the way that Mrs. Blackwell put her own twist on this classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. It did not feel like a remake but like the original. I like how Mrs. Blackwell made Beauty human like as if she really did exist in this way. There was not a lot of fancy gimmicks with this book just a story of love...parents love and true love. Of course there was also a happy ending with a bit of a twist. I look forward to reading more books by this author and hope the author writes more fairy tale ones.

I love fairy tale re-imaginings. I like seeing how a story teller can take core elements and then make it into something entirely new and entertaining. I really didn’t like this re-imagining as it really wasn’t one.

The story is told by a grandmother to her favorite grandchild. I thought I’d get some new insight into the story through this telling but instead it seemed like the story could have been of almost any servant in any castle. The tone of the story at times was far too adult for someone to be telling to a young child it would have been more appropriate if she were telling the story to a daughter on the cusp of getting married or even a granddaughter just betrothed.

The story is about Elise who became a chamber maid in the castle before Rose or Sleeping Beauty was born. She and the Queen became something akin to friends and Elise was allowed a place next to the royal family. Honestly this could be any other historical story of sorts. It moved along incredibly slowly for me close to 80% of the story is spent really on Elise’s life and possible 20% on anything Sleeping Beauty related.

The most interesting parts of the story involved Maleficent and the possibility that she has some sort of magical power although it is never really determined that she does. She is the black and her sister Flora is the white. Flora deals with herbs and potion remedies but even that part which was more interesting to me was glossed over. After Maleficent utters a threat at the baptism of Rose and is banished form the kingdom Flora says that she will protect Rose but it is so unclear how she is protecting her. Elise gives up a romance and marriage proposal to stay as Rose’s companion and learn from Flora but then we never see her use any of that knowledge until the very end of the book.

I was bored with the majority of the story and became increasingly frustrated as the author kept using terms like

'If I had only spoke my mind what consequences could have been avoided.
If only I had known the dangers that lie ahead.
If only I had chosen a different path
But who could know the dangers that lurked….'

But by 60% not one ominous thing had happened yet so the suspense those statements were meant to make me feel really lost all potency as there was absolutely no payoff until maybe 90% and even then it was minor.

By the end the means to the kingdoms downfall was not anything magical but a disease and it really diminished the mysticism of the original story and Maleficent’s power. I was a little bit sad about that direction.

The only redemption for the entire story for me was the last two chapters. I liked the end twist but it took a really long slowly paced time to get there.

I’d say this is for people who are really interested in the daily workings of a castle and want to know what it is like to move up through the ranks as a servant to one day become something a little more. But if you are a lover of the Sleeping Beauty tales you might not find it to be all that you hoped.

I raced through this book -- I think I started it around noon and finished it before dinner time -- and it was a satisfying, emotional read. I love fairy tale retellings, and Blackwell's is solid.

Despite the Sleeping Beauty plot frame, I'd argue this is really a coming-of-age novel. Our heroine, Elise, grows up in a complicated world of protocol where friendships are easily bruised by betrayal and romantic entanglements cost more than one's heart. A medieval career woman, in a way, Elise is dedicated to the royal family, potentially at the expense of her own happiness. I was frustrated with Elise while reading -- I wanted her to behave differently at times -- but a few month's distance from my active reading I feel nothing but like and admiration for her.

The joy of this novel is the balance Blackwell finds in creating an engrossing original story that has all the elements, icons, and touchstones of the famous fairy tale. It is both new and familiar. The bones are Sleeping Beauty, but the meat of the story is a creative, emotional, and haunting tale of a woman who hopes to gain some measure of happiness in finding that for those she loves. Un-put-down-able and unforgettable.

As a librarian I am always looking for compelling reads that feel both familiar and new because that is the sort of thing patrons respond to the most. Reading this book was so rewarding that I didn't want to do anything else until I finished. I wanted to see how Blackwell would transform a fairy tale steeped in fantasy into pure historical fiction and I found myself absorbed in the story itself rather than in analyzing the differences. I loved this book and have recommended it several times to my patrons, all of whom have returned it completely happy and recommending it to other patrons as they hand me the book. That's the best review of all.

Great strong woman character. Author kept her always in line with the times she was living in. Yet we could all find something of us in her. At times Confused, scared, happy, doubtful, in love. But above all, she kept herself true to her convictions. Also I love that this book is not about a man and a woman, but about loving and supporting ourselves women, as friends, mothers, and daughters. Read it you'll be glad you did.

This was a very enjoyable, well written book. I won it from FreeBookFriday.com so when it arrived I wasn't sure it was going to be my cup of tea but it definitely was. I love historical fiction and the story of Elise and her difficult upbringing and life -- first as a servant girl and then eventually lady in waiting to the Queen was terrific. I was really rooting for her the entire time and the plot twist at the end regarding Sleeping Beauty is great.

Blackwell's writing is beautiful and this is definitely a book you will treasure and enjoy. I could barely put it down.

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell was a very fast listen for me not to mention an excellent one too! Who doesn’t love fairy tales and especially Sleeping Beauty. While Beauty Slept is a retelling of that age old fairy tale that we grew up with and kids are growing up with now. Was there really a Prince and a Princess who was awakened by his kiss? Elizabeth Blackwell tells a tale of a royal family and a princess and just maybe what really happened so long ago in that tower!

Elise is now a great-grandmother but she still remembers the old days. When she hears her great-granddaughter telling the tale of Sleeping Beauty all her memories of times past coming rushing back to her. You see Elise was there. She knew the princess and her royal family and had spent years in their service finally ending in being a companion to the princess. Yet twisted in all these years was turmoil and an evilness that reached through the years with the sole purpose of destroying the royal family.

Elise is really the main character in this novel and I liked her so much. When she lost her mother to small pox she headed to her aunt’s house with the hopes that she would get a job in the castle just as her mother had. As luck would have it she does. Through grief, lost love, and happiness Elise stays loyal to the royal family and especially the princess. When tragedy strikes Elise is entrusted with the care of the princess and Elise would give her own life for the girl. Leaving the castle briefly she comes back to find… I think maybe you need to read the book yourself for this surprising twist!

Despite having a review copy I splurged on the audio after listening to a sample. It’s narrated by Wanda McCaddon and her portrayal of this story is just wonderful. She brought this story vividly alive in my mind and while I know I would have loved this one in print as well I can’t help but say that if you have a chance to listen to the audio do it! It’s fantastic!

Beautiful cover, beautiful story, and amazing writing. Cuddle up in your favorite chair with this one and just enjoy! Highly recommended!

Review originally posted at my blog: Traveling With T

While Beauty Slept was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a honest review.

While Beauty Slept

The story opens with Elise Dalriss’s great granddaughter telling a story to the other kids- a story about a fair maiden- Sleeping Beauty. Elise is uneasy with this story being told- but she doesn’t say anything to her great-grandaughter, until Elise finds her searching her room and holding a special knife. Elise sits the girl down and begins telling a story- a story of wonder, of love, of betrayal and pain.

Elise, a young lady living on a farm, longs for a different life. Farm people usually do not get to live a different life- but Elise dreams about the castle- and hopes that one day, she will be a part of the life there. After managing to survive the pox that decimated her family, Elise goes to the castle in search of employment and by using her mother’s name- is able to get employment as a chambermaid.

Quickly young Elise takes to life at the castle- and is rewarded by moving up the ranks, until she is the Queen’s personal attendant. The Queen and Elise develop a friendship and Elise vows to be there for the Queen’s child- a child named Rose. Most of the kingdom is happy that Rose has been born- happy and healthy and one day will be the leader, the ruler of the kingdom. Not all are happy, though. Millicent, the King’s sister is not happy- as she feels she is the rightful heir to the throne.

After Milicent puts a curse of Rose, she is banned from the kingdom- and life becomes changed in the castle. The King and Queen are worried for Rose’s future and Elise worries that Millicent will exact her revenge on Rose.

As the story unfolds and the reader finds out what happened- does Millicent exact her revenge? How far will Elise go to protect the beautiful Rose? What will Elise give up to for Rose to have the life she was born for? While Beauty Slept takes what you, the reader, knows about the tale of Sleeping Beauty and creates a story that is engaging, lovely, and filled with wonderful characters and prose that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

When I received an email asking to consider WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT for review, I jumped at the chance. I love fairy tales and particularly love SLEEPING BEAUTY. I was curious to see how this story would be retold and how much would stay true. While the book WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT had flavors of the Disney movie, SLEEPING BEAUTY, this book is so much more. It’s a tale that grips you from the early pages. Beautiful phrasing, chapters that move along at a nice pace and an ample supply of plot twists to keep the reader entertained.

WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT, a loosely based re-telling of SLEEPING BEAUTY, does not have so much of a magical/fantasy feel as it does a historical fiction tinge. Which just increases my opinion of this book because it would have been so easy to take this story to a magical/fantasy type of place, but a historical fiction shows skill. Elizabeth Blackwell has a promising debut on her hands- and one that I am glad I was able to read.

*Thanks to Amy Einhorn Books for providing Traveling With T a review copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell

My rating: 3.5 of 5

Fairytale retellings are one of my favorite types of books. I love to see what authors can do with a classic story to make it their own new fascinating tale. So when I found this book while looking through the list of e-advanced readers I could download, it stood out. This story was to be different from other fairy tales or even their revised versions. This one was said to be the “true” story of Sleeping Beauty, not of magic or witches, but of a curse brought on by events that could have actually taken place.
This was written as historical fiction, rather than fantasy. Usually I’m not a fan of historical fiction, but I’ve been in a reading slump and thought maybe I should give it a try since it was still a fairy tale.
I wanted to love this book, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It did get me through the reading rut I’d been in though and I read 2 more books in the 3 days following finishing this one up so I give it credit for that. I’m still honestly a little torn on how I feel about the whole thing. I fluctuate between a 3 and 4 star depending on which part of the book I think of. But as a whole, I would recommend this to anyone who likes fairy tale retellings or possibly even if they just like historical fiction. (Though, full disclosure, as I’m not a reader of it, I can’t vouch for whether it’s historically accurate to any time period.)

Anyway, here’s what I liked and what I did not.

The Good:
*Very well written descriptions and most of the characters were well developed. Many of them I missed once the book was over, and those are the good kind. The villains were well developed too, but I can’t say I miss them.
*Elise’s love story.
*Even though it was written as a historical version of the story, it still felt like “once upon a time” was the setting. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but I liked it.

The Not So Good
*The pacing was by far my biggest issue. It felt like there were pieces of the story that were dragged out far too long, but then the ending felt rushed.
*The foreshadowing was kind of awful. It seemed like almost every page had a line something like this: “If only we knew then what this would truly mean.” It was all. the. time. And it got really redundant. We get it, something terrible is going to happen, and you didn’t see some of the signs (or sometimes you did, and pointed that out as well).
*So as not to say any spoilers, I just want to say that I really didn't like how some of the events that played out.

The “It’s not really bad, but this made it not what I expected”
*There was very little about Rose herself. This was not her story until almost the very end, she was barely
in it. She was a driving force behind some of the story, but it was really Elise’s story.
*I still haven’t decided how I feel about the ending.

This book was received from Edelweiss as an electronic advanced reading copy. This review can also be found on my blog, Starshine in Colorado.

Forget the story of Sleeping Beauty that you've heard all of these years. The truth, as told by Blackwell, is quite a different tale. Told from the perspective of Elise, a woman who worked as a maid to the royal family and became a lady in waiting after marrying a knight. Elise was more than just a servant; she was a friend and confidant to both the Queen and the beautiful princess Rose. Their story was not a fairy tale but rather a story marked by heartbreak, suffering, and death.

This retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” is narrated by a young farm girl who becomes maidservant to the queen and companion to a much-wanted princess. When a curse from the past manifests, Blackwell surprises with an imaginative twist. The novel’s strength comes from using familiar elements from the fairy tale to ground the story while changing others to hook the reader from the first page. —Audra Friend, Bloggers Recommend

Loved this book! It was a little slow getting into but once you get acquainted with the characters, it’s hard to put down. I loved the way the author described the castle and life at court. I loved the spin that the author put on the original fairy tale. After I finished the book, I started to look for more books like that, about queens, kings, castles, etc. Definitely a must read!

Avid readers love to plunge into a book and freefall into new worlds. Bending back the front cover of Ms. Blackwell’s While Beauty Slept is like opening the foot-thick, wooden door to the castle.
What a refreshing take on this fairy tale, one grounded in realism, not the supernatural, where love is the only enduring magic.
Having enjoyed plenty of legal dramas, investigative thrillers, and mainstream bestsellers, I was surprised at how much of a page-turning, unable-to-put-down obsession this became for me. It was the story as much as the setting as much as the writing itself.
There will be no re-telling here. Enter the castle yourself and meet the unforgettable Elise. By the final page of the book, you’ll not soon forget Ms. Blackwell, either.

Excellent writing, intriguing story. Moved a little slowly for me and I was a little saddened by how anti-climatic the ending was BUT that's a 'real-life' fairy tale for you! Blackwell is an expert storyteller and I loved the setting, the details, and how realistic things related to the fairy tale (the 'evil' Millicent and her sweet sister Flora--not witches but herbalists and political strategists...).

Holy amazing. No detail was overlooked, from how people speak and dress and the appropriate etiquette for the different classes of women and men throughout. I was fascinated by the story itself and loved the way women were ultimately portrayed. They were the true leaders and the ones who pulled the puppet strings over the men. Great read!