Full Description

Rose is determined to marry a man who loves her. She longs for a great, sweeping romance akin to the ones in her books. But when financial ruin falls upon her family, she must make a difficult choice: wait for her true love who may never come, or be married off to Lord Ashworth, the mysterious yet wealthy baron whom she has never met. Ultimately, she decides that her selfish desire for a loving husband must be set aside in order to save her family, and so she agrees to the marriage. Rose prepares herself for the worst, as she has heard rumors that Lord Ashworth is deformed. But, upon arrival at the castle for her engagement, she finds that he is nothing at all like she imagined.

Ludovic was born a beast and hopes to remain one. He is on the road to becoming a confirmed old bachelor and won't let anything in his way. Not even his mother's dying wish. But, when she arranges a marriage on her deathbed between Ludovic and the daughter of a destitute merchant, all of his plans go awry. How can he avoid this marriage without upsetting anybody? But more importantly, how can he remain a beast when everyone—including this young woman—wants him to become human?

A retelling of the traditional Beauty and the Beast tale, with influences from
Titanic (1997), Pride and Prejudice, Romeo And Juliet, Pygmalion/My Fair Lady, Cinderella, and Disney's Brave.

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Hello, dear readers.

You may find that this novel has a certain preoccupation with names. This is by all means intentional. One of the two main characters, Rose, has what is known as "synesthesia". For those who do not know what this is—essentially, it is a phenomenon where you can experience one sense through another. For instance, you hear a name but then see a color.

While Rose's synesthesia is generally limited to names, you may also find at times that she hears a certain word and then experiences other senses in relation to that word. But I chose names in particular since they are a major topic in this novel. What we call others has a definite impact on how we view them as well as how they view themselves, and I hope to explore that theme here.

I, personally, do not have synesthesia, and so do not know what all it entails—but have done thorough research on it and know people who have it. If you have any information on how I could portray someone with synesthesia more accurately, feel free to leave a review.

In contrast with Rose's synesthesia, the other main character, Beast (also known as Lord Ashworth / Ludovic) has highly-developed senses—particularly that of smelling and hearing. This is due to being half-animal, half-man. In this novel, my intent is to explore the similarities and differences between man and beast, and this is just one of the ways in which I do it. Nonetheless, I hope you find the descriptions of these senses to be engaging and enjoyable to read.

This novel is set in 1860s England. Please keep in mind that I am American and have (regrettably) never traveled outside of the country. I hope my portrayal is relatively accurate to the time period and place in which it is set, but if you think the novel would benefit from certain alterations of its portrayal of the setting, do not hesitate to comment. With that being said, this novel is fictitious and rooted in fantasy, so it will not be 100% historically accurate—but I wish to create a vivid, tasteful portrayal nonetheless.

I am not really sure if this novel is to be classified as fanfiction or an original retelling. There is such a fine line between the two. Do keep in mind that this novel is a retelling of the 18th-century French court tale and novel by Villeneuve as well as de Beaumont—not a fanfiction of the Disney cartoon (though you might find a couple of nods to the Disney movie here and there). While it is a retelling of the traditional fairytale, it also incorporates certain characters and plot points from Titanic (1997), My Fair Lady, Pygmalion, Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, Cinderella, and Disney's Brave. I know there are a lot of works to pull from, but I hope that, nonetheless, it will be a coherent story with these influences shuffled in.

But, overall, I would classify this as an original retelling because you do not have to be familiar with these influences to understand and appreciate the story. I believe it's still fully coherent even for a reader who knows nothing about the "Beauty and the Beast" tale.

I hope you enjoy this spin on the classic story. I appreciate any and all criticisms, especially with this being the first draft. Thank you for taking the time to read.