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Overview
I am not the sort of person about whom stories are told. Those of humble birth suffer their heartbreaks and celebrate their triumphs unnoticed by the bards, leaving no trace in the fables of their time…
And so begins Elise Dalriss’s story. When she hears her great-granddaughter recount a minstrel’s tale about a beautiful princess asleep in a tower, it pushes open a door to the past, a door Elise has long kept locked. For Elise was the companion to the real princess who slumbered—and she is the only one left who knows what actually happened so many years ago.
As the memories start to unfold, Elise is plunged back into the magnificent world behind the palace walls she left behind more than a half century ago, a labyrinth where the secrets of her real father and the mysterious fate of her mother connect to an inconceivable evil. Elise has guarded these secrets for a lifetime. As only Elise understands all too well, the truth is no fairy tale.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781101635193 |
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Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
Publication date: | 02/20/2014 |
Sold by: | Penguin Group |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 464 |
Sales rank: | 833,665 |
File size: | 1 MB |
Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
What People are Saying About This
Elizabeth Blackwell is a story-telling genius. Her mesmerizing writing weaves a spell that will enchant you. While Beauty Slept breathes new life into the fairytale genre with a historical twist that will take your breath away. --Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries and Heather Wells mystery series
Not your grand-mère's Sleeping Beauty: Do you love fairy tales? Elizabeth Blackwell's enchanting While Beauty Slept is like no version of the Sleeping Beauty story that you've read before. Told from the perspective of Elise, a peasant girl who sets out to make her fortune while hiding a secret past, While Beauty Slept is a rich and immensely satisfying reimagining of the classic fairy tale, one that looks at the ageless struggle between love and duty, and asks whether it's possible to be true to both. Alma Katsu, author of The Taker trilogy
"Old-fashioned story-telling and historical fiction create a charming alchemy in this clever reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. . . . With its palace intrigue, romance and death, this is no fairy tale but enchanting nonetheless." —People
“Blackwell treats readers to a retelling that makes historical fiction of the fantasy … Following in the inspired footsteps of Gregory Maguire’s fairy-tale twists, this debut novel puts a spellbinding new spin on a classic yarn.” —Booklist
"Blackwell is faithful to the original while offering a fresh interpretation. . . . [T]he twists that resolve the women's stories are both convincing and moving." —Publishers Weekly
"Unexpected and heartrending . . . A gripping tale full of romance, secrets, and promises made and broken. This beautiful, original reinterpretation of a classic story is engrossing and often surprising." —Library Journal, starred review
“Elizabeth Blackwell is a story-telling genius. Her mesmerizing writing weaves a spell that will enchant you. While Beauty Slept . . . will take your breath away.” —Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries and Heather Wells mystery series
"Elizabeth Blackwell’s writing is magical in this complex, dark, and sensual retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Imaginative, evocative full of surprises, this is a captivating debut." –M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of Seduction
Elizabeth Blackwell's writing is magical in this complex, dark, and sensual retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Imaginative, evocative full of surprises, this is a captivating debut. And like all great fairy tales, this one has the kind of happy ending that requires tissues to wipe way the tears. --M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of Seduction
Reading Group Guide
INTRODUCTION
I am not the sort of person about whom stories are told.
And so begins Elise Dalriss's story. When she hears her great-granddaughter recount a minstrel's tale about a beautiful princess asleep in a tower, it pushes open a door to the past, a door Elise has long kept locked. For Elise was the companion to the real princess who slumbered-and she is the only one left who knows what actually happened so many years ago. Her story unveils a labyrinth where secrets connect to an inconceivable evil. As only Elise understands all too well, the truth is no fairy tale.
ABOUT ELIZABETH BLACKWELL
Elizabeth Blackwell works as a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Ladies' Home Journal, Parenting, and the Chicago Tribune, among other publications.
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