"BECOMING BEAUTY," by Sarah E. Boucher, Cedar Fort, $15.99, 243 pages (f) (ages 14 and up)
Native Utahn Sarah E. Boucher’s debut novel, “Becoming Beauty,” brilliantly breathes new life into the beloved "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale. In this novel, Boucher flips the beloved characters and the plot upside down and provides the opportunity to relive this childhood favorite from a new vantage point.
In Boucher’s novel, Belle is not the selfless girl everybody loves. She is a manipulator who wants only one thing — to marry into wealth — and no price is too high to pay in achieving her goal. But when the price is her father’s freedom, her family deems it unacceptable, and she finds herself in servitude to the Beast.
Belle is furious with her family but even more furious when the Beast accuses her of being a selfish brat incapable of doing anything right. Determined to prove him wrong, Belle decides to become the best servant ever.
In the process, Belle quickly discovers that maybe she isn’t the person she always thought she was. Belle realizes that the Beast is less beastly than he seems and that his past still governs the present.
When Belle realizes the Beast fits the exact description of the man she always wanted to marry, she finds herself wondering if her dream of marrying for money still applies and if the Beast really is her prince in disguise.
With heartbreaking decisions to make, Belle faces lying to herself or destroying the Beast again, and time is running out. With mysteries still unsolved, Belle is about to change all of their futures forever.
This novel doesn't have foul language, violence or sexual content, and its romantic relationships don't go beyond kissing.
This Odgen resident's new novel isn’t a simple retelling of the beloved classic, but rather a book that enchants until the very end.
If you go ...
What: "Becoming Beauty" launch party and Sarah E. Boucher book signing
When: Saturday, Nov. 15, 1-5 p.m.
Where: Barnes and Noble, 1780 N. Woodland Park Drive, Layton
Web: barnesandnoble.com, saraheboucher.com
Also ...
When: Tuesday, Nov. 18, 7-9 p.m.
Where: Weber County Library, Pleasant Valley Branch, 5568 Adams Ave., Washington Terrace
Danica Baird is a BYU student pursuing a double major in English and journalism.