Beastly
A modern Beauty and the Beast from the beast's point of view.
Beastly is a 2007 novel by Alex Flinn that retells the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale in a contemporary New York City setting, narrated from the beast's perspective. Flinn researched multiple versions of the story and incorporated playful allusions to them, including chat room transcripts where the protagonist interacts with other transformed teens.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Alex Flinn
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Fantasy novel
- Publisher
- HarperTeen
- Released
- October 2, 2007
- Pages
- 320
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Kyle Kingsbury, a handsome and wealthy high school student with a shallow personality, plays a cruel practical joke on Kendra, an outcast who is secretly a witch. She curses him, turning him into a beast. Before his transformation, Kyle gave an unwanted rose corsage to a girl at a ticket booth; seeing this small kindness, Kendra promises that if within two years he falls in love and is loved in return, the spell will break. Kendra gives him a magic mirror showing anyone he wishes to see. His father locks him in a mansion-like apartment, where his only company is his housekeeper and later a blind tutor named Will. Kyle finds solace in a greenhouse of roses. After a year, he changes his name to Adrian, meaning 'Dark One,' reflecting his changed identity. When a robber stumbles into his garden, Adrian offers not to report him if the robber brings his daughter, Linda. Adrian realizes Linda is the girl he gave the rose to. He fixes a room for her with roses and books. Initially resentful, Linda slowly warms to him, and they begin tutoring sessions. Before the two years are up, Linda wishes to see her father; Adrian lets her use the mirror and sees her father is sick from drug use. He releases her to go to him, inviting her to return in the spring as a friend.
Characters
Kyle Kingsbury, also known as Adrian, is the son of Manhattan news anchor Rob Kingsbury. He starts as a tall, blonde, rich, handsome, and popular bully who feels abandoned by his father. After he plays a practical joke on Kendra, a witch, she transforms him into an ugly beast with fangs, claws, and fur. His ashamed father locks him in a downtown New York apartment. His only companions are his housekeeper, a blind tutor named Will, and Will's dog, Pilot. Kyle changes his name from Kyle, meaning 'handsome,' to Adrian, meaning 'dark one,' and over two years becomes kind and sensitive, finding happiness in his rose garden. He must break the spell by falling in love and being loved sincerely despite his appearance. Linda 'Lindy' Owens is the modern Beauty, described as not the most beautiful, with red hair, green eyes, and crooked teeth; her name means 'pretty.' She applied to Kyle's expensive private school, Tuttle, to escape her life. Kyle initially called her a zero but later falls in love with her through the mirror. Lindy enters Adrian's life when her drug-addicted father offers her to Adrian to avoid police. She resents being taken but eventually tutors with Will and Adrian, loves the roses, and misses her father. When she returns to her father, he sells her again for money and drugs. Later, she and Kyle date at school despite student disapproval. Lindy is smart and tolerant of her father's addiction.
Film adaptation
Vanessa Hudgens played Lindy, Alex Pettyfer played Kyle, and Mary-Kate Olsen portrayed Kendra in the film adaptation. CBS Films bought the feature rights, making it the first project developed by the new film arm of CBS Corporation after the option was announced in December 2007. Daniel Barnz directed and wrote the screenplay. Susan Cartsonis produced through Storefront Films, with Roz Weisberg co-producing. Although it was CBS Films' first picked-up project, it was not their first release; originally scheduled for July 30, 2010, it was postponed to March 4, 2011 due to competitive concerns. Neil Patrick Harris played the blind tutor Will. The film was critically panned but propelled Flinn's novel to the New York Times Bestseller list at number one and the USA Today Bestseller list, where it remained for several months.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Beastly published?
Beastly was published on October 2, 2007.
Who published Beastly?
Beastly was published by HarperTeen.
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