While Beauty Slept

While Beauty Slept
By Elizabeth Blackwell
Putnam 2014
Genre: Historical fiction, adventure

We all know the tale of sleeping beauty. This isn't the fairy tale, this is what really happened. Elise is now an old woman, and she listens to her great grandchild telling the tale of the princess awoken by the valiant prince. She is transported to when she was young. Elise grew up on a farm, but felt much more at home in the castle. She moved there and found a job as a maid. She quickly moved up in the ranks of the staff. She always put the royal families needs above her own. She ached for the Queen who couldn't seem to have a child. She learned as much as she could and grew to be the Queen's lady. Finally, the King and Queen had a baby girl who Elise loved dearly. But evil Aunt Maleficent seems to be working against the King and Queen. Elise wants desperately to find out who she really is, and along the way to find love too.

I absolutely loved this book. It was like when I was little and engrossed in a fairy tale. I was transported back there. When I was young there was a book I read over and over again that took place in a castle. I just LOVED it. I was swept back to childhood to the majesty of the castle and the hustle and bustle of the medieval world. It felt very fresh and a completely new way to look at the story.

This was a real page turner for me, purely because I was so swept up in the story. I felt I had jumped on the sleeping beauty band wagon. Not long after this book came out, the movie Maleficent came out. Another side of the story and another fresh look at this well loved fairy tale classic. I read an article about how the author developed this story and it was from watching an interview with an artist from the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. I really loved her writing style I felt as though I was there with Elise running around the castle. OK, and how many characters are named Elise? It's both jarring and exciting. I was glad that she was a good character and not some horrible evil one.

I find that I either love a rehash of a well loved story or I HATE it, loath it entirely. There is no in between. I don't know if that is good or bad. How do you feel about retelling of old stories? For me this really hit its mark. I thought it was familiar and yet totally new. There were new characters and new points of view. I suppose that is why it was such a hit for me.

This was a fairly easy read. But take that with a grain of salt, I was sucked in very quickly and read this book everywhere! So it seemed to go by almost too quickly for me. I don't think I can really express why I thought this was such a good book. It felt magical, tragic, and happy all at the same time. So I guess you will have to just try it yourself.

We went out for high tea a few weeks ago. And afterward I had a very large craving for scones to go with my tea. So I made some scones. I used some lavender sugar I purchased while on holiday in the summer. I sprinkled it on top of the scones, I didn't use very much because I didn't want the lavender to over power the scone. I could have used a bit more.

I made buttermilk scones. If you are searching for recipes for a good scone, like I was (and you are getting mixed messages) look no further. I can tell you that the buttermilk traditional scones are the best way to go. The recipe suggested making a double batch and then freezing them. That is what I did, and it was so worth it! I suggest you do the same.

I served my scones with cream and jam. It was delightful. I suggest you curl up with "While Beauty Slept" this week and have a nice cup of tea and a scone. Enjoy!

On a non book related note, I hope that you all have a wonderful Holiday and you are filled with seasonal love and joy! Happy Holidays!


My Verdict: Give it a try (both the book and whatever holiday suits your fancy)

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................
Are you all done with sleeping beauty or is it still fresh for you? Are you tired of new takes on good tried and true stories? Did you like Elise or did you feel she formed shallow bonds too busy with the royal family to form any real connections?
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................

If you liked this, try:
The Thirteenth Tale
The Museum of Extraordinary Things
Storied life of AJ Fikry