Beastly is a 2007 novel by Alex Flinn. It is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City from the view of the beast. Flinn researched many versions of the fairytale to write her book. Many of these are playfully alluded to in portions of the book, particularly the chat room transcripts in which the character of Kyle talks to other teens who have been transformed into creatures.
The book has received numerous awards and recognitions and it had generally received favorable reviews. It has also been adapted into a film in March 2011 starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer played Lindy and Kyle, respectively while Mary-Kate Olsen portrayed Kendra, the witch who transforms Kyle into an ugly beast.
Neil Patrick Harris (best known for the role of the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother) was also in the cast. He plays Will, a blind man in his late twenties hired to tutor Kyle after his transformation. The movie was critically panned, but it catapulted Flinn's novel to the New York Times Bestseller list (#1) and USA Today Bestseller list where it remained for several months.
This novel will keep you busy and entertained at every turn of a page as it keeps you wondering how it weaves parts of the classic story into this contemporary retelling but beware of the usual cheesy internal dialogues that make one go weak in the knees. It is definitely a must that you read the book first before watching the film since there was a lot of changes done.
Beastly is available for check-out and library use at the High School Learning Resource Center in Divine Light Academy Las Piñas. If you're having any problems finding the book at the fREADom Hub shelves or any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask the available librarians or staff members. We would be glad to help!
