While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth BlackwellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I liked the story quite a bit, a sort of tale from an old woman to her great-granddaughter, looking back on life. The only mentions of this, though, are in the front, and at the epilogue. Otherwise, it's historical fiction, set in an anonymous small kingdom during an anonymous time frame, but one that included outbreaks of smallpox and little to no healers/medical people. Although the story is supposed to be a trope of Sleeping Beauty, it didn't feel that way to me. The fairies who cursed and relaxed the curse of the princess were her great-aunts. In fact, we didn't even get to meet a princess until quite far into the book. The other elements of sleep and wake-up kiss are less fairytale. So...I liked it, but it was a nice slice of early medieval castle life from the viewpoint of a serving girl with questionable parenthood who rose to prominence in the local castle. For that, it was a picture of a period of time I enjoy reading about. Not too gory or gritty or traumatizing; just a nice holiday read. Recommended for those who enjoy fairytales and medieval life lite.
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