Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

By: Charles Seddon Evans

Summary:

A Queen's dream to have a child comes true. While a kingdom celebrates and bestows gifts, a recluse brings a curse. Does the Princess die or fall asleep? Is she the only one? Read the story the Disney classic was based on. What was kept and what was kept out.

The story opens with the Queen longing for a child of her own. A magical frog appears during her bath and predicts that by the following year she will be holding her own baby. Sure enough, a beautiful girl is born. The Royal parents name her Briar Rose and celebrate her arrival with a christening a few weeks later. Lords and Ladies, Princes, Ambassadors from foreign countries all come bearing gifts for the beloved infant. While the kingdom's fairies all bestow gifts of virtues upon the infant, the lone recluse fairy shows her anger by giving the gift of death. she declares that on her 15th birthday, Briar Rose will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die immediately. During all this, one fairy has remained hidden, but comes forth to give her gift. She can't undo the horrible spell, but she does alter it: the Princess will sleep for 100 years, at which time a Prince will come to awaken her.

Sure enough, come her 15th birthday, the spell comes true despite burning every spinning wheel. However, it isn't just the Princess who falls asleep for 100 years, but everyone within the castle. 100 years later, and numerous failed attempts by other Princes, one Prince unfamiliar to the castle and it's spell asks about it. He sets out to be the one to break the spell and does.

I thoroughly loved reading this fairy tale. I thought Disney stayed pretty close to the story and what they did change made sense for the audience they were targeting. I thought I knew the story, but was pleasantly surprised to read the whole castle- with everyone & everything in it- fell asleep for 100 years as well. It was so interesting to read how the outer castle was taken over by plant and thorn growth, but only for so far. When the Prince tackles the thorns and plants he wasn't the only one surprised by the beautiful vegetation and castle found with in the growth- just there sleeping.

I look forward to sharing this fairy tale with my daughters once they get older. I have no doubt that I will read this one numerous times.

Rating: Buy It! Though it was a free ebook for the Kindle