it did have all those things, but it's told in very different style with some different elements, and most importantly, written entirely in the first person from Beauty's point of view.

and no, no room of talking birds.

The one I'm reading now is her other Beauty and the Beast retelling, "Rose Daughter," which so far is fantastic, and actually very different than "Beauty." Obviously there are similar elements of the story, but really, we all know how the story goes, it's getting there that's half the fun.

It's like watching a Columbo mystery. The audience always knows who did it from the first five minutes of the show, the fun of watching is trying to figure out how long it's going to take Columbo to figure it out, and how he's going to prove it.

So, you can say that's it's exactly like the original story, but that's just not true, it's a whole new adventure every time. It's like with "The Giver" which is one of my absolute favorite books. I've read the book probably ten times, but every time I read it, I find something new and exciting and can put a different twist on things.

"We are the music makers... and we are the dreamers of the dreams." Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder)