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Waking Beauty

Expanding, transforming, and subverting the magical tale of Sleeping Beauty, Rebecca Solnit revitalizes this classic story with a new perspective: Maya, the sister who stayed awake.

Waking Beauty tells of Maya’s great adventures, the inspiring, extraordinary artist and changemaker who “found [beauty] everywhere and gave it to everyone”; Atlas, who guarded the golden apples and was definitely not a prince; and Ida, who slept for a century and woke up in a very different world. The perfect follow-up to Cinderella Liberator, Solnit seamlessly weaves these compelling narratives, crafting a story that is as delightful and enchanting as it is empowering.

Reviews
  • “Playful and inventive in its handling of gender roles, this fairy tale mashup is surprising and delightful, inverting expectations. A retold fairy tale wrapped in a fantasy cloak, Waking Beauty satisfies and charms with its reinvented gender roles and inventive magic.
    Foreword Reviews Starred Review

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