The Sleeping Beauty

The most romantic of fairy tales, retold with Victorian elegance and quiet grace. C.S. Evans draws from both Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, weaving a tale of prophecy, patience, and the transformative power of love. The story follows Briar-Rose, a princess cursed to sleep for a century after pricking her finger on a spindle, a curse no kingly power could prevent, no matter how many spinning wheels were burned. For one hundred years, the kingdom slumbers in enchanted silence, waiting. Then comes a prince, drawn by rumors of a beautiful sleeper behind walls of thorns, who fights through the forgotten castle to find her. The kiss that awakens her is not mere romance. It is the triumph of love over fate, of hope over the certainty of doom. Evans expands the tale with inventive detail, giving depth to the fairy godmothers' gifts and the quiet tragedy of the sleeping kingdom. Arthur Rackham's silhouette illustrations drift through the pages like dreams made visible, making this edition a treasure for those who believe fairy tales are not for children alone.