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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
This was a pen-pal read for Fiction Fair. Godmother:Full Review Here
I'm so disappointed! I loved the idea of this book and kept trying to like it (still can't pinpoint exactly what made it such a drag to muddle through). Read up to page 144 and just couldn't finish it; as much as I'd love to know how it ends, it felt too painful to push through.
I should have DNF'd. Authors and publishers need to provide proper TW/CW. This book is not a fairy tale. It is dark with a sad ending. Why did I read it? This was a book club pick.
SLJ review:
TURGEON, Carolyn. Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story. 288p. Three Rivers. 2009. pap. $13.95. ISBN 978-0-307-40799-3. LC 2008021054.
Adult/High School—Turgeon manages to turn the classic fairy tale into a transcendental apology for the unacknowledged linchpin of the tale: the fairy godmother. Lil is an old woman, spending her days eating, sleeping, and working at a used bookstore in New York City. Her failure to get Cinderella to the ball has haunted her for centuries. No one knows who she is or why she has been exiled from the fairy kingdom to live out her days as a human, strapping down and hiding her beautiful fairy wings. But when the opportunity to once again pair a lovely, deserving woman with a handsome prince presents itself, Lil believes that maybe, just maybe, this is her chance to go home. The story and its characters are unveiled in alternating flashbacks and present time and carry readers along to a jaw-dropping, unexpectedly melancholy conclusion. Is Lil really who she believes she is, or has she created her world out of fairy dust and whole cloth? Teens who expect a fluffy, chick-lit read may be disappointed with the magically pervasive sadness of this story, but those who enter with an open mind will be well rewarded.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
TURGEON, Carolyn. Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story. 288p. Three Rivers. 2009. pap. $13.95. ISBN 978-0-307-40799-3. LC 2008021054.
Adult/High School—Turgeon manages to turn the classic fairy tale into a transcendental apology for the unacknowledged linchpin of the tale: the fairy godmother. Lil is an old woman, spending her days eating, sleeping, and working at a used bookstore in New York City. Her failure to get Cinderella to the ball has haunted her for centuries. No one knows who she is or why she has been exiled from the fairy kingdom to live out her days as a human, strapping down and hiding her beautiful fairy wings. But when the opportunity to once again pair a lovely, deserving woman with a handsome prince presents itself, Lil believes that maybe, just maybe, this is her chance to go home. The story and its characters are unveiled in alternating flashbacks and present time and carry readers along to a jaw-dropping, unexpectedly melancholy conclusion. Is Lil really who she believes she is, or has she created her world out of fairy dust and whole cloth? Teens who expect a fluffy, chick-lit read may be disappointed with the magically pervasive sadness of this story, but those who enter with an open mind will be well rewarded.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
3.4 stars
I would have given this a higher rating if not for the last 5-10 pages. It was beautifully written and the story is a unique retelling that I very much enjoyed. The last few pages, however, instead of bringing everything together seemed to convolute the entire story.
I would have given this a higher rating if not for the last 5-10 pages. It was beautifully written and the story is a unique retelling that I very much enjoyed. The last few pages, however, instead of bringing everything together seemed to convolute the entire story.
I was going to give this book two stars, but the last five pages took it up to three.
Once the fairy godmother to Cinderella, Lil has been banished to earth to live as a human. She takes a job in a bookstore, while trying to forget the incident that caused her fall. When she meets Veronica, a girl not unlike Cinderella, she realizes that she might just have a chance to redeem herself and find a way back to her world.
The story alternates between Lil's present in New York City, and the events leading up to Cinderella's ball. It's an intriguing, though definitely dark, version of the tale, which works all the way up to the twist at the end.That just cast the whole book in an even darker light and ruined it for me.
The story alternates between Lil's present in New York City, and the events leading up to Cinderella's ball. It's an intriguing, though definitely dark, version of the tale, which works all the way up to the twist at the end.That just cast the whole book in an even darker light and ruined it for me.
A dark take on Cinderella from the fairy point of view. What if the fairy godmother had gone to the ball instead of Cinderella? Maybe she would be banished to live amongst mortals, and end up working at a bookstore in New York. Alternating between the story of Cinderella and the modern day woes of the Godmother who sees a final chance to redeem her mistake and make amends, this story was interesting, if a bit uneven. What I liked was that we are never sure as we read whether the character really is a fallen Fairy Godmother, or if she's just crazy.
Full review here:
https://taylormaemarie.com/2016/11/15/godmother-by-carolyn-turgeon-review/
https://taylormaemarie.com/2016/11/15/godmother-by-carolyn-turgeon-review/
I guessed the end half way through and kept thinking "please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong." Didn't like it. Someone on here said it was a great piece of creative writing. I agree. Felt like one of those things you read in class that has a random "shocker" ending. Just wasn't a fan