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Godmother #1
The Godmother
Donning a crystal pendant of unsuspected power and wishing for a fairy godmother who will save all of Seattle, social worker Rose Samson is amazed by the prompt arrival of the silver-haired Felicity Fortune and her magical powers.
341 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
25 people are currently reading
530 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
125 books213 followersElizabeth Ann Scarborough was born March 23, 1947, and lives in the Puget Sound area of Washington. Elizabeth won a Nebula Award in 1989 for her novel The Healer's War, and has written more than a dozen other novels. She has collaborated with Anne McCaffrey, best-known for creating the Dragonriders of Pern, to produce the Petaybee Series and the Acorna Series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 27, 2017
This book needs a trigger warning. (The Hansel-and-Gretel-subplot's villain is a pedophile. A little too much gritty reality being juxtaposed against the frothy silliness of a fairy godmother chirping about true happily ever afters...)
March 2, 2020
This felt a little like Charles de Lint in its exploration of extreme misery and child abuse overlaid with magical assistance. One thing I will say for de Lint, though, is that at least he never rubbed my face in a toddler's point-of-view scene of child rape. Thank you for that. I'm not marking that as a spoiler, because a) it was almost inevitable and b) everyone should know about that going in. I wish I had. I probably wouldn't have read it if I'd known. There unfortunately is no such actual thing as brain bleach.
Godmothers, originally fairy and now mostly humans with benefits, respond to wishes and selflessness and get involved with the unfortunate. Not all the unfortunate, of course, or even one percent. And sometimes the assistance backfires. Or is completely inept.
There are elements to probably a dozen or more fairy tales and folk tales – Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Bluebeard, and so on, with one venture into Vietnamese mythology – and they are, mostly, well integrated and nicely used; the Snow White storyline didn't make me roll my eyes once, although the Cinderella thread ended with more of a whimper than a bang. I could admire the weaving in of the stories … except for the bloody talking cat. I could not reconcile a talking cat, inherently comical, with the tone and message of the book.
In the end, the book adopts an appropriately fairy tale pretty-darn-near-happily-ever-after stance… but that, in truth, makes it a terribly sad ending. Very few of the problems are fixed – the child who was molested, for one, will never be what she might have been, and neither will her brother, and that could have and should have been prevented; the Cinderella stand-in is worse off than she was in the beginning, and the plotline did her horse no favors at all. And, on a larger scale, the dismal plot devices of poverty and violence and drugs and abuse and murder are all too real – they are present in every city (or any other gathering of human beings). There are no fairy godmothers – or if they do exist they have rigorously avoided me all my life. And while most bureaucracies are not – I don't think – quite as bad as the one depicted here as far as ill intent, they're anything but perfect, and always overwhelmed. And there isn't anyone to swan in on a cloud of rainbows and glitter to try, even ineptly, to make it any better. The final pages in particular are larded with the sort of humor heard in morgues and police stations, and … sorry, I'm not a cop or a coroner, and not so dulled to the horrors that the humor seems in any way appropriate. A child was raped; another was almost murdered three times; another was homeless and fighting for his life. Don't expect me to giggle a few pages later over a pissed-off toad.
It's one of those books that I read willingly while it was in my hand, but did not pick up eagerly; I thought about tracking down the sequels, but it's also one of those books that do not improve with being looked back on: the more thought I give it the more it irritates me and the less I want to continue in this world. And honestly the rating is going down as I think about it. So … while the writing was technically good, and the idea was … interesting, I can't say this was a successful book. It's urban fantasy, certainly, and fits best under that description, but while the representation of urban Washington State/Puget Sound area was vivid, I've seen many better urban fantasies. Despite many of the trappings, it can't qualify as escapist fantasy; there is no escape to be found here. But it's also hard to swallow as a message book (in part due to that damn cat). I'm not sure what, in the end, the point of the book was, if there was one; the moral of the story is, I suppose, to be kind to each other and not wait for magic to step in.
Problem is, no one is really listening.
Two and a half stars under a sensible system, rounded up to three because I've had a crappy year.
Godmothers, originally fairy and now mostly humans with benefits, respond to wishes and selflessness and get involved with the unfortunate. Not all the unfortunate, of course, or even one percent. And sometimes the assistance backfires. Or is completely inept.
There are elements to probably a dozen or more fairy tales and folk tales – Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Bluebeard, and so on, with one venture into Vietnamese mythology – and they are, mostly, well integrated and nicely used; the Snow White storyline didn't make me roll my eyes once, although the Cinderella thread ended with more of a whimper than a bang. I could admire the weaving in of the stories … except for the bloody talking cat. I could not reconcile a talking cat, inherently comical, with the tone and message of the book.
In the end, the book adopts an appropriately fairy tale pretty-darn-near-happily-ever-after stance… but that, in truth, makes it a terribly sad ending. Very few of the problems are fixed – the child who was molested, for one, will never be what she might have been, and neither will her brother, and that could have and should have been prevented; the Cinderella stand-in is worse off than she was in the beginning, and the plotline did her horse no favors at all. And, on a larger scale, the dismal plot devices of poverty and violence and drugs and abuse and murder are all too real – they are present in every city (or any other gathering of human beings). There are no fairy godmothers – or if they do exist they have rigorously avoided me all my life. And while most bureaucracies are not – I don't think – quite as bad as the one depicted here as far as ill intent, they're anything but perfect, and always overwhelmed. And there isn't anyone to swan in on a cloud of rainbows and glitter to try, even ineptly, to make it any better. The final pages in particular are larded with the sort of humor heard in morgues and police stations, and … sorry, I'm not a cop or a coroner, and not so dulled to the horrors that the humor seems in any way appropriate. A child was raped; another was almost murdered three times; another was homeless and fighting for his life. Don't expect me to giggle a few pages later over a pissed-off toad.
It's one of those books that I read willingly while it was in my hand, but did not pick up eagerly; I thought about tracking down the sequels, but it's also one of those books that do not improve with being looked back on: the more thought I give it the more it irritates me and the less I want to continue in this world. And honestly the rating is going down as I think about it. So … while the writing was technically good, and the idea was … interesting, I can't say this was a successful book. It's urban fantasy, certainly, and fits best under that description, but while the representation of urban Washington State/Puget Sound area was vivid, I've seen many better urban fantasies. Despite many of the trappings, it can't qualify as escapist fantasy; there is no escape to be found here. But it's also hard to swallow as a message book (in part due to that damn cat). I'm not sure what, in the end, the point of the book was, if there was one; the moral of the story is, I suppose, to be kind to each other and not wait for magic to step in.
Problem is, no one is really listening.
Two and a half stars under a sensible system, rounded up to three because I've had a crappy year.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2010
Not at all what I was expecting, but still a great read! The story is about a Godmother who comes to grant the wish of Rose, a Seattle social worker, to give her a hand with her caseload. In The Godmother, Scarborough suggests that many modern-day situations are variations on themes told in the fairy tales of old, though in these modern times the stories often get convoluted and mixed with other stories.
The Godmother has a lot of characters, most of them revolving in some way around our social-worker leading lady Rose and her well-intentioned but sometimes mixed-up Godmother, Felicity Fortune. Fairy tales you may recognize include Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Puss In Boots, and The Magic Flute, among others. And these aren't your Disney-fied fairy tales, either - they are modern interpretations on the original gruesome and often "Grimm" tales of old.
The story is fast-paced and involving, though it could be easy to get lost in the rather large jumble of characters at play. Also, the characters are all, for the most part, very multi-faceted and well thought out, though not very deep. Or if they are deep, we don't get to see that depth. Scarborough seems to focus more on moving the action forward then fully developing her characters, which I suppose is necessary with such a large cast. Still, a great story, though at times the writing style or storyline seems to falter a bit. Also no real development of Rose, who I saw as supposed to be the main character, throughout.
If The Godmother were a movie, it would have to be rated R for language, violence, sexual explicitness, and themes of rape, incest and pedophilia. That being said, I rate it a firm 5 stars.
The Godmother has a lot of characters, most of them revolving in some way around our social-worker leading lady Rose and her well-intentioned but sometimes mixed-up Godmother, Felicity Fortune. Fairy tales you may recognize include Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Puss In Boots, and The Magic Flute, among others. And these aren't your Disney-fied fairy tales, either - they are modern interpretations on the original gruesome and often "Grimm" tales of old.
The story is fast-paced and involving, though it could be easy to get lost in the rather large jumble of characters at play. Also, the characters are all, for the most part, very multi-faceted and well thought out, though not very deep. Or if they are deep, we don't get to see that depth. Scarborough seems to focus more on moving the action forward then fully developing her characters, which I suppose is necessary with such a large cast. Still, a great story, though at times the writing style or storyline seems to falter a bit. Also no real development of Rose, who I saw as supposed to be the main character, throughout.
If The Godmother were a movie, it would have to be rated R for language, violence, sexual explicitness, and themes of rape, incest and pedophilia. That being said, I rate it a firm 5 stars.
June 5, 2023
Nice little retelling of fairy stories with a modern treatment. Cinderella, Puss and Boots, Hanzel and Gretel, and Snowwhite all taking place in modern day Seattle given the restraints imposed upon the author in having to write within certain parameters to make the motif recognizable it was done rather well considering. This was a light-hearted story compared to her highly praised "Healer's war" or "Nothing Sacred" where her female characters were often people who overcame some rather heavy abuse and suffering in the context of a war. Here there is no war, but there is abuse some reviewers even made a point of lowering their review of this book because of her depiction of child abuse. Hanzel and Gretel duh! How do you not talk about abuse, in fact, back in the day the abuse was a whole lot worse than anything we do today, some of these brother Grimm stories are G-rated version of some really horrible torture and abuse situations, but that is for some other review lets just say I didn't find her modern depiction of this story to be bothersome at all. (I've read much harder stuff this is nothing) still I can't give it four stars because it was a little boring, a little too Jungian archetypes in a manner that seemed like the tools used in a therapy session for dealing with trauma. I like my stories of abuse like my coffee dark no sugar. Still this was a fun light read so I shouldn't be too hard on it.
December 12, 2011
What I love best about Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's books is that her princesses are self-rescuing and imperfect.
Her urban fantasy is truly urban fantasy, it's not romance with vampires or werewolves.
In this story, she combines elements from fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and Cinderella with several story lines running together and woven around the main character who is a social worker in Seattle who made a wish to a fairy godmother.
I recommended this book to my daughter who is very much the hero of her own story and a self-rescuing princess, and decided to re-read it myself, and remembered again why it was so enjoyable. There are some scary moments and some very creepy villains along the way, but you have to admire the resourcefulness of the heroes and heroines who are really just people trying to do the best they can.
Her urban fantasy is truly urban fantasy, it's not romance with vampires or werewolves.
In this story, she combines elements from fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and Cinderella with several story lines running together and woven around the main character who is a social worker in Seattle who made a wish to a fairy godmother.
I recommended this book to my daughter who is very much the hero of her own story and a self-rescuing princess, and decided to re-read it myself, and remembered again why it was so enjoyable. There are some scary moments and some very creepy villains along the way, but you have to admire the resourcefulness of the heroes and heroines who are really just people trying to do the best they can.
June 2, 2021
Rereading. On one hand I can't put it down. On the other hand, it didn't age well. The setting heavily references things going on in the Pacific Northwest in the late 80's and early 1990's. Reagan's closure of mental institutions. Monies that were to be redirected to helping these people in the home was redirected to completely unrelated uses resulting in a massive increase in homeless mental patients. The issues with the timber industry and the Spotted Owls. Asian gang activity in Seattle back in that time period. The actual stories of the characters are timeless. Those issues were around long before and are still valid in stories today. But the setting is very dated and might not make sense to people who didn't live in the area and in the time period to remember those things. Most of it doesn't help the story now but rather holds it back. But, I also said that I can't put it down either. I'm posting this today because I typed all that out already. But I will need to remember to change the finish date tomorrow as I'll likely finish it tomorrow.
July 5, 2014
The bureaucratic nightmare of social worker Rose Sampson's job isn't really hard to imagine, even if it is supposed to be fiction. Her case load includes some modern versions of a number of fairy tales - Cindy Ellis is still victimized by her stepsisters, Sno Quantrill goes missing much to her stepmother's joy, and two young children try to find their way home from the mall where their own mother 'forgot' them. Rose is frustrated and wishes for a fairy godmother to help fix everything. Felicity Fortune shows up to assist. Everything really isn't fixed - the fairy godmother crew has their own bureaucratic frustrations - but certainly, the lives of those they touch improve.
These aren't disney fairy tales; there are some disturbing scenes straight out of Grimm.
These aren't disney fairy tales; there are some disturbing scenes straight out of Grimm.
April 26, 2010
This book was a quick read, but it wasn't nearly as good as the Five Hundred kingdoms books by Mercedes Lackey.
The main character was likable enough, but too much time was spent on the (disturbing) side stories - and those side stories focused on young children, whom I don't find that enjoyable to read about.
The main character was likable enough, but too much time was spent on the (disturbing) side stories - and those side stories focused on young children, whom I don't find that enjoyable to read about.
November 7, 2011
Heroine wishes for someone to help with social services in Seattle and gets a Fairy Godmother. Magic is rather minimal, but interesting story—even a “happily ever after”, though it’s downplayed to a large extent. Cute.
July 20, 2007
Not a great story and not very well-written, but the Seattle setting of this fractured fairy tale was enjoyable.
September 3, 2025
Three and a half stars, really, but I felt obligated to push it to four stars in defense of the dark content. The purpose of this book was to highlight the darkness already present in fairytales, and emphasize fairytales psychological nature, by setting them in the present day, in a social work context. I found most of them very well done, though I do think she had too many strands, and the book would have been better for less stories and more focus. Parts are quite funny too – the seven dwarves being seven Vietnam Vets on a spiritual drumming retreat was one of my favorite elements.
This book is also a fascinating time capsule of Seattle during the Reagan era. I don't know if the author was a social worker herself or if she just had friends who were, but I found the descriptions of the system and its disfunctions to be very convincing.
This book is also a fascinating time capsule of Seattle during the Reagan era. I don't know if the author was a social worker herself or if she just had friends who were, but I found the descriptions of the system and its disfunctions to be very convincing.
July 31, 2023
I have never been a fan of Brothers Grimm Fairytales. They are too dark for me. I did not expect this book to be as dark and cruel as the fairytales….I was expecting and hoping for the “fairy godmother aspect.
This is a retelling of fairy stories with a modern treatment. Cinderella, Puss and Boots, Hanzel and Gretel, and Snow White all taking place in modern day Seattle. As I read it, I toyed with the idea of discontinuing reading it because of the pedophilia, child abuse, and general cruelty in the stories….but, I kept hoping there would be a Magickal happy ending to offset some of the storyline. It is there…….but, you will need to go through a lot of modern day ugliness to get there.
This is a retelling of fairy stories with a modern treatment. Cinderella, Puss and Boots, Hanzel and Gretel, and Snow White all taking place in modern day Seattle. As I read it, I toyed with the idea of discontinuing reading it because of the pedophilia, child abuse, and general cruelty in the stories….but, I kept hoping there would be a Magickal happy ending to offset some of the storyline. It is there…….but, you will need to go through a lot of modern day ugliness to get there.
December 7, 2019
The Godmother by Elizabeth Scarborough
This is a fantasy explaining the basis for fairy tales as directed by a fairy godmother.
The premise is that many fairy tales as example those of the brothers Grimm, were truly grim and often contained timeless warnings.
The book was sad with some of the things that we do to each other and humorous with some of the fairy godmothers’ manipulations.
I enjoyed it.
This is a fantasy explaining the basis for fairy tales as directed by a fairy godmother.
The premise is that many fairy tales as example those of the brothers Grimm, were truly grim and often contained timeless warnings.
The book was sad with some of the things that we do to each other and humorous with some of the fairy godmothers’ manipulations.
I enjoyed it.
February 20, 2021
Wow! Awesome fairy tale set in Seattle. Love the modern takes on traditional fairy tales woven together in this action-packed story with several great female protagonists. This book came out in 1995 and has been on our bookshelves since we got married in '03. (Husband brought with him 300+ books, many of which I have been yearning to read now that the kids are older and I actually have time!) Diving into the sequel shortly!
March 13, 2022
The description of this book led me to believe that it would be a bit funnier and a bit more lighthearted than it actually turned out to be. It was a sad picture of the worst parts of our world and human nature and the “happy ever afters” didn’t bring it back around to anything really all that happy. I would Not recommend this book and I will be removing it from my collection.
August 25, 2017
The Godmother
I found this book to be a good read. I also had a hard time putting it down. It also was very reasonably priced. Yes I would recommend this book and I plan on getting book two.
I found this book to be a good read. I also had a hard time putting it down. It also was very reasonably priced. Yes I would recommend this book and I plan on getting book two.
February 25, 2019
I enjoyed the fractured fairy tales, but subject matter and language make this not a clean read!!
October 29, 2019
great book. the whole series is easy to read and very enjoyable.
January 7, 2020
wow, that got dark ...
February 25, 2020
Loved it, funny, educational and entertaining
Read her book about the war, liked her perspective . Decided I wanted to explore more of her own books.
Read her book about the war, liked her perspective . Decided I wanted to explore more of her own books.
August 2, 2021
Fun the first time - takes place in Seattle.
September 27, 2021
Interesting mashup of several fairy-tales.
December 28, 2022
Liked the premise, and the connections made between the fairy tales and the present, but despite there being a happy end, I could not enjoy this due to the amount of abuse depicted in less than 300p.
December 31, 2022
Couldn't get through it. The writing did not flow nicely.
February 7, 2023
Not bad. There were a lot of related stories and I could have done without the child molestation storyline.
May 5, 2023
I really enjoyed this book and will look for more in the series
February 4, 2022
Trigger warning: pedophilia and child abuse.
I loved many of the other things this book did, not least its snapshot of the 90s (yes, dated, but I don't think any of those things have gone away. Also, I recommend unions.)
I loved many of the other things this book did, not least its snapshot of the 90s (yes, dated, but I don't think any of those things have gone away. Also, I recommend unions.)
June 7, 2016
Originally posted on Paranormal Sisters: http://paranormalsisters.blogspot.com...
Going old school here.
Picking it up because of the cover and buying it for it's concept I was ready to read a light hearted easy read that would help me get over my reading funk.
Instead I got the darker side of Fairy Tales. Which I don't mind, I was just surprised by it is all. More depressing, in a way, and less Disney like.
The characters I liked. Felicity with her silvery being, Rose and her wanting to help everyone even if it means no sleep for her, Fred being a charming man in uniform, too, wanting to help without getting much sleep, Puss a talking cat (what's not to love there), and the toad with an attitude.
The Fairy Tales are main ones we know. Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel & Gretel. I liked the first two. Cindy Ellis was a lighter character for me. She seemed just a bit brighter even though her evil stepsisters caused her to be miserable. I liked most reading her scenes. Sno is a teenage girl with an absent father only caring about his career as a rock star, though we find out he cares more than she knows. She's tough and can kick ass though sometimes I'm a little surprise to what comes out of her mouth.
And then there's the Fairy Tale of Hansel & Gretel. In the beginning you see there parents struggling with ends mean and that they have to move in with their mothers sister, their aunt. Whom isn't a very good influence on their mother. Parents getting angry attitudes, their mom back to being a stripper & father mad that he has no job runs away with out them sure of him coming back.
Their mom starts dating a rich guy but he doesn't like children so of course she decides to try to dump off her kids at the mall but it doesn't work, the first time. The second time she did a better job at it. The kids go looking for the police but Gigi, the youngest, gets distracted by a gingerbread house the size for a person, an adult person.
Now, I'm not naive, I know child molesting goes on in the world but does that mean I want to read about it......no. There isn't a detailed scene just suggestions of the subject but nonetheless I don't want to have it in my books. They are a way of escaping, aren't they? I wanted to rush through those scenes and it kind of turned me off of the book while I was reading. See, here's some of the depressing I was taking about. Definitely not Disney like.
However, I did enjoy the story. The action when each are trying to save each other. The romance between Fred and Rose. The magic of the Fairy Godmother. And the page turner this book was. The characters were real and these things happen in real life.....sadly. It shows what humans can really do if they put their minds to it. And not in a good way.
Overall I was happy with how it ended
Going old school here.
Picking it up because of the cover and buying it for it's concept I was ready to read a light hearted easy read that would help me get over my reading funk.
Instead I got the darker side of Fairy Tales. Which I don't mind, I was just surprised by it is all. More depressing, in a way, and less Disney like.
The characters I liked. Felicity with her silvery being, Rose and her wanting to help everyone even if it means no sleep for her, Fred being a charming man in uniform, too, wanting to help without getting much sleep, Puss a talking cat (what's not to love there), and the toad with an attitude.
The Fairy Tales are main ones we know. Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel & Gretel. I liked the first two. Cindy Ellis was a lighter character for me. She seemed just a bit brighter even though her evil stepsisters caused her to be miserable. I liked most reading her scenes. Sno is a teenage girl with an absent father only caring about his career as a rock star, though we find out he cares more than she knows. She's tough and can kick ass though sometimes I'm a little surprise to what comes out of her mouth.
And then there's the Fairy Tale of Hansel & Gretel. In the beginning you see there parents struggling with ends mean and that they have to move in with their mothers sister, their aunt. Whom isn't a very good influence on their mother. Parents getting angry attitudes, their mom back to being a stripper & father mad that he has no job runs away with out them sure of him coming back.
Their mom starts dating a rich guy but he doesn't like children so of course she decides to try to dump off her kids at the mall but it doesn't work, the first time. The second time she did a better job at it. The kids go looking for the police but Gigi, the youngest, gets distracted by a gingerbread house the size for a person, an adult person.
Now, I'm not naive, I know child molesting goes on in the world but does that mean I want to read about it......no. There isn't a detailed scene just suggestions of the subject but nonetheless I don't want to have it in my books. They are a way of escaping, aren't they? I wanted to rush through those scenes and it kind of turned me off of the book while I was reading. See, here's some of the depressing I was taking about. Definitely not Disney like.
However, I did enjoy the story. The action when each are trying to save each other. The romance between Fred and Rose. The magic of the Fairy Godmother. And the page turner this book was. The characters were real and these things happen in real life.....sadly. It shows what humans can really do if they put their minds to it. And not in a good way.
Overall I was happy with how it ended
September 11, 2012
This book started well, and then overstepped its own limits. A shame.
The initial idea was nice enough; a social worker is confronted to real-life cases that mimick several fairy-tales. Why not. It was a little heavy-handed of the author to have a character explicitly state that fairy-tales are archetypes that keep reproducing themselves in the real world (this rationalisation sounded silly, and since it was not enough of a justification, it could have been omitted with no problem), but that's a minor flaw. The reason why the rating I was reading to give to this book dropped steadily as I read has to do with the contents of the tales themselves.
This book was about social misery. Fair enough, some really hard things happen in real life: homelessness, paedophilia, and so on. I'm not uncomfortable reading about that sort of things in general. What makes me uncomfortable, however, is to have a white, middle-class woman lecture me about this sort of things in a way that shows that she has never truly been there, or has never thought about it all that much. Most of the dire cases narrated in the book are portrayed so as to make the (white, middle-classe) social worker heroin and her (white, middle class) policeman friend look good: after all, they're the ones who give away their lives to help poor homeless black vietnamese sex worker whatever people who can't help themselves. It's cheapening. It turns dire cases of human misery into plot devices. Also, I was deeply uncomfortable that in the end, a book about such horrible things was written as a feel-good week-end read. I mean, these things really happen, there's no godmother coming to make it all right, and they happen to real people, not props that were put here by the management so that the white heroin could prove how good she was and fulfill her life.
That's my big problem: in the end, this novel shows terrible things happening and brushes them off at the same time, stating that it's all right, anyway, it will all have a happy ending.There's no effort to make readers feel any empathy for the people to whom these things happen; our focus is the nice, caring social worker. I felt I had been cheated into reading gory details of child abduction (yeah, that' a spoiler, but seriously, it's something you should know before opening this book in case you don't feel up for it) for the hell of it, in a very voyeur way. There can be no denunciation whatsoever when a nice fairy godmother is there to save the day, so all that remains is the unhealthy pleasure of reading about grisly anecdotes. Frankly, I don't think we need more books to do that.
The initial idea was nice enough; a social worker is confronted to real-life cases that mimick several fairy-tales. Why not. It was a little heavy-handed of the author to have a character explicitly state that fairy-tales are archetypes that keep reproducing themselves in the real world (this rationalisation sounded silly, and since it was not enough of a justification, it could have been omitted with no problem), but that's a minor flaw. The reason why the rating I was reading to give to this book dropped steadily as I read has to do with the contents of the tales themselves.
This book was about social misery. Fair enough, some really hard things happen in real life: homelessness, paedophilia, and so on. I'm not uncomfortable reading about that sort of things in general. What makes me uncomfortable, however, is to have a white, middle-class woman lecture me about this sort of things in a way that shows that she has never truly been there, or has never thought about it all that much. Most of the dire cases narrated in the book are portrayed so as to make the (white, middle-classe) social worker heroin and her (white, middle class) policeman friend look good: after all, they're the ones who give away their lives to help poor homeless black vietnamese sex worker whatever people who can't help themselves. It's cheapening. It turns dire cases of human misery into plot devices. Also, I was deeply uncomfortable that in the end, a book about such horrible things was written as a feel-good week-end read. I mean, these things really happen, there's no godmother coming to make it all right, and they happen to real people, not props that were put here by the management so that the white heroin could prove how good she was and fulfill her life.
That's my big problem: in the end, this novel shows terrible things happening and brushes them off at the same time, stating that it's all right, anyway, it will all have a happy ending.There's no effort to make readers feel any empathy for the people to whom these things happen; our focus is the nice, caring social worker. I felt I had been cheated into reading gory details of child abduction (yeah, that' a spoiler, but seriously, it's something you should know before opening this book in case you don't feel up for it) for the hell of it, in a very voyeur way. There can be no denunciation whatsoever when a nice fairy godmother is there to save the day, so all that remains is the unhealthy pleasure of reading about grisly anecdotes. Frankly, I don't think we need more books to do that.
May 27, 2013
Rose Samson, Seattle social worker, wishes for a fairy godmother, and high-class British accented Felicity Fortune tries to oblige. Envious stepmother sends knife-wielding assassin Robert "Bobby" after Snohomish Quantrill (spell that one without looking), rock-star's daughter on probation. Sheo escapes and meets seven nicknamed Vietnam veterans on masculine drumming-sauna retreat.
Toddler Gigi and brother Hank are abandoned by their drug-addled mother. Saved once by friendly cop Fred, the second time the kids are picked up by a predatory pedophile. Ding, Vietnam refugee, now leads a gang of teen ruffians and jumps orphan Dico, even after Felicity gives him a reincarnated talking Puss for help.
Updating Grimm's tales to greys instead of black and white - blonde is good, brunette is ugly is evil - just turns into complicated scary serial offender standard - disappointing, 1-2*. I was hoping for a new series to follow, unlikely to look.
Toddler Gigi and brother Hank are abandoned by their drug-addled mother. Saved once by friendly cop Fred, the second time the kids are picked up by a predatory pedophile. Ding, Vietnam refugee, now leads a gang of teen ruffians and jumps orphan Dico, even after Felicity gives him a reincarnated talking Puss for help.
Updating Grimm's tales to greys instead of black and white - blonde is good, brunette is ugly is evil - just turns into complicated scary serial offender standard - disappointing, 1-2*. I was hoping for a new series to follow, unlikely to look.
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