Well, that is a totally different take on a beloved tale!
I am left with so many questions from this brief extract, that I cannot wait to have answered by reading the rest of the book.
Does Sophie (Snow White) really die this time? Who is this “he” that the Huntsman refers to? Is Adelaide really as heartless as she seems? Has she always been this way? Why is she the way she is? What happens to Tom? And why is kindness and mercy seen as a weakness, at least for women? Is ruling by fear really the only way for a woman to reign?
I have my own thoughts and suspicions on some of these topics.
I think “he” could be jealousy, perhaps - the Queen’s for Sophie. Or maybe some kind of master puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the scenes? I need to find out! I think that Adelaide has reasons for her terrible cruelty, and she clearly feels that the answer to the last of my questions is “yes” - fear is the only way she can maintain control. Is this so? I hope she can be proved wrong by the end of the book. The very last part of the extract suggests that Adelaide was indeed not always the monster she seems to be now - what has happened to make her so heartless? Was she once like Sophie, but now feels that she has to hide any shred of emotion? She seems still, despite all appearances, to feel regret for what she “has” to do to survive, and I want to find out all about that. Something momentous must have happened to change her - I want to find out what! I like this suggested depth of character for the fairy tale’s Wicked Queen. I also think there is an element of social commentary in these first chapters which is interesting and adds further depth to the tale. A king can rule with kindness and compassion and be beloved, because he is a man, and therefore not weak; but in a woman these same traits are seen as weakness and something to be exploited - or so Adelaide clearly thinks. Is she right? I certainly hope not!
All of this makes me say that this is an intriguing new take on a classic tale, adding greater depth to the stock characters, and I would love to discover how it all turns out! Thankyou, Readers First, for giving me the opportunity to see the opening of this “new Snow White”.
I am left with so many questions from this brief extract, that I cannot wait to have answered by reading the rest of the book.
Does Sophie (Snow White) really die this time? Who is this “he” that the Huntsman refers to? Is Adelaide really as heartless as she seems? Has she always been this way? Why is she the way she is? What happens to Tom? And why is kindness and mercy seen as a weakness, at least for women? Is ruling by fear really the only way for a woman to reign?
I have my own thoughts and suspicions on some of these topics.
I think “he” could be jealousy, perhaps - the Queen’s for Sophie. Or maybe some kind of master puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the scenes? I need to find out! I think that Adelaide has reasons for her terrible cruelty, and she clearly feels that the answer to the last of my questions is “yes” - fear is the only way she can maintain control. Is this so? I hope she can be proved wrong by the end of the book. The very last part of the extract suggests that Adelaide was indeed not always the monster she seems to be now - what has happened to make her so heartless? Was she once like Sophie, but now feels that she has to hide any shred of emotion? She seems still, despite all appearances, to feel regret for what she “has” to do to survive, and I want to find out all about that. Something momentous must have happened to change her - I want to find out what! I like this suggested depth of character for the fairy tale’s Wicked Queen. I also think there is an element of social commentary in these first chapters which is interesting and adds further depth to the tale. A king can rule with kindness and compassion and be beloved, because he is a man, and therefore not weak; but in a woman these same traits are seen as weakness and something to be exploited - or so Adelaide clearly thinks. Is she right? I certainly hope not!
All of this makes me say that this is an intriguing new take on a classic tale, adding greater depth to the stock characters, and I would love to discover how it all turns out! Thankyou, Readers First, for giving me the opportunity to see the opening of this “new Snow White”.