Fist-pumping, funny & feminist look at life after the glass slipper for Cinderella’s ugly sisters..!
Stepsister is Jennifer Donnelly’s smart, subversive and utterly compelling retelling of Cinderella and hijacks the Brothers Grimm version of the fairytale to deliver a powerful and persuasive lesson in female empowerment. This is a story for everyone who has ever been told they don’t quite fit into a world that tries to dictate what a female must and mustn’t be and for anyone who has ever felt like a round peg in a square hole. The Grimm version of Cinderella uses the idea of the ugly stepsisters mutilating their feet in an attempt to fit into the glass slipper and so fulfil their mother’s expectations of marrying well and securing their future livelihoods. Told in the most original way, the story stays true to the darker elements of Grimm and hence there is no fairy-godmother but a fairy queen, Tanaquill, who expects wishes to be earned and uses a symbolic linden tree for the more magical elements. The prologue also introduces the idea of how Fate and Chance alter our lives with two characters, a crone (fate) and a marquis (chance), both battling to take control of the map charting the course of a persons life and if there is one aspect that could possibly confuse younger readers it may well be the concept of Fate and Chance as actual characters fighting in the background as life plays out.
The once upon a time story starts in earnest with the prince and soon to be King of France arriving at the Maison Douleur in the village of Saint-Michel and seeking the owner of a glass slipper left after a beautiful girl fled a masquerade ball held at the palace. Fierce, determined, boisterous and brave, Isabelle, and her brainy theorem loving science and maths whizz sister, Octavia (Tavi), both resort to cutting off their toes in an efforts to secure the prince, but it is their stepsister, Ella, who is the beautiful one destined to slip perfectly into the glass slipper. The wicked stepsisters may have bullied Ella, banished her to the cold attic and forced her to dress in rags but her beauty, kindness, generosity of spirit and patience (as Maman repeatedly tells them), outshines theirs any day...
Reduced to poverty and riddled with jealousy the central protagonist is sixteen-year-old Isabelle left behind as Ella leaves to become Queen. Summoning the fairy queen, Tanaquill, who enabled Ella to attend the masquerade ball, Isabelle tells how her biggest wish is to be pretty. However wishes are never simply granted and in order to be given her wish Tanaquill tells her that she will need to find the three missing pieces of her heart. But what are those pieces...? Charity, kindness, generosity..? Turns out it’s slightly more complicated than that and at first glance it’s not quite clear how the three mysterious gifts the fairy queen gives her are going to help, namely a seed-pod, a walnut shell and a jawbone. With determination, courage and by fighting the voices within who try to stop her achieving the impossible dream, Isabelle begins her quest but with treacherous Volkmar von Bruch and his army plotting to overthrow the King of France, take control of the country coming ever closer to Saint-Michel, it becomes a momentous race against time. But as Isabelle attempts to forge her own path and in doing so take control of her destiny, the characters of Fate and Chance engage in a spirited battle for control of her “map” and Fate places a number of obstacles in her way.
As I never read fantasy or magical realism novels I was concerned that the story would go over my head, however in truth the make-believe magical aspect doesn’t overly intrude on the story and with fairytales by definition inventive I was expecting more than a sprinkling of creativity. Empowering and full of pithy ‘life-lessons’ delivered in a contemporary way the story is about as far away from preachy as possible! There are so many soundbites that resonate and they are conveyed with an undertone of snarky humour keeping the message age-appropriate. I would recommend for mature 9-11 year olds as despite succinct chapters, Stepsister is a lengthy book with a involved plot that demands readers follow it closely in order to appreciate the character development. I might be significantly older than the target audience but I was fist-pumping all the way through a rousing denouement! A powerful story that is all the more appropriate in today’s world where social media increasingly dictates what a person must be in order not to be considered a misfit.
The entire cast and not just Isabelle, but sister Tavi and Maman are well-fleshed and emotionally complex characters, allowing the reader to empathise with their differing predicaments. The secondary characters do more than simply support the plot line, they experience their own emotions and also learn a great deal about themselves. This is not just Isabelle’s tale, it is all those that team up with her and vie for redemption. By exploring where Isabelle’s jealously and loathing of Ella stems from, Donnelly’s story makes her pain visible and enables readers to empathise and appreciate the true emotions she is struggling to express. Turns out there a lot more things that top being pretty...
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
The once upon a time story starts in earnest with the prince and soon to be King of France arriving at the Maison Douleur in the village of Saint-Michel and seeking the owner of a glass slipper left after a beautiful girl fled a masquerade ball held at the palace. Fierce, determined, boisterous and brave, Isabelle, and her brainy theorem loving science and maths whizz sister, Octavia (Tavi), both resort to cutting off their toes in an efforts to secure the prince, but it is their stepsister, Ella, who is the beautiful one destined to slip perfectly into the glass slipper. The wicked stepsisters may have bullied Ella, banished her to the cold attic and forced her to dress in rags but her beauty, kindness, generosity of spirit and patience (as Maman repeatedly tells them), outshines theirs any day...
Reduced to poverty and riddled with jealousy the central protagonist is sixteen-year-old Isabelle left behind as Ella leaves to become Queen. Summoning the fairy queen, Tanaquill, who enabled Ella to attend the masquerade ball, Isabelle tells how her biggest wish is to be pretty. However wishes are never simply granted and in order to be given her wish Tanaquill tells her that she will need to find the three missing pieces of her heart. But what are those pieces...? Charity, kindness, generosity..? Turns out it’s slightly more complicated than that and at first glance it’s not quite clear how the three mysterious gifts the fairy queen gives her are going to help, namely a seed-pod, a walnut shell and a jawbone. With determination, courage and by fighting the voices within who try to stop her achieving the impossible dream, Isabelle begins her quest but with treacherous Volkmar von Bruch and his army plotting to overthrow the King of France, take control of the country coming ever closer to Saint-Michel, it becomes a momentous race against time. But as Isabelle attempts to forge her own path and in doing so take control of her destiny, the characters of Fate and Chance engage in a spirited battle for control of her “map” and Fate places a number of obstacles in her way.
As I never read fantasy or magical realism novels I was concerned that the story would go over my head, however in truth the make-believe magical aspect doesn’t overly intrude on the story and with fairytales by definition inventive I was expecting more than a sprinkling of creativity. Empowering and full of pithy ‘life-lessons’ delivered in a contemporary way the story is about as far away from preachy as possible! There are so many soundbites that resonate and they are conveyed with an undertone of snarky humour keeping the message age-appropriate. I would recommend for mature 9-11 year olds as despite succinct chapters, Stepsister is a lengthy book with a involved plot that demands readers follow it closely in order to appreciate the character development. I might be significantly older than the target audience but I was fist-pumping all the way through a rousing denouement! A powerful story that is all the more appropriate in today’s world where social media increasingly dictates what a person must be in order not to be considered a misfit.
The entire cast and not just Isabelle, but sister Tavi and Maman are well-fleshed and emotionally complex characters, allowing the reader to empathise with their differing predicaments. The secondary characters do more than simply support the plot line, they experience their own emotions and also learn a great deal about themselves. This is not just Isabelle’s tale, it is all those that team up with her and vie for redemption. By exploring where Isabelle’s jealously and loathing of Ella stems from, Donnelly’s story makes her pain visible and enables readers to empathise and appreciate the true emotions she is struggling to express. Turns out there a lot more things that top being pretty...
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.