review: godmother by carolyn turgeon

The subtitle to Carolyn Turgeon’s excellent Godmother is “The Secret Cinderella Story,” which it definitely is. This book, which is told from the Godmother’s perspective, changes everything you thought you knew about the classic fairy tale. First off, the reason Cinderella is so beautiful is that she’s actually half-fairy. Her mother had an affair with a fairy, who ended up being banished because of it. Similarly, Lil (Cinderella’s Godmother) is also banished because of a love affair with a human—-Cinderella’s Prince Charming. How Lil came to attend the ball in Cinderella’s place is shocking and a bit devastating for anyone who loved Cinderella as a child. Another dark twist comes at the end, but it almost seems appropriate and doesn’t take away from the beautiful story.
5/5
ARC Review
Review copy provided by the publisher, Three Rivers Press.