littlelovelybooks's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this a 3 1/2. I more than liked it but I didn't quite really like it. It is an interesting book that at some points disturbed me. I think that Carolyn Turgeon is a wonderful writer with great characters that are well developed but...
The wings that Lil has are revolting to me. They were pictured in the book as these beautiful snow white things but I couldn't get a nice image of them.
And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure just what happened in the end. I was so wanting to be finished with the book to see what happens that I think I must have missed something.
The wings that Lil has are revolting to me. They were pictured in the book as these beautiful snow white things but I couldn't get a nice image of them.
And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure just what happened in the end. I was so wanting to be finished with the book to see what happens that I think I must have missed something.
bak8382's review against another edition
2.0
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.
kblincoln's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, actually.
It's hard for me to read a story where I get frustrated with the main character this much. Lil is an senior lady who works at a book store for George in New York. She gets up every day, walks to work, cleans the store, sells books, and spends quite a lot of time bemoaning the loss of her former life as a fairy-- the exact fairy assigned to get Cinderella to the ball in all the fairy tales.
Only she messed up. She was banished to our human world and now toils and ages and regrets. And boy howdy does she regret. Lots of the book is taken up with her remembering the lake where she lived, her sister, flying around, and of course, her botched job at getting Cinderella to the ball. You see, Lil the fairy took on human shape and with it human desire, and things didn't quite go like the fairy tale said.
Only when a young hairdresser walks into the bookstore, and her employer George needs a date for a fundraiser ball, Lil sees her chance at redemption. She can redo the terrible night and make things right and maybe the fairies will let her come home.
The story is very slow, there's lots of wallowing in sensory details of lace, the smell of dust, the streets of New York and her memories. For instance, the phrase "hand on the back of his neck" etc. is used like six times in the last couple of chapters, and in her mind, Lil goes over and over her feelings of being in love and desire.
The problem was I wasn't quite sympathetic. She seemed so passive and so wrong at the same time. She went about her routine like an automaton and seemed to not really listen to George or Victoria but only treat them like characters from her memory. I got really kind of over Lil about halfway through the book but stuck around for the variation on the Cinderella story.
Anyway, it wasn't to my taste. Too much sensory detail, too much wallowing in angst, and then it turns out Lil might be an unreliable narrator, but so much happened in the past, that the "fun" of an unreliable narrator (at the end when its revealed, you can go back and rethink the scenes from the "more real" POV) was lost because all her memories didn't involve George or Victoria, but fairies from her past. It was unsatisfying for me.
Still, for folks who like angst and poetic, sensory writing about emotions, this might hit them differently than it did me.
It's hard for me to read a story where I get frustrated with the main character this much. Lil is an senior lady who works at a book store for George in New York. She gets up every day, walks to work, cleans the store, sells books, and spends quite a lot of time bemoaning the loss of her former life as a fairy-- the exact fairy assigned to get Cinderella to the ball in all the fairy tales.
Only she messed up. She was banished to our human world and now toils and ages and regrets. And boy howdy does she regret. Lots of the book is taken up with her remembering the lake where she lived, her sister, flying around, and of course, her botched job at getting Cinderella to the ball. You see, Lil the fairy took on human shape and with it human desire, and things didn't quite go like the fairy tale said.
Only when a young hairdresser walks into the bookstore, and her employer George needs a date for a fundraiser ball, Lil sees her chance at redemption. She can redo the terrible night and make things right and maybe the fairies will let her come home.
The story is very slow, there's lots of wallowing in sensory details of lace, the smell of dust, the streets of New York and her memories. For instance, the phrase "hand on the back of his neck" etc. is used like six times in the last couple of chapters, and in her mind, Lil goes over and over her feelings of being in love and desire.
The problem was I wasn't quite sympathetic. She seemed so passive and so wrong at the same time. She went about her routine like an automaton and seemed to not really listen to George or Victoria but only treat them like characters from her memory. I got really kind of over Lil about halfway through the book but stuck around for the variation on the Cinderella story.
Anyway, it wasn't to my taste. Too much sensory detail, too much wallowing in angst, and then it turns out Lil might be an unreliable narrator, but so much happened in the past, that the "fun" of an unreliable narrator (at the end when its revealed, you can go back and rethink the scenes from the "more real" POV) was lost because all her memories didn't involve George or Victoria, but fairies from her past. It was unsatisfying for me.
Still, for folks who like angst and poetic, sensory writing about emotions, this might hit them differently than it did me.
megmcardle's review against another edition
3.0
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.
thearosemary's review against another edition
3.0
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/
ericadeb's review against another edition
1.0
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
becky_lynn's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked this book at the beginning. I felt like I could empathize with Lil and I was intrigued by the fallen fairy idea and some of the other captivating characters (George, Veronica, etc). But by the end I just wanted it to be over. The narrator become untrustworthy/senile and I was hugely disappointed in the ending. I must say that I may have a different version than what got published, I got my hands on a "Uncorrected Proof" edition... I don't know how much of a difference that makes or if any corrections or large scale changes were made.
I would like to check out other pieces that Carolyn Turgeon has written though because in general I liked her style.
I would like to check out other pieces that Carolyn Turgeon has written though because in general I liked her style.
jesssicawho's review against another edition
3.0
Review published here: http://www.hipsterbookclub.com/reviews/copy/0609/godmother_carolyn_turgeon.html
Carolyn Turgeon's Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story is a quirky and offbeat retelling of the classic fairy tale, brought up to date for an adult audience. While preserving the basic, familiar features of the original story, Turgeon introduces readers to an often overlooked and underappreciated part of the story: the fairy godmother. Her interpretation is less Walt Disney than Brothers Grimm, hitting on themes of redemption and forgiveness.
The godmother of this story, Lil, is a fallen fairy now living in present-day New York City after being banished from her magical land. Though she still has her wings, which she keeps hidden under wraps, Lil has lost her magic and is stuck in an aging human form. Now an old lady with white hair, sunken eyes, and a heavy heart, Lil often reflects upon her youth in the fairy kingdom. Chapters alternate between Lil's previous life as a beautiful fairy and her current state. As the story unravels, it becomes clear that Lil made a terrible mistake in her former life that has caused her to live the rest of her days in a kind of purgatory until she is forgiven. Lil believes that if she can play matchmaker once again and cause two of her lonely young friends to fall in love with each other, she will be redeemed, liberated from her human form, and invited back to the fairy land.
The traditional Cinderella story is aimed at a younger audience and has a more transparent and easily digestible theme. Turgeon's version illustrates how people can become their own worst enemies through denial and self-loathing. While there are still touches of whimsy sprinkled throughout the book (like the quaint rare bookstore in which human Lil works) the story is very dark at its core, dealing with some intense issues. Turgeon strikes a good balance between the heavy themes and fantastical aspects of the story, managing to make Godmother relevant enough to be taken seriously but light enough to not be overwhelming or depressing.
One of Turgeon's real gifts is her ability to show, through her writing, the magic of modern, everyday life. Her beautifully written descriptions of New York City rival those of Lil's magical fairy kingdom. Turgeon obviously loves the city and excels at describing the enchanting old city glamour and gritty bohemian districts. It's enough to make a seasoned city dweller want to take a walk around his or her own neighborhood with fresh eyes and discover new charms.
Godmother does have its problems, however—namely, the characters. Lil is the only truly developed character of the book, and her self-loathing and timidity can be bothersome. Yes, she made a horrible mistake in the past and is overcome with a mix of guilt and desire, but there is never any reason for readers to side with her. She is pitiable but not actually likable. The two main supporting characters, the two lonely hearts Lil attempts to unite, are underdeveloped and insignificant. Readers learn next to nothing about the man, George, except that he is handsome, educated, and a bit gloomy. Turgeon must have forgotten to give him a personality or didn't deem one necessary. His polar opposite, Veronica, has an excess of personality, as if Turgeon tried to fit too much into one character and instead ended up with a caricature. Veronica is a loveable oddball , frenzied but caring, friendly but sarcastic, confident but self-deprecating. She's supposed to be young and hip—sewing her own clothes, owning a hair salon, in love with old Hollywood and vintage ephemera, even publishing a blog—but comes across as clichéd and overdone. Veronica and George are intended to be modern versions of Cinderella and the prince, but they elicit no emotion and therefore only serve Lil's plot to bring another young couple together.
Character disappointments aside, the book is well crafted and imaginative. Rather than simply retelling a well-known story from a different perspective, Turgeon turns the tale upside down to reveal a darker side, tackling profound themes of redemption and forgiveness. It's an enjoyable mix of sweet and bitter, light and dark, magic and realism.
Carolyn Turgeon's Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story is a quirky and offbeat retelling of the classic fairy tale, brought up to date for an adult audience. While preserving the basic, familiar features of the original story, Turgeon introduces readers to an often overlooked and underappreciated part of the story: the fairy godmother. Her interpretation is less Walt Disney than Brothers Grimm, hitting on themes of redemption and forgiveness.
The godmother of this story, Lil, is a fallen fairy now living in present-day New York City after being banished from her magical land. Though she still has her wings, which she keeps hidden under wraps, Lil has lost her magic and is stuck in an aging human form. Now an old lady with white hair, sunken eyes, and a heavy heart, Lil often reflects upon her youth in the fairy kingdom. Chapters alternate between Lil's previous life as a beautiful fairy and her current state. As the story unravels, it becomes clear that Lil made a terrible mistake in her former life that has caused her to live the rest of her days in a kind of purgatory until she is forgiven. Lil believes that if she can play matchmaker once again and cause two of her lonely young friends to fall in love with each other, she will be redeemed, liberated from her human form, and invited back to the fairy land.
The traditional Cinderella story is aimed at a younger audience and has a more transparent and easily digestible theme. Turgeon's version illustrates how people can become their own worst enemies through denial and self-loathing. While there are still touches of whimsy sprinkled throughout the book (like the quaint rare bookstore in which human Lil works) the story is very dark at its core, dealing with some intense issues. Turgeon strikes a good balance between the heavy themes and fantastical aspects of the story, managing to make Godmother relevant enough to be taken seriously but light enough to not be overwhelming or depressing.
One of Turgeon's real gifts is her ability to show, through her writing, the magic of modern, everyday life. Her beautifully written descriptions of New York City rival those of Lil's magical fairy kingdom. Turgeon obviously loves the city and excels at describing the enchanting old city glamour and gritty bohemian districts. It's enough to make a seasoned city dweller want to take a walk around his or her own neighborhood with fresh eyes and discover new charms.
Godmother does have its problems, however—namely, the characters. Lil is the only truly developed character of the book, and her self-loathing and timidity can be bothersome. Yes, she made a horrible mistake in the past and is overcome with a mix of guilt and desire, but there is never any reason for readers to side with her. She is pitiable but not actually likable. The two main supporting characters, the two lonely hearts Lil attempts to unite, are underdeveloped and insignificant. Readers learn next to nothing about the man, George, except that he is handsome, educated, and a bit gloomy. Turgeon must have forgotten to give him a personality or didn't deem one necessary. His polar opposite, Veronica, has an excess of personality, as if Turgeon tried to fit too much into one character and instead ended up with a caricature. Veronica is a loveable oddball , frenzied but caring, friendly but sarcastic, confident but self-deprecating. She's supposed to be young and hip—sewing her own clothes, owning a hair salon, in love with old Hollywood and vintage ephemera, even publishing a blog—but comes across as clichéd and overdone. Veronica and George are intended to be modern versions of Cinderella and the prince, but they elicit no emotion and therefore only serve Lil's plot to bring another young couple together.
Character disappointments aside, the book is well crafted and imaginative. Rather than simply retelling a well-known story from a different perspective, Turgeon turns the tale upside down to reveal a darker side, tackling profound themes of redemption and forgiveness. It's an enjoyable mix of sweet and bitter, light and dark, magic and realism.
nodaybutoday05's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mrs_george's review against another edition
2.0
While there were some eyebrow raising parts, I actually liked the story...until the end. It just left me going "huh?!?!"