| $@%&! level: None “Bedroom” level: None Violence level: Low (Someone gets slapped at one point. That's about it.) Back Cover: “Etienne de Brabant is brokenhearted when his wife dies in childbirth, and he cannot bear to see his infant daughter, La Cendrillon. But before he abandons her for king and court, Etienne brings a little boy, whose identity he does not reveal, to be raised alongside her. La Cendrillon and the boy, Raoul, pass sixteen years in the servants' care. Then Etienne remarries, sending his new wife to live at the estate. When they all are invited to a great ball, La Cendrillon's stepmother makes a decision that will lead La Cendrillon and Raoul to challenge their understanding of family, test their courage, and ultimately, teach them who they are.” |
Cameron Dokey puts a lot of very deep and perceptive insights in here, about wishes and love and grief. In a way, those three things cause everything that happens. Etienne de Brabant grieved for his wife, but never truly mourned, and because of that he made destructive wishes which turned against him, and he did things he would not otherwise have done. Cendrillon made her wish out of frustration and anger, but what she wished for was the love of a parent, and because she wished for love and cared for the stepmother and sisters brought by her wish, she became both happier and more like herself. Wishes and love and grief hold a great deal of power in this fantasy world. I guess in a less dramatic way, they do in real life as well, and maybe that's one of the reasons I like this story.
Plus, the way the relationship between the girls develops is just really entertaining.