"Call me Cinderling ... Call me Ashgirl, Cinderella, I don't care. I am safe in the kitchen."
After a couple of hectic days (had to put our old cat down and do some stuff for next semester), it feels good to post something. Unfortunately, I think the book I'm reviewing deserves more time devoted to thinking it over. And at the same time, I just want to do this and move on.
It really sucks when you finish a book and the first thing you can think of, regardless even of whether or not you liked it, is "At least I didn't pay money for this." Well, okay, maybe I'm feeling a bit miserly lately, but the point is I was disappointed in the direction this book took.
On the run from England, the Fisher family - mother Margarethe, Ruth the eldest, Iris the younger sister - arrive in Amsterdam, at first to hunt down an old relative, and then to beg for jobs. Eventually Margarethe scores a stint as a housekeeper for an ill-tempered, cynical painter, known to the girls as the Master. Iris spends the days taking care of the slow Ruth, expressing interest in the Master's line of work, and being charmed by Casper the apprentice. Margarethe finds new employment at the van der Meer household, which sustains its wealth by investing in the lucrative tulip industry. The domineering mother and somewhat absent father there differ on how to raise their only child, a stunningly beautiful girl named Clara. Even though she's sulky and a bit of a snob, Clara comes to befriend Iris and Ruth. Then, two calamities strike the van der Meers: mother Henrika falls fatally ill (making it convienently possible for Margarethe to marry Mr. van der Meer), and their investments in tulip goes sour, leaving them nearly penniless. Margarethe sees an opportunity to marry Iris off to a visiting prince, but Iris is stuck on Caspar, and she herself sees an opportunity for shut-in Clara to go out for a night on the town.
Whew! Well, first of all, I guess I should acknowledge that this book does a good job of turning the story of Cinderella on its head, for the most part: the stepsisters are not cruel, the Cinderella character is not all good-natured and sweetness, and everyone questions the usefulness and/or meaning of beauty. The relationship between Iris and Clara has many layers, starting off as a baby-sitting job and growing into a believable sisterly relationship. Margarethe, on the other hand, reveals herself to be less sympathetic and more conniving as the book goes on; she starts off as a mother trying to provide for her kids, and ends up as an overbearing, heartless bitch who has no real love for anyone. It was hard to understand just how "ugly" Iris is; Margarethe spends the whole book pounding it into her brain, but Clara off-handedly says that she's just on the plain side. But this book is not about ugliness as much as it is about beauty, and spends long conversations on its significance. However, even though many different points of view are explored, nothing concrete is really settled on, so all these discussions don't seem to mean a lot.
That's something Maguire likes to do: find a subject and poke and prod at it, then leave it alone when he finds it can no longer serve his story. In the end, it's the "bonds of family" theme that take precedence over the question of what is beauty. We are meant to feel sorry for Clara, I think, because of her beauty, but it's Iris I feel most comfortable sympathizing with. I found that he also treats his characters with no warmth, choosing to examine them from a distance - spending a lot of time in their heads, but little in their hearts. This is something that stopped me from enjoying the story more. Also, I was disappointed that he didn't go into the fantasy elements of Cinderella and try to explain how and why the story wass embellished on (this is meant to be Cinderella's origin). We hear about an "imp" that Iris imagines to be haunting the van der Meers' house, but it's only used metaphorically in regards to Iris's growth in maturity. The words "fairy godmother" are never mentioned.
Still, it's a good book for a think, and a decent reading experience. Maguire creates real characters and a believable setting, and the complicated love between families both of blood and marriage. Rating: 3.5 imps out of 5.
It really sucks when you finish a book and the first thing you can think of, regardless even of whether or not you liked it, is "At least I didn't pay money for this." Well, okay, maybe I'm feeling a bit miserly lately, but the point is I was disappointed in the direction this book took.
On the run from England, the Fisher family - mother Margarethe, Ruth the eldest, Iris the younger sister - arrive in Amsterdam, at first to hunt down an old relative, and then to beg for jobs. Eventually Margarethe scores a stint as a housekeeper for an ill-tempered, cynical painter, known to the girls as the Master. Iris spends the days taking care of the slow Ruth, expressing interest in the Master's line of work, and being charmed by Casper the apprentice. Margarethe finds new employment at the van der Meer household, which sustains its wealth by investing in the lucrative tulip industry. The domineering mother and somewhat absent father there differ on how to raise their only child, a stunningly beautiful girl named Clara. Even though she's sulky and a bit of a snob, Clara comes to befriend Iris and Ruth. Then, two calamities strike the van der Meers: mother Henrika falls fatally ill (making it convienently possible for Margarethe to marry Mr. van der Meer), and their investments in tulip goes sour, leaving them nearly penniless. Margarethe sees an opportunity to marry Iris off to a visiting prince, but Iris is stuck on Caspar, and she herself sees an opportunity for shut-in Clara to go out for a night on the town.
Whew! Well, first of all, I guess I should acknowledge that this book does a good job of turning the story of Cinderella on its head, for the most part: the stepsisters are not cruel, the Cinderella character is not all good-natured and sweetness, and everyone questions the usefulness and/or meaning of beauty. The relationship between Iris and Clara has many layers, starting off as a baby-sitting job and growing into a believable sisterly relationship. Margarethe, on the other hand, reveals herself to be less sympathetic and more conniving as the book goes on; she starts off as a mother trying to provide for her kids, and ends up as an overbearing, heartless bitch who has no real love for anyone. It was hard to understand just how "ugly" Iris is; Margarethe spends the whole book pounding it into her brain, but Clara off-handedly says that she's just on the plain side. But this book is not about ugliness as much as it is about beauty, and spends long conversations on its significance. However, even though many different points of view are explored, nothing concrete is really settled on, so all these discussions don't seem to mean a lot.
That's something Maguire likes to do: find a subject and poke and prod at it, then leave it alone when he finds it can no longer serve his story. In the end, it's the "bonds of family" theme that take precedence over the question of what is beauty. We are meant to feel sorry for Clara, I think, because of her beauty, but it's Iris I feel most comfortable sympathizing with. I found that he also treats his characters with no warmth, choosing to examine them from a distance - spending a lot of time in their heads, but little in their hearts. This is something that stopped me from enjoying the story more. Also, I was disappointed that he didn't go into the fantasy elements of Cinderella and try to explain how and why the story wass embellished on (this is meant to be Cinderella's origin). We hear about an "imp" that Iris imagines to be haunting the van der Meers' house, but it's only used metaphorically in regards to Iris's growth in maturity. The words "fairy godmother" are never mentioned.
Still, it's a good book for a think, and a decent reading experience. Maguire creates real characters and a believable setting, and the complicated love between families both of blood and marriage. Rating: 3.5 imps out of 5.