The Confessions of Queen Cinderella Reviews
The Confessions of Queen Cinderella
Cinderella married a prince at the end of her fairy tale but her story is far from over. Years after ascending to the queen’s throne she is kidnapped by the king’s enemies and held under house arrest. As she waits out the uprising while facing possible execution, she recounts her life after the end of the fairy tale, telling the story of a powerless and illiterate near-commoner thrust into the life of court, and how she managed to find her own way to enlightenment through the power of words.
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Splendid Exploration of “Happily Ever After”,
“The Confessions of Queen Cinderella” examines the happily ever after part of Cinderella’s story. What kind of ruler chooses a bride who can bring neither assets nor alliances to the marriage? Would the nobility really tolerate a commoner being elevated above their own daughters? How would an intelligent but uneducated teenager handle sudden immersion in court life?
Anton Hur approaches the subject matter with outstanding writing ability and historical perspective. Little details – an aside that the slipper was really fur and not glass (referring to a controversy among folklorists as to whether the word “verre” meaning glass was substituted for “vair” meaning a type of squirrel fur used in trim), mention of the precarious social position of a character with English and Huguenot background, and so forth – add depth lacking in most fairy tale retellings.
I hope Hur’s muse continues to inspire him. I enjoy superbly written historical fantasy: Ursula LeGuin’s “Lavinia,” R A MacAvoy’s “Trio for Lute, Mary Stewart’s Merlin series, and a few others. Based on the quality of “The Confession of Queen Cinderella,” I wonder if Hur will someday produce a full length novel equal to one of these greats.
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