Godmother

by Carolyn Turgeon

Book Overview

A new take on Cinderella , told from the perspective of the fairy godmother living in modern-day Manhattan Lil is an old woman who spends her days shelving rare books in a tiny Manhattan bookstore and lonely nights at home in her apartment. But Lil has an intriguing secret. Tucked and bound behind her back are white feathery wings--the only key to who she once was: the fairy godmother responsible for getting Cinderella to the ball to unite with her...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307407993
• ISBN13: 9780307407993
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Just Wow! So much to take in! This is not a teen read!

This book is filled with so much. At first I had a hard time following but started again and good lord this is not a teen book! I loved it though!

Thought Provoking Enchantment

Do yourself a favor, click the buy button and prepare to be engrossed in Carolyn Turgeon's re-imagining of the classic Cinderella story. But this is not some simple modification of a childhood tale. Her writing genius takes us in an entirely new direction that is both thought-provoking and slightly perplexing. "Godmother" is the kind of book that creates an intriguing blend of fantasy and reality, with an ending that will leave you wanting more. For those who love New York City, Carolyn will walk you through the streets in a way you've never experienced, and for those who love fantasy, she will create a world that does the same. - Diana S. Zimmerman, "Kandide and The Secret of the Mists"

CAPTIVATING, BITTERSWEET FAIRY TALE

Carolyn Turgeon has exquisitely created an achingly beautiful masterwork. I was quite simply enthralled from the very first captivating page. This is a gorgeous, lyrical retelling of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella, only this time, portraying the destiny of the fairy godmother. She has been exiled from the magical fairy kingdom to live out her days as a lowly human being. She profoundly regrets the unforgivable mistake that banished her and is deeply yearning for her fairy world. Character revealing flashbacks are brilliantly interwoven throughout the tale. A dramatic, surprize ending completes this haunting saga. I really, truly loved this book because I too, have felt that deep aching sense of loss and regret for what might have been. You must read this book and share it with others!

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story

This book does for Cinderella what Maguire's Wicked did for the Wizard of Oz. I love to read books where a minor character tells an alternate tale of a well known story. It is beautifully told with every word counting just where is should. It did leave me with a lot of questions about the ending, was Lil really Cinderella's fairy godmother or was she just a delusioned old lady?

A surprising, powerful book

Godmother is a beautiful book with lovely language and vivid word pictures. Lil, the old woman at the center of the story, and the young people she befriends, come to life in the descriptions and dialogue. Age, youth, and love of various kinds are laid out for us in the story of an old woman in a bookstore, the store's young owner, and a hairdresser met by chance. But Lil is not what she seems. The story of Cinderella and her godmother takes place alongside the story of Lil, an old woman with a secret, and the two stories twist together as they rush together to the startling ending. An excellent choice for book clubs.

Finding the glitter in the grit of NYC

I may be as cynical as they come, but I cut my teeth on the fairy tale, first the Walt Disney versions, for which I still have fondness, but oh the day I discovered a big olllld book of Grimm's. My life would never be the same. I certainly could never look at Disney's tales the same. I mean, what's this about the evil step sisters cutting off their heels to fit in those glass slippers? This is not to say I found one version better than the other at that impressionable age, rather it is to note when I realized I was broadening my horizons and looking at things in a different light. The start of creative thinking, what a joy. Fast forward, uh I'm not going to say how many years, and I have never lost that ability to appreciate how others can take a story and create a whole new world with it. I thoroughly enjoyed what Gregory McGuire did with Wicked and I absolutely adore what Carolyn Turgeon did with Godmother. Well, even more so, because she took a story that was dear to me and set it in both a fantastical place and a place that is just as near and dear (and still fantastical) to me, New York City. Her words are gorgeous, the characters are both compelling and unique and her worlds are heartbreaking and magical. I know that the ending caused quite an uproar amongst previous reviewers and all I can say to that is, some people cannot tolerate a fantastical story ending in an ambiguous manner, and one that is undeniably sad. This is something that very much appealed to me about Turgeon's work and I closed the book happy to know that it would haunt me long after I put it down. And aren't the greatest stories, the greatest works of art and literature supposed to do just that?