Three New Cinderella-Inspired Romance Novels
Cinderella” retellings start to look a lot less escapist once you realize that “princess” is just a metaphor for a better, more rewarding kind of job. One with advancement potential built right in. Because labor is as much a part of the fairy tale as romance is: Cinderella shouldn’t have to work so hard for nothing. Seen through this lens, a heroine’s happy ending isn’t about beauty or luxury or even innate goodness, it’s about having her efforts recognized and recompensed. This is the subversive streak of the fairy tale that can never quite be suppressed, the thorn that lurks in the heirloom roses.To get more news about Romance Novel, you can visit freewebnovel official website.
It’s also why retellings by Black authors have particular resonance in a culture that so often devalues Black labor, love and lives. Beverly Jenkins’s lyrical “Indigo” celebrates a heroine whose hands are permanently stained from slavery; Alyssa Cole’s “A Princess in Theory” is about a graduate student in epidemiology whose work is often credited to her white, male lab partner and whose true heritage as long-lost royalty helps her eradicate a plague in her prince’s kingdom. And now in Rebekah Weatherspoon’s IF THE BOOT FITS (Dafina, 288 pp., $8.99), where much of the plot is internal, a personal assistant to Hollywood royalty comes to realize that her own dreams and ambitions are worth putting first in her life.
Most Cinderellas famously leave a slipper behind. Weatherspoon’s heroine, Amanda McQueen, holds on to her shoes, but unwittingly makes off with her one night stand’s brand-new Oscar statuette. It’s a fun twist on the traditional scene, and it sets the tone for an adorable retelling, engaging and character-rich.
Crucially, this isn’t a rescue arc, where the famous actor with all the money swoops in to save the heroine from her worries. Instead, Sam and Amanda help each other find more meaningful work: Sam as a leading actor trying to capitalize on a big win, and Amanda following her dream of becoming a screenwriter. This kind of mutual empowering is one of Weatherspoon’s hallmarks, and I always eat it up.
Our next book is a “Cinderella” by proxy: Alexandria Bellefleur’s queer contemporary debut WRITTEN IN THE STARS (Avon, 370 pp., $15.99) is a descendant of “Bridget Jones,” begot by “Pride and Prejudice” (the rare Cinderella-type that isn’t about work). On one side we have Elle, an astrologer with a robust social media following. On the other side is Darcy, a buttoned-up actuary who guards her heart as carefully as she does the pristine surfaces in her swanky apartment. Their jobs are central to who they are, particularly when it comes to romance and taking risks.
This book is a delight, even after you notice the paradox at its heart. Elle as a heroine is A Lot, all rainbows and marshmallows and relentless optimism; in one pivotal scene she literally sheds glitter. The paradox comes about because the plot makes her over-the-topness the crux of the relationship arc. Staid, stoic Darcy’s acceptance of Elle becomes a test of character — and it’s impossible for the reader not to feel tested as well, if for an instant they find themselves less than enthusiastic about this living laser light show of a heroine.
That small point aside, this is the richest and most accurate fictional Seattle I’ve seen, bar none. I hate that it’s now possible to miss a beloved city even while living in the heart of it.
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Three New Cinderella-Inspired Romance Novels
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Posted 22 June 2022 - 07:53 PM
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