This retelling of the Cinderella story sets the fairy tale in seventeenth century Holland. There are no fairy godmothers, or magic, and the story is told from the point of view of one of the stepsisters. Iris lives with her mother and her sister. When the mother gets a job as a maid in a wealthy home she takes her daughters and moves in. Iris is suddenly surrounded by wealth and ambition. Her mothers ambition extends so far as to become the lady of the house, and Iris discovers that she is willing to resort to anything, even murder, to get what she wants. Iris also becomes intrigued by her unnaturally beautiful stepsister, Clara. When the master of the houses dies, Clara religates herself to the position of a servant, although her ambition go much higher. When a noblewoman announces that her nephew is looking for a wife, all attempt to attract his attention, except for Iris, who finds love in quite a different place.
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The review of this Book prepared by fran laniado
Set against the rich backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland, this is the story of clever teenager Iris, her simpleton sister Ruth, their disturbed and ambitious mother Margarethe - and the mysterious Clara, who becomes Iris and Ruth's stepsister, the beautiful and haunted "Cinderling." A brilliant and lovely re-imagining of the Cinderella story as well as a meditation on art, philosophy, kindness, the role of women, sacrifice, and love.
The review of this Book prepared by Christine Hung
