Stepsister
Isabelle has tried to fit in, to live up to her mother’s expectations, but she is not the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper. She didn’t capture the prince’s heart – that’s her stepsister, Ella. In Jennifer Donnelly’s Stepsister, Isabelle is a feisty, plain girl trying to live in a world that values beauty and wants her to be pliant. Her heart has been cut away piece by piece until all that’s left is a mean, jealous, hollow girl. But when given the chance to change her fate, will she alter her destiny, or become what the stories have already determined she should be?
Donnelly’s writing style is a delight to read. She’s so careful in her word choice. It’s evident she took a great deal of time and dedication when writing this book. She must have known how it would impact the girls who picked it up. In fact, she dedicates it to girls like Isabelle, girls who have been told they are not enough. Stepsister is for the girls that fairy tales were not written for. She’s written a new fairy tale for us and given readers a new heroine to root for.
I have not read many books told from one of the ugly stepsister’s perspectives. Although I have little to compare it to, I would have to say this is one of my favourite Cinderella retellings, tied with All the Ever Afters by Danielle Teller. Donnelly did an amazing job making Isabelle a relatable character that girls in today’s world can relate to. Isabelle is a determined young woman, but she isn’t perfect. She has been told all her life she’s too much – too loud, too fiery, too plain – and not enough. Many girls today get told that and can relate to Isabelle’s anger, her jealousy, and her fighting spirit. She’s not ready to give up, even though no one would blame her if she just gave in to the pressure from society and her family.
Donnelly also created a unique relationship between Isabelle and Ella. On the surface, it’s easy to assume that Ella would hate her stepfamily for how they treated her, but once you dig deeper, the reader realizes that Isabelle and her sister were manipulated by their mother to hate Ella’s beauty, therefore becoming jealous and mistreating her. Isabelle is, of course, responsible for her actions and she does apologize. But we find out Ella is not innocent in the demise of her relationship with her stepsisters. She makes choices that alter the course of Isabelle’s life. I appreciated Donnelly’s honesty when writing these two women. Cinderella was always a little too perfect in the fairy tale. In Stepsister, Ella’s perfectionism is forgotten and she’s just a girl who lost her family and was so desperate to keep them, she would do anything, even make a bargain with a fairy queen, for a chance at happiness.
Stepsister is a healing book. After reading it, I felt like someone understood how I felt growing up. I plan to recommend this book to as many people as possible.
Stepsister Rating: ★★★★
Donnelly’s writing style is a delight to read. She’s so careful in her word choice. It’s evident she took a great deal of time and dedication when writing this book. She must have known how it would impact the girls who picked it up. In fact, she dedicates it to girls like Isabelle, girls who have been told they are not enough. Stepsister is for the girls that fairy tales were not written for. She’s written a new fairy tale for us and given readers a new heroine to root for.
I have not read many books told from one of the ugly stepsister’s perspectives. Although I have little to compare it to, I would have to say this is one of my favourite Cinderella retellings, tied with All the Ever Afters by Danielle Teller. Donnelly did an amazing job making Isabelle a relatable character that girls in today’s world can relate to. Isabelle is a determined young woman, but she isn’t perfect. She has been told all her life she’s too much – too loud, too fiery, too plain – and not enough. Many girls today get told that and can relate to Isabelle’s anger, her jealousy, and her fighting spirit. She’s not ready to give up, even though no one would blame her if she just gave in to the pressure from society and her family.
Donnelly also created a unique relationship between Isabelle and Ella. On the surface, it’s easy to assume that Ella would hate her stepfamily for how they treated her, but once you dig deeper, the reader realizes that Isabelle and her sister were manipulated by their mother to hate Ella’s beauty, therefore becoming jealous and mistreating her. Isabelle is, of course, responsible for her actions and she does apologize. But we find out Ella is not innocent in the demise of her relationship with her stepsisters. She makes choices that alter the course of Isabelle’s life. I appreciated Donnelly’s honesty when writing these two women. Cinderella was always a little too perfect in the fairy tale. In Stepsister, Ella’s perfectionism is forgotten and she’s just a girl who lost her family and was so desperate to keep them, she would do anything, even make a bargain with a fairy queen, for a chance at happiness.
Stepsister is a healing book. After reading it, I felt like someone understood how I felt growing up. I plan to recommend this book to as many people as possible.
Stepsister Rating: ★★★★