Helpful Score: 1
Ash Coleman is a sweet-natured man who works hard on his farm doing most of the work while his stepmother and 2 stepbrothers lounge around complaining. Of course, Ash is the "Cinderella" of this family. Cynthia is a childhood sweetheart who has come home to visit her parents, Stuart and Maureen Haley who are neighbors of the Colemans. Cynthia, from her friendship with her sister's husband, Harold, has adopted his wild beyond feminism ideas (like sex is bad for you unless it's to have children)and is determined to preach it in town. In this mix arrives Ash's fairy goodmother, Nathan, who has stopped to rest after long stints with his traveling theater troupe. I enjoyed this story but kept wondering why Ash didn't stand up to his stepfamily. There was no threat of being thrown out on his ear as Cinderella had. But as I read along, the author is able to show that though Ash has an easy going nature, he's no pushover when it's really important to him. Cynthia is a naive 23 year old, just graduated from college, full of narrow opinions. By the end of the book, she gets a rude awakening. But she's still an endearing character. Nathan is the most colorful character who has lots of wisdom and patience. His imput in the Colemans' and Haleys' lives keeps this story from becoming a tragedy. The ending is like a typical, upbeat Hollywood ending but this time, I didn't mind. An enjoyable book overall.
Helpful Score: 1
Fun premise of a Cinderella twist and nice cover of John DeSalvo.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved every minute of this. Wicked stepmother and brothers, and a godfather that helps tremendously.
