Helpful Score: 5
Most big cities have their problems, but Seattle was having more than its share. When a social worker makes a wish one day, a fairy godmother shows up to grant it.....and all sorts of weird things start happening! Lots of links to fairy tales, good fun.
However, the subplot of child molestation will be disturbing to some readers: beware!
However, the subplot of child molestation will be disturbing to some readers: beware!
Helpful Score: 2
I hate when a writer writes herself into a corner and then pretends it didn't happen. As the climax heats up, the heroine has locked herself in a storeroom on a ferry. The angry villain is outside the door. She has no where to go. So what happens? He walks away, giving her (and the author) an easy out. I expect better from the authors I read, so this is my first and last book by this author.
Helpful Score: 2
A fairy tale with a serious twist! If you like urban fantasy, read this one, it doesn't disappoint!
Helpful Score: 1
Anyone who has ever considered cutting the budget for social services should read this book.
Not what you expect at all and I hope she writes more in this line. Modern day Seattle, an over burdened case worker as Cinderella. She didn't want to go to a ball, she just wanted someone to take care of the city and the children in it. Great read.
Wonderful conglomeration of several fairy tales in a modern day setting.
I love this uplifting book.
In traditional fairy tales, fairy godmothers show up when they are least expected but most needed, to right wrongs and assist those in peril. Enter Felicity Fortune. Summoned to Seattle by a sweet but burned-out young social worker named Rose, she sets out to solve problems both modern and ageless with magic and kindness.
You see, there are many young people in danger in the city. Hank and Gigi have been abandoned by their mother and kidnapped by a child molester. Cindy has just been fired from her job by her own stepsisters, and booted out of her family home. Snohomish is hiding in the woods from a hit man hired by her jealous supermodel stepmom. Dico is living on the streets, unable to get any breaks...until he meets a magic cat. Any of this sound familiar? LOL
In this entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking novel, we see that today's problems are nothing new, and that a little kindness goes a long way. One caveat: Scarborough can get a little sledgehammer-ish with her political views. While I agree with most of these opinions, sometimes the character of Rose talks more like an editorial than a normal human being making conversation. Still, I found this relatively easy to overlook. Overall, I recommend _The Godmother_ to anyone who likes this sort of thing.
You see, there are many young people in danger in the city. Hank and Gigi have been abandoned by their mother and kidnapped by a child molester. Cindy has just been fired from her job by her own stepsisters, and booted out of her family home. Snohomish is hiding in the woods from a hit man hired by her jealous supermodel stepmom. Dico is living on the streets, unable to get any breaks...until he meets a magic cat. Any of this sound familiar? LOL
In this entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking novel, we see that today's problems are nothing new, and that a little kindness goes a long way. One caveat: Scarborough can get a little sledgehammer-ish with her political views. While I agree with most of these opinions, sometimes the character of Rose talks more like an editorial than a normal human being making conversation. Still, I found this relatively easy to overlook. Overall, I recommend _The Godmother_ to anyone who likes this sort of thing.
From Publishers Weekly
Scarborough's new fantasy adds an interesting riff to a familiar theme: What if fairy godmothers existed today and they had enough magical power to effectively meddle in real-world problems? Though Scarborough (winner of a Nebula for The Healer's War) has lots of fun with this concept, she securely grounds her tale by setting it in and around a believable social-services agency in Seattle and by making her protagonist sympathetic and realistic. Rose Samson is neither stereotypically gorgeous nor foolishly stupid, and she willingly joins forces with Felicity Fortune, a "Godmother" who shows her how the archetypes in Grimm's fairy tales are still relevant in our blighted modern world. The two work with, among others, a sweet and smart pair of Hansel and Gretel-like abandoned children named Hank and Gigi, a Snow White ("Sno") who is royal only by dint of her father's rock-star status and "Cindy," who is suing her stepmother for control of her trust fund. In each case, Rose and Felicity attempt to interweave their magical aid with large doses of human initiative and social responsibility. While this narrative blending of conscience and enchantment is undermined by preachiness and a too earnest desire to avoid simple solutions to complex issues, Scarborough's well-detailed settings and the humor implicit in the clash between magical solutions and grim reality make this tale, while not the author's best, both entertaining and compelling.
Scarborough's new fantasy adds an interesting riff to a familiar theme: What if fairy godmothers existed today and they had enough magical power to effectively meddle in real-world problems? Though Scarborough (winner of a Nebula for The Healer's War) has lots of fun with this concept, she securely grounds her tale by setting it in and around a believable social-services agency in Seattle and by making her protagonist sympathetic and realistic. Rose Samson is neither stereotypically gorgeous nor foolishly stupid, and she willingly joins forces with Felicity Fortune, a "Godmother" who shows her how the archetypes in Grimm's fairy tales are still relevant in our blighted modern world. The two work with, among others, a sweet and smart pair of Hansel and Gretel-like abandoned children named Hank and Gigi, a Snow White ("Sno") who is royal only by dint of her father's rock-star status and "Cindy," who is suing her stepmother for control of her trust fund. In each case, Rose and Felicity attempt to interweave their magical aid with large doses of human initiative and social responsibility. While this narrative blending of conscience and enchantment is undermined by preachiness and a too earnest desire to avoid simple solutions to complex issues, Scarborough's well-detailed settings and the humor implicit in the clash between magical solutions and grim reality make this tale, while not the author's best, both entertaining and compelling.
Interesting choices on weaving many modern fairy tales into the real world, with the help of a fairy godmother and a social worker. Enjoyable book.
This is an interesting twist on the fairy tales we grew up with rewoven into one story in modern day Seattle.
This twisted, modern fairy tale is a lot of fun, like all the ones in the series. Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's writing shines with intelligence, compassion, and some hysterical scenes! A great read!
This is about a social worker Rose Samson who put on a pendant from a vintage clothing shop and made a wish for a fairy godmother to save the city. Enter Felicity Fortune and Roses wish comes true.
this book is about a social worker who solves murders. i enjoyed it.
This book takes a while to really get rolling, but once it does, you have a fairy Godmother Felicity, Socialworker Rose and Police officer Fred trying to make the city of Seattle a bit safer and more hospitable for children, cats and those who just need a spot of luck to improve life.
