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Tani's Reviews > Stepsister
Stepsister
by
by
RATINGS: 4 STARS FOR THE UGLY BADASS
“Call a girl pretty once, and all she wants, forevermore, is to hear it again.�
Do you remember the original version of Cinderella? Not the fluffy Disney one. The one, in which, stepsisters cut their toes and heels. Let's get to that scene. The first daughter is pale after cutting her heels. The stepmother is scowling at the other daughter while she is cutting her toes. Now look closely at the second daughter. Did you see her concentrated eyes? Yes, you did but there was some-
WAIT, WHAT?
Did you see regret, sadness or anger? Or did you imagine it? Well, while we're pretty busy figuring it out, Jennifer Donnelly wrote a book. It's called Stepsister. A feministfuck you reply to the original story. Now, now, I don't want a debate whether the original or the Disney Cinderella was a feminist or not. Cinderella was a feminist character in an unfeminist story. That should sum it up.
This story begins when the original Cinderella ends. Isabelle and Octavia are the ugly stepsisters, who maim their feet to get the Prince but ultimately fail. Stepsister gives a redemption arc to the stepsisters and the stepmother, while giving a new subplot of the Fates and the Chance.
She had just found him, and now she was losing him again. Could the fates be so cruel?
The Chance wagers against the Fates to change the course Isabelle's life. Their schemes and plots adds upheaval to the story. The story dives into the depth of ugly society, cruel prejudice and deception. Meanwhile, the author doesn't try to paint Cinderella in a bad light to excuse the harsh treatment she had received.
“You terrify me, Isabelle. I’ve never met a girl like you. You’re a fighter, fierce as hell. You never quit. You don’t know how. You don’t need anyone. You certainly don’t need me.� He looked up. “I don’t want to marry you, either, Tavi. You’re not scary. You’re just weird.�
A world where strength and intelligence is scorned upon a girl, Isabelle and Octavia are gifted them each. After Cinderella's marriage, the stepsisters face contempt, mockery and hate that would unnerve you. The Chance and the Fates give an interesting dynamic to the story.
There isn't much negative to say about this book except it's a bit predictable and dragged longer. Plus, you really need a good highlighter for the quotes.
“Call a girl pretty once, and all she wants, forevermore, is to hear it again.�
Do you remember the original version of Cinderella? Not the fluffy Disney one. The one, in which, stepsisters cut their toes and heels. Let's get to that scene. The first daughter is pale after cutting her heels. The stepmother is scowling at the other daughter while she is cutting her toes. Now look closely at the second daughter. Did you see her concentrated eyes? Yes, you did but there was some-
WAIT, WHAT?
Did you see regret, sadness or anger? Or did you imagine it? Well, while we're pretty busy figuring it out, Jennifer Donnelly wrote a book. It's called Stepsister. A feminist
This story begins when the original Cinderella ends. Isabelle and Octavia are the ugly stepsisters, who maim their feet to get the Prince but ultimately fail. Stepsister gives a redemption arc to the stepsisters and the stepmother, while giving a new subplot of the Fates and the Chance.
She had just found him, and now she was losing him again. Could the fates be so cruel?
The Chance wagers against the Fates to change the course Isabelle's life. Their schemes and plots adds upheaval to the story. The story dives into the depth of ugly society, cruel prejudice and deception. Meanwhile, the author doesn't try to paint Cinderella in a bad light to excuse the harsh treatment she had received.
“You terrify me, Isabelle. I’ve never met a girl like you. You’re a fighter, fierce as hell. You never quit. You don’t know how. You don’t need anyone. You certainly don’t need me.� He looked up. “I don’t want to marry you, either, Tavi. You’re not scary. You’re just weird.�
A world where strength and intelligence is scorned upon a girl, Isabelle and Octavia are gifted them each. After Cinderella's marriage, the stepsisters face contempt, mockery and hate that would unnerve you. The Chance and the Fates give an interesting dynamic to the story.
There isn't much negative to say about this book except it's a bit predictable and dragged longer. Plus, you really need a good highlighter for the quotes.
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Quotes Tani Liked
“The feeling that you want to own someone body and soul, spirit them away from everyone else, have them all to yourself forever and ever and ever,� Hugo said dreamily. “It’s called love.�
“No, it’s called kidnapping,� said Tavi.”
― Stepsister
“No, it’s called kidnapping,� said Tavi.”
― Stepsister
“History books say that kings and dukes and generals start wars. Don't believe it. We start them, you and I. Every time we turn away, keep quiet, stay out of it, behave ourselves.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“The wolves in the woods have sharp teeth and long claws, but it's the wolf inside who will tear you apart.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Here are the things girls die of: hunger, disease, accidents, childbirth, and violence. It takes more than heartache to kill a girl. Girls are tough as rocks.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“They were not pretty, these women. Pretty did not begin to describe them.
They were shrewd. Powerful. Wily. Proud. Dangerous.
They were strong.
There were brave.
They were beautiful.”
― Stepsister
They were shrewd. Powerful. Wily. Proud. Dangerous.
They were strong.
There were brave.
They were beautiful.”
― Stepsister
“This is a dark tale. A grim tale.
It's a tale from another time, a time when wolves waited for girls in the forest, beasts paced the halls of cursed castles, and witches lurked in gingerbread houses with sugar-kissed roofs.
That time is long gone.
But the wolves are still here and twice as clever. The beasts remain. And death still hides in a dusting of white.
It's grim for any girl who loses her way.
Grimmer still for a girl her loses herself.
Know that it's dangerous to stray from the path.
But it's far more dangerous not to.”
― Stepsister
It's a tale from another time, a time when wolves waited for girls in the forest, beasts paced the halls of cursed castles, and witches lurked in gingerbread houses with sugar-kissed roofs.
That time is long gone.
But the wolves are still here and twice as clever. The beasts remain. And death still hides in a dusting of white.
It's grim for any girl who loses her way.
Grimmer still for a girl her loses herself.
Know that it's dangerous to stray from the path.
But it's far more dangerous not to.”
― Stepsister
“There is magic in this sad, hard world. A magic stronger than fate, stronger than chance. And it is seen in the unlikeliest of places.
By a hearth at night, as a girl leaves a bit of cheese for a hungry mouse.
In a slaughter yard, as the old and infirm, the weak and discarded, are made to matter more than money.
In a poor carpenter's small attic room, where three sisters learned that the price of forgiveness is forgiving.
And now, on a battlefield, as a mere girl tries to turn the red tide of war.
It is the magic of a frail and fallible creature, one capable of both unspeakable cruelty and immense kindness. It lives inside every human being ready to redeem us. To transform us. To save us. If we can only find the courage to listen to it.
It is the magic of the human heart.”
― Stepsister
By a hearth at night, as a girl leaves a bit of cheese for a hungry mouse.
In a slaughter yard, as the old and infirm, the weak and discarded, are made to matter more than money.
In a poor carpenter's small attic room, where three sisters learned that the price of forgiveness is forgiving.
And now, on a battlefield, as a mere girl tries to turn the red tide of war.
It is the magic of a frail and fallible creature, one capable of both unspeakable cruelty and immense kindness. It lives inside every human being ready to redeem us. To transform us. To save us. If we can only find the courage to listen to it.
It is the magic of the human heart.”
― Stepsister
“Don’t you see? A pretty girl must please the world. But an ugly girl? She’s free to please herself.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Every war is different, yet each battle is the same. The enemy is only a distraction. The thing you are fighting against, always, is yourself.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Fairy tales give it to us straight. They tell us something profound and essential - that the woods are real, and dark, and full of wolves. That we will, at times, find ourselves hopelessly lost in them. But these tales also tell us that we are all that we need, that we have all we need - guts, smarts, and maybe a pocketful of breadcrumbs - to find our way home.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Stop burdening the gods. Stop cursing the devil. They will make no path for you. They gave you their dark gifts: reason and will. Now you must make your own way.
What's done is done. Whether to you, or by you, and you cannot change it.
But what's not done is not done.
And there, both hope and hazard lie. Believe that you can make your way. Or don't. Either way you are right. Every war is different, yet each battle is the same. The enemy is only a distraction. The thing you are fighting against, always, is yourself.”
― Stepsister
What's done is done. Whether to you, or by you, and you cannot change it.
But what's not done is not done.
And there, both hope and hazard lie. Believe that you can make your way. Or don't. Either way you are right. Every war is different, yet each battle is the same. The enemy is only a distraction. The thing you are fighting against, always, is yourself.”
― Stepsister
“Can't you see that the courage to risk, to dare, to toss that gold coin up in the air over and over again, win or lose, is what makes humans human? They are fragile, doomed creatures, blinder than worms yet braver than the gods.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“She never forgot the day she'd met him, or how his friends had told her to be more than pretty. She never forgot Elizabeth, Yennenga, Abhaya Rani. She wore his gold coin on a chain around her neck until the day she died. But the thing she treasured most was the memory of his smile, a smaile that was a wink and a dare. A wild road on a windy night. A kiss int he dark.
A smile that had given her all she'd ever wanted-a chance.
A chance to be herself.”
― Stepsister
A smile that had given her all she'd ever wanted-a chance.
A chance to be herself.”
― Stepsister
“Can’t you make yourself likeable? Can’t you even try?� Something shifted in Tavi then. She was always so flippant, trailing sarcasm behind her like a duchess trailing furs. But not this time. Hugo had pierced her armor and blood was dripping from the wound. “Try for whom, Hugo?� she repeated, her voice raw. “For the rich boys who get to go to the Sorbonne even though they’re too stupid to solve a simple quadratic equation? For the viscount I was seated next to at a dinner who tried to put his hand up my skirt through all five courses? For the smug society ladies who look me up and down and purse their lips and say no, I won’t do for their sons because my chin is too pointed, my nose is too large, I talk too much about numbers?� “Tavi …� Isabelle whispered. She went to her, tried to put an arm around her, but Tavi shook her off. “I wanted books. I wanted maths and science. I wanted an education,� Tavi said, her eyes bright with emotion. “I got corsets and gowns and high-heeled slippers instead. It made me sad, Hugo. And then it made me angry. So no, I can’t make myself likeable. I’ve tried. Over and over. It doesn’t work. If I don’t like who I am, why should you?”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“What's done is done. Whether to you, or by you, and you cannot change it.
But what's not done is not done.
And there, both hope and hazard lie.”
― Stepsister
But what's not done is not done.
And there, both hope and hazard lie.”
― Stepsister
“There is magic in this sad, hard world. A magic stronger than fate, stronger than chance. And it is seen in the unlikeliest of places....It lives inside every human being ready to redeem us. To transform us. To save us. If we can only find the courage to listen to it.
It is the magic of the human heart.”
― Stepsister
It is the magic of the human heart.”
― Stepsister
“…if these mortals only knew, if they had the merest understanding of the grave, and of the eternity they will spend lying in it, they would eat chocolate for breakfast, caviar for lunch, and sing arias as they slopped the pigs.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Elizabeth walked through the path they’d cleared and up to the towering book. She kicked the cover with a well-shod foot. It slammed shut. Then she dipped her brush into the bucket, crossed out the word history, dipped the brush again, and wrote HER STORY in its place.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Isabelle had cut off her toes, but sometimes she could still feel them. Maman had cut out her heart. Sometimes, she could still feel that, too.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“The skin-and-bones dog who shows up at your door. The broken-winged bird you nurse back to health. The kitten you find crying at the side of the road.
You think you're saving them, don't you?
Ah, child. Can't you see?
They're saving you.”
― Stepsister
You think you're saving them, don't you?
Ah, child. Can't you see?
They're saving you.”
― Stepsister
“You terrify me, Isabelle. I've never met a girl like you. You're a fighter, fierce as hell. You never quit. You don't know how. You don't need anyone. You certainly don't need me.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“I could solve all the Diophantine equations, extend Newton’s work on infinite series, complete Euler's analysis of prime numbers, and it wouldn’t matter.� She looked at Isabelle. “Ella is the beauty. You and I are the ugly stepsisters. And so the world reduces us, all three of us, to our lowest common denominator.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“This word, the people in it- my mother, Tantine- they sort us. Put us in crates. You are an egg. You are a potato. You are a cabbage. They tell us who we are. What we will do. What we will be."
"Because they're afraid. Afraid of what we could be." Tavi said.
"But we let them do it!" Hugo said angrily. "Why?"
"Tavi gave him a rueful smile. "Because we're afraid of what we could be, too.”
― Stepsister
"Because they're afraid. Afraid of what we could be." Tavi said.
"But we let them do it!" Hugo said angrily. "Why?"
"Tavi gave him a rueful smile. "Because we're afraid of what we could be, too.”
― Stepsister
“Once upon always and never again, in an ancient city by the sea, three sisters worked by candlelight.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Isabelle thought her heart might burst.One by one, queens, pirates, empresses, and generals from all the corners of the world told their stories, bowed their heads, and left the stage. They were not pretty, these women. Pretty did not begin to describe them.
They were shrewd. Powerful, Wily. Proud. Dangerous.
They were strong.
They were brave.
They were beautiful.”
― Stepsister
They were shrewd. Powerful, Wily. Proud. Dangerous.
They were strong.
They were brave.
They were beautiful.”
― Stepsister
“She was sorry for all the grim-tale girls locked in lonely towers. Trapped in sugar houses. Lost in the dark woods, with a huntsman coming to cut out their hearts.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“I need a name for this ink ... A name for the feeling you get when you see someone again. After many years. Someone lost to you. Or so you thought. And you remember them a certain way. In your mind, they never age. But then suddenly, there they are. Older. Changed by time. Different, but exactly the same.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“I'll give her the chance to change the path she is on. The chance to make her own path."
"Fool," said the crone. "You understand nothing of mortals. We Fates map out their lives because they wish it. Mortals do not like uncertainty. They do not like change. Change is frightening. Change is painful."
"Change is a kiss in the dark. A rose in the snow. A wild road on a windy night." Chance countered.”
― Stepsister
"Fool," said the crone. "You understand nothing of mortals. We Fates map out their lives because they wish it. Mortals do not like uncertainty. They do not like change. Change is frightening. Change is painful."
"Change is a kiss in the dark. A rose in the snow. A wild road on a windy night." Chance countered.”
― Stepsister
“That’s what we do with our pain,� she said, watching the butterfly rise. “We make it into something beautiful.�
“We make it into something meaningful,� said the diva.
“We make it matter,� whispered the actress.”
― Stepsister
“We make it into something meaningful,� said the diva.
“We make it matter,� whispered the actress.”
― Stepsister
“But an ugly girl? Ah, child, the world is made for men. An ugly girl can never be forgiven.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Should you ever decide, in those small dark hours, to hang yourself, well, that is your choice. But don’t hunt for the rope until morning. By then you’ll find a much better use for it.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“For the rich boys who get to go to the Sorbonne even though they’re too stupid to solve a simple quadratic equation? For the viscount I was seated next to at a dinner who tried to put his hand up my skirt through all five courses? For the smug society ladies who look me up and down and purse their lips and say no, I won’t do for their sons because my chin is too pointed, my nose is too large, I talk too much about numbers?”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“Ghosts are not the dead, come back from the grave to torment the living; ghosts are already here. They live inside us, keening in the ashes of our sorrows, mired in the thick, clutching mud of our regrets.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
“You will stop Chance from taking hold of the girl?" asked the mother.
The crone smiled grimly. "No, I cannot. But I will do what we Fates have always done. I will stop the girl from taking hold of a chance.”
― Stepsister
The crone smiled grimly. "No, I cannot. But I will do what we Fates have always done. I will stop the girl from taking hold of a chance.”
― Stepsister
“Very. I ground the lenses myself. The left gives you hindsight; the right, foresight.”
― Stepsister
― Stepsister
Reading Progress
January 8, 2020
–
Started Reading
January 8, 2020
– Shelved
January 11, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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Jan 11, 2020 04:54AM
I really enjoyed this too! Feminist fairytales are awesome. Great review :)
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Lola wrote: "I really enjoyed this too! Feminist fairytales are awesome. Great review :)"Sorry for not mentioning but you brought this book on my radar. So double thanks to you!
Lovely review, Tani! Glad you enjoyed! <3 :)
Alex � Comets and Comments � wrote: "Lovely review, Tani! Glad you enjoyed! <3 :)"Thank you, Alex!
Terrific review, L💕ve�,
❤️ Paulette Alphas Review wrote: "Terrific review, L💕ve�,"Thank you, Paulette!
Tani wrote: "❤️ Paulette Alphas Review wrote: "Terrific review, L💕ve�,"Thank you, Paulette!"
Pleasure Tani� ❤️
wow this seems like a really cool book
Arunima wrote: "wow this seems like a really cool book"It is!
