My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I had reached chapters 4 and 5 it became obvious that this story was an allegorical telling of the Snow White fairy tale. The wicked step-mother and her magical mirrors have made an entry, and it’s not long before the woodcutter’s alter ego and the seven dwarves also arrive on the scene. With Gwen, as Snow White, escaping from her harsh, over-bearing father and his cruel new wife, we already had a very intriguing and captivating plot. So, I was not sure whether the “spoiler” title of the book was really necessary. For me the essence of the book was an underlying disapproval of slavery and the downtrodden position of females in the society and class-ridden communities of the times. It is set during the California Gold Rush and the start of the American Civil War.
Gwen, aka Janet, is a brave and kind young woman who deserves our respect and admiration throughout the book. She had me rooting for her right up to the unsatisfactory ending. I suppose there was a clue in the title including the words ‘Part 1’ but it did not lessen the disappointment in its abruptness. I always feel let down and cheated when such an obvious ‘hook’ to read the next book is included on the last page. Her romantic encounters as a naïve girl of sixteen are touchingly written; as are the individual personalities of each of the dwarves, their devotion to Gwen being so sweet and honest one could only wish for ‘uncles’ like hers. Cathleen Townsend is an excellent writer whose narrative and dialogue feels real and suitably pacey, although, as a keen DIYer, I had my doubts at times about the speed with which they were all able to complete various tasks (woodcraft or cookery!) when the setting was out in the wild countryside of grizzlies and deer. The plot was so well-founded and authentic I’m still not sure if the story needed those fantasy elements of witches and magic.
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