Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith – Book Review
Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith – Book Review
Author – David Meredith
Pages – 155
Release Date – 20th January 2014
Format – ebook, paperback
Reviewer – Stacey
I received a free copy of this book
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What happens when “happily ever after” has come and gone?
On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven’s wedding, an ageing Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven’s fiancé, is a fine man from a neighbouring kingdom and Snow White’s own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing:
The king is dead.
The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.
It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what “happily ever after” really means?
Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.
Many years after the fairy tale ‘Snow White’ ended, the now ageing Queen, Snow White, is still in mourning for her husband King Charming, who sadly died just over a year ago.
She knows she should be happy that her daughter Raven is getting married, but with so many guests and decisions to make, Snow White is left feeling overwhelmed. She is feeling increasingly sad and lost without her soul-mate. The places that used to bring her happiness are now tinged with sadness.
Snow decides that she needs to get away from everyone and everything, and just be alone for a while. After wandering her castle, she comes across a room that hasn’t been opened for many years, since the death of her wicked step-mother. Looking around the room, she begins to pull the covers off some of the items, including a mirror hanging on the wall.
This is the mirror that her step-mother told her about, but Snow never believed a word about an enchanted mirror, until now. The mirror on the wall is talking to her, offering to show her her past. But will it be wise for Queen Snow White to accept the mirrors offer?
For those of you who only know the Disney version of ‘Snow White’ you are in for a shock, as the mirror looks back on Snow White’s life, as told by the Brothers Grimm.
This isn’t a happy, jolly fairy-tale. This is a brutally-honest account of what really happened to Snow White, from being a young child. The reflections can only show the truth, and they show the hurt, pain, violence, cruelty and love that Snow White had to endure during her life, mostly at the hands of her step-mother.
The book was an interesting read and with only being 155 pages long, it was also a quick read. I loved seeing Snow White in another light. It may not be a easy book to stomach if you like the ‘Happily Every After’ version of the story, as the Prince and Snow White certainly didn’t have their happily every after, but they did love and adore one another very much.
The story will have your emotions heightened, and you will be in awe of what Snow White went through. This isn’t a fairy-tale for children though, especially with detailed accounts of some gruesome events.
Book reviewed by Stacey
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David Meredith is a writer and educator originally from Knoxville, Tennessee. He received both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City, Tennessee as well as a Tennessee State Teaching license.
He is currently a doctoral student in Educational Leadership. On and off, he spent nearly a decade, from 1999-2010 teaching English in Northern Japan, but currently lives with his wife and three children in the Nashville Area where he continues to write and teach English.
