The Reflections of Queen Snow White
by David
Meredith
Published October 2nd 2013
What happens when "happily
ever after" has come and gone?
On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging 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 neighboring 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.
On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging 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 neighboring 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.
What happens after a very happily ever after
suddenly ends?
The story begins as thirty some odd years have
passed and Queen Snow White is still in mourning after the death of her beloved
husband Charming the previous year. In
deep depression, she all but ignores her daughter Raven who desperately needs
her mother's support as she is planning the details of her upcoming wedding. Trying to get away from all the comings and
goings associated with the grand wedding, Queen Snow White finds herself in the
wing of the castle formally belonging to her wicked step-mother. Everything is in disarray as the room has
been used as storage for many years and the pigeons and rats have all but taken
over. But one thing in the room is still
pristine. Yep, that dang mirror we read
about as children. You know the one – Mirror. Mirror, on the wall - but this
time, the mirror is a bit different. As the mirror reflects back glimpses of Snow
Whites past, she gains valuable insight on what she needs to make her happy
again and enjoy life without Charming by her side. The mirror kind of reminds me of Ghost of
Christmas Past in Charles Dickens The
Christmas Carol. It is enabling Snow
White to remember what made her strong in the past even though she might have
forgotten the details.
I really liked this retelling of the popular
fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
This definitely is not your happy, go lucky fairy tale, oh no! There are
some very mature scenes that may disturb some, especially young children. There are at times some very dark, depressing
moments as we read about Snow Whites abusive stepmother. There are also some very graphic moments when we
read about her wedding night. As with
all fairy tales, this version has an important message as well and Mr. Meredith
has written it very elegantly. The prose
of the story flows smoothly and almost effortlessly. This was a very different spin on a beloved
fairy tale that I would recommend to anyone.
“You know there is not forgetting, not really. What happens, happens. The past is the past and your past is ever a part of you! Only by facing it can you truly leave it behind. Otherwise, it will ever intrude upon your present….”My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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