Rating: 
Summary: Were Fairy Godmothers the Social Services Workers of Old?
Review: My friends in social services made me think of writing The Godmother. As a Vietnam vet, I began to see that a lot of my fellow vets thought the war was the only place where great battles were fought, but living next door to and downstairs from social services workers and hearing some of their stories convinced me that they are on the front lines of the civilian wars, trying to save children, princesses not living happily ever after, paupers, and other characters right out of fairytales, but without the benefit of magic. So what if one of them could invoke his or her fairytale counterpart, the fairy godmother? What similarities would a godmother find in the situations of modern day people to those problems she waved her wand over once upon a time? It was great fun to play with the fairy tales. I'd like to warn people that this is not, for all its fairytale setting, a children's book and some readers have found the Hansel and Gretel/Bluebeard parable a little too disturbing for their entertainment tastes. Since my research shows that originally fairytales were probably the newstories of their day and no more savory than the ones we read in our papers, I felt that this story needed to be part of Rose and Felicity's experience. But since it DOES have magic, you can expect that everybody gets to live happily ever after.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written but somehow not quite there for me
Review: Scarborough is, without a doubt, a talented writer (as if one needs me to tell one that). Her prose just about sparkles; it is a delight to read. It's too bad this story is so.. I don't know.. not up to par. It's like a poorly-fitted dress on a supermodel.The titular Godmother is the best of the characters here. She swoops in at the behest of the heroine (a typical do-gooder a la "Briar Rose"'s Becca, matryr complex, filled with love for the downtrodden, hardworking and without a romantic interest in sight, etc.) to save the entire city. Along the way, she rescues people who closely resemble characters from old fairy tales (the passage in the book that I liked best was her appearance as Kwan Yin to an Oriental gangbanger -- powerful and entirely believable, but alas, probably lost on most people), like "Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel". It felt like the story took the easy way out in many ways. Of course Hansel and Gretel was about molestation, for example. Many vignettes were too easy, too manipulative, too baldly obvious. Some characters were very stock in nature. The end spiralled out of control fast, coming to a conclusion that I had to read twice to believe I'd seen. I don't get into stories that are too pat, too obviously forced together, but this had that feel, in spades. And the bit about magic being doled out irked me for some reason -- very hokey and totally unnecessary, particularly since, having introduced the device, Scarborough promptly stomps it for the whole rest of the story. She could have thought of a better way to lessen the use of magic. Would I read it again? Not likely. Scarborough has written many better books, but this isn't one of the better efforts.
Rating: 
Summary: deft twists of fairy tales and legends
Review: The first book in a wonderful series.. Imagine you get one wish.. and your a social worker in Seattle... I read this book and then closed it and started right over again.. read this modern adaptation of several fairy tales.. it's heartwarming, occasionally terrifying.. and it does have a happily ever after!
Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: This book was a real let-down for me. I had just finished reading Lisa Croll di Dio's "Sherwood Forest" and was looking for some more magickal escapism. This book was just lame. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: This book was a real let-down for me. I had just finished reading Lisa Croll di Dio's "Sherwood Forest" and was looking for some more magickal escapism. This book was just lame. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best reads in along time
Review: This book was my first time venturing into the world of fantasy fiction. And what an introduction. I can't wait to start reading the Godmother's Aprrentice!
Rating:
Summary: Modern-day fairy tales.
Review: This is a great book! It depicts a typical city and its
problems and relates it to Grimm's Fairy Tales. It shows us
that fairy tales are more realistic than we realize.
If someone enjoys fairy tales then he should definately read
this book!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull
Review: This is a wonderfull book for all fairy tale lovers. Great story line and wonderfully written.
Rating:
Summary: An Example For Everyone
Review: This novel is a shining example of how to make a faery tale fit into our contemporary lives. The spirit is still the same, and the dangers are still as real; but they're brought to a level that the modern person can empathise with. From Snohamish's drug use, to the abuse and mistreatment of Cindy Ellis and Little Hank and Gigi. Even Diego, with his "Puss and Boots" storyline is more real and heart wrenching than any "real crime" drama.
Rating:
Summary: An Example For Everyone
Review: This novel is a shining example of how to make a faery tale fit into our contemporary lives. The spirit is still the same, and the dangers are still as real; but they're brought to a level that the modern person can empathise with. From Snohamish's drug use, to the abuse and mistreatment of Cindy Ellis and Little Hank and Gigi. Even Diego, with his "Puss and Boots" storyline is more real and heart wrenching than any "real crime" drama.
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