Fairest of All

Fairest of All by Serena Valentino

Ever been curious about the Evil Stepmother in Snow White? Well, this book tells her story; everything from how she grew up, how she met and later married the King (Snow White's father), and how she came to be the evil and vain Queen.

The author does a great job of establishing the Queen's life events in a way that makes it clear to the reader why she became so evil. Her sad childhood upbringing makes her prone to obsessively seek approval from a mysterious man in the mirror. There were also a few influential and persuasive people in her life that led her to make bad decisions. If it wasn't for them, she may not have learned how to do the things that we know the Evil Queen is capable of doing. After all, you didn't think she'd learn about magic and potions by herself, did you?

It is easy to assume that people make bad decisions because they are bad people. On a daily basis, we have a tendency to assume the worst and always judge a book by its cover. You may not realize that the manager who has recently become moody and grumpy has just suffered the loss of a family member. You may not realize that the person who stole the box of Saltines from the store was just trying to feed their son. You may not realize that the girl with self-esteem and confidence issues was raised with a father who did not give her the attention and love that she deserved.

Things change when you look at things from a different perspective. This story will show you different sides to the Evil Queen that will make you feel sorry for her. I'll admit, however, that there were a few times when I thought, "Get a grip, woman!" But, for anyone who has suffered through heartbreak, loss, and lack of fatherly love, this book will give you a fairy tale villain that you can relate to.

Warning: while the book does have some psychological depth, it is written simplistically, almost like a children's book. But it works because this story is a children's story; it's just showing you a different side.

Would I recommend it or read it again?

I would recommend it to a Disney fanatic (trust me, I have a lot of friends that are!) but I don't think I'd recommend it for anyone else other than that. I would, however, read this story later on in the future to my daughter. It can be a good way to teach her that there is never just one side to any story. 

The Time Keeper

As with all Mitch Albom's novels, this book is another story with a moral that gets people to really think.

The Story

"In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years.

"Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, alone with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

"He returns to our world -- now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began -- and commences on a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so."

My Review

This simple but touching story was an easy read for me. It is told in the third person point of view, but constantly jumps back and forth between all three characters and between different time frames. The time frames jump from the current century to a century when Father Time lived, which was sometime in the B.C. Thankfully, the chapters are no more than one or two pages long, so it's easy to follow and not confusing to the reader.

The two people that Father Time must save are a teenage girl named Sarah Lemmon and an old businessman named Victor Delamonte. Sarah is suffering from unrequited love on all ends of the spectrum and Victor is so obsessed with trying to beat his cancer that he resorts to using an unconventional method.

Father Time saves both characters right before their climactic end. In order to save them though, he literally stops time and is able to show how things could have been if they'd made different choices. Imagine that? Being able to see how things will play out based on what you decide to do. How different our lives might play out? Most decisions are made with the best intentions, yet bad things may happen that were unplanned.

The moral of this story is about the meaning of time. Man today is so obsessed with time. How many of us always count the hours before a movie starts, the minutes left to finish getting ready, the hours left before clocking out for work? Everyone today is on a routine and a schedule. Even right now, as I'm typing this, I'm counting down the hours until I have to get ready since I'm going out tonight. 

What I liked was Albom's story version of Father Time. Even Father Time learned that sometimes it's better to relish in the minutes we have left, rather than dwell on the minutes that have gone by. The best way to describe Albom's moral of the story is through this interaction between Victor and Father Time:

                                Father Time: "There is a reason God limits our days."

                                Victor: "Why?"

                                "To make each one precious."

Would I recommend it or read it again?

I'd definitely recommend it. I've read 4 of Albom's other stories and re-read two of them. I'll most likely read this one again in the future. They are just great short stories, good for a quick but satisfying read.

Favorite Quotes

"Once we began to chime the hour, we lost the ability to be satisfied. There was always a quest for more minutes, more hours, faster progress to accomplish more in each day. The simple joy of living between sunrises was gone." 

"When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness."

"Time is not something you give back. The very next moment may be an answer to your prayer. To deny that is to deny the most important part of the future."

"Father Time realized that knowing something and understanding it were not the same thing."