Book Review -break your glass slippers, Amanda Lovelace, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2020

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I first heard of 'break your glass slippers' by Amanda Lovelace on somebody's Instagram page -I seem to get most of my book recommendations from social media these days. I had seen some of her books in Waterstones before including 'the princess saves herself in this one', but had never had the pleasure of reading her work until now.

Having loved fairytales ever since I can remember, I along with many others, am guilty of falling for the myth that you grow up, meet the handsome prince/princess and live happily ever after.  The End.  What Amanda Lovelace makes you think about is what if that isn't the end of the narrative?  What if the prince turns out to be saboteur not saviour?

Coupled with beautiful illustrations by Janaina Medeiros, the simplicity of 'break your glass slippers' is powerful partly due to the purity of the words.  The old fashioned view that girls should be seen and not heard is shattered.  You don't have to look and act a certain way to be worthy.

The Princess is gifted the beautiful glass slippers by her Father, who tells her they will only break in an emergency.  Her Fairy Godmother tells her she does not have to look a certain way to be deserving.  This is something we are all guilty of forgetting, bombarded by images of heavily filtered images on social media.  You are not your dress size.  A thigh gap is not the pinnacle of life.

Lovelace tells us there will always be people who will be unkind, they could be so called friends, family, or lovers.  They are not worth your time.  We all have days when we feel we are not enough, the challenge on those days is to find the voice inside which tells us we are.

Next we see the Princess fall in love, she is so infatuated with the Prince she sees through rose-tinted glasses, at first she fails to see him for who he really is.  In her darkest moments she wonders if anyone would notice if she disappeared.  Fairy Godmother tells her "it's not time to go just yet."  The Princess dreams of the perfect man and children, but there's one problem.  She forgets herself in the fantasy.  This Princess can look phenomenal and slay dragons.  She doesn't have to choose one or the other.

The Princess tells herself she is in love with the Prince, fooled by his façade she doesn't see the real him just yet.  If she sees flashes of something different from the Prince Charming she always dreamt of, she chooses to ignore it.  Later she will wish she listened to those red flags, instead of sweeping them under the carpet.  Never trust the one who in one breath calls you flawless, and in the next points out your flaws.

When things start to go wrong, the Princess is uncertain, and afraid of being alone.  Lovelace tells us
"her precious fairy tales showed her what would
happen if she found her prince, but they
never  prepared her for what she should do if
her prince turned out to be her unhappily
ever  after.
-cinderella."

The Princess is in turmoil, and finally hears what she needs to
"your fairy godmother is inside you."
Next comes the second part of the collection and the Princess shatters her glass slippers.  Lovelace cleverly subverts the genre, where the Prince falls from the pedestal she has placed him on.  Society tells us we are only worthy as part of a pair, but what if in reaching for the perfect love affair, we forget to love ourselves?
"you were my almost,
but i'm my own forever.
-long may i reign."
We are queens of our own kingdom.

Lovelace reminds us that even if we realise we don't want the traditional fairytale for ourselves, there are others who do, and we should embrace them for their choices.  The most important thing is to be comfortable in your own skin.  We need to remember to nourish our bodies as well as our souls.  One of the most important things are our friendships and families, sometimes those who share our blood can be toxic; you can make your own family.

Self-worth is paramount.  Nobody can write your story but you.  I've always believed that despite hard times, or maybe because of them, everything happens for a reason.  Lovelace echoes this.  The Princess can be happy in the castle without a Prince.  She adjusts her crown and in the final part of 'break your glass slippers' listens to her internal fairy godmother,
"she is her own
goddamn  fairy tale."

In case you couldn't tell, this collection was one of the best I have ever read.  The words and images combine to make a beautiful and unique masterpiece.  I can't wait to read more of Amanda Lovelace's books now. Check out her creative kingdom here . 

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