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The Godmother
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The Godmother
Author: Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Book Information
Publisher: Ace
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780441002696 - ISBN-10: 0441002692
Publication Date: 12/1/1995
Pages: 341


Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover

Book Description:
For everyone who's ever wished for a fairy godmother, acclaimed author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough has spun a magical tale that's the next best thing. Like her award-winning novel, Healer's War, which drew on her experiences as a nurse in Vietnam, The Godmother bridges the gap between high fantasy and grim reality. An adult Mary Poppins for the nineties, with a sly touch of whimsy and more than a spoonful of grit, The Godmother delivers what Scarborough fans have come to expect: the unexpected. Rose Samson, a frustrated Seattle social worker, dons a crystal pendant from her friend Linden's vintage clothing shop and makes a wish - for a fairy godmother for "the whole damned city." Enter Felicity Fortune, a silver-haired, funkily dressed fill-in for the suddenly absent Linden, and a card-carrying member of "Godmothers (Anonymous): Fair Fates Facilitated, Questers Accommodated, and Virtue Vindicated. True Love and Serendipity Our Specialty." Felicity's magic net falls far and wide over Seattle, reining in a cast of characters that make up a modern-day volume of the Brothers Grimm. There's Sno, the runaway teenage daughter of a rock superstar, whose aging supermodel stepmom has plans for her "fairest of them all" stepdaughter; seven-year-old Hank and his little sister, Gigi, dumped in a shopping mall by their drug-addict mother; Cindy Ellis, a stable keeper with two abusive stepsisters...and more.

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Top Member Book Reviews

Darcy K. wrote on 2/22/2007...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Most big cities have their problems, but Seattle was having more than its share. When a social worker makes a wish one day, a fairy godmother shows up to grant it.....and all sorts of weird things start happening! Lots of links to fairy tales, good fun.
However, the subplot of child molestation will be disturbing to some readers: beware!

Jo V. (jovan) wrote on 2/18/2009...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I hate when a writer writes herself into a corner and then pretends it didn't happen. As the climax heats up, the heroine has locked herself in a storeroom on a ferry. The angry villain is outside the door. She has no where to go. So what happens? He walks away, giving her (and the author) an easy out. I expect better from the authors I read, so this is my first and last book by this author.

Robin M. wrote on 4/6/2007...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

A fairy tale with a serious twist! If you like urban fantasy, read this one, it doesn't disappoint!


Please Rate these Book Reviews

Margie P. wrote on 5/10/2007...


this book is about a social worker who solves murders. i enjoyed it.

Charlene V. (Workmom1) wrote on 3/3/2007...


This is about a social worker Rose Samson who put on a pendant from a vintage clothing shop and made a wish for a fairy godmother to save the city. Enter Felicity Fortune and Roses wish comes true.

D.A. C. wrote on 8/1/2006...


This twisted, modern fairy tale is a lot of fun, like all the ones in the series. Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's writing shines with intelligence, compassion, and some hysterical scenes! A great read!

Juel R. (captwc) wrote on 6/15/2006...


This is an interesting twist on the fairy tales we grew up with rewoven into one story in modern day Seattle.

Kibi W. (Kibi) wrote on 3/21/2006...


From Publishers Weekly
Scarborough's new fantasy adds an interesting riff to a familiar theme: What if fairy godmothers existed today and they had enough magical power to effectively meddle in real-world problems? Though Scarborough (winner of a Nebula for The Healer's War) has lots of fun with this concept, she securely grounds her tale by setting it in and around a believable social-services agency in Seattle and by making her protagonist sympathetic and realistic. Rose Samson is neither stereotypically gorgeous nor foolishly stupid, and she willingly joins forces with Felicity Fortune, a "Godmother" who shows her how the archetypes in Grimm's fairy tales are still relevant in our blighted modern world. The two work with, among others, a sweet and smart pair of Hansel and Gretel-like abandoned children named Hank and Gigi, a Snow White ("Sno") who is royal only by dint of her father's rock-star status and "Cindy," who is suing her stepmother for control of her trust fund. In each case, Rose and Felicity attempt to interweave their magical aid with large doses of human initiative and social responsibility. While this narrative blending of conscience and enchantment is undermined by preachiness and a too earnest desire to avoid simple solutions to complex issues, Scarborough's well-detailed settings and the humor implicit in the clash between magical solutions and grim reality make this tale, while not the author's best, both entertaining and compelling.

Suzi H. (k00kaburra) wrote on 1/21/2006...


Interesting choices on weaving many modern fairy tales into the real world, with the help of a fairy godmother and a social worker. Enjoyable book.

Abigail G. wrote on 11/11/2005...


In traditional fairy tales, fairy godmothers show up when they are least expected but most needed, to right wrongs and assist those in peril. Enter Felicity Fortune. Summoned to Seattle by a sweet but burned-out young social worker named Rose, she sets out to solve problems both modern and ageless with magic and kindness.
You see, there are many young people in danger in the city. Hank and Gigi have been abandoned by their mother and kidnapped by a child molester. Cindy has just been fired from her job by her own stepsisters, and booted out of her family home. Snohomish is hiding in the woods from a hit man hired by her jealous supermodel stepmom. Dico is living on the streets, unable to get any breaks...until he meets a magic cat. Any of this sound familiar? LOL

In this entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking novel, we see that today's problems are nothing new, and that a little kindness goes a long way. One caveat: Scarborough can get a little sledgehammer-ish with her political views. While I agree with most of these opinions, sometimes the character of Rose talks more like an editorial than a normal human being making conversation. Still, I found this relatively easy to overlook. Overall, I recommend _The Godmother_ to anyone who likes this sort of thing.


Ruth H. (Ruth) wrote on 10/26/2005...


Wonderful conglomeration of several fairy tales in a modern day setting.

Lauran H. (Bookerskid) wrote on 10/14/2005...


I love this uplifting book.


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