Review: Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers

With the holiday season beginning, it is a good time to celebrate true love in all its forms, including the unexpected. Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers by Georgina Warren is a book that celebrates the love that stepmothers have for their families by deconstructing the "wicked stepmother" tropes. The book contains a foreword and afterword from the author explaining why she wrote it and how passionate she feels about children learning to accept their stepmothers as part of their family, something that she struggled with as a child. Her passion for this comes through on every page of this fairy tale anthology, which is written in the same style as the classic tales. Although this format might not appeal to the shorter attention spans of today's TikTok generation, the book contains twelve bedtime stories about loving stepmothers that incorporate many classic elements and can be appreciated by fairy tale lovers of any age. I received a review copy of this book from the author.

The thing that impressed me the most about this book is the variety of stories contained within its pages. Not every story has a stepmother as the main character, but each story has a loving and ambitious stepmother who wants the best for her family. One story from this anthology that stood out to me was "Dalecarlia, the Porcelain Girl," a gender-bent version of The Adventures of Pinocchio about a doll who comes to life and wishes to get away from her overprotective parents to live the life of a real little girl. The addition of a stepmother to this story helped with the themes of girlhood and growing up with an unusual childhood. Another story I really enjoyed was "The Dragon Mother" which is about a dragon who adopts some human boys and decides to undergo a magical transformation to support their growth. In addition to fostering loving stepfamilies, the book is also pro-adoption and has some great stories to help adopted kids understand that it isn't always blood that makes a family.

One story I didn't enjoy as much was "The Bird of Many Voices," which takes up a shocking third of the book despite its eleven other stories. Unlike the other fairy tales in this book, this one was too long to read in one sitting (unless you have a lot of free time) and contained none of the magic or whimsy of the other stories. Additionally, the allegory of the bird entering a toxic relationship with a predator hawk who kills members of her family can be interpreted as a woman being stuck in a relationship with a serial killer, which is probably too dark of a theme for younger readers. The story about a bird who can mimic the calls of other species demonstrates a vast array of avian knowledge, which is probably another one of the author's passions. However, it drags out the middle portion of the book with few of the pleasant feelings that are usually conveyed in fairy tales.

Although this book was intended to counteract an old stereotype, it is written in an older poetic style that demonstrates a love of literature. There are little to no instances of the "modern princess" trope of being resistant to romance and physically stronger than every man around her. In this respect, the stories feel as timeless as the ones written two hundred years ago when fairy tales were at their peak. This style of writing is less likely to appeal to modern children than to adults who love literature, so it might be difficult for a younger child with a new stepmother to dive into this book. However, the stories could be used as a tool for stepmothers to read to their children as a jumping-off point for discussions about their intent to love and care for their children and help them grow. The original concepts also make it a fun read for fairy tale lovers even if they don't come from blended families and just want to be entertained by a brief bout of fantasy.

Through Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers, Georgina Warren weaves a charming collection of fairy tales that challenge outdated tropes and celebrate the love and devotion of stepmothers. While the classic writing style may appeal more to seasoned literature lovers than young readers, the stories offer a valuable tool for stepfamilies to explore themes of acceptance, love, and growth. With its unique blend of timeless storytelling and modern sensibilities, this anthology is a delightful read for fairy tale enthusiasts and a thoughtful resource for families navigating the complexities of blended relationships.