Author: David Meredith
Book Description: What happens when “happily ever after” has come and gone?
On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven’s wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven’s fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White’s own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing:
The king is dead.
The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.
It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what “happily ever after” really means?
Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.
Review
I wish I had a picture of David Meredith and the skills to Photoshop a crown on his head because he has achieved something original and memorable here.
The Reflections of Queen Snow White is a surprisingly fresh and unique take on the story of Snow White before and after the forever after. It is weaved together by writing that is eloquent and vivid. Never has there been a story of Snow White that is relatable and convincing, devoid of the sparkle and clichés that are demise of such tales. There is a “cinematic” quality to the writing that makes the narration graceful. Everything falls in place as it should and it belongs. Perhaps the genius of this book lies in how premise of this story is dealt with, how philosophically sound it is and the valuable wisdom embedded within it. Reflections of Snow White is not a one-time affair type of book, it was built so that it may be revisited now and then. The tale of Snow White has always been a sob story but it has always lacked a certain maturity and depth that this book has.
Classic, superb and rich.
When all is considered The Reflections of Queen Snow White reads like Lindsay Clarke with a certain edge. A work that is mentally and emotionally penetrating. David Meredith deserves a gold medal.
On a personal note
This book deals with a lot of grief and getting through it, the advice that comes through about that is very therapeutic. There was never a perfect moment for me to read this. My mother, after caring for her for months, passed away on the 29th March and we buried her on the 9th of April. We were very close, and the toll that this has taken on me has been huge. If you have been following this blog you know there was a period where I didn’t post anything for like a month, I was the most depressed then. I have stopped working on my second novel, and I don’t know when I will gather enough strength to work on it again, so the book has been indefinitely postponed.
To read this book during this time has been of some comfort to me, because it really captures grief well and the need to find yourself and re-discover yourself in the aftermath of death. I’m very thankful.
Thanks for reading.
“Maybe we can all recognize a moment of silence
Maybe we can all finally agree on the same point of view
A long time ago we believed and we were united
So the last thing on Earth I am ready to do, is say, ‘Goodbye’” – Slipknot ‘Goodbye’
Sandy Author 