Cinderella Jane

2.5 stars
I really loved the character when I started the book, but the second half was too involved in political/social statements that really drew me out of the enjoyment of the story. It made the woman smarter and better than everyone else, and I really appreciated the emphasis on the value of motherhood–but the men in the story were little better than mindless puppets. Even the one that I thought I could admire turned out to be holding a dark secret that prevented him from being the hero.

I guess, I liked Jane so well that I would have been happier seeing her with a true equal to her intelligence and emotion. The story seemed to downplay emotion as a weakness and yet it's given to us as a gift as long as we don't abuse it. It also had a very, very liberal view of what marriage meant, and I had a hard time with its definition of the “trappings of faith” as “traditions that had no real value.” And yet at the end, Jane seems to “see Christ,” so is the author okaying faith or not? It wasn't clear.

Since I varied between wanting to hug Jane and wanting to rip the book up a bit, it's two stars instead of one or three.

Recommended to adults because of the moral POV being confusing.
Content:
Talk of sex but discreet
Feminism
Twilight sleep used in childbirth (and endorsed!!)