Ilkeät sisarpuolet

Kaari Utrio is a very popular author in Finland. She tells fascinating stories set in history, with nice details, and manages to create correct feeling (that's one of the reasons why I hate so much Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books. yuk She doesn't...)

This book rides very much on her popularity. I like the idea of the Cinderella story told from the stepsisters' point of view, and the idea that the stepsisters weren't the nasty ones, but the “Cinderella” herself... on the other hand, SHE is the stepsister of the main character, one of the so called stepsisters, who in turn is the REAL Cinderella... and that throws the book back into cliches.

Also, I hate the fact that the male lead was called “Larry”... His real name was Laurent, but he wasn't called Lauri - which is a common name in Finland, and Laurie-version is used of Lawrence in UK as well... NO-ONE is called “Larry” in Finland, and most certainly wasn't in Finland, in the mid 19th century when the book is supposed to happen. Perhaps “Lars” or “Lasse” in Swedish... But “Larry”. OMG!

I also hate the flat ending. The nasty stepsister makes a turn on a sixpence... In five minutes she turns from a shallow, stupid, egotistic and mean girl who cares only about clothes and gossip, getting married and getting high status into a feminist who comforts herself when thinking about her future that at least she isn't owned by any man... sigh
And her groom... When his daddy and the family lawyer discuss about giving away his bride's money, he just sighs and says there's nothing to do about it, 10 minutes later he throws his daddy out of the house. Had he done it 10 minutes earlier, he'd be happily married to the pretty and rich girl and live the rest of his life happy and rich. >:->