★★★☆☆
(Fairy Tale Pastiche) When the king offers to elevate a pretty girl to the rank of princess, seamstresses like Clara are mobbed, but the worst is the local Duke, who demands three outstanding dresses in the time needed for just one. (6,537 words; Time: 21m)
"Three Gowns for Clara," by Auston Habershaw [bio] (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction issue 01-02|20, published on January 7, 2020 by Spilogale Inc.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.049 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: Probably the best part of this story is Clara herself. The cynical, crotchety old lady with a heart of gold.
It’s amusing that the Prince’s great-grandfather was the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, his grandmother was Sleeping Beauty, and his mother was Snow White. Who knew all these fairytale characters were so inbred?
Con: The basic message—that life for ordinary people in fairy tales would have been miserable—is too banal. Perhaps a more serious complaint is that Clara seems to be personally ruined at the end, and it seems a very poor reward that her niece will be able to attend a ball where it’s already been convincingly argued that she cannot be chosen to be the princess.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Auston Habershaw Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: Probably the best part of this story is Clara herself. The cynical, crotchety old lady with a heart of gold.
It’s amusing that the Prince’s great-grandfather was the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, his grandmother was Sleeping Beauty, and his mother was Snow White. Who knew all these fairytale characters were so inbred?
Con: The basic message—that life for ordinary people in fairy tales would have been miserable—is too banal. Perhaps a more serious complaint is that Clara seems to be personally ruined at the end, and it seems a very poor reward that her niece will be able to attend a ball where it’s already been convincingly argued that she cannot be chosen to be the princess.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Auston Habershaw Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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