Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison
This book was recommended to me by a 12 year old girl. She then gave me a copy of the book. High recommendation indeed! Mira, Mirror weaves themes of power, sisterhood, family, parental guidance, and identity together into a strong rope that is powerful but looks like a loose conglomeration of fairy tales.
Mira was sold by her parents to a local witch. The witch cares for her and teaches her many things but Mira is enamoured of the witch's other apprentice, a beautiful young woman who offers Mira friendship and family. Mira is betrayed by her new sister many times over the years; Mira is even tricked into giving up her body and becoming a speaking mirror. In the story of Snow White, Mira is the mirror and the evil stepmother is her beautiful sister. That beauty and the other power that her sister desires cost the lives of many, many people. The sister finally disappears and Mira is left hanging on the wall of a hovel for 100 years. When she is finally found by a peasant girl who is fleeing her abusive father and the marriage he has arranged for her, Mira takes the opportunity to look for a way to revenge and a return to humanity.
There follows pieces of The Prince and The Pauper and Beauty and the Beast. Mira is both an interprative voice for other characters and a surprised reciever of insights. Will power corrupt her as it did her sister? Is there any path back from corruption?
This book is generally well written although several things are mentioned as striking and then are never mentioned again. For instance, much is made of the cook's use of a magic apron and the expected fallout when Mira instigates the theft of the apron but the results are not directly addressed and the good food coming from the kitchen is left to the reader to decide if there is a new cook or if the old one has somehow discovered a talent for cooking.
Mira was sold by her parents to a local witch. The witch cares for her and teaches her many things but Mira is enamoured of the witch's other apprentice, a beautiful young woman who offers Mira friendship and family. Mira is betrayed by her new sister many times over the years; Mira is even tricked into giving up her body and becoming a speaking mirror. In the story of Snow White, Mira is the mirror and the evil stepmother is her beautiful sister. That beauty and the other power that her sister desires cost the lives of many, many people. The sister finally disappears and Mira is left hanging on the wall of a hovel for 100 years. When she is finally found by a peasant girl who is fleeing her abusive father and the marriage he has arranged for her, Mira takes the opportunity to look for a way to revenge and a return to humanity.
There follows pieces of The Prince and The Pauper and Beauty and the Beast. Mira is both an interprative voice for other characters and a surprised reciever of insights. Will power corrupt her as it did her sister? Is there any path back from corruption?
This book is generally well written although several things are mentioned as striking and then are never mentioned again. For instance, much is made of the cook's use of a magic apron and the expected fallout when Mira instigates the theft of the apron but the results are not directly addressed and the good food coming from the kitchen is left to the reader to decide if there is a new cook or if the old one has somehow discovered a talent for cooking.
# posted by JJ @ 8:18 PM 
