Agnes began life as a peasant and after the death of her mother, being the second daughter to a villein, she was required to seek a position as a laundress at Aviceford Manor, a smaller demesne near her home (held by Lord Emont Vis-de-Loup). From there, she learns and grows and grasps at opportunities to leave her horrific and unbearable situation, with dreams of becoming more than a laundress. Her aspirations land her as a maid servant at Rose House, within the immense Abbey grounds lead by Mother Elfilda (soon to be Ella's Godmother). At the Abbey she meets the young son of a knight/the messenger to the Abbess, and falls naively and foolishly in love. She risks her position and her soul by being with him, but he gives her the gift of being a mother. She births three daughters, and for a time she is happy and works hard to open her own business. But her fate lies elsewhere, she loses much of what she has worked for, and must bid goodbye to her beloved daughters and take on the position of nurse to Ella, a strange and beautiful child (daughter of Lord Emont). The story unfolds into that of Cinderella from there, but with changes in all the right places, explanations for the frivolities of the story, the magic, and mockery of the impossible that lead the gossipers at the Palace. Agnes's story was tragic so much of the time, but she bore each set back and heartache with dignity. She picked herself up several times and began again. She taught herself, was not afraid of hard work, was clever and always found ways to improve her work situation, and she loved her daughter's, and eventually Ella, unconditionally. I loved her character and could easily place myself in her shoes. I cried during her greatest losses and smiled when she accomplished her greatest goals. She was hard at times, but the life she lead made her who she is and I liked her all the more for her strength. The writing was lyrical, I could picture myself surrounded by roses in the garden, swept up in the grandeur of the Abbey, cloistered in the darkness of Aviceford Manor. Each new setting was rendered with a deftness of skill, and all of the characters were wonderfully brought to life. The plight of servants and their inability to make their own decisions, the ease with which their lives are decided for them, their holdings taken from them, their children separated from them, was sad and callous and unfortunately a reality of the time. Agnes's daughters were caring, kind, and let the harassment they received for being perceived different and ugly not deter them for living a happy life. While Ella was beautiful, her character was lazy, distant, cold and naive. She did not stop the idle gossip about her family, but was able to make it up to them in the end. The twist in this story was wonderful, thought provoking and I may even like this perspective more than the typical beautiful girl, turned into a servant and discovered by a handsome prince, who is then lifted from her dismal situation trope. I received this ARC from HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.
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