Review of "After the Ball: A Woman’s Tale of Reclaiming Happily Ever After," by Barb Greenberg

 Review of

 After the Ball: A Woman’s Tale of Reclaiming Happily Ever After, by Barb Greenberg ISBN 9780982358801

 Four out of five stars

A perfect fit for a “chick niche”

 Fairy tales are generally just that, a tale of things, times and places that are idealistic hopes and dreams. Reality is much harsher, rather than happily ever after it is more a case of struggle with ups and downs as measured on the happiness meter. Greenberg does an interesting thing, she uses the characters of Cinderella and Snow White, lovely girls that marry their princes and then move off to their respective castles.

 Although they are busy being the wives of their spouses, the two manage to keep in touch over the years, meeting on a regular basis to share tea and tales of their lives and woes. They discover that marrying Prince Charming is a wonderful event but that life tends to be hard, even for the social and economic elite. When they were young, both of them had heard a story of a wise woman dwelling in the forest, so at one of their meetings, they agree to flee and seek her out.

 After taking many false paths, the two women arrive at the dwelling of the wise woman, whose name is Annetta. They are welcomed to her home, which begins a process of talking and self-study. That study begins with a paragraph that is completely female in tone

 

When Cinderella and Snow White snuggled down into the cozy blue sofa and covered themselves with a patchwork quilt, Annetta began her story.

 

It is very easy to generate a mental picture of this scene, despite the elegant movie renditions of the two characters.

 At this point, Annetta begins her story of a princess that marries her own Prince Charming, a man that turns out to be hungry for power over all things and his wife is but a tool to be used on his quest. When the reality of his true nature becomes painfully evident, the princess gathers a few things and then departs. After wandering for some time and struggling with her anguish, the princess is able to weave her life back together, developing an inner strength to rise above the painful past. This tale emboldens Cinderella and Snow White to do the same thing, so after a few simple gifts from Annetta, they depart and each finds a cottage of their own, constructs a simple life and lives happily ever after.

  When life is good, such as at the start of a marriage, it appears to be a fairy tale, yet tarnish is inevitable. This story is about the fading of the happily ever after scenario and what to do when it all appears covered in rust. Written for females unhappy with their lot in life, this is a book that is a perfect fit for a “chick niche.”