Customer Reviews

Before Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella (Once Upon a Time)

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Tonight, I returned to the lighter world of the traditional fairy tale for something to read with Cameron Dokey's Before Midnight. Part of an ongoing series of rewritten stories for young adults called Once Upon a Time, this one goes back to one of the more well-known stories about a maiden and a shoe fetish, so to speak.

A girl is born on a day of storms in the seaside castle, with the same reddish hair and green eyes of her mother, and strange and magical signs surround her birth. But in being born, the child takes her mother's life, and her father, Etienne, does not learn of her birth until he arrives with a newborn boy in his arms two weeks later. In despair over his wife's death, he curses his daughter, saying only that he never wants to see or know of her ever again. As to the baby boy, he says only that he is to never leave the lands of the castle. She is Cendrillon, the child of the cinders, and he Raoul, who grows up to be a stableboy.

Told in first person by Cendrillon, we find out that she has a talent for gardening and making wishes. For her, the wishes made on her birthday tend to come true, no matter how prosperous or dire the consequences. Raised by Old Mathilde, who attended her birth, and asked to be her godmother, she is a wise girl, content to be in and of her home, but also wishing for the love from her distant father, who never asks after her. Ever.

One year, a stranger arrives at the door, Niccolo, who has washed up on the beach below the castle. He becomes part of the household, sharing tasks with Raoul, who has become the best friend for Cendrillon. Another wish brings the biggest change however, when word comes that her father has married a widow with two daughters, and they are coming to live with Cendrillon and the rest -- evidently Etienne has little use for women in his life.

The stepmother, Chantal, and her daughters, Amelie and Anastasia, are the big change in the story. I was rather pleasantly surprised by them both, and the bold step that Dokey takes with the traditional roles. I don't want to reveal any more of the plot here, because half of the enjoyment of reading it was to find the new twists that the author took with this.

Cendrillon is not a doormat either; she boldly speaks up for herself, and is not the drudge-of-all-work, abused and forgotten. Here she is a strong young woman, with a couple of character flaws, that unfortunately the rest of the novel lacks. There are other traditional elements here, from the prince choosing his bride from all of the nobly born maidens of the kingdom, pumpkins, but it is also rather down-to-earth as well. It also has humour to it as well, which helps to lighten the story considerably.

My greatest disappointment with it was the setting of a sort of medieval-renaissance world with all of the traditional trappings. While I suppose that it was necessary, it would have been nice to see a bit of change here.

Dokey in the author's afterword speaks about the origins of the story, from the Brothers Grimm to the older Charles Perrault that gives the true name of Cinderella. The novel isn't very long, just under two hundred pages, so there isn't much room for much development for the characters, but the writing and plotting is fairly tight, and the author doesn't forget to put in some descriptive passages that create some lovely imagry.

More than suitable for most teenaged readers, and adults who don't mind an excursion back to the lands of wonder. Recommended.

This tale has always been one of my favorite fairy tales and I have loved some of the different renditions of it like "Ever After" and "Diary of an Ugly Stepsister". "Before Midnight" is another great addition to the retellings of Cinderella. In this revision, Constanze de Brabant, or Cendrillion has been abandoned by her father Etienne because of the death of her mother. She is raised in obscurity with a mysterious boy Raoul by Old Mathilde until a noblewoman, Chantal de Saint-Andre, with her two daughters Amelie and Anastasia arrive. Chantal has married Etienne and she is now Cendrillion's stepmother, but Chantal is never told until secrets are discovered. I love the scene where they open Cendrillion's mother's room and see her portrait. Here Chantal exclaims it is so wicked of Etienne to throw away the most precious gift of all, Love. It is also in this scene that Cendrillion gets her wish of having a family at last.
I will not add too many spoilers and explain who Raoul really is and what happens at the "ball" but this tale which emphasizes the importance of embracing love and all the other feelings that come with it; is so lovingly rendered that both young and old romantics will love it.

Fifteen-year-old Constanze d'Este (La Cendrillon to her friends and family) has never known her father. For on the day of her birth, as opposed to coming into the world without a care, Cendrillon was left with the burden of knowing that her mother lost her life, and never had the chance to know the daughter whom she loved for each and every moment that she spent living. Cendrillon's father, Etienne de Brabant, is utterly heartbroken over the death of his magnificent wife. Dying in childbirth, at a time when he was not present, he never had the opportunity to say goodbye to his dearly beloved, and blames his infant daughter, who he cannot bring himself to name. Given her mother's name by Old Mathilde, Cendrillon never sees her father again. But, of course, Etienne did not part for the king and his court without leaving a little something - a child. Old Mathilde agrees to take care of Cendrillon, and the boy of her age who was brought to the stone cottage, whom she quickly names Raoul. The two are raised beside one another, Cendrillon with the memories of her shattered family, Raoul with no memories to speak of, and no family to dream of. The two live in the care of the servants around them for almost sixteen years, until a beautiful woman with porcelain skin named Chantal de Saint-Andre, accompanied by her two, equally beautiful daughters, Amelie and Anastasia. Cendrillon is shocked to learn that this is her new stepmother and stepsisters. While her father does not accompany his new wife, he sends his new family to the stone cottage, away from the kingdom, where they cannot get in his way. However, upon their arrival, Chantal de Saint-Andre and her daughters have no idea who Cendrillon truly is, and believe that she is nothing more than a servant girl. Even so, Cendrillon is not mistreated, and, as time passes, and her new family learns the truth, they embrace her as if they were one of her own, providing Cendrillon with the family she has craved for all of these years. When an invitation arrives at the stone cottage, ordering that each and every eligible noblewoman in the kingdom attend the great ball so the Prince can choose a wife, Cendrillon is surprised to find herself included in the festivities. She has never worn a gown of fine silk, or slippers that are lovely, yet pinch your toes; but Chantal de Saint-Andre demands that Cendrillon attend the ball as well, stating that she is just as much a noblewoman as her very own daughters. When a letter arrives from her father, however, demanding that it is not appropriate for his new wife and her daughters to attend the ball, Chantal de Saint-Andre makes a decision that could change the course of everyone's lives - including Raoul's. Yet, at the same time, lead both Cendrillon and Raoul to the destiny's that have been awaiting them for so many years. And give them the chance to make a choice that will challenge everything they have ever known - from family to courage, and loyalty to believing in oneself.

Since the ONCE UPON A TIME... series hit bookstores, I have always eagerly awaited the various installments to see how some of my favorite fairytales have been reworded, and re-spun. However, in all the years that I have been reading these stories, not one of them has left such a lasting effect on me as BEFORE MIDNIGHT. While CINDERELLA has never been one of my favorite fairytales, Cameron Dokey has put such a unique, and intercultural French spin on it, that it has quickly one a place in my heart. From page one, Dokey's profound, lyrical writing sparkles. Her words are poignant and beautiful, and really take the reader into the story, making them feel as if they are baking alongside Cendrillon in the warm kitchen of the stone cottage; or even sleeping in the stables alongside the horses and Raoul, the wind howling violently in the background. Cendrillon is a character whom you can't help but love. Her beauty, which is oft-times hidden, is unmatchable; while her belief that dreams can come true make her appear optimistic and charming, even when she is upset, or seen with tears in her eyes. Her bond with Raoul is touching, and truly embraces the love between a brother and sister, even if they are not related by blood. Old Mathilde is like a fairy godmother, whose ability to cure anything, and heal all types of pain makes her an indispensable character, whose love for her two charges is unstoppable. However, what was so refreshing was seeing how Dokey changed the course of the story, putting a kinder spin on the stepmother and step-sisters, and making them lovable, as opposed to evil. Even by making them a friendly bunch, however, they make no comparison to Cendrillon. In the realm of re-tellings, Dokey is the queen.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I picked this book up since, I like the Once Upon a Time series and I like Cameron Dokey. Its a good story with interesting and fun characters. The plot is a bit easy to figure out, but that didn't take away from the fun of the story. It follows the model of the other once upon a time books where there may or may not be magic at work. It has some good points about making wishes happen. This book is about love . . . all kinds of love, including love at first sight. So, while this is a good book and I suggest reading it if you like fairy tale retellings, it is not as good as Dokey's others or some of the others in the Once Upon a Time series, but it is still very worthwhile.

I definitely enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions are very elegant, and the entire feeling is moody. The way the author choose to retell Cinderella I have never seen done before, and it was an interesting take. The characters are likable and believable, and you even come to like the evil stepsister. On the down side, the heroin's relationship with the prince is unrealistic and shallow, but I will say that is somewhat typical of this series. In my opinion Snow by Tracy Lynn was better.

Cameron Dokey's contributions to the "Once Upon a Time" series are undoubtedly the finest, but her retelling of Cinderella is initially a little hit and miss. The series as a whole involves writers taking a recognizable fairytale and tweaking it a little into something that is still familiar but which provides a different point of view. This can involve changing the setting or the time period, removing all the magical elements that make up the original tale, or simply fleshing out the characterization.

Dokey takes all three approaches in her take of Cinderella, setting it in an unspecified time and place (though everyone has French names) and expanding more on our heroine's relationship with her father and step-family. Born to Etienne de Brabant and Constanze d'Este, Cinderella is here named Cendrillon, and her birth is the reason for her mother's death. Shunned by her father, Cendrillon is raised by her elderly nursemaid alongside a foundling that her father brings home a few days after her birth: a dark-haired youth named Raoul who takes up a job as a gardener.

Cendrillon and Raoul are as close as siblings growing up, though both harbor wishes that they'll one day have a proper family: that Cendrillon will earn the love and acceptance of her father, and that Raoul will find out who his parents are and where he came from. Neither wish seems likely to come true, and the plot thickens when Cendrillon is introduced to a new step-family right around the same time that political intrigues in the kingdom grow more tense. Believed to be a simple serving girl by Chantel de Saint-Andre and her daughters Anastasia and Amelie, Cendrillon is contented enough to be treated as one, until circumstances become impossible for her to hide her identity any longer...

Books in the "Once Upon a Time" series are not particularly *good* books by anyone's standards, but then they're not pretending to be. They provide quick, light entertainment, and a new twist on your favorite old fairytales. Like candy floss at the fair, they're cheap and colorful, but don't have a particularly long lifespan. It goes without saying that these books do not contain mastery over plot, character and language.

For instance, chapter one of "Before Midnight" informs us that a mysterious wind extinguishes all the fires in the household, only for the nursemaid to take the newborn Cendrillon down to the still-burning kitchen fireplace to warm her a few pages later. The word "wish" is used excessively, as either a noun or a verb (I kept count; at one stage it's repeated twelve times in nine paragraphs), and Dokey seems to have something important to say about the subject, though I have no idea what save that wishing is Very Serious Business.

At times the circumstances and language borders on Gothic melodrama: everyone talks portentously, lightening strikes and destroys the tree that grows over Constanz's grave, pumpkins are used as an analogy for mourning, Cendrillon's eyes are described as being "green as asparagus" and there's love at first sight for almost everyone involved.

Yet we get onto firmer ground with the introduction of Cendrillon's step-family. Dokey's treatment of Chantel, Anastasia and Amelie is intriguing considering that none of them are presented as the villains. Chantel has been forced into a political marriage with Cendrillon's father, and bears no grudges toward her stepdaughter (in fact, for a long time she doesn't even realize that she *has* a stepdaughter), and the youngest Amelie soon comes to love the estate. Anastasia is initially the shrewish sister, but even she is revealed to have hidden depths when a secret love affair comes to light. Rather, it is Cendrillon's father who is presented as the unfeeling adult, along with another biological parent who remains off-screen for the entire book. Portraying Cendrillon's stepfamily as a sympathetic unit that eventually forms a strong bond with the heroine is probably the greatest contribution Dokey makes to the story, and it's certainly more poignant and real than her eventual romance.

As with all the books in the series, "Before Midnight" is a quick read that provides a new perspective on an old fairytale, and in a trait that is unique to Dokey, she keeps you guessing as to who the main character is eventually going to fall in love with.

One pet peeve of mine that pertains to the series as a whole is that the once-beautiful cover art done by K.Y. Craft, portraying the bodice of the protagonist and several details from the fairytales, has since been replaced with generic beauties in big frocks. Lame. The girl on the cover of "Before Midnight" doesn't even resemble the character as she's described in the books, and though one is not supposed to judge a book by their cover, the evocative art of the original bindings was certainly more appealing than the reprints.

A retelling of Cinderella from the Once Upon a Time series.

Taking a classic aspect of a classic tale and completely changing it can be risky, but Dokey succeeds in turning Cinderella's evil step-mother and step-sisters into a loving family for Cinderella. Don't worry though, there is a bad guy in this story, and the bad guy is both reprehensible and sympathetic. The characters are fleshed out well for such a short book, and while the happily ever after is obviously going to happen, how to author will resolve the potential romantic parings and the way the story unfolds is different enough from every other Cinderella story to be engaging, while still managing to include (in some form) many of the classic elements of the fairy tale. Recommended.

I found Before Midnight to be an interesting version of Cinderella's story. Cameron Dokey puts a whole new twist on an old favorite!

Dokey's version of Cinderella is completely different than the Disney version that many are accustomed to. It was odd at first - I kept expecting certain events to occur, but Dokey successfully revamped this old tale. I was pleasantly surprised to find that in this version, Cinderella doesn't have an evil stepmother! Instead, there is a whole new villain, and, this time, readers get to see a bit of the person behind the villain.

There really wasn't as much romance in this book as I would have liked. I assumed that the love story would be a main part of the plot, as I associate love stories with fairy tales. This was disappointing to me, but there was a touch of romance, so I was completely crushed.

I would recommend book to fans of retellings and will definitely look into other books in Simon Pulse's Once Upon a Time series. Readers should keep in mind that the romance in these books is minimal, but they are quick, fun reads that offer vastly different and original retellings!

When his beloved wife dies in childbirth, Etienne de Brabant never again wants to see the baby he blames for killing his wife. He abandons the girl, Constanze (nicknamed Cendrillon) in his remote mansion to be raised by her godmother Old Mathilde. He also drops off a baby boy, Raoul, who is to never leave the de Brabant estate. As Cendrillon and Raoul grow up together, they both make the same wishes on their birthdays year after year: Cendrillon wishes something would grow on her mother's grave and Raoul wishes that he will learn who he really is. One year, however, Cendrillon makes a new, impulsive birthday wish: she wishes for a mother to love her and two sisters, so at least one of them will like her. Since wishes have power in the world of this story, Cendrillon's wish is granted in an unexpected way, when Cendrillon's father marries a beautiful noble lady, Chantal de Saint-Andre. Since Etienne de Brabant seems to care as little for his new wife as he does his own child, he sends her and her two daughters to his isolated estate while he remains at court. Etienne has not even told his wife that he has a daughter of his own and when Chantal and her daughters, Anastasia and Amelie, arrive they, in their ignorance, take Cendrillon to be a servant girl. Cendrillon doesn't know how to correct this assumption and so plays along in the role.

Cameron Dokey is my favourite author in the Once Upon a Time series and although BEFORE MIDNIGHT doesn't quite rank up there with what I consider her best (Beauty Sleep: A Retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" (Once Upon a Time) and Golden: A Retelling of "Rapunzel" (Once Upon a Time)), it is still quite good. In this book Dokey, as per usual, does a fine job of writing a sweet, charming fairy tale with some interesting twists on the original. In this story, the stepmother and stepsisters are given more depth than usual and aren't like their evil counterparts in most versions of the Cinderella tale: only selfish, bratty Anastasia really fits the "evil stepsister" role, but even she is lashing out more from hurt than from being a genuinely bad person. Furthermore, Dokey gives the reader a Cinderella that is not a doormat, some fun twists on the usual Cinderella motifs of pumpkins and fairy godmothers, and a dash of political intrigue. I would have liked a bit more interaction between Cendrillon and her prince, as their time together was much too short, as well as a better display of Anastasia when she is not being a brat, as proof that she is worthy of the guy who falls in love with her. However, overall this is a great addition to the pretty well-covered Cinderella tale (Ella Enchanted, Ever After - A Cinderella Story, etc) and another fantastic Once Upon a Time book by Cameron Dokey.

Before Midnight

Before Midnight is a wonderful retelling of Cinderella. Constanze or Cendrillon was born at midnight and her mother, Constanze died. Her father was away and when he found that his wife was dead. He was very sad.When he got to the big stone house he had a baby boy with him the same age as Cendrillon. He was so sad he didn't come back for a long time.
I found this a very good book! The ending you would never expect but if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise. READ THE BOOK!!!!!!!!