Book Review: "Letters to Zell" by Camille Griep

Letters to Zell by Camille Griep
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Letters from Zell" by Camille Griep is a collection of letters from CeCi (Cinderella), Bianca (Snow White), and Rory (Briar Rose, known as Sleeping Beauty) to Zell (Raphunzel) who moved rather suddenly to Oz to raise unicorns with her husband, Jason.

The premise behind this book is that fairy tales are created through human imagination, and that all the people in fair tales must finished their "Pages" before moving on the the rest of their life. I find this an interesting premise, especially because we humans don't agree on who each fairy tale person in specifics. Does Cinderella like cleaning, or is she OCD about dirt? Does Raphunzel adore long hair or does she secretly hate to spend the time washing and conditioning it? Is Snow White built like Twiggy or a 1940s pin-up girl? This book handles these questions by giving each of the princesses personalities outside their known fairy tales, and the conflict in the book stems from the internal conflict in each princess as she attempts to reconcile her required behavior with her own internal wants/needs/desires.

I loved reading about the interactions between the ladies, especially since Bianca uses vulgarities and Rory seems almost prissy. How the women relate the same events through the letters provides insights into each personality.

The only negative about this book is that it tells the entire story, instead of showing the reader the events. As a writer, I know that it is preferable to show instead of tell, but Ms. Griep manages to keep the book interesting and engaging in spite this supposed "writing sin".

I recommend this book to anyone who wonders who these princesses would be as real people.

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