Review: Short and sweet retelling
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 27, 2014
Reviewed by Barb Taubfor TheRomanceReviews.comWhat is it about fairy tales? Armando Muggi, a University of Chicago professor who studies the genre, says they keep getting retold because they hold onto something fundamental that transcends time, place, and culture. But those connections can be lost as the original, often macabre or violent tale, gets sanitized to fit into contemporary sensibilities. For example, the early Cinderella helps her governess murder her current stepmother only to have the governess become her new evil stepmother (The Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones, Giambattista Basile, 1694). In our times, Cinderella is the girl who does her housekeeping with the help of talking animals (Disney). Something was lost here. In a recorded lecture, Maggi says, "We want stories that we can relate to, stories that seem real, that seem complicated, that are messy, but also stories of confronting danger or difficulty, as memoirists do, and overcoming them. Stories of triumph. Happily ever after."This longing for contemporary connections to the timeless themes of fairy tales serves as inspiration for Elizabeth Morgan's retelling of the story of Rapunzel in RAZEL DAZZLE. She updates the traditional details with a clever twist: the impregnable tower of the early version becomes the walls built by living in an artificial world that worships surface beauty.Razel, the perfect super model, is a doll whose every move, word, and even thought is choreographed by her evil adoptive mother. She has never known any other life, and is sure she has no way to escape this one. On a photo shoot, she meets fashion photographer Matthew. Instantly smitten, he asks her out but is turned down. Luckily, they meet afterward by chance and manage to arrange a future assignation.Um... wait. The original version is one of the best and earliest stories of a strong woman who overcomes every adversity to rescue herself, her prince, and their children. And that was in a world where women had far less rights and even fewer options. In contrast, the modern Razel is almost frightening with her blind obedience, blank eyes, and dazzling smile. Despite being over twenty-one, the heroine goes to extraordinary lengths to pursue a clandestine relationship with her lover (helpfully named Matthew Prince in case the reader has any doubts about his role).Their affair is both erotic and sweet, but ultimately also a bit creepy. Because he has never seen any indication that there is anything to this doll-woman that goes deeper than her surface perfection, it's impossible to believe that he is anything other than dazzled by her looks. As a photographer, his role is to document that perfection, and his only frustration is that he can't capture enough of it with his camera.It's hard to avoid spoilers when we all know the original. In case anyone is not from this planet and has missed the connection, the two arrange to meet at a ball, with her dressed as a certain long-haired heroine and him as, of course, her prince. Suffice it to say that the two have a sweetly steamy encounter before Razel heads back to her tower/life as a supermodel.Does the prince/photographer rescue her? Does she get a backbone graft and somehow rescue herself? Do we get a HEA? Do we care?Yes, surprisingly, we do. Even though they are shallow, I was rooting for the couple. They are obviously compatible in bed, plus he likes to take pictures of pretty surfaces and she is one. They are perfect for each other.Overall, if you're looking for a short, sweet retelling of a classic fairy tale, updated with some nice steamy love scenes, then RAZEL DAZZLE is for you. It's well-written, faithful to the sanitized version of the tale, and undemanding. I just wonder what Elizabeth Morgan's obvious writing talent could produce if she lets herself step away from ticking off surface details (Long hair? Prince? Evil witch? Check, check, check) and look at what the story could mean in today's world. I'll bet that would really dazzle.