Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, is a cutesy, tween novel by the author who wrote one of my favorite childhood fairy tales, Ella Enchanted. While Ella was filled with sarcasm, romance, and smart humor, Fairest lacks all but one thing: romance. I was kind of disappointed, to say the least. I read Ella Enchanted in the sixth grade, and I have re-read the fast novel several times since. Levine's later novel is a bit juvenile, more so than the former. Although I was looking for something easy and nonchalant (especially after finishing four years of reading hard-core, university-recommended literature), I was not expecting this. Twilight is a much tougher read than this.
Aza, the main character, has an annoyingly low self-esteem, and is constantly degrading herself. This is probably what I hated most about the novel. Young girls, especially prepubescant girls and teens, usually feel awkward about their bodies, and the new things that are happening to them. If those same young girls are subjected to a heroine who hates her face and her body as much as Aza does, all they will learn is that it's okay to have low self-esteem, and that it's okay to call yourself names, and that it's okay to not stick up for yourself when other people are calling you those same names, and comparing you to big, hairy ogres. The worst part is that Aza never truly sees herself as beautiful (not even at the end of the novel!), and she only starts to think of herself as "okay" when the Prince starts to fall for her. Only then does Aza's self esteem begin to grow. What is Levine trying to say? That we, as women, need men to make us feel good about ourselves?
There were several moments in the novel where I had to hold myself back from throwing the book against a wall. I almost refused to finish it, but I had a little bit of hope. I thought that Levine would choose to have Aza find beauty in herself. For some reason, I kept thinking that Aza would actually be able to look in a mirror and say something good about her face. But, unfortunately, that never happened.
I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends because of the fact that it is children's literature, and much too juvenile for them to enjoy; but, I wouldn't recommend this book to any of my younger, female family members, either, because of the fact that it lacks the moral lessons and encouragement that I wish for them to learn. The fact of the matter is, every woman (young and old), should know that they are beautiful. They should never let anyone tell them otherwise. And, they should NEVER rely on a man's judgement of their beauty before their own.
I hope you enjoyed the review! Next on my list is John Green's Looking for Alaska!
<3Erika
