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White As Snow    by Tanith Lee Amazon.com order for
White As Snow
by Tanith Lee
Order:  USA  Can
Tor, 2001 (2000)
Hardcover, Softcover
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

White As Snow is part of The Fairy Tale Series created by Terri Windling. As can be expected from this author, Tanith Lee gives a dark and masterful retelling of the Snow White story, which in no way brings to mind the familiar (and in comparison, bland) Disney version.

The evil mother / stepmother in Lee's version starts out as young, lovely, fourteen-year-old Arpazia, who descends gradually into a kind of madness after conquest, rape and a very difficult childbirth. The war-leader / king Draco makes her his queen, but soon deserts her to a town and palace by the sea. The queen develops a reputation as a witch, largely due to the unusual and sinister mirror, which Draco took as spoils of war and then returned to her. Arpazia shuns and even hates her child, a daughter who grows up her mirror image.

Running through the story are several different themes: the abysmal treatment of women in a brutal world; conflict between the old and new religions which co-exist for a time; the legend of Persephone and Demeter; the love / hate relationship between a young girl growing into her beauty and an ageing mother losing hers; and how badly societies can treat those who are different. The latter is reflected in Arpazia's being labeled as a witch, but also in people's contempt for the dwarves, used and abused in the mines.

Tanith Lee never gives an easily optimistic read, and White As Snow is not a cheerful story. It is a totally fascinating one, as the reader follows the trail laid by this author, and watches her mould a light and shallow fairytale into a deep and subtle story with a most unusual conclusion; one which cuts through the cycle of abuse that damaged both the child-mother and her daughter. 'Black is the wood, white is the snow / Red the roses that under it grow'.

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