A review of a Christmas book in July?
Okay then.I won't reveal much about this children's Christmas feminist celebration and cheer in book form, except that it is about how two orphan girls, Blanche Claus and Rinki, started the Santa Claus myth, character and tradition, in the Victorian times.
'Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas' - it has that subtitle for a reason.
There are many clever references and twisty-twists to the Santa lore here - obscure or otherwise, subtle or otherwise. And overall it is a sweet, charming, funny, wholesome, whimsical yet edgy, massively creative, boldly subversive fairy tale, that gets surprisingly dark, shocking and teary towards its end - ending in hope and bliss. It contains overt, vital messages about feminism for a children's book.
It is a great, original Christmas story. It is begging to be adapted into an animated film.
In 'Tinsel', there are LOADS of mince pies, mince-pie picnics, candy canes, baubles, tinsel, chimneys, handkerchiefs, designer dresses, and elves named Carol. There's an enchanted talking Christmas tree named Eggnog, a secret witchcraft recipe book, and the statue of Boudicca in London - its inclusion is important to the plot.
Oh yeah, and it has a gay couple, Captain Gadin Garland (aka Jolly) and Teddy, who adopt Rinki. They are explicitly her fathers. They live together. They adore each other, and Teddy is a colourful, flamboyant dressmaker. It is pretty obvious they are meant to be a couple; it's barely subtext. It's amazing and nice to see in a modern children's Christmas book.
I do ship the "best friends", Blanche and Rinki, too. They are very close, loving and adoring; they are everything to each other. They are Christmas to each other. A magical bond, indeed, destined to change the world. Santa who?*
Good on you, Sibéal Pounder, you've exceeded my expectations in so many ways with 'Tinsel'.
'Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmas' - a flurry of soft snowflakes enchanted into the written word, twinkly yet powerful, and warm as hot chocolate on Christmas Eve night. It's a magical Christmas fable; a yarn of yuletide love, magic, inventory and humour. An instant classic.
I'm glad to have finally read it. It is so breezy (and snowy, stormy and blizzardy!), it can be read in a day.
Happy Christmas in July!
Final Score: 4/5
P.S. How did Blanche survive alone for many years, from a very young age, in the cold, dirty streets of Victorian London, and living under a bridge? This is hardly explained. It is a rough dent in my suspension of disbelief, even in a fairy tale. Realistically, Blanche would have had the same fate as the Little Match Girl within her first week on the streets.
*To be fair, Santa is also a sweet and funny character in his own right. His incarnation and interpretation is... very interesting. Totally unexpected. I won't dare spoil anything else about him.
No comments:
Post a Comment