Monday, May 11, 2020

The Prince and the Dressmaker

The Prince and the Dressmaker, a graphic novel by Jen Wang, is a Cinderella-type story with a major and marvelous twist. The wife-seeking prince is a cross-dresser, and the Cinderalla figure is an ambitious and talented dressmaker.

Prince Sebastian seeks out Frances not as a potential spouse but to provide him with the kinds of women's clothes he wants. The two of them become a fashion team.

This story is unique for two other reasons. Sebastian, a character with a secret, is not a cliched, tortured YA male. (Though he's tortured some.) He receives support. And this romance involves two far more equal characters than you usually see in fairy tale-type stories. Frances's skill and drive make her much closer to Sebastian's level. He really has nothing going for him other than the accident of his birth into a royal family.

This is a fun and thoughtful read.


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