Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

After hearing so much about this book, I finally grabbed it and read it in one big gulp.  This was a great read!  The writing is truly magical.

This is Lil's story - she was Cinderella's fairy godmother and after she failed her duty, she was banished from the fairy world and into the human world.

She works at a bookstore, and lives a quiet life as an old woman.  Until she meets Veronica, and comes to believe that the fairies are coming back for her and giving her the chance to redeem herself.  If she can find true love for Veronica, maybe she can finally be forgiven and return to her home and family.

There's a lot of sadness, loneliness, and loss in this book - Veronica's first love died, George is divorced, and Lil craves to be reunited with her family and home.  But there's beauty too, and hope for redemption - will Veronica and George be able to move away from the past and fall in love?  Will Lil be forgiven, most importantly by herself?

This book is both lovely and heartbreaking.