I grew up reading, knowing, and play-acting Cinderella. Almost every girl of a certain age did. When I was in 3rd grade, I remember directing all the neighborhood kids in a play based on Cinderella. I not only directed but played the leading role. LOL
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We performed the play in the driveway of a neighbor’s house, and we invited our parents. You may be wondering why I’ve shared this childhood memory.
Over the weekend, Monday, and Tuesday, I explore different ideas that I might use in writing this post. Well, Tuesday afternoon, I watched a Hallmark movie I’d recorded from Saturday night. It was a typical Hallmark romance, “Once Upon A Prince.” It reminded me of all the romances I used to read as a young girl and young woman.
In this case, the prince has come to stay with his mother’s friend on an island off the coast of South Carolina for a vacation before his coronation. His father’s recent death forces him to become King earlier than he’d expected. The prince helps a young American woman who gets a flat tire.
The heroine is a landscape architect. Of course, they fall in love. He returns to his kingdom with his mother expecting him to marry the woman who’s from a good family, and who he’s known for ever.
The prince’s aid suggests to the prince’s mother that if they invite the American woman over to the kingdom, so the prince will see how she doesn’t fit in. The ruse is for her to come and help with the gardens. The prince’s mother is upset when it appears not to be working. After the coronation ball, the American woman leaves, believing she’s doing the best thing for them both. She can never fit in to the role of queen.
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Back in South Carolina, her landscape business is growing. But the prince, now king, comes after her. He’s told his mother he promised to protect the rights of all Cambrians, and he is one, and that includes his right to pursue the woman of his dreams. Mother comes around realizing that more important than tradition is her son’s happiness.
I gotta admit as I watched, I kept thinking how is this going to have an HEA? Happily Ever After. The heroine really knows nothing about being queen or how to behave as a royal. She’ll be expected to leave her home and family and live a totally different kind of life. I’m not just not sure this is realistic.
I write romances with HEAs. I only want to read a book with an HEA. There’s enough bad stuff in the world as it is.
Still, I believe a love story like this movie or many of the books I’ve read or the ones I write, play an important role. They give us hope that when all is bleak, things might still work out. No matter how unrealistic it may seem.
Don’t we need these glimpses of hope? I believe we do. It may not be everyone’s taste, but sometimes, we all need that glimmer of hope.
Do you read books with an HEA? Or are you okay with things not working out in the end? Love to hear from you.
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Marsha R. West, Author 
When I was a kid, we/I always played school and took turns being a teacher. We had rows of vintage desks with inkwells and a blackboard in an old “coop” in our backyard. I don’t know why we called it a coop, it was a small building next to our garage. We never had chickens, pigeons or anything like that. Never played Cinderella.
Happily ever after is always nice, but I find it also intriguing to read a book/watch a movie where you have to think about it and come up with your own ending. It’s challenging. I don’t like stories that end badly.
All of my mysteries do have endings.
As always, another enjoyable and interesting post. Have a great weekend, Marsha. I’m on a diet and have lost 6 pounds in the last two weeks. My goal is 30.
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Hey, Susan. I remember playing teacher, but nothing as elaborate as you had. Desks with inkwells. Very cool and wow haven’t things changed! Congratulations on the weight loss. 5 lbs in two weeks is great! Bill must be limiting the pies he makes. LOL I’d be sunk at your house. Bob and I are focusing on something called G Bombs. We read about it on the Blue Zones site. Greens, Beans, Onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds. And of course not snacking on chips. Very hard for me. But I’ve kept off 10 of the 13 lbs I lost doing the Whole 30 back in January. Need to drop more, before seeing my doctor in late May.
Thanks so much for stopping by. I always enjoy hearing from you. 🙂
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The HEA is a part of romance we nearly all expect and would be disappointed if it wasn’t present in a book or movie made today. However, this wasn’t always the case. Romeo and Juliet is the classic love story of all time and it did not end well.
My son pointed this out to me a few years ago. So I took it, made the feuding families game designers whose kids were marrying and who weren’t impressed. At the beginning of the story she’s almost killed but by the end the mystery has been solved and the young couple marry.
If Shakespeare lived today killing off characters would be much more difficult due to changing times and better ways to treat poisoning’s etc along with more modern police forces. Juliet would’ve been rushed to hospital to treat her poisening and Romeo would be right there with her. A HEA would be a much more realistic ending with the families realizing they loved their children more than they loved their differences.
In a very real way that’s what the couple in the book you described are doing. Technology make distances and time much less of a divider and while I believe the woman particularly, in this story would have major adjustments to make, it’s something she might choose to do. I suspect her role model would be more likely to be Meghan Markel than the Cinderella of old.
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Hey, Pat. What a great response. I always hated Romeo & Juliet. Not because there wasn’t the HEA. I just thought they were too stupid. You don’t kill yourself over someone. You live for them. And if they’re gone you live in honor of them. As a Freshman English teacher I hated the story because it makes committing suicide the answer to a complicated situation. Not something I think young people need to hear.
Love your updating of the R & J story. Yes, technology can be great. Of course, unless it isn’t. LOL And I will be watching the Prince and Meghan’s wedding. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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Hi Marsha, another interesting post, and I loved Pat’s comment, too! Romeo and Juliet is my least favourite play of Shakespeare’s. I find Romeo a selfish and silly young man with nothing romantic about him 🙂
I also thought of Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding when I read your post. I admire both of them and I do hope they both have their happy ever after. Meghan Markle will make a wonderful princess.
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Hey, Helena. So glad to find another “disliker” of R & J. LOL We in the states are of course very interested in the upcoming nuptials. I’m sure many of us will stay up late to watch the festivities like we did when Prince Harry’s mother Diana married his father. Thanks so much for stopping by. I always love to hear from you. 🙂
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I like HEA endings too. Times change and roles of men and women are changing. I don’t know if HEA will always be what’s expected of romance stories, but I agree that with all the turmoil in the world it is nice to know there is a happy ending to look forward to. And isn’t the reason we read fiction is because we want to escape reality?
JQ Rose
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