Maguire, Gregory: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. Print. 368 pages.
-SETTING: The city of Haarlem in the Netherlands.
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SUMMARY: A retelling of the classic story of Cinderella, this time from the stand point of the "ugly stepsisters."
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "In the lives of children, pumpkins can turn into coaches, mice and rats into human beings. When we grow up, we learn that it's far more common for human beings to turn into rats." - page xiv.
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I've absolutely loved all of Gregory Maguire's books that I've read so far, which haven't been that many (Wicked, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men). I remembered he has an extensive list of authored books, and I was lucky enough to find one at the library!
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Things I liked about this book:
- The entire storyline! From start to finish, I loved this book! I haven't read a book with so much enthusiasm in a very long time. I read the actual story of Cinderella once long ago, but I don't really remember it. Apart from that, the only exposure I have had to the story is through the Disney movie. It's made for kids so, obviously, the storyline is pretty bare-bones. In comparison, this story is so rich and full of fantastically satisfying details!
- Iris and Ruth, the two stepsisters. Maguire portrays their characters fabulously. They each have very complex backgrounds, with Iris' character delved into more fully than Ruth's. Iris is, undoubtedly, the main character of this story.
- The reason behind Clara's belief that she is a changeling. If you plan to read the book (which you should!) don't read the rest of this point... Ok... Ready? It's revealed close to the end of the novel that Clara is kidnapped around three or four years of age by one of her father's businessmen, and she remembers that event as spirits changing her from a disobedient to an obedient child. I couldn't help but wonder if it was just the trauma of the kidnapping that caused her to have such a memory of it, or if she was perhaps abused in some way by her kidnapper. It is later revealed in the book that since her kidnapping, her kidnapper has harbored a deep desire to marry her. He is decades older than her, and even when she is penniless, he still wants to marry her, so the reader can surmise that it isn't for her prior wealth that he is after her.
- That Margarethe goes crazy! I'm glad she does because she was a nasty woman.
- The ending. To be a little broader, the last 100 pages or so that serve as the climax of the novel. It's wonderfully written and parallels the most well-known version of the story of Cinderella very well, making references, in a fabulous literary manner, to the magic pumpkins, fairy godmother, etc. found in the traditional version of the story.
Things (or characters) I didn't like about this book:
- Margarethe. Evil, evil woman! She claims that all of her actions are for the well being of her daughters, but it soon becomes very clear to the reader that she is quite selfish at the core. She does love her daughters, in her own strange way, but it is a love that they could probably do without.
- The lack of exploration of Ruth's character. Her main role in the story is revealed at the end of the novel, and once I had finished the book, it became obvious to me that she sees and understands more than is let on during the majority of the story. This lack of character exploration definitely has a purpose, but from the reader's point of view, it would be interesting to learn more about her character. Perhaps another book, titled Confessions of the Other Ugly Stepsister, is in order :P (I'm kidding... that would be a pretty boring sequel).
Once again, Gregory Maguire has provided me with a fabulously written novel. I have loved every single one of his works that I've read, and for three reasons: (1) he is an incredibly creative writer, (2) he uses well-known childhood favorites as the core of his stories, and (3) he reworks these favorite stories into beautifully rich masterpieces, filled with wonderful details and in-depth explorations into the how and why behind each character's personality. I most definitely will be reading the rest of his novels in the future.
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Recommend? YES! You'll love it too!
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