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Book Description:
Members who requested this book also requested:Is this new land a place where magics really happen?
From Gregory Maguire, the acclaimed author of Wicked, comes his much-anticipated second novel, a brilliant and provocative retelling of the timeless Cinderella tale.
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....
We all have heard the story of Cinderella, the beautiful child cast out to slave among the ashes. But what of her stepsisters, the homely pair exiled into ignominy by the fame of their lovely sibling? What fate befell those untouched by beauty . . . and what curses accompanied Cinderella's exquisite looks?
Extreme beauty is an affliction
Set against the rich backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister tells the story of Iris, an unlikely heroine who finds herself swept from the lowly streets of Haarlem to a strange world of wealth, artifice, and ambition. Iris's path quickly becomes intertwined with that of Clara, the mysterious and unnaturally beautiful girl destined to become her sister.
Clara was the prettiest child, but was her life the prettiest tale?
While Clara retreats to the cinders of the family hearth, burning all memories of her past, Iris seeks out the shadowy secrets of her new household--and the treacherous truth of her former life.
God and Satan snarling at each other like dogs.... Imps and fairy godmotbers trying to undo each other's work. How we try to pin the world between opposite extremes!
Far more than a mere fairy-tale, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a novel of beauty and betrayal, illusion and understanding, reminding us that deception can be unearthed--and love unveiled--in the most unexpected of places.
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Genres:
- Literature & Fiction >> General >> Contemporary
- Literature & Fiction >> Genre Fiction >> Historical
- Literature & Fiction >> World Literature >> Mythology >> General
- Substores >> Reading Group Guides >> Literature & Fiction >> Popular Fiction
Rate These Member Reviews
Lisa L. (Told in the fairy-tale tradition with plenty of imps and goblins sprinkled throughout, this was a pleasing version of the story of medieval Cinderella, as told through the eyes of one of the stepsisters. I wasn't sure if I was even going to enjoy this when I started it, but soon became immersed in the story.
Michelle K. (Nowhere as good as I thought it would be. I loved "Wicked" and so I couldn't wait to get this one. Reading it was very difficult and I did not enjoy it at all.
Natalie T. (From the author of "Wicked", Gregory Maguire's sophomore novel is a fantastic retelling of the Cinderella tale from the eyes of one of her stepsisters. Summer's coming---this book would make a great addition to your "beach reads" collection!
Jill W. (I enjoyed "Wicked" more, but I got very into this one as well:)
I thought the premise was interesting but the book did not really hold me for some reason. I always thought the mother and stepsisters must have felt threatened by Cinderella more than anything since she was prettier and the true heiress. The book makes one more sympathetic toward them as you see some of their hardships. This is a library copy. It has a little stain on the free edge of the pages but it does not affect reading.