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Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Author: Gregory Maguire
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...  more »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 afflictionSet 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.
ISBN-13: 9780613621366
ISBN-10: 0613621360
Publication Date: 7/2003
Rating:
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 3

4.3 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush
Book Type: School Library Binding
Other Versions: Paperback, Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

MOI avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 43
I postponed reading this book for two years because I kept hearing, "It's not as good as Wicked.

I'm so sorry I waited. Those who judged it on the basis of Wicked must have loved Wicked for different reasons than I. Perhaps they only like fantasy or gothic genres.

This book is a delicious historical novel set in Holland during the Reformation. It's the sort of brooding story to read on a rainy day, wrapped in a comforter in your favorite chair with a pot of tea nearby.

Rather than compare it to Wicked, I'd say that those who loved Girl with a Pearl Earring would enjoy this book.
Sheerbliss07 avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 28
This was my first Gregory Maguire book and its prob a good thing since all the other reviews mostly compare it to Wicked. Well I enjoyed this book very much. It was really not a "can't put it down" book for me at least. There were many parts where after 20 pgs I would be bored and go do something else. But when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it and couldn't wait to finish it. I would recommend this book to anyone. I thought the story was going to be more magical and fairy tale like but it really wasn't at all. It was about a mother and her 2 daughters who fled England from the mobbing town and end up in Holland looking for their Grandfather. Once they arrive in Holland they are faced with challenges and the mother will do anything to secure her families safety. I really disliked the mother but who doesn't in the "cinderella" story. Overall good read:)
niki26 avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 19
God,this book took me forever to read.I mean forever as in about a week in a half because it was so boring. I had to force myself to read it. However,there were some very good themes in the book. For example,the beautiful Clara (Cinderella), who's ill temper caused her to be a brat but still she was a good person.Through Clara, we see that the beautiful do not always lead such charmed lives.Beauty in some cases is an affliction rather than a gift.The so-called ugly stepsisters,Iris and Ruth are ugly only in physical features but are beautiful inside. The wicked stepmother was in fact wicked. She was willing to do anything to improve her station in life,and I do mean anything. In the end, we see that beauty is only skin deep.whats on the inside really does matters more and that desperation and bad luck will make anyone a monster.
esh712 avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 44 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
For me, Gregory Maguire is a hit or miss. Wicked took me a while to get into, but i did like it eventually. Son of a Witch? No thanks. Mirror Mirror - just okay. I really did enjoy this one, right from the start, though. While the tale of Cinderella goes way back before the one which most of us are familiar with, the most popular version sure does leave a lot explained! He did a fantastic job giving motivation and alternate explanations of the tale, without actually contradicting the version we are familiar with. It definitely was an enjoyable read, and I felt for the ugly stepsisters.
cloverluv avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 129 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
I could barely get through the first chapters when I had to put it down. I'm normally a faithful fantasy reader but I don't know...this just seemed silly to me.
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mamajamma avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 25 more book reviews
Different style of book for me. I thought I would give it a try. If you can get past the different writing style its not to bad. a bit boring in some parts but made me laugh in others. The last chapter was the most interesting, i like the updates of the characters.
cswetzel avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 19 more book reviews
This Cinderella tale is probably my favorite of the Maguire books I have read thus far.
Shellaree avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 270 more book reviews
The retelling of the Cinderella story told as only Gregory Maguire can tell. I found it a bit odd, but not bad. It seems in his stories that no one is really happy or really very nice at all. But it was interesting even with all of that. His setting of Holland was a different one than other retellings I have read.
taaza avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 56 more book reviews
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.
mrsfox avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 22 more book reviews
This was a fun read but not necessarily an easy read. This was not a book I could read in a day. Enjoyable though.
rew722 avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 2 more book reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I love the different perspectives he takes with the 'sideline' characters in classic tales! It does seem to move along slow but the characters develop and you get caught up in how they then became the character most see them in!
Awesome Read!!!
jandee avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 14 more book reviews
This was a good read. Certainly a different twist on the Cinderella story!
a2tfruty avatar reviewed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister on + 24 more book reviews
Another interesting book from Mr. Maguire.

This book re-tells the story of Cinderella that we loved as children with new adult twists.


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