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eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the first third of the book. Then it started getting tedious and steadily less and less engaging. Sometimes a fairy tale is better off as it was than belabored with a lengthy and rather depressing in-depth story line. It's reasonably well-written, but in the end it's just not the sort of book I enjoy.
amylynn79's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
angmsmith1's review against another edition
5.0
I have some trouble admitting that I like Gregory Maguire's books because they're technically categorized as "sci-fi", but I really do. I like the idea of taking a popular story (in this case, Cinderella) and looking at it from the viewpoint of a different character, or looking at the past to see what led to the story that we all know (the glass slipper and the prince's ball).
gelabray's review against another edition
4.0
Like Wicked, I appreciated the twist on the story line. I found it to be a easy read as compared to Wicked which was a little more complicated in its language and story line. I valued the relationships the characters had with each other. The realistic perspective is far better than the "happily ever after" lens.
kayrencar's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it much more than I thought I would. Would I recommend it? Probably not, unless you're really into fairy tale retellings. But it was a quick read that was different enough from the original to be interesting, and even occasionally surprising. I could definitely do without the author's characteristic smattering of unnecessary crude details
oldenglishrose's review against another edition
3.0
Gregory Maguire is an author probably best known for his adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, Wicked. I’ve read the entire trilogy, with somewhat mixed results: Wicked itself I enjoyed and thought it was quite clever but the series became increasingly strange and peculiar and much less enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book, unlike his others that I’ve read, was a straightforward historical novel with touches of otherworldliness which worked beautifully to enhance the story rather than to make it strange and off-putting. Maguire took a familiar story and retold it in a way which made it new and interesting again, and that was exactly what I was hoping for.
The story is set in Holland in the 1600’s, against the backdrop of the tulip boom. The eponymous ugly stepsister is Iris, a young girl who flees from England to Haarlem with her mother, Margarethe, and silent sister Ruth. Once there, they find the family that they expected to take them in are dead and so the family take up work as housekeepers in a painter’s studio in order to survive. When a rich businessman comes to commission a painting of Clara, his beautiful daughter, with some of his prized tulips Margarethe sees the opportunity for advancement and acts to unite her poor family with Clara’s rich one. But, as in all fairy tales, all is not entirely as it seems and plans go awry.
Often when books choose to take an alternative perspective on a well-known story it is to show that character in a more sympathetic light, so I was surprised by the very balanced way in which Maguire presents Iris and indeed all his characters. Iris is downgraded from ugly to merely plain, she cares for her disabled sister, tries to befriend Clara and is credited with intelligence, but she is headstrong (and not in the pretty, charming way that a lot of heroines are headstrong), sullen and uncooperative. Maguire hasn’t made her seem nice, he has made her seem real and believeable. Clara, the Cinderella figure, is likewise knocked down from her fairy tale princess pedestal and into the realms of mere humanity. She is beautiful and intriguing, yet on the other hand she is fey, neurotic and unable to accept things outside of her own terms. Where Cinderella’s beauty traditionally liberates her from a life of drudgery, Clara is very aware that she has very little control over her own fate in spite of her attractive appearance, something which makes the schemes of Margarethe, the wicked step-mother, seem more reasonable and justified and imbues her with a steely resolve that is more driven by self-preservation than cruelty. Ruth, the second sister, is by far the most interesting character despite playing an ostensibly minor role in the story; readers of fairy tales will know never to trust appearances and Ruth does not disappoint.
The choice to place the story in the context of the tulip mania of the 1600′s, when tulips became so popular that a single bulb could sell for more than ten times the annual wage of a skilled labourer, is a clever one. As Clara’s family soon learn to their peril, the tulips had no inherent worth and the speculation which had artifically inflated their price was all an illusion and so the setting encourages questions about true value, worth and beauty which are particularly fitting for the story. Why should Clara be considered worth more than Iris just because she is aesthetically pleasing and Iris is plain? Why is Clara’s father happy to use his shy daughter as promotional material for his business venture? Is value inherent or something subjective that the beholder or buyer adds? It definitely provides an interesting background against which to read the story of Cinderella.
The story is set in Holland in the 1600’s, against the backdrop of the tulip boom. The eponymous ugly stepsister is Iris, a young girl who flees from England to Haarlem with her mother, Margarethe, and silent sister Ruth. Once there, they find the family that they expected to take them in are dead and so the family take up work as housekeepers in a painter’s studio in order to survive. When a rich businessman comes to commission a painting of Clara, his beautiful daughter, with some of his prized tulips Margarethe sees the opportunity for advancement and acts to unite her poor family with Clara’s rich one. But, as in all fairy tales, all is not entirely as it seems and plans go awry.
Often when books choose to take an alternative perspective on a well-known story it is to show that character in a more sympathetic light, so I was surprised by the very balanced way in which Maguire presents Iris and indeed all his characters. Iris is downgraded from ugly to merely plain, she cares for her disabled sister, tries to befriend Clara and is credited with intelligence, but she is headstrong (and not in the pretty, charming way that a lot of heroines are headstrong), sullen and uncooperative. Maguire hasn’t made her seem nice, he has made her seem real and believeable. Clara, the Cinderella figure, is likewise knocked down from her fairy tale princess pedestal and into the realms of mere humanity. She is beautiful and intriguing, yet on the other hand she is fey, neurotic and unable to accept things outside of her own terms. Where Cinderella’s beauty traditionally liberates her from a life of drudgery, Clara is very aware that she has very little control over her own fate in spite of her attractive appearance, something which makes the schemes of Margarethe, the wicked step-mother, seem more reasonable and justified and imbues her with a steely resolve that is more driven by self-preservation than cruelty. Ruth, the second sister, is by far the most interesting character despite playing an ostensibly minor role in the story; readers of fairy tales will know never to trust appearances and Ruth does not disappoint.
The choice to place the story in the context of the tulip mania of the 1600′s, when tulips became so popular that a single bulb could sell for more than ten times the annual wage of a skilled labourer, is a clever one. As Clara’s family soon learn to their peril, the tulips had no inherent worth and the speculation which had artifically inflated their price was all an illusion and so the setting encourages questions about true value, worth and beauty which are particularly fitting for the story. Why should Clara be considered worth more than Iris just because she is aesthetically pleasing and Iris is plain? Why is Clara’s father happy to use his shy daughter as promotional material for his business venture? Is value inherent or something subjective that the beholder or buyer adds? It definitely provides an interesting background against which to read the story of Cinderella.
squeebacon's review against another edition
4.0
It took me quite a few years to even get interested in reading the Wicked series, but once I did, I went through them quickly. So, in that spirit, I decided to start reading Gregory Maguire's other fable/fairytale based stories.
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire was a darker take on the story of Cinderella. Except that the story isn't quite focused on Cinderella, but the two young girls that become her stepsisters. The story focuses on Iris and her sharp eye and mind. She recognizes that her mom is the reason why they've had such a hard life and she does everything in her power to stay out of the house as much as possible. Iris has a passion for painting and is rather indecisive about how she feels about Clara (Cinderella), often going back and forth between wanted to help her and tease her. There is a strong tie to religion, between the master painter and his roller-coaster ride into functioning madness. Plus, there are hints at romance and a first love with Iris and Casper (the master painter's apprentice) which reminded me of Louise from Bob's Burgers when she went to her first boy band concert (and was confused when she wanted to slap and kiss the cutest band member).
When I was so eager to start reading this, I had ended up borrowing it from the library having forgotten that I already owned a copy. OOPS! I really enjoyed reading a version of Cinderella from the other perspective. Only really have known the Disney version, I liked that this one was darker and had explanations for why the stepsisters were the way they were. Which should seem obvious now due the amount of different live action versions of the regular Cinderella story I have seen. Favorite version? Ever After (1998) - those wings were magical!
A made-for-tv movie version of this story (somewhere between traditional Cinderella and the book itself) premiered in 2002. I haven't seen it yet and didn't know it honestly existed until researching the book. There is little to no religion involved and is a softer version of the tale itself. Plus, Azura Skye plays Iris and she's way too gorgeous to play an ugly stepsister. If I every come across it, I will watch the film, but I don't have high hopes for it.
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire was a darker take on the story of Cinderella. Except that the story isn't quite focused on Cinderella, but the two young girls that become her stepsisters. The story focuses on Iris and her sharp eye and mind. She recognizes that her mom is the reason why they've had such a hard life and she does everything in her power to stay out of the house as much as possible. Iris has a passion for painting and is rather indecisive about how she feels about Clara (Cinderella), often going back and forth between wanted to help her and tease her. There is a strong tie to religion, between the master painter and his roller-coaster ride into functioning madness. Plus, there are hints at romance and a first love with Iris and Casper (the master painter's apprentice) which reminded me of Louise from Bob's Burgers when she went to her first boy band concert (and was confused when she wanted to slap and kiss the cutest band member).
When I was so eager to start reading this, I had ended up borrowing it from the library having forgotten that I already owned a copy. OOPS! I really enjoyed reading a version of Cinderella from the other perspective. Only really have known the Disney version, I liked that this one was darker and had explanations for why the stepsisters were the way they were. Which should seem obvious now due the amount of different live action versions of the regular Cinderella story I have seen. Favorite version? Ever After (1998) - those wings were magical!
A made-for-tv movie version of this story (somewhere between traditional Cinderella and the book itself) premiered in 2002. I haven't seen it yet and didn't know it honestly existed until researching the book. There is little to no religion involved and is a softer version of the tale itself. Plus, Azura Skye plays Iris and she's way too gorgeous to play an ugly stepsister. If I every come across it, I will watch the film, but I don't have high hopes for it.
beemini's review against another edition
5.0
So far this Cinderella x Vermeer smashup has stood up to three readings, which says a lot for a genre tale.