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A review by xeyra1
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
5.0
Reading this book was like finding an old friend after not speaking with them for a while, which is the feeling I have when I read a book after seeing the movie based upon it - at least when I like them both. As it was based on the fairy-tale about Cinderella, there was little surprise about its ending (we were already expecting her to get the prince, of course), though this particular tale's last chapter does not point to the happy ever after finale we're so used to see in fairy-tales. Perhaps because this story is not a fairy-tale -- it has very little of magic and much more stark realism, a well-thought, engaging and delightful interpretation of the much beloved tale of Cinderella.
I enjoyed it; it is not perfect, of course, and it takes a while for one to get used to the tense it is written in, but it gave us a different point of view to this story, showing us life through the stepsisters's perspective and giving us a portrait of them that shows them not as simple secondary characters that are cruel to their beautiful sister as the fairy-tale, in all its simplicity, shows us, but instead real, breathing characters with their motivations and dreams, desires and personalities. Iris is a delightful character to read about, intelligent and down-to-earth, but I think Margarethe's characterization was the best in the book: cunning, resourceful, with impecable sharpness and vicious in her own way, but never the outright evil stepmother we might expect. In fact, the main difference between this story and the original fairy-tale is that there is hardly any black or white and even this particular Cinderella can be capricious and annoying.
So, no, there is hardly much fairy-tale in this novel. The story is inspired by the original but it retains a uniqueness of its own, and it was a pleasure to read. As far as interpretations go, this one is a very good one, and it shows us that, indeed, those ugly, vicious stepsisters the stories tell us about were only human. I was surprised when I realized who was really telling the story, as I hadn't guessed whom the ugly stepsister in the title was referring to, but I think it was very fitting. And despite there not being any fairy godmother in the book (though there was one in the movie, minus the magic wand!), the tale had a magic of its own.
I enjoyed it; it is not perfect, of course, and it takes a while for one to get used to the tense it is written in, but it gave us a different point of view to this story, showing us life through the stepsisters's perspective and giving us a portrait of them that shows them not as simple secondary characters that are cruel to their beautiful sister as the fairy-tale, in all its simplicity, shows us, but instead real, breathing characters with their motivations and dreams, desires and personalities. Iris is a delightful character to read about, intelligent and down-to-earth, but I think Margarethe's characterization was the best in the book: cunning, resourceful, with impecable sharpness and vicious in her own way, but never the outright evil stepmother we might expect. In fact, the main difference between this story and the original fairy-tale is that there is hardly any black or white and even this particular Cinderella can be capricious and annoying.
So, no, there is hardly much fairy-tale in this novel. The story is inspired by the original but it retains a uniqueness of its own, and it was a pleasure to read. As far as interpretations go, this one is a very good one, and it shows us that, indeed, those ugly, vicious stepsisters the stories tell us about were only human. I was surprised when I realized who was really telling the story, as I hadn't guessed whom the ugly stepsister in the title was referring to, but I think it was very fitting. And despite there not being any fairy godmother in the book (though there was one in the movie, minus the magic wand!), the tale had a magic of its own.