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A review by lizaroo71
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
3.0
A reworking of Cinderella told from the step-sister's point of view. Iris and her sister Ruth find themselves in their mother's native Holland after the death of their father. There is mystery shrouding the events of the father's death, but there are not clues to what might have happened until near the end of the book (and then it is only suggestion).
Iris' family finds refuge with a painter trying to make a name for himself. We know him as The Master. The Master is hired to paint a picture of a wealthy merchant's beautiful young daughter Clara. This painting is to seal his fame in the world of art. Clara is a sheltered girl and kept indoors to protect her from any harm. When Clara's mother dies, Iris' mother swoops in to claim the father for herself. But the family's wealth is not what it would seem, and things begin to fall apart fast as Iris tries to reconcile her loyalty to her mother and to that of her step-sister Clara - who just might be the key to securing the family's fortune with the arrival of a young prince seeking a wife.
This moves at a quick pace and I found it an interesting perspective. I would have liked to know Clara a bit better and to understand the mother's viewpoint better.
Iris' family finds refuge with a painter trying to make a name for himself. We know him as The Master. The Master is hired to paint a picture of a wealthy merchant's beautiful young daughter Clara. This painting is to seal his fame in the world of art. Clara is a sheltered girl and kept indoors to protect her from any harm. When Clara's mother dies, Iris' mother swoops in to claim the father for herself. But the family's wealth is not what it would seem, and things begin to fall apart fast as Iris tries to reconcile her loyalty to her mother and to that of her step-sister Clara - who just might be the key to securing the family's fortune with the arrival of a young prince seeking a wife.
This moves at a quick pace and I found it an interesting perspective. I would have liked to know Clara a bit better and to understand the mother's viewpoint better.