From the Publisher
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.
About the Author
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.
Employee Review
As with his first novel, Wicked, Maguire has created a wonderful and intriguing retelling a childhood classic, this time adapting the story of Cinderella. Set in seventeenth-century Holland at the height of the tulip craze, it reads more like historical fiction then a fairy tale. This is a wonderful read which leaves you wondering where true beauty lies. I am also left wondering which story Maguire will adapt next -- perhaps Snow White or even Hansel and Gretel?
