Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant novel!
Review: There is no way to accurately describe the beauty of the thoughts that come from Gregory Maguire's mind. He is a truly talented author, and this book is a brilliant sequel to his equally wonderful "Wicked". The most important part of Maguire's talent is his ability to appeal universally, explained best by this critic of fantasy writing who counts his two novels as two of the five best ever!
Rating: 
Summary: Finally! A Different Side of the Coin!
Review: First things first, I'm not usually one for the hero of a story; I usually more side with the villians. I've just found the 'bad guys' to be more interesting. Second thing, for the most part, I am strong strongly AGAINST the whole Cinderella story, espeically the Disney version; I don't like the unconsiouse images that it represents, but this isn't where we discuss them. I read "Confessions" in a single day; in all honestly, I was enthrolled by the book because it was a different side of the coin. It took a different spin on the story and gave life to the stepsisters, and especially Iris. Gregory Mcguire made Irish real; some you could rally behind, some one you could have sympathy for; an underdog. I really liked this book, and if you want a different take, and aren't completely obsessed with the cleaned-up version Disney Cinderella, give this book a look through.
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Summary: Confessions of a stepsister and a changeling cinder girl.
Review: Margarethe Fisher is the mother of two young girls. Ruth, an heavyset and ungainly girl with the wit of a small child and Iris, the younger of the two, unattractive, quiet, and always the keeper of her mute older sister. When Margarethe's husband dies in England, the result of a mass murder from a business practice gone awry, she must flee to the country of her birth with her two daughters to escape the teeming mass of angry villagers. In Haarlem, Holland Margarethe attempts to solicit charity by trading in on her families good name, but she is met with ill success. Eventually, she is granted charity from a struggling religious iconographic artist and his young assistant who takes them in so he can paint Iris for his patrons. It is through the Master that the family meets Cornelius Van den Meer, a rich patron who lives with his wife, Henrika, and his young, isolated daughter, Clara. Van den Meer becomes interested in Iris, thinking her a suitable playmate for his daughter, one that might teach Clara the English language, so he uproots Margarethe and her daughters to his home and installs them there for this purpose.
The story is a take on the classic Cinderella faerie tale. All of these characters merge well into the Cinderella story, and identifying the similarities between the original and the contemporary retelling was something I reveled in. Maguire has cleverly expanded on the roots of the story by setting it in Holland in the 1700's during the height of tulip madness. Maguire's skilled prose circulates around characters that seem ideal for the time period. Van den Meer is an investor enmeshed in the risky business of the tulip market. Master Schoonmaker is a disenchanted oil painter disappointed with the recent secularization of the art world. Even Margarethe seems to be plucked from the past, with her ambitious schemes and her refusal to acknowledge things unseemly for a lady. And then there is Clara to consider, who takes on the role of the famed cinder girl. For the better part of the book she is a mewling, spoiled, self-centered child who has been cosseted to the point that she refuses to set foot out of doors. But due to circumstance that feed well into the advancement of the plot she takes on a much more similar role to the kitchen maid and house keeper we have all come to know as Cinderella. The story is largely told from the perspective of Iris, "the ugly stepsister" in the book. It follows her through this intricately embellished world of Holland and concentrates much of the time in the studio of Master Schoonmaker and elaborates on her impressions of the events that parallel the Cinderella happenstances. Fraught with intrigue and mysticism this is a book that will delight readers of fiction and faerie tale alike.
Rating:
Summary: Vivid Tale of Deception and Fate
Review: You've all heard the tale of Cinderella. You know girl is ruled by Evil stepmother and stepsisters, girl has fairy Godmother, girl goes to ball, girl gets guy. Yay! Everybody lives happily ever after . . . but what if that was the wrong story? Have you ever wondered if that was all there was to the tale? What if the story tellers got it wrong and Cinderella wasn't so destitute after all and the stepsisters wern't so evil? This is what Confessions is all about. Imagine a poor family of three: Mother, and two daughters. And through vairius twists of fate, end up in a beautiful house with a pampered brat of a girl to suddenly call family. Not very apealing is it? This is the story of the innocent stepsisters who were berated by society and hurt by their own stepsister, Cinderella. It's an amazing story about love, hate, and hurt. I give it 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: A suitable followup to "Wicked"
Review: You'll never look at a fairytale the same way again. That's a good thing, in many ways. "Confessions" strips the myths we grew up with: happy endings, beauty guarantees happiness, and renders reality.
Yes, pumpkins do turn into coaches, but more often, humans turn into rats....
"Confessions" is narrated by one of the Ugly Stepsisters, who tells the tale from her perspective. You're left with more questions and answers but that's the way of a truly thought-provoking book. One of the best retellings I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Stick with the real Cinderella version
Review: I picked this book up with the excitement that it would share the ugly stepsisters side of things, but keep the basic plot the same as most Cinderella stories. However, this was not Cinderella. In this Clara is rude, and seems like a brat. The ending doesn't make her seem very much better either.
It was difficult to care for any of the characters except maybe Iris, who at times seemed a little bit of a brat as well. I'm open to other versions of this story, but this is definately not anything really close to Cinderella. I'd suggest reading Elle Enchanted or watching Ever After. Those two versions are amazing and in Ever After you even have a stepsister who is kind and one can care deeply about.
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Summary: A work of art beyond a retelling of Cinderella
Review: It is easy enough to describe Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister as a retelling of the Cinderella story. But that is too simple. Maguire makes the story his own by changing voice and main character. More a historic novel in form and tone than a fairytale the story is no longer the traditional one. To add a ring of truth he sprinkles in actual events, such as the conversion to Calvinism and the collapse of the tulip-bulb market in Holland in the early Sixteenth century. Fairytales were meant to instruct and to entertain. If Maguire had only reshaped Cinderella into a historic novel his removal of fairy godmothers and magic would leave a rather hollow story. But he doesn't. His characters mull over issues such as the role of art and beauty and their affects on society and the individual; extreme beauty can be as isolating as extreme ugliness. The discussion of these topics is made less daunting by retaining enough echoes of the original fairytale that the story remains familiar and comfortable.
There is also a beauty to the language of Confessions. One aspect of appreciating the work of any artist is recognition of his unique contribution to form and technique i.e. his transcendence of it. But another aspect, closely allied to form and technique, is how his art touches the heart and soul of its viewers. Maguire is a masterful writer whose use of language is beautiful beyond simple communication. He has written a novel that can be appreciated for its beauty of language, its compelling story, and its thought provoking questions - each aspect informs the others but never interferes.
I admit to being uneasy at first with Maguire's making of the Cinderella fairytale into a more mundane historic fiction. But further reflection led me to accept that it should be judged in its own right. Maguire is a talented writer and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister has found a permanent place on my crowded bookshelves.
Rating:
Summary: Beauty, Ugliness, Jealousy and Greediness
Review: Being beautiful does necessarily guarantee happiness....and this is the recurring theme throughout Confessions Of An Ugly Stepsister. In the end I'm really glad Iris gets what she deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Point of View
Review: I am a huge "Wizard of OZ" fan so "Wicked" was an obvious choice for me. My Mother suggested this book to me. I thought it was good to read the "other side of the story". I thought it was a good story. You knew mostly what was going to happen from reading the original Cinderella story but this was coming from another direction. I really began to feel a connection to Ruth & Iris. I was, like other reviewers mentioned, dissappointed by the ending though. I thought it ended much to abruptly and rushed. I understand that a book can only go on for so long but there were several parts in the middle of the book that could have been "sped up" to make "room" for a better ending. Nonetheless, an enjoyable book. I couldn't wait to read it each night!
Rating:
Summary: second instalment for me
Review: wow i just finished this book iwas fist turned onto meguire when i read wicked. i was just cureous to see if it was as good as wicked it turns out it was better the way he combines to different types of fantisy into one story was just awsome he combined the typical farytail with fantisy of a differnt world like impes witch are spoke of quit frequently in this book to me farytale fantisy and for lack of better words mythological fantisy such as imps are two different worlds.the way u find out how everything adds up to the ciderella story we all know and love and how twords the end it makes u think about how alike children really are like the parents.
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