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Summary: New life for Cinderella....
Review: Maguire does an excellent job of breathing new life into the story of Cinderella. The writing is diverse...switching from humor, to whimsy, to a darker tone, and conjuring up wonderfully lush images. I was afraid I would be bored, having read the same old Cinderella story so many times, but Maguire really adds his own twist and I found myself sucked into what felt like a light work of historical fiction. The story takes place in Holland and deals a great deal with painting and the tulip industry. From this perspective I would highly recommend the book to those who enjoyed Girl With a Pearl Earring, because it has some of that same flavor. The only thing that kept me from giving the book 5 stars was the feeling that Maguire could've made me care for a few of the characters more. They weren't at all flat, but there might've been more emotional involvement if a few things were handled differently. Despite that one issue, this is a fun, relaxing, overall excellent book, and one that I will probably re-read in the future.
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Summary: Having a little fun with Cinderella
Review: It is fun to fool around with a classic fairy tale...especially one like Cinderella that has trancended cultures and generations. So, here is Cinderella told from the Ugly Stepsister's point of view. The book is a "fast read" with interesting characters and a clever twist to an age old story. And it poses the question, in a very interesting and non-preachy manner, "Is there a price for beauty? Can beauty be a burden?"
Not a brilliant book, but worth a read.
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Summary: Challenge your perceptions of what a fairy tale is
Review: Long internet-based discussions of beauty and how it is perceived (thanks to the fascinating telenovela, "Yo soy Betty, la fea" or "I'm Betty, the Ugly Girl", from Colombia), I wanted to explore the topic further. I stumbled across this book and recalling an old review from the Chicago Tribune, plunked down the credit card and said "yes". I've always been interested in the use of fairy tales as object lessons but this beautifully composed story was a real eye-opener. The world of the girls comes vividly to life and each character is exquisitely drawn.
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Summary: Fractured fairy tale
Review: I bought this book thinking it was a fantasy, but it turned out to be an historical romance patterned after the tale of Cinderella. The only goblins are shadows in an attic or a mind. There is alas, no fairy Godmother. Not for anyone. Is it okay to subtract a star if a book doesn't meet my expectations for 'real' magic? Not really. All I can do is alert potential readers to the lack of dragons, mages, magical potions, and all the other usual gizmos of fantasy. "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" is a panorama of every-day life in seventeenth century Holland (especially if you happen to be a painter or a grasping widow), quite colorful and beautifully written. However, I didn't care for the author's habit of leaning over my shoulder and pointing out the lessons I should be learning from his book. There is even a "Reader's Group Guide" at novel's end with questions such as, "...Each character in 'Confessions' has blinkers or blinders on about one thing or another. What do the characters overlook, in themselves and in one another?" Some reviews found this habit to be "ironic and sophisticated," but I found it to be pretentious. Ultimately it was the reason why I subtracted a star, even though 'Confessions' is a fascinating character study---no one behaved as might be expected from Charles Perrault's fairy tale. The action takes place while Marie de' Medici is Queen Mother in France, sometime during the first half of the seventeenth century. In the story, she is pictured as an old woman who 'travels' to Holland to pick an artist worthy of painting her last portrait (she was indeed, a very well-painted queen, most notably by Peter Paul Rubens). A ball is given in her honor by the richest family in Haarlem, and it wouldn't be giving away much of the plot to say that the Cinderella character meets her prince at this ball. However, this is a fairy tale turned inside-out (as you may have guessed from the book's title). The characters I found most appealing were the scheming stepmother (at least until the last few pages of the book), one of the ugly stepsisters, and the painter who wanted Queen Marie to pick him as her ultimate portraitist. Note: Marie de' Medici was actually forced into exile by her son, Louis XIII of France. She died in the Netherlands in 1642.
Rating: 
Summary: not 'Wicked'
Review: A disappointing sophomore attempt at adult fiction. Maybe if you read this BEFORE "Wicked" it's pretty good, but after you read 'Wicked', your expectations for Maguire's next novel are too high for this one. It's luke-warm. Lacks the pace, subtlety, humor, and sexiness of 'Wicked'. Worth reading, but don't expect too much.
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Summary: Exqusite Work!!!
Review: This was surely one of the best books I have ever read!! It was so well written that I couldn't bear to put it down. I haven't yet read Wicked but I know that it'll hopefully be just as good as Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. The Story related to the Cinderella story in a way but there were quite a few differences in it. I hope that everyone will read this book and experience for themselves how good it is!!! It's right up there on my list along with the Harry Potter series!!
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Summary: A great twist on the Cinderella story
Review: I've read books and seen movies that retell this story in many different ways; however, this one is my favorite. I enjoyed seeing a more realistic portrayal of the stepsisters, instead in of most stories, where they are depicted as being evil. Also, the ending of this book is more convincing than the fairy-tale idea that the characters will live happily ever after once they get married. But, the book isn't completely harsh and realistic. There are some parts that seem almost magical, but not in a way that seems implausible. Another aspect of this book that I liked was the illustrations at the beginning of every chapter-it's always easier on my imagination when there are pictures to look at. Overall, I liked this book a lot better than Wicked, the other novel by Maguire that I read. This is mainly because the characters were easier to sympathize and relate to. This is one of my favorite books and I would recommend it to everyone.
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Summary: And I Thought I Knew the Whole Story. . . .
Review: Boy, was I wrong. Maguire has crafted a spectacularly complex and complicated novel from the brief fairy tale with which most of us have been familiar since childhood. It all seemed so simple then. . . . What Maguire does so effectively is makes the otherwise simple story so darned complicated. What we have always believed or assumed turns out not to be true or exactly as we once thought. What we thought was so horribly wrong now seems to be almost right (or at least less wrong). What we thought was so heroic and right now seems to be shady and suspect, at best. The lines between good and bad, right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, fact and fiction, all seem terribly blurred, causing the thoughtful reader to reconsider his/her entire belief system and preconceived notions about life. I love the history Maguire gives us in UGLY STEPSISTER. Rather than just filling in the details from the story we already know, he goes back to the Brothers Grimm, takes their sketchy details (the ones Disney left out altogether), and turns them into a fairly complicated storyline, ending up somewhere around where most of think that Cinderella's story begins. By that time, our world has been turned on its side, and we no longer know quite what to think of the whole situation. Maguire changes nothing essential from Grimm's or Disney's stories, just enhances, adds, and recasts. It is very easy to take a complicated story and make it simple, with pat explanations and formulaic answers. What is much more difficult--and what Maguire has done virtually to perfection--is take a fairly simple story and make it so much more complicated, complex, and significant. I bought this book and sat down and read it that very weekend--usually it takes me a few months (or years) to get a book to the "top of the list." WICKED is at the top of the list for my next significant block of time. I can't wait, and that speaks volumes about Maguire's work!! (I gave WICKED four stars--STEPSISTER is better, in my opinion. I have yet to read LOST--maybe this summer. . . .)
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Summary: Much better ending than Wicked.
Review: On June 22, 2000, a good review was posted by Jibia from Baltimore, MD. I won't make any repeats (ok, I used one quote!) of what s/he said. Maquire's second faerie tale exceeds his previous work in some areas and falls short of it in others. The major upside is the ending. I sat thru Wicked being mesmerized by Macquire's abilities only to be grossly disappointed with the last 30 pages (issue an erratum for gossakes). This book maintains its quality to the last page and even has an interesting twist regarding perspective - not plot altering or anything but definitely a plus. Confessions lacks the epic feel of Wicked but does so in a non-"bad" way and in a fashion that makes the book that much more remarkable: "deep thought on basic human concepts" can be every bit as potent as the epic. In fact, much the"faerie" is taken out of the tale and by-and-large, with only minor suspension of belief, I was thinking "hey, something like this could have really happen." If you have any interest in de-faeried faerie tales, this one won't disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I found this novel a fascinating read, and recommend it to anyone who likes intelligent parodies or historical novels, or who is tired for rooting for the beautiful heroines! Iris, the "ugly stepsister", is easy to relate to, and the historical setting of Holland during the tulip-mania adds depth and interest to the familiar story. Each character, from the evil stepmother to Cinderella herself, is well-rounded and interesting. The last chapter of the book is surprising enough to warrant reading the first chapter again. The only drawback of Confessions is that the story drags its feet a little and takes its time getting to the conclusion, and even that is not much of a flaw.
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