Rating: 
Summary: really crap
Review: this is such a terrible book! no plot, it was incredibly boring, i struggled to get through it.i really don't know what all the other reviewers were thinking! not to mention the "reader's group guide" inside, what's that about? it's like a text book! and the illustrations were poor reproductions of authentic "ye olde world" prints. very bad. it was a pain to read, i am glad no one recommended it to me, i just picked it up, and am i sorry i did! don't waste your time!
Rating: 
Summary: outlandish adult fable
Review: this book is for people who are bored with cliche topics. the book is an adult fable - a retelling of a childhood story which is cynical yet warm and ends with a surprise. compared to "wicked" - "confessions" is as imaginative without going over the edge as much - you need to put "wicked" down and rest, whereas "confessions" is more palatable and not as dark. of the 30 odd books i have read in the last year or so this is one of the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as good as Wicked...
Review: After reading "Wicked," I was eagerly looking forward to "Confessions," and was disappointed. While "Confessions" does give a new twist on an old tale, it just doesn't come across as powerfully or irresistably as "Wicked" does. A decent book, but not one I'd highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful treat
Review: For years I have enjoyed the adult content of all the major Disney studio releases. Aimed at a juvenile demographic, they, in humor, cater to adults. Such was my delight in reading Gregory Maguire's novel, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Imagine trying to take the urban legend of the couple in the car that hear of an escaped maniac with a hook hand on the loose in the area, and drive away, only to find a bloody hook lodged in one of the door handles, and re-tell this story, told ad nauseum, in a completely original vein. That is just what the author has accomplished with this book, given readers a completely original 'bloody hook,' in the form of Cinderella. Maguire's Cinderella is a tale of beauty, of ugliness, of betrayal, of despair. No longer is Cinderella the shy, misunderstood, but ever-so-beautiful young girl, put upon by an unmotivated stepmother. Cinderella, or Clara, as she is called in this tale, is headstrong, independent, fearful of the world, a disbeliever of its wonders, a subscriber to dark tales of imps and changelings. The aforementioned Stepmother, Margarethe, flees England with her two ungainly, awkward daughters in tow. Iris and Ruth are submitted to the worst cruelty, the affirmation from their own mother that they are plain, ugly, and ultimately unprofitable to their mother, and a burden, as they cannot ever hope to marry. Margarethe schemes and connives her way into a wealthy household, and into the Master's marriage bed following the death of Clara's mother in childbirth. But all is still not as it seems. Clara, doused in beauty unparalleled in Holland, has no interest in the world, no concept of the power her beauty entitles her to. Margarethe, intent on protecting her interests in the guise of concern for her daughters, all but pimps Clara out, hoping to cash in on her looks, and therefore secure her own station, when it is put in jeopardy. Although the story plays out according to the time-honored tradition of the Cinderella fable, there are many secrets to be revealed in this recounting of all-too-familiar lore. This isn't your childhood bedtime Cinderella, nor is it the property of Disney any longer, this Cinderella belongs solely to the adept imagination of Gregory Maguire. Rich in the landscape of 17th-century Holland, dark in its revelations that 'extreme beauty is an affliction', and haunting in its study of the curse of plainness, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a wonderful, original piece.
Rating:
Summary: Was I reading a different book?
Review: I think I must have been reading a different book, because for the life of me I can't understand what all of these people found to love here. I thought "Confessions..." was boring, dreary, and plotless. It just seemed to go on and on with no end in sight. Maybe I just didn't "get" it, but in my humble opinion this book is a definite miss.
Rating:
Summary: A great relaxing read!
Review: I have read both of Maguire's books and loved them! Wicked was full of political intrigue and sometimes the plot was a bit undeveloped. But whatever problems he had with his first book were pleasantly absent from Confessions!!! This book flows with such ease that you can almost feel yourself in the scenes. Iris is every girl - someone who has dreams of being a success but is always in the shadow of someone else who seems to have everything and yet doesn't appreciate it! I loved this book and just can't wait for him to write #3!!! I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Everything in life has a price
Review: I think about this book all the time. Great research went into the art and culture of this period. The story was intelligent and very emotional. I found it more percise and less rambling than Wicked.
Rating: 
Summary: Master of telling the real story
Review: Gregory Maguire first caught my attention with his brilliant retelling of the Wizard Of OZ and so when I saw that he'd worked his magic on Cinderella I was anxious to see where he would take it, he didn't let me down. It is impossible to review Confessions without comparing it to his earlier piece Wicked - and for good reason. Part of what will form your opinions of both pieces is the order in which you read them, because whichever you read first will become your favorite of the two - the reason is the surprise and joy you'll get from the way he retells these stories, but when you read the second book, you know what to expect from the other. But what it all boils down to is they are both brilliant and fun reads. Don't choose, just read them both!!!
Rating:
Summary: Astronishing
Review: I usually read slowly, in order to savor books. And yet I read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister in one afternoon. It is an astonishing and unusual re-imagining of the Cinderella fairytale, focusing on one of the stepsisters, Iris, who is neither truly ugly nor wicked. The action takes place in 17th century Holland, and the novel involves not only the Cinderella story, but a painter's imagination, and the tulip trade. I would recommend this book highly to anyone who is interested in fairytales, art, or just unusual and highly imaginative fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Cinderella, the real story
Review: Cinderella, the story that everyone hopes becomes their life. Mr. Maguire lets us in on the real story behind that timeless fairytale. What were the motivations behind the wicked step mother? What were the Stepsisters really like? Why would a Prince marry a commoner like Cinderella? What happened to Cinderella's family? These are all questions that are answered in this enjoyable novel. The suprise ending was a nice twist. While I have only given this book three stars, it is only because "Wicked, The life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West" was a superior book (in my humble opinion)and therefore garnered 4 stars. (5 is only given to the absolutely astounding!) If you are going to read both books, start with "Confessions" and then read "Wicked" for maximum readers enjoyment.
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