Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

by Gregory Maguire

Confessions of an Ugly Stepister is an adaptation of the story of Cinderella, as told through the life of one of the stepsisters, named Iris. I fear to tell very much of this story, as any little bit would reveal a portion of the story. It is set in 17th century Holland, in a city called Haarlem. Iris and Ruth are two sisters who accompany their mother to this new town. Without a penny to their name, the threesome finds charity in the home of an artist, and so begins a tale of intrigue and illusion.

This is a lovely story. I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. It was interesting to see the common fairytale of Cinderella brought to life in a somewhat believable adaptation. This was how the story of the little cinder girl could have really happened, before becoming something fantastical and magical. Gregory Maguire writes with a very easygoing tone, and I digested this volume very quickly. It read like a fairy tale, and it didn't take long for me to be rooting for our heroine and for love. My only beef with this book is with the Stepmother, Margarethe. I strongly suspect Mr. Maguire of watching the movie Ever After, and then writing his wicked stepmother, because I was convinced that the stepmother in his book is the same one played by Angelica Houston in Ever After. Despite that one issue, I highly recommend this book if you'd like to read an alternative fairy tale.

I have not read Gregory Maguire's runaway hit, Wicked, nor have I seen the musical, but I fully intend on getting that book to read soon. There was also a TV adaptation of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister with Stockard Channing as Margarethe. After finishing this book, I managed to look up the movie, and I am certain that I saw it, but that it was not a fair adaptation of the novel. I recommend avoiding the movie version and going straight to print.