by Gregory Maguire
reviewed by Melissa Bautista
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, the same author of the popular book, Wicked, is a fairy tale written about the “lesser known” backstory of Cinderella’s step-sisters. The delightful novel focuses on Iris, the younger of the two step-sisters, but the wittier. Though set in omniscient third person, Maguire’s choice in focusing on Iris throughout the book enforced his theme of always having another side to a story, which is prominent in his other books.
Gregory Maguire keeps his reader interested by using descriptive words and phrases to create an image of events or places in the book. For example, when Iris saw tulips for the first time, Maguire details them so clearly, writing, “The flowers are bright and intensely colored, a maroon -red shade striped with white. Richer than cloth, as rich as light.” (p. 72, Gregory Maguire) The reader can picture them as if they were a real memory. Placing these moments of explicit descriptions creates a magnificent story that entertains the mind.
In short, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is an enticing and thought provoking fairy tale following the clever, but “painfully plain” (p.50, Maguire) Iris Fisher, her mentally challenged sister, Ruth Fisher, and the strikingly beautiful changeling, Clara van den Meer. Together, they provide an interesting twist to the classic Cinderella story. From the charismatic characters to the interesting plot line, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a book I’d recommend to any reader who likes Cinderella and Wicked.
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