Written by Gregory Maguire, Reviewed by Darrick
This book was a very interesting twist on the classic Cinderella. Maguire, author of Wicked, has a flair for writing novels that retell classic stories. In Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister he weaves a dark tale around the Cinderella story. He invents characters and gives great details about each one of the original Cinderella characters. The only Cinderella story that I remember hearing (seeing) was Disney's animated rendition. Maguire’s version is much more grown-up and much more serious. I loved the imagery that Maguire paints throughout the story; it's both dark and beautiful at the same time. The character development is also top notch. By the end of the book you really have strong feelings (both positive and negative) toward all of the important characters. The ugly stepsisters end up being really great people, not the annoying brats that Disney portrays. Cinderella herself is cleverly written as a beautiful bombshell with a few mental problems. If you enjoyed the classic, I highly recommend getting reacquainted with Maguire’s Cinderella.