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Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
by Gregory Maguire
by Gregory Maguire
This was an easy read and an interesting take on the "Cinderella" story, but it wasn't amazing. It felt like it gave a very long build-up to a climax that was vague and unexciting and a denouement that was pretty disappointing. Only as an epilogue do we discover what happened to Iris, the main character of the book, and even then, it is brief and without many details.
Many of the ideas introduced into the storyline also felt as though they were left hanging at the end of the book. Clara, the Cinderella character, seemed a very flat character to me, although she could have been interesting if the author had developed her more.
Mostly it was disappointing to not get the completion of Caspar and Iris's relationship after the entire book leads up to it. You would think that if the story was written down by Caspar, as the epilogue explains, then we would have gotten it more from his point of view, rather than Iris's.
Overall, it was an okay read, but I'm not sure I want to read Wicked now after reading this one.
Many of the ideas introduced into the storyline also felt as though they were left hanging at the end of the book. Clara, the Cinderella character, seemed a very flat character to me, although she could have been interesting if the author had developed her more.
Mostly it was disappointing to not get the completion of Caspar and Iris's relationship after the entire book leads up to it. You would think that if the story was written down by Caspar, as the epilogue explains, then we would have gotten it more from his point of view, rather than Iris's.
Overall, it was an okay read, but I'm not sure I want to read Wicked now after reading this one.
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Patti
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rated it 1 star
Sep 18, 2008 12:26pm
I just finished this book yesterday. This review took the words right out of my mouth.
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The epilogue is written by Ruth, not Caspar. That's a fairly grave mistake to make, are you sure you weren't merely skimming towards the end?I believe we are to understand that the story is an account following through Iris' eyes, but the end is the confessional, somewhat separate and distinct from the story itself. It is a strange twist, but does make more sense considering the title.
The point of this book is not to come to a climax, but to shine a light on humanity, beauty, filth, imperfection, dark, light, etc. The plot is more a means to that end than an end itself. In this way the story is clever. It is more than a retelling, it is a re-visioning. If you cannot appreciate the complexities of the characters then yes, the point and joy of the book will be lost to you because they contain the revelation.
Um, no, I didn't "skim towards the end." In fact, I never said that Caspar wrote the epilogue. (Maybe you just skimmed to the end of my review?) It sounds to me like you've misunderstood the epilogue all together. It is there that Ruth tells us that Caspar heard the story and then wrote it down as if from Iris's perspective. This is why Ruth says, " . . as he (Caspar) tells it I play a small and stupid part."Even a well-crafted story that is heavily character-driven, such as The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler, has a climax that either propels the narrative and the characters to their end or gives real meaning to the story itself. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister did neither.
As for the rest, I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on what is beautiful and relevant.
Look, everyone has their own,opinions on the novel, but I feel that Gregory Maguire tends to focus more on concepts and perceptions than on character devopment. This isn't meant to leave readers with a feeling that the story is conplete, but rather to plant the seed of thought about such points as goid, evil, right, wrong, etc. He wants us to look at ourselves and society in general rather than at fictional characters. The characters are nothing more than tools used to plant those ideas, and that, to me, is wonderful reading. He gives us enough to care about the characters, but what he really does is force is to look outside the book. I realize everyone looks for different things in a novel, but the brilliance of it all should be recognized. Think outside the box.
I agree with your review completely, however, don't rule out Wicked! It's one of my favorite books and definitely his best. He does leave some mysteries in that book too, but it is much more epic and satisfying than Confessions.
Angela wrote: "I agree with your review completely, however, don't rule out Wicked! It's one of my favorite books and definitely his best. He does leave some mysteries in that book too, but it is much more epic a..."Maybe I'll have to give Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West a try, then! I did recently see the musical and loved it, and I thought the story line so fascinating and clever. That, and your suggestions, makes me think it would be worth reading. Thanks!
