Amanda's review
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister: A Novel
by Gregory Maguire
Amanda's review
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister: A Novel by Gregory Maguire
Amanda's review
rating:
recommended for: Modern fairy tale lovers...sort of
I love books based on fairy tales, but it's taken me forever to really read any of Maguire's stuff. I still haven't read "Wicked." Years ago, I tried reading this book and just couldn't get into it. But with so many people telling me how great this guy is, I decided to give it another shot.
This book follows the story of Iris and Ruth, two little girls who, with their mother, flee from England after their father is murdered. Poor and begging, they have no choice but to first take a job as the housekeeper to an artist, then to a merchant of the city (I believe it's Amsterdam but not entirely sure). Ruth, the oldest, is dumb and mute and taken care of by Iris, the younger, smarter sister, who shows artistic promise but is considered plain at best and will never be a beauty.
The merchant's daughter, Clara, befriends the two young girls amidst her fear of leaving her home and her belief that she is a changeling. When her mother dies during pregnancy and Iris' and Ruth's m...more
This book follows the story of Iris and Ruth, two little girls who, with their mother, flee from England after their father is murdered. Poor and begging, they have no choice but to first take a job as the housekeeper to an artist, then to a merchant of the city (I believe it's Amsterdam but not entirely sure). Ruth, the oldest, is dumb and mute and taken care of by Iris, the younger, smarter sister, who shows artistic promise but is considered plain at best and will never be a beauty.
The merchant's daughter, Clara, befriends the two young girls amidst her fear of leaving her home and her belief that she is a changeling. When her mother dies during pregnancy and Iris' and Ruth's m...more
