Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
by Gregory Maguire
In the lives of children, pumpkins can turn into coaches, mice and
rats into human beings.... When we grow up, we learn that it's far
more common for human beings to turn into rats....
We have all heard the story of Cinderella, the beautiful child cast
out to slave among the ashes. But what of her stepsisters, the
homely pair exiled into ignominy by the fame of their lovely
sibling? What fate befell those untouched by beauty ... and what curses
accompanies Cinderella's exquisite looks?
Extreme beauty is an affliction....
Set against the rich backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland,
_Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister_ tells the story of Iris, an
unlikely heroine who finds herself swept from the lowly streets of
Haarlem to a strange world of wealth, artifice, and ambition. Iris'
path quickly becomes intertwined with that of Clara, the mysterious
and unnaturally beautiful girl destined to become her sister.
Clara was the prettiest child, but was her life the prettiest tale?
While Clara retreats to the cinders of the family hearth, burning
all memories of her past, Iris seeks out the shadowy secrets of her
new household -- and the treacherous truth of her former life.
God and Satan snarling at each other like dogs.... Imps and fairy
godmothers trying to undo each other's work. How we try to pin
the world between extremes!
Far more than a mere fairy-tale, _Confessions of an Ugly
Stepsister_ is a novel of beauty and betrayalm illusion and understanding,
reminding us that deception can be unearthed -- and love unveiled -- in
the most unexpected of places.
Cinderella
Back To Main Page