Bookmarked: 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'

The latest book to leave my nightstand and find a comfy spot on my bookshelf (scratch that, my bookshelf is already overbooked) is Gregory Maguire's Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. A clever retelling of Cinderella, this book was not as fabulous as Wicked — which I guess should be obvious since it isn't a best-selling Broadway play — but Maguire's enchanting prose and cheeky interpretation of classic tales hold true.

Set in 17th-century Holland, Confessions is like a fun cross between Wicked and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Art is all the rage throughout the book, something amateurs will relish and art history buffs will loathe. A detailed description of "The Garden of Eathly Delights" thrilled me because I've actually seen it in the Prado, but jaded experts would just roll their eyes at the painting's odd little cameo in the book.

As in Wicked, Maguire creates a strong and interesting woman as his protagonists. Whereas the former examined the subjective nature of good and evil through the life of a passionate yet quirky green girl-turned-witch, Confessions questions the value and consequences of beauty through opposites: Iris the Plain (at best) and Clara the Freakishly Beautiful. But in the end, it is Maguire's fleshed-out version of a stick-figure fable that I'll take away from Confessions, not a lesson in philosophy. To find out more about the book and read reviews, visit its amazon page.

Next up! As mentioned, I want to read Angels & Demons before watching the film, but Chocolat and New Moon are also worthy contenders. I'll let you know which one ends up on my nightstand.

***UPDATE*** While searching for a picture to go with this post, I discovered that Disney turned Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister into a TV movie starring Stockard Channing, Jonathon Pryce (i.e. Governor Swan from Pirates of the Caribbean) and Matthew Goode (Watchmen). Sadly, it's so obscure that Netflix doesn't even carry it. If it's streaming online anywhere, I'll post the link ASAP.