Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
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| Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister | |
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| Author | Gregory Maguire |
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| Cover artist | Douglas Smith |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | November 1, 1999 |
| Media type | print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 368 (Hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-06-039282-7 (Hardback), ISBN 0-06-098752-9 (Paperback) |
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a novel by Gregory Maguire, retelling the tale of Cinderella through the eyes of one of her "ugly stepsisters." In 2002, the book was adapted into a TV movie of the same name, directed by Gavin Millar.
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[edit] Plot
The story follows Iris, the plain younger daughter of Margarethe Fisher, as she takes care of her mentally-challenged older sister Ruth and her stepsister Clara. Having fled from England to Haarlem, Iris is slightly at odds with the world and often contemplates the value of beauty and ugliness. While caring for her sisters and keeping the peace between Clara and Margarethe, Iris develops a painter's eye and spends time apprenticing with a local painter known as The Master, and his apprentice, Caspar.
On the verge of losing everything after a sudden drop in their stock market, Margarethe devises a plan for Iris and Ruth to attend the ball being held in honor of the Dowager Queen of France and her godson, the Prince of Marsillac. She leaves out Clara because she knows full well that if the girl wed the prince, she would abandon her family and they'd end up in the poorhouse. While at the ball, Ruth does the unthinkable for jealousy and love of Clara and Master. That night the fairy tale of Cinderella and her pumpkin carriage is spun, and the next morning her prince comes to collect her.
[edit] Characters
- Iris Fisher is the one whom the tale follows as she views the events that would become the fairy tale. She is the daughter of Margarethe Fisher and Jack Fisher, and younger sister to Ruth Fisher. When her mother marries Cornelius van den Meer, Iris becomes Clara van den Meer's stepsister. She is described as "painfully plain-faced" by her own mother,[1] and several times refers to herself as a hound. Over the course of the story Iris develops an interest in art and painting, and develops feelings for Caspar, but firmly denies it.
- Margarethe ten Broek Fisher van den Meer is the mother of Iris and Ruth Fisher, and later becomes the stepmother of Clara after marrying her father. Her motives for marrying Clara’s father are purely to keep herself and her daughters fed. Whether she loves Clara’s father is unstated and unlikely, especially given her motto of "Give me room to cast my eel spear, and let follow what may", but she is reasonably kind to him. It is hinted that the Master is interested in Margarethe, but his feelings are not returned.
- Ruth Fisher is the older mute daughter of Margarethe Fisher. In the end of the novel, it is revealed that she is the one telling the story.
- Clara Van Den Meer is the only child of van den Meer and his first wife, Henrika. She is a beautiful girl and kept hidden away in her home first by her mother and then by herself. As a child she was kidnapped and kept hostage in a windmill by van Stolk, her father's business associate, who received half of her family's fortune as ransom. Clara believes that it was water-spirits who kidnapped her, and turned her into a changeling, which she believes that she is. After her mother's death, Clara begins to spend her time by the hearth and coins her own names of "Ashgirl", "Cinderling", and "Cinderella".
- Henrika Vinckboons van den Meer is Clara’s mother. She kept Clara locked inside their home, to protect her from the dangers of the world. She is poisoned by Margarethe and does not survive to birth her second child.
- Cornelius van den Meer is Clara’s father. He is a businessman and involved in the tulip industry. The Fishers later refer to him as "Papa Cornelius". He goes into a seemingly catatonic state of depression, barely paying attention to anything but their oncoming poverty and how much his family has changed.
- Luykas Schoonmaker is a local painter "not quite known as the Master of the Dordrecht Altarpiece" and the first to shelter the Fishers.
- Caspar is Master’s apprentice. He is in love with Iris and she with him, but Margarethe disapproves and attempts to steer Iris away from him by hinting that Caspar is homosexual.
[edit] Adaptation
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was adapted by writer Gene Quintano and director Gavin Millar into a TV movie for The Wonderful World of Disney. It was shot in Luxembourg and was first aired on March 10, 2002. It starred Azura Skye as Iris, Stockard Channing as Margarethe, Emma Poole as Ruth, Jenna Harrison as Clara and Jonathan Pryce as Schoonmaker.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ "It is severe, and true," says Margarethe. "Iris is plain to look at. Painfully plain. Don't exaggerate her physical virtues, Caspar, it does no good in the end. She must accept it like the rest of us." Maguire, Gregory (1999). Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. United States: HarperCollins. p. 50. ISBN 0-06-098752-9.
- ^ Fries, Laura (2002-03-06). "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister". Variety.com. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117917144.html?categoryid=33&cs=1. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
[edit] External links
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