What the Dickens

Are you kidding? I was kind of excited to give this book a shot. Rouge tooth fairy - secret world, magical birthday candles, Gregory Maguire does seem to have a corner on a subject matter that holds my interest. He loses it here.

When I read books like this, I wish I had the ability to just put them down and not finish, but I just can't. If you are (like me) at times a glutton for punishment, go ahead read the book.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Let me give you a little tidbit about myself, if an author has an intriguing plot – I’m in, no question.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister falls firmly into this category. Gregory Maguire seems to have taken hold of my interest. I love the premise, the story behind the fable. The unfortunate part of this (and in my opinion many of his books) is that getting to that good premise and story requires wading through minutiae equaling the mental equivalent of trying to run through a mud bog as deep as your upper thigh!

Cinderella as told from the point of the Ugly Stepsister is an engaging and interesting story. I actually enjoyed this book more than the famous book Wicked by the same author. Confessions wouldn’t be the first recommendation I would make to a friend looking for a book to read but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from seeking it out either. There is nothing unseemly in the subject matter; in fact, the childish make-believe is whimsical and fun. Appropriate for older teens despite the fact that is is not listed as Young Adult literature.