Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

“[An] engrossing story...endearing and memorable.”
Boston Herald

“[An] arresting hybrid of mystery, fairy tale, and historical novel.”
Detroit Free Press

“A tale so movingly told that you will say at the end of the first reading, ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book this good.’”

Nashville Tennessean

 

Gregory Maguire proves himself to be “one of contemporary fiction’s most assured myth-makers” (Kirkus Reviews) with Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, his ingenious and provocative retelling of the timeless Cinderella fairy tale. Perhaps best known for his dark and breathtaking Oz series The Wicked Years—including the novel Wicked, which inspired the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical—Maguire is a master at upending the ordinary to help us see the familiar in a brilliant new light.

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Published Oct 3, 2000

384 pages

Average rating: 6.97

35 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Can’t back up
Aug 31, 2025
MEH. This seems like what it is: a forced story with forced characters to give another, opposite, viewpoint of Cinderella. Some of the characters were likable, but not real. Of course they’re not. It’s a fantasy. I kept forgetting I was reading a fairytale. Not my taste. I’m sure others liked it. I read this for a book club, but I am just not one for fantasy or even science fiction.

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