|
|
| Plot Summary of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister |
|---|
"Set against the rich backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland, this is the story of clever teenager Iris, her simpleton sister Ruth, their disturbed and ambitious mother Margarethe - and the mysterious Clara, who becomes Iris and Ruth's stepsister, the beautiful and haunted "Cinderling." A brilliant and lovely re-imagining of the Cinderella story as well as a meditation on art, philosophy, kindness, the role of women, sacrifice, and love."
Christine Hung, Resident Scholar
|
"This retelling of the Cinderella story sets the fairy tale in seventeenth century Holland. There are no fairy godmothers, or magic, and the story is told from the point of view of one of the stepsisters. Iris lives with her mother and her sister. When the mother gets a job as a maid in a wealthy home she takes her daughters and moves in. Iris is suddenly surrounded by wealth and ambition. Her mothers ambition extends so far as to become the lady of the house, and Iris discovers that she is willing to resort to anything, even murder, to get what she wants. Iris also becomes intrigued by her unnaturally beautiful stepsister, Clara. When the master of the houses dies, Clara religates herself to the position of a servant, although her ambition go much higher. When a noblewoman announces that her nephew is looking for a wife, all attempt to attract his attention, except for Iris, who finds love in quite a different place."
fran laniado, Resident Scholar
|
|
| Review Analysis of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 17th century
Life of a profession:
- maid
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 ()
Europe
Yes
City?
Yes
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
|
|
|
Click here for more information about this book
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Funny Videos
Feedback
Most recent discussions:
General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Cassie Edwards
4:22:56 PM
Diane Mott Davidson
1:26:42 PM
Robert Segarra
10:42:31 AM
Lynne Ewing
12:54:48 AM
Deric Longden
3:20:15 PM
Colin Forbes
6:05:12 AM
Sue Grafton
5:50:04 PM
Jean M. Auel
12:32:16 PM
Livia Bitton-Jackson
11:27:55 PM
Mildred D. Taylor
12:30:06 AM
Dave Pelzer
1:03:36 AM
Mary Downing Hahn
8:19:22 PM
Anonymous
5:32:56 PM
Peter Abrahams
12:30:02 PM
Aline Countess of Romanones
9:56:28 PM
Suzanne Weyn
7:00:09 PM
Kim Rich
3:01:03 AM
Graham Greene
2:05:45 AM
Bo Caldwell
8:30:53 PM
Diana Marcellas
2:58:23 PM
Silicon Valley
More message boards
|
