Mirror Mirror

Maguire takes us on another imaginative romp with his highly inventive retelling of the Snow White legend. The relationships between the characters are complex. Human emotions and not magic propels the dramatic story lines. Bravo!

Gifted as Maguire is one of my favorite authors!

Wss a good read.

Gregory Maguire's "Mirror, Mirror" is another of his reimagining of classic tales. This time he focuses on "Snow White" and comes up with a breathtakingly original idea: cast Lucrezia Borgia in the role of the evil queen.By the time you finish you may even convince yourself that the fairy tale was in fact a parable about the Borgia Duchessa (it wasn't of course), and you'll pick up some knowledge about the historical period too."Mirror" is more sophisticated than Maguire's most famous novel, "Wicked," his version of "The Wizard of Oz" from the point of view of the wicked witch. It requires more from the reader too--a knowledge of the Borgias, and of the historical moment when the late Middle Ages became the early Renaissance.Mr. Maguire is clearly less interested in the character of Snow White herself, here called Bianca de Nevada (beautiful but dull more than somewhat) than in Lucrezia Borgia herself. And his rendition of the eight (yes eight) dwarves is playful (MuteMuteMute is talkative, Heartless is sensitive, etc.).This should appeal to Mr. Maguire's legions of fans and to admirers of Umberto Eco as well.

This is the first book that I have read by the author, even though I own others. After seeing "Snow White and the Huntsmen" in theatres and researching for my thesis (on fairy tales and childhood development) I thought this would be a perfect time to pick up Mirror, Mirror. It's a quick read and was pretty entertaining. There was an air of mysticism about it, but I wish it was a bit more fantastical. There wasn't a whole lot of character development on Snow White's character ("Bianca") --instead, there was much more focus on the witch ("Lucrezia"). I also had hoped that there would be a more romantic quality to the story, but the main theme of the book bordered on religious duty/innocence vs. malevolence. It was a good read, all in all, and left me with a new perspective with regard to the original Snow White tale. I also very much appreciated bits and pieces of historical information - i.e. the Borgia family and various areas within Italy.

I adore the story of Snow White, and Gregory Maguire's rendition is no exception. It's one of those books that draws you in, and when it ends you're left wanting more but fully satisfied at the same time. Beautifully descriptive and imaginative, like a painting. There are scenes that may trigger trauma survivors; personally I see Snow White as the story of a girl who becomes resilient and miraculously survives abuse when it seems most impossible. This tale drives that home. This is a tale that makes you believe in the impossible. One of my favorite reads I will be reading again and again for years to come.

I searched for the hardcover and found it at a great price. Was hesitant at first though because you never know if the original sleeve is going to be in great condition. I’m glad I did, the condition was perfect. The shipping time was great and the packaging was well preserved. Will definitely purchase from them again.

First, I just have to say that I adore Gregory Maguire. I've read the entire "Wicked" series, and am completely enamored with it. It was such a wonderful story, full of detail, and plenty of good writing. He is definitely a master of storytelling. I am a huge fan of Wizard of Oz in general, but I find myself enjoying Maguire's Oz more than the Oz we're all used to.I read "Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister" after I finished the "Wicked" series. I thought it was a wonderful retelling of "Cinderella" and I just knew that when I picked up "Mirror, Mirror" I'd be captivated from the first page. I was sadly disappointed. I had so much trouble getting through all the description of Montefiore. It seemed that Maguire could go on and on for pages and pages about the landscape and architecture. Beautiful descriptions, don't get me wrong, but there was simply too much of it. Also, Vicente's personality is so drab to me, and I didn't understand why it was necessary to spend so much time describing his moods and behaviors. I also feel as if there was entirely too much back story of the Borgia's. This could be because I've never been a fan of history, especially regarding a family from 1500 Italy. It was just boring, and unnecessary to the plot. I feel Maguire could have compressed their history into less pages, leaving more room for the actual story to develop. Even the hunters history was more lengthy than it needed to be.I am disappointed that it has taken half the book for the story to really get started. I haven't finished this book yet, and am debating whether I should. I have never had to force myself to read any of Maguire's books and am sad that that's what I've had to do with this one since the first sentence. I can't imagine the story unfolding as it should with only the last half of the book remaining. Seems to me it's going to be a mad dash to the end, which won't end well.

A++

Gregory Maguire continues to impress me with this retelling of Snow White.He has cast the tale in the scenario of a political backwater in Renaissance Italy; as the daughter of a minor nobleman comes within the sphere of influence of one of the most reviled women of the period, Lucretia Borgia.It doesn't take much to guess who the wicked stepmother figure is going to be, but don't expect the details of this story to follow the fairy tale exactly. The dwarves are particularly interesting in their origins and how they develop. I think their names in here should supplant the horrible Disney ones that have been forced on our culture.The characters are all finely drawn and sympathetic - even the indolent Borgias are painted with a full pallet of colours, not just the blacks and greys that many villains receive.

This book has become highly addictive and I read it within the day. It kept me on the edge of my seat from the second I picked it up and could not put it down until I had finished.I LOVE THIS SERIES

Not as good as his other books.

Great