Mirror Mirror audiobook

At first I was a little surprised by all the negative reviews of this book. I think it's one of his best. In fact, I ended up liking it better than Wicked. The first time I read the book, I didn't really "get it." The second time though, I was floored. It strikes me as a psychological and metaphorical novel. Whereas Wicked and it's sequels are pretty much straight-up exciting storytelling rife with action and politics, Mirror Mirror has extended sections that in first reading are confusing. But in those chapters, Maquire delves into the netherworlds of the psyche and one never quite knows what is real and what is not. I didn't find Blanca boring. Granted, she is not the fully-fleshed character that Elphaba is, but she is representative of innocence on the brink of womanhood. The dwarves are intriguing in how they morph and communicate. It is a land and time of mystery that Blanca inhabits, but one tainted by the world of the Borgias. Of all his books, this is the one that warrants multiple readings.

"Out of all the novels by Gregory Maguire, this one is my favorite one. True Wicked was more popular, there was something about this novel that touched my imagination in a way that I cannot really explain. I can say that the novel itself is a mix of both fairy tale and historical events. Also, I can tell you that the tale takes place in Tuscany, Italy which in my opinion is a fine setting for such a book.I have to say that giving Snow White a more exotic and foreign name of Bianca de Nevada was quite smart on Maguire's behalf. It made me truly believe that ""Snow White"" truly is the fairest maiden in the land and in all respects she is as it attains to this novel. The novel starts out with Bianca at seven years old with her father Don Vicente. They come into pocession of a mirror that was made by dwarves but was found by Bianca in a pond which was used to temper the mirror. An eighth dwarf remains with her asking for the mirror back.The wicked queen is in the form of Cesare Borgia and his sister the lovely and vain Lucrezia - who are decadent children of a wicked pope. Lucrezia serves as the wicked queen and grows jealous of Bianca's beauty as she ages into grace. On an attempt by Lucrenza to kill Bianca through a woodsman, Bianca escapes and runs into the seven dwarfs - who are looking for the eight dwarf and the mirror Bianca found years ago.Because of this new twist and plot, this novel was quite an entertaining read and probably the quickest read I had from Gregory Maguire. I was very impressed and loved how everything just went into place with all of his writing. The majestic setting of old Italy also added to the imagination as it gave the ""Snow White"" story more depth. Personally, I think this would make an excellent follow-up to Wicked to truly understand Gregory Maguire and I recommend it as a tryout to anyone and a guaranteed read for those who love Maguire's magical writing style before he published his later writings."

You know, I liked Wicked a LOT, but I had this weird feeling after reading it that I wasn't too interested in Maguire's other work because the endless "alterna-tales" shtick seemed tiresome ... which doesn't make a lot of sense now that I think about it, because I never sat around and thought things like "oh Dorothy Sayers, if she's just going to keep writing books about Peter Wimsey solving murders, then why even bother?" But regardless, I was reluctant.I ended up loving this. He's not a perfect writer, but he's crafted this rich, rich story that feels like a completely legitimate foundation for Snow White. In his version, the events are taking place in renaissance Italy, and Lucrezia Borgia takes the role of wicked stepmother, although she more like a wicked guardian. And I just loved her by the end ... she is wicked, but so captivating. And maybe the best part was the treatment of the deer killed by the huntsman to provide evidence of the heart.

One of the better fairy-tale retellings, Mirror mirror keeps this perfect balance between whimsical and utterly disturbing. Maguire's style is definitely present in this novel and though I sometimes had trouble with understanding who was talking in which chapter and what the hell those dwarf/rock/goblin/things were on about, I flew through this book and would love to re-read it once upon a time.

I loved this book. I find Gregory Maguire's style of writing and use of language different, very compelling. It reminded me of "Wicked," in that the beginning was kind of difficult due to the unusual type of narration. When I got used to that, I got gradually drawn into the tale and couldn't put it down. I loved the inclusion of short poems at the beginning of each chapter, some had the feel of ancient chants. And the woodcut illustrations are lovely, they really complement the text. For a tale with so much enchantment, it's surprising how much you feel for the characters, both human and magical.

The master of fairy-tale retellings is back at it again, and instead of exploring the world of Oz like he did in Wicked, he is exploring the slightly more grounded world of Renaissance-era Italy. I say slightly, of course, because anyone who has had the pleasure of reading a Gregory Maguire story knows that things will still remain whimsical and magical, even when placed in a historical setting like this one. The end result is what feels like a pleasant mix of historical fiction and magical realism. Mirror Mirror is, of course, a retelling of Snow White. This time around Snow White is a young girl named Bianca de Nevada who lives with her father Don Vicente in their quiet mansion in Tuscany. Things don't go so well, however, when a certain infamous and aristocratic family by the name of Borgia come along. More specifically, a young woman named Lucrezia Borgia and her brother, Cesare, the same Cesare Machiavelli wrote about. Indeed, Machiavelli is mentioned several times in this book. Somehow I must have slept through most of my Renaissance and Italian history courses in college because I've realized that I knew almost nothing about the Borgias going into this tale. Suffice it to say, they seemed to have been a rather corrupt and despicable lot, as even a cursory google search seems to indicate. And in Mirror Mirror this is no exception. Bianca (Snow White) herself is actually a little on the boring side in this book - though I think that perhaps this was an intentional act on Maguire's part, seeing that the bulk of the drama in this tale comes from the wicked Borgias and the tragic story of Bianca's father, sentenced by Cesare to scour the earth for a secret relic from the Tree of Knowledge. I'll also mention that the dwarves are well-written and Maguire gives them his own spin that is far more mysterious than any Disney depiction (not that I have anything against Disney, of course).Maguire has easily written his strongest villain ever here in the form of Lucrezia Borgia. I'm a huge fan of villains in literature (who isn't?) but usually I prefer to have my villains explained. I like them to have things about them that make us empathize, that leave us torn. Just like real life, I like them to have complexity and leave us wondering just how bad they actually are.Lucrezia - who takes on the role of Bianca's evil stepmother here - is complex alright, though not in the way I mentioned above. She is vindictive, shallow, deceitful, crude, lecherous, unpleasant, haughty, and just downright cold and vile. Maguire gives us nothing to like about her here, but I loved her character anyway, which is a testament to his ability to write a good old-fashioned villainess. She's just so ridiculously bad you can't help but be enthralled by her. She steals the show on every page she appears on. She is completely insufferable and incredible at the same time. She makes evil female characters from other books I've read pale in comparison with her utter corruption. She seduces and has sexual relations with her father, her brother, and even her own son. It's ridiculous just how bad and morally corrupt she is. She's just a great villainess, and I loved her character and hated her at the same time. Maguire has always had a knack to take these old fairy-tales and give them a dark and adult side while still leaving them just as magical as the originals. He's a great writer, though his narrative style can make his books a little hard to dive right into. His books seem to be a bit polarizing at times, so I guess not everyone likes their fairy tales with adult themes, ambiguous morals, and sex. Which is completely fine, not everyone has to like a book of course. But I wholeheartedly recommend Mirror Mirror. The rolling Tuscany hills and valleys, the sweetly innocent Bianca, the curious dwarves, the tempestuous Lucrezia - all of these things captured my imagination time and time again. And in my opinion, that's the point of any good book. To capture your imagination and leave you with a yearning for the indescribable, for the magic that exists outside of our day-to-day lives. Mirror Mirror does this wonderfully.

I believe that this just may be my favorite Gregory Maguire book to date. My reading this book just so happened to coincide with a history channel series having to do with medieval Italian History, which made the fact that this book was thoroughly sprinkled with this subject matter even more delicious that it would have otherwise.I literally could not out this book down and finished it in about 12 hours with few breaks. When I finished the book I gave myself about 48 hours and then read it again more slowly taking the time to relish every word. Again, Mr. Maguire’s ability to put a new spin on a classic tale, making it his own with out taking away from the original in any way, boggles the mind. I highly recommend this book.

The ability to take a moment in History, add a fairytale and create a story that sheds light on both takes a mind that is rich in imagination, a broad grasp of History and a deep understanding of the Genre of Myth. Gregory Maguire has proven his ability to retell a familiar tale in such a way so as to cause a tale to never be heard with “the same ears” again. In this retelling of “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty,” he drafts Lucrezia Borgia into the role of the “Evil Step Mother/Witch” and makes more real a “bedtime story,” even though the original always spoke more than we parents wanted our children to understand. Set in early 16th Century Italy, a time of City-States who were in a near constant state of war with each other, the Vatican was less than Holy in its duty to over See of the world and farms were kingdoms unto themselves. Don Vicente and his daughter, Bianca, live on one such farm. Their idyllic life is suddenly and rudely interrupted when, Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia, daughter and son of Pope Alexander VI, whose term as Pope set a standard of corruption unsurpassed until recent history, arrive. Cesare, an arrogant warrior, sends Don Vicente on a quest to attain a branch from the Tree of Knowledge spoken of in the Book of Genesis, leaving the beautiful Bianca at the mercy of Lucrezia. A (possible) historical fable is born and detailed with remarkable deftness. How the mirror is discovered, who made it, it’s designed use and the change brought about when all of the books elements are eventually combined is a delight to read and a moment of literary brilliance in writing. The mirror is never meant to be a fortuneteller; rather, it is intended, as are all mirrors, to tell the truth as the seer would like it to be once all the “blemishes” have been removed. As is true in all good stories, the quest for power is prominent in the action of this book and, as is true in all fairytales, that power is subjugated by the true power found in innocence and truth. The elements that cause such conquest are clearly evident, fluid and all around us; their familiarity causes those elements to be invisible until one becomes aware, as if waking from a dream, of the results wrought by the effect of the elements. Quests are fulfilled once the seeker is brought to the place of facing the truth of their essence. Only then are we found to be worthy of the discovery of what we seek. There is allusion to sex and violence in this story. The characters are well developed and “believable” (as much as one is willing to suspend disbelief to believe in the existence of earth dwelling dwarfs). The ending is a commentary on the bitter-sweetness that is life. We lose things that are dear, discover hidden strengths, learn to grow up, return home to find it has changed in our absence and we are not immediately recognized as belonging there. Reading Maquire is a trip to the bedtime stories of one’s childhood, seeing them with the eyes of an adult – the fantasy made sense we were children because we wanted to believe; they make more sense now because we are willing to see life more clearly but still consider the possibility of magic.

More of a 3.5. I really enjoyed this one. But I do love a good snow white retelling! I enjoy Gregory's writing style odd as it may be. EXCEPT for the unnecessary perverseness he always adds. Did the nursemaid really need to talk about having sex with a squid?!!? haha anyways. If you like Snow White mixed with some historical fiction and don't mind an old fashioned writing style you'll love it.

I actually liked this as much as Wicked, and possibly a little more. I just love what Maguire does with the fractured fairy tale renditions of historical settings.

Mirror, Mirror is very well written. It felt like I was reading a classic at times. The ending of the book felt a bit rushed for me though. I really enjoyed the story and wanted more Bianca and the strange little rock men and less of Lucrezia.