Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister Book Review

One beautiful girl, two ugly stepsisters, one bossy step mother, and one prince; sounds like the ingredients for a good Cinderella story huh? Well, in Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, a twist is added to the story for a more appealing read. I truly enjoyed reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. The novel changed my view of the original Cinderella, and the new twist were exciting and different.

Many themes are shown within the novel, but the most precise would be "do not judge a book by its cover." Have you ever judged someone off of likes, or maybe even smell? The consequences of your actions could seriously hurt someone else. Within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, other citizens tend to shy away from Iris and Ruth, "the ugly stepsisters." Though they repulse most, Iris and Ruth do not repulse Caspar, the Master's apprentice. Caspar takes the time to understand the girls and get to know them. Other citizens see Caspar, and get to know the girls better as well. Caspar starts liking the girls after he had a chance to get to know them. So, just because from the outside someone seems repulsive does not mean he or she is on the inside. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister teaches that a person needs to look within someone else before he or she begins to judge.

Gregory Maguire tells the story in a way that makes the reader feel as if he or she is a character within the story. The book is so hard to set aside because the author pulls the reader in through his style of writing. He uses many creative and realistic events to make the reader feel that the story is really happening.

In the traditional Cinderella story, Cinderella finds true her true love in the form of a prince, and her stepsisters get put in their places. Well, within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, the stepsisters are not mean, and they get a happy ending as well. Within Cinderella, Cinderella does not get along with her sisters, and they make her do all of the housework. Within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Clara, Cinderella, gets along with her sisters really well. She also volunteers to do housework, although not without the assistance of her stepsisters. Many other connections can be made between Cinderella and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other changes from the Cinderella are within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.

I would recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister to all most anyone, but mostly girls. For those who enjoy the classics though, I would not recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Gregory Maguire puts a strange, yet fascinating twist on the classic Cinderella story that is really appealing and hooking.


372 pages...2 books

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Call of the Wild Book Review

In Jack London's The Call of the Wild a simple house dog is transformed into a tough, strong sled dog. The book was very insightful and held my interest with ease.

The Call of the Wild was written based on personal experience. Jack London's writing put the reader in the story. He kept the reader entertained through adventures and real life happenings. The book held no confusion and was easy to focus on.

Survival of the fittest is the main theme of The Call of the Wild. Have you ever taken a stand to survive? Not so easy huh? Survival of the fittest is tough for almost anyone and anything. There can be both negative and positive consequences from surviving in the wild, and Buck, the main character of The Call of the Wild, experiences both. Buck goes through many hardships and endures many lessons so he can survive in the wild.

Everyone in the world has instincts, but sometimes the instincts are hidden deep within. The hidden instincts will be revealed when the time is right. Buck never had to rely on his instincts until he became a sled dog. After weeks pulling a sled, Buck's instincts completely took over his mind and body. He no longer had to worry about starving or surviving. Through instinct, Buck established his rightful place in the world.

I would recommend The Call of the Wild to anyone. The adventures are very thrilling, and there are many surprises along the way.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Antigone Book Review

How far would you go to bury your brother? Would your answer change if knowing that mourning a loved one is one of the only rights you had? Within Sophocles' Antigone, Antigone, one of the main characters has to make the choice. Antigone was quite interesting and many lessons can be learned by reading the play. I enjoyed reading Antigone.

Taking a stand was clearly the main theme of Antigone. Have you ever stood up for something you believe in? Women, unlike men, have to take many stands in their lifetimes. Women all over the world have to summon up the courage to take a stand for something they want, just as Antigone did.

Antigone was not the only one to take a stand in the play, Haemon, her fiance, did too. He did not consider the consequences of his actions as Antigone did though. Haemon's actions led to his tragic downfall. What was the downfall? Well, I can not tell you unless you want me to ruin the play for you.

Many lessons can be learned in Antigone. Thinking before acting is a major lesson learned in Antigone. Have you ever learned a valuable lesson from a mistake you made? Most of the time the realization of your actions registers to late right? Well, that is exactly what happened to Creon. He made a mistake, but realized to late what his mistake was. If Creon had realized his mistake earlier than he had, a tragic downfall could possibly have been prevented. Creon learned his lesson about acting before thinking, and realized his mistake. I think that Creon may start thinking about his actions instead of acting on impulse.

Would I recomend Antigone as a good play to read? Yes, Antigone is a very short, quick, and easy read. If you like short, easy, quick reads, Antigone is the play for you.