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Mirror Mirror: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 19,186 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
“A brilliant achievement.”
—Boston Herald
“Entertaining…profound….A novel for adults that unearths our buried fascination with the primal fears and truths fairy tales contain.”
—Christian Science Monitor
Gregory Maguire, the acclaimed author who re-imagined a darker, more dangerous Land of Oz in his New York Times bestselling series The Wicked Years, offers a brilliant reinvention of the timeless Snow White fairy tale: Mirror Mirror. Setting his story amid the cultural, political and artistic whirlwind of Renaissance Italy—and casting the notorious Lucrezia Borgia as the Evil Queen—Maguire and Mirror Mirror will enthrall a wide array of book lovers ranging from adult fans of Harry Potter to readers of the sophisticated stories of Angela Carter.
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"Disappointing...as have been most of Maguire's efforts since Wicked and Son of A Witch. Perhaps he and Phillipa Gregory should get together and trade pointers on prolonging your creative voice after an initial major success comes in and takes a giant dump on your originality. "
— Sarah (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A brilliant achievement.”
— Boston Herald -
“With his rich, idiosyncratic storytelling, Maguire restores the edge to an oft-told tale and imbues it with a strange, unsettling beauty.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The language has an old-fashioned quality and the point of view shifts frequently, but teens who continue to the end will learn much of medieval Italy and a little of human nature, and have a new respect for the old tale. This is a great addition to the Maguire shelf.”
— School Library Journal -
“Wildly inventive…Maguire refreshes his source material capably…Every bit as good as Wicked: wicked good, in fact.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A USA Today bestseller
Mirror Mirror Listener Reviews
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" I was hopeful about this one. After liking Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and disliking Wicked, I thought I would give Maguire another shot when I heard his take on Snow White featured the legendary Borgia family. Overall, an interesting idea for the reshaping of the Snow White fairy tale. But the delivery was poor. Honestly, I found his writing style distracting in his inability to just come right out and say something. Everything is revealed in these round about ways and he gets too long-winded about things. I basically skimmed the last third of the book because I was so ready to be done with it. Thank goodness the chapters are brief. Even with skimming I was still able to get the gist of the book at the end. I wish I wouldn't have wasted my time with this book. But, at least now I know not to waste my time with Maguire in the future. "
— Mirah, 2/20/2014 -
" Very good, enjoyed this at the beach. "
— Leslie, 2/14/2014 -
" This was a very underwhelming story. It was interesting to see the way Maguire humanized the classic villain this time, by making her an actual historical figure. And I generally enjoy his writing itself, the style in which he puts his words together and paints a scene. There were definitely some magical moments in here. But overall, I just didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as his earlier works. "
— Charleen, 2/13/2014 -
" An excellent twist on Snow White "
— Katelyn, 2/9/2014 -
" This book started out amazing. I was transported to a historical world with undertones of magic. It was good until the end. I felt that I got lost there and plunged down a well and in a snap it was over. I barely knew what was happening. It was like the ending happened in a thick fog. The ending gets one star but the rest of the book was so good that I still liked it. "
— Skeptigirl, 1/29/2014 -
" eh, nothing special. Sometimes interesting, but nothing really spectacular happens the entire story... "
— Claybone, 1/28/2014 -
" New spins on fairy tales is a shtick Maguire has stuck with. Too bad it only worked well in Wicked. "
— Diana, 1/24/2014 -
" It did not hold my attention as his earlier works. "
— Tammye, 1/21/2014 -
" Although this was a unique take on the story of Snow White, I wasn't too taken by the book. There was a lot left to be desired. "
— Danielle, 1/20/2014 -
" Fascinating treatment of the Snow White story, casting Lucretia Borgia as the wicked guardian. Love the alien "otherness" of the dwarves, their definitively non-human perspective. "
— Rexdeaver, 1/5/2014 -
" Not as good as some of his other books I've read, but still good. I really liked that he placed the story in real history, very interesting. I wasn't as invested in these characters as much as some of the others he's created. "
— Rae, 12/26/2013 -
" When I finished reading this, I thought the author needed to find something else besides traditional fairy tales to satirize. It was a story with a plot that was stretched out too long and was very thin. It was hard to keep my interest and I barely finished reading the story. "
— Robin, 12/7/2013 -
" Kinda weird at times, but the renaissance retelling of Snow White is pretty well done. "
— Jason, 12/2/2013 -
" Liked to concept of a spin on Snow White, was excited to read it. Just kind of dragged at times, took awhile but I finished it! "
— Duks, 11/25/2013 -
" Too weird. Bordering on icky. "
— Melissa, 10/19/2013 -
" Super fun and an easy read! "
— Amanda, 6/18/2013 -
" This is the punishment I get when I judged a book by its cover. Cute cover, really. "
— Sae-chan, 6/14/2013 -
" Such an amazing twist on the Snow White story. I loved the way they tied in the poisoned apple given to Snow White with the apple from the tree of knowledge. An interesting mash-up of stories. "
— Danny, 4/6/2013 -
" An interesting take on the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves fairy tale. I found this a more enjoyable read then Maguire's Wicked. "
— Janet, 12/25/2012 -
" A few of my all-time favorite quotes come from this book, but I just couldn't get into it like I could Wicked. It's not a horrible book, but I definitely prefer Maguire's other works. "
— Bri, 11/18/2012 -
" Another great creation of a story that's not all about a happy ending. "
— Simone, 10/27/2012 -
" The retelling of Snow White. I enjoyed the setting and the twist on who these characters actually are (i.e. the dwarf) compared to the fairy tale. The Italian setting is very interesting and adds depth to the story. "
— Julie, 10/4/2012 -
" Ack I don't know what it is about Snow White stories but I just don't like 'em. I never got through the Disney movie either. But I love all of Maguire's other books that I've read. "
— Katie, 8/8/2012 -
" This was better the LOST but not as good as Wicked or Ugly Stepsister. I did enjoy the inclusion of the Borgias to give it a historical fiction identity, but overall I just didn't get into it. "
— April, 4/8/2012 -
" Not as good as Wicked. I grew tired of the genre as he didn't capture characters as well in this one. "
— Sara, 3/9/2012 -
" Not his best work. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was a lot better. "
— Dominique, 10/11/2011 -
" This book was a little tough to get into. Slow pace and the story didn't flow as naturally as in the Wicked books.Characters are less sympathetic. "
— LeAnn, 9/27/2011 -
" See 'Wicked' review, less the clock... that damn clock! "
— Embee, 8/15/2011 -
" Bit wierd, but still great. Love the evil "witch" Lucrezia. "
— Jenneen, 7/7/2011 -
" I was just happy to finally have time read a book for the sheer enjoyment of reading a book. Thankfully this book provided such enjoyment. "
— Heather, 5/20/2011 -
" Snow White meets Lucretia Borgia. Do not mix with cold medicine, as with all his books. "
— Rebalioness, 5/15/2011 -
" Wicked was good but the rest of this authors books stink. Not a good read. "
— Rumschik, 5/9/2011 -
" This guy is a bit wacko, but I have to say I would be hard put to come up with such an imaginative re-take on Snow White and the Seven Garden Gnomes. "
— Horton, 5/8/2011 -
" This is the punishment I get when I judged a book by its cover. Cute cover, really. "
— Dodokins, 4/28/2011 -
" Clever, but definitely not as good as Wicked. This story winds history into the story of Snow White. "
— Crystal, 4/26/2011 -
" There are many negative reviews of this book but I loved it -- perhaps not as much as Wicked but it still fascinated me. I thought including Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, two of the most ruthless and amoral historical of all time, in the retelling of Snow White was genius. "
— Toni, 4/13/2011 -
" Although this was a unique take on the story of Snow White, I wasn't too taken by the book. There was a lot left to be desired. "
— Danielle, 4/5/2011 -
" Sleeping Beauty as told from the dwarves' perspective. It's an interesting concept, and very effective in this book. "
— Carolyn, 4/1/2011 -
" I read Gergory Maguire's 'Wicked' trilogy last year and looked forward to this book about Snow White. It wasn't as good as the others (Wicked being the best of the three). This is no Disney Snow White. Lucrezia Borgia is the Wicked Witch in this one... 'nuf said. "
— Carolyn, 3/19/2011 -
" Didn't quite like this one as much as some of Maguire's others, but still a good read. The author certainly has a good imagination! "
— Angela, 3/18/2011
About Gregory Maguire
?Gregory Maguire is an American author of nonfiction and fiction and fantasy for children, young adults, and adults, including the Wicked Years, the first book of which is Wicked—the basis for the major motion picture and Tony Award–winning Broadway musical of the same name. He received his PhD in English and American literature from Tufts University and his BA degree from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children’s Literature from 1979-1985.
About the Narrators
John McDonough, one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices, has narrated dozens of audiobooks, and won eleven Earphones Awards. He is known for his narrations of children’s books, including Robert McCloskey’s Centerburg Tales and Albert Marrin’s Commander-in-Chief Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Outside of his audiobook work, he has starred in a revival of Captain Kangaroo on the Fox Network.
Kate Forbes, winner of four Earphones Awards for audiobook narrating, is a professionally trained actress who has appeared on Broadway, in regional theaters, and with a renowned touring company. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was active in theater, she completed an MFA at New York University School of the Arts. With this training, she launched into a successful acting career.
Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star." He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.
Barbara Rosenblat, one of the most awarded narrators in the business, was selected by AudioFile magazine as one of the Golden Voices of the Twentieth Century. She has received the prestigious Audie Award multiple times and has earned more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has also appeared in film, television, and theater, both in London’s West End and on Broadway.