In the beginning of September I visited Stockholm and Uppsala for work. Being my first time in Sweden, I think it is a wonderful country. As we approached the airport, all the trees immediately fulfilled one of my prejudices about Sweden: yes, there are a lot of trees. And coloured houses. And very kind people. Their language – please don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean this in any condescending way – reminded me about the Swedish Chef of the Muppets. Although I could recognize some Dutch and German words, the language at large still remains quite difficult.
While staying in Stockholm and Uppsala I already noticed that there were several bookstores, even with a good section of English books (try that in France or Italy for instance). In the hotel on my floor, there was a small bookcase with several books in them – Swedish and English – to read and return. Well, I took one of the books for reading, but I didn’t return it. Naughty? Yes. Guilty? A bit. I just didn’t have enough time to finish the book in just two nights. Why not bring a book of your own, you might think. Well, I did. But I wasn’t really making much progress. The middle section of the book was kind of dragging along, a bit never ending (like the middle section of the latest Harry Potter). I was in a desperate need to read something else.
So, which book did I take? That was “Confessions of an ugly stepsister” by Gregory Maguire. He wrote an alternative Cinderella story. This story takes places in 17th century Haarlem. Yes, with two a’s. It is a town in the west of Holland after which the New York neighbourhood of Harlem is named after. New York used to be Dutch, in case you might not know. Alright, 17th century Holland is a Calvinistic strict country. Think about all the stern looking, dark clothed gentlemen of a Rembrandt painting. Into this town comes a mother with her two daughters, Iris and Ruth who have fled from England. The mother is of Dutch origin. They find work first with a Dutch painter, named the Master and later on with Van den Meer, an investor in tulips. Van den Meer has a very beautiful daughter, Clara. And here the Cinderella story starts. You know from the beginning that Clara will become Cinderella, and Ruth and Iris the ugly stepsisters. And they are indeed ugly. Ruth most likely has some sort of Down syndrome and Iris is just being plain. In the end their mother usurps the place of Clara’s mother, Hendrieka. Clara is not at all happy with this and withdraws into the kitchen, turning into Cinderella. Crisis strikes as the whole tulip market crashes and Van den Meer loses his whole fortune. The whole household is a kind of downfall. They have no more money to buy any food.
Of course the Prince is also there. The dowager queen of France comes, searching for a wife for her godson. Clara knows to charm the prince and leaves with him. Iris is happy with her apprentice painter, and her mother and Van den Meer are condemned to each other.
Maguire different intake of the classical story is that it focusses more on the handicap of being beautiful. Clara was kidnapped as a child and therefore her mother never let her leave the house. Iris and Ruth are plain or stupid, but are allowed to leave the house. They lives are entirely different. As Clara grows older and after the crash of the tulip market she is seen as a potential commodity to decrease the debt through marriage. She has nothing to say in all of these matters.
Funny thing is, Maguire is an American, but the book takes place in 17th century Haarlem. He did some amazing groundwork. Not only on 17th century Holland, but on the names and customs as well.
In the end, am I happy that I took the book with me? Yes, the story was compelling enough to finish it. It is interesting to follow how Maguire mixes up the original Cinderella items – think about the glass slippers, the fairy Godmother - with his 17th century story. In the end, “Confessions” is a nice book about the up- and downsides of beauty.
