Mirror Mirror : A Novel

Mirror Mirror : A Novel

by
Gregory Maguire

Synopsis of Mirror Mirror : A Novel

A lyrical work of stunning creative vision, Mirror Mirror is set in Renaissance Italy, where Gregory Maguire draws a connection between the poison apple in the original Snow White story and the Borgia family's well-known appetite for poisoning its foes.

In Mirror Mirror Snow White is called Bianca de Nevada. She is born on a farm in Tuscany in 1495, and when she is seven, her father is ordered by the duplicitous Cesare Borgia to go on a quest to reclaim the relic of the original Tree of Knowledge, a branch bearing three living apples that are thousands of years old. Bianca is left in the care of her father's farm staff and the beautiful -- and madly vain -- Lucrecia Borgia, Cesare's sister. But Lucrecia becomes jealous of her lecherous brother's interest in the growing child and plots a dire fate for Bianca in the woods below the farm. There Bianca finds herself in the home of seven dwarves -- the creators of the magic mirror -- who await the return of their brother, the eighth dwarf, long gone on a quest of his own.

In the evocative style of Maguire's earlier novels, Mirror Mirror is a fresh, compelling take on a beloved classic tale.

Reviews of Mirror Mirror : A Novel

72%

After all these years, I'm surprised I still found myself uneasy about what the reality of Snow White could be, and I'm grateful for Maguire's help in finding that truth. -- Hank Luttrell, SF Site

Gregory Maguire has done it again. He has taken a beloved, classic fairytale, and molded the story into a novel which has more texture, more feeling, and more heart; weaving for his readers, a brand new story. -- Jenny Dressel , MostlyFiction

Through this forest of wry, sometimes bawdy humor, Maguire leaves a trail of profound reflections on the nature of identity, the persistence of love, the self-destruction of evil. -- Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor

The result? Richly drawn characters who don't simply go through the necessary motions of a predetermined story line but instead behave in ways that are understandable, even sympathetic. -- Tim O'Reilly, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

It is a brilliant achievement. -- Rob Mitchell, The Boston Herald

Readers looking for an imaginative, playful reworking of classic tales can't do better than Gregory Maguire's fractured fairy tales, and MIRROR MIRROR continues his strong tradition. -- Norah Piehl, BookReporter.com

Wry, sneaky and always picturesque, Maguire's writing weaves history and legend into a charming and effective pastiche. -- Melinda Bargreen, The Seattle Times

Maguire's writing is strong enough, and his characterizations of Lucrezia and the dwarves interesting enough to compensate for a story that consists of the primary character sleeping most of the Book away. -- BooksForABuck

This is a Book that could have shaped how people think about Snow White forever and it just won't do that. -- Inchoatus