Mirror Mirror

By: Gregory Maguire

Narrated by: John McDonough, Kate Forbes, Barbara Rosenblat, Richard Ferrone

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The year is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives perched high above the rolling hills and valleys of Tuscany and Umbria at Montefiore, the farm of her beloved father, Don Vicente. But one day a noble entourage makes its way up the winding slopes to the farm - and the world comes to Montefiore.

In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia - decadent children of a wicked pope -- no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vicente on a years-long quest, he leaves Bianca under the care -- so to speak - of Lucrezia.

She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but salvation can be found in the dark forest as well.

A lyrical work of stunning creative vision, Mirror Mirror gives fresh life to the classic story of Snow White - and has a truth and beauty all its own.

©2003 Gregory Maguire (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

a nice twist.

Would you listen to Mirror Mirror again? Why?

probably not...I didn't find it that interesting and don't feel like i missed anything a 2nd listen would clarify.

Would you be willing to try another book from Gregory Maguire? Why or why not?

maybe. wicked was excellent, but sometimes the odd sex references (which serve little purpose in the story) turn me off...

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

the queen

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Loved It!

Would you listen to Mirror Mirror again? Why?

Yes I would! It was a get spin on Snow White with a little of the Borgia tales entwined! It was excellent!

very interesting treatment

enjoyed the hysterical fiction heavily laden with factual references. amusing juxtaposition
of grimm's and history.

Gregory Maguire has done it again

This is a fantastic story.

I love the way that Gregory Maguire molded the story and characters, very fasinating.

If you loved the "Wicked Cycle" series, you will love this.

And all the narrators did a fantastic job.

Interesting re-telling of the fairy tale.

I've read several of Gregory Maguire's books - Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Wicked, Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men. I enjoy his modern twists on well-known fairy tales and his overall writing styles. He always incorporates elements of the fairy tales and weaves them into a believable and thought-provoking plot.

This book has a nice flow, and I enjoyed it. I would have rated it 4 stars but John McDonough constantly mispronounces "Lucrezia" and "Cesare" and it drove me nuts.

Snow White?

I enjoyed this book,even though it was a bit hard to get through at times. It's a nice adaptation of the traditional Snow White story though far less wishy washy.

Genius combination of history and fairytale

Maguire is the master of reinterpretation. He combines a familiar narrative with two infamous characters. The result is delightful. I can't wait to listen again, I'm sure there's more pleasure to be wrung from this narrative.
John McDonough leads a talented cast of narrators who link and enliven the various elements of the story.

Not up to par

I really liked "Wicked" from the same author, and I had high hopes for "Mirror Mirror", but it just didn't meet Maguire standards and the plot seemed rather forced.

Tough

What did you like best about Mirror Mirror? What did you like least?

I had a hard time lfollowing this book, as I was listening to it, I am not sure if it was the content, or the dialect, or the accent of the author. Never finished, as it was to hard to follow along.

Would you be willing to try another book from Gregory Maguire? Why or why not?

Yes,I will try others as I enjoy his other books, it was just this one was tough.

Long introduction to characters

There was a lot of back story. I found it hard to get in to. But I did enjoy the 2nd half of the book much more than the 1st