The critically acclaimed author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West brings us another fairy tale re-imagining in the form of Mirror Mirror, a retelling of the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  Falling somewhat short of the high bar set by Wicked, Mirror Mirror makes up for in vivid imagery what it lacks in character development.  Did…did that opening sound pretentious and douchebaggy?  Okay, good.  I think that means I’m doing this right.

Set in the hills of Italy, Mirror Mirror follows the misfortune of Don Vicente de Nevada and his young daughter Bianca.  Their quiet life on their plantation Montefiore leaves them unprepared for the arrival of Cesare Borgia and his sister Lucrezia–and the impossible quest that they have in store for Don Vicente.  He unwillingly leaves his daughter in the care of the unsettlingly attractive Lucrezia.  Perhaps not the best choice.  Out of jealousy of her brother’s attention to the pretty young Bianca, Lucrezia sends the young girl into the wilderness to die.  As you might expect, she does not die, but falls under the care of some decidedly un-Disneylike dwarves.  What follows is a tale as surprising in its originality as it is faithful in its homage to the classic Snow White tale.

I loved Gregory Maguire’s decision to use Lucrezia Borgia as the wicked queen.  Infamous for her lethality, mystery, and beauty, the historical Lucrezia was a fairy tale in and of herself.  To write her into this classic story was a great move.  Mirror Mirror portrays Lucrezia as proud, headstrong, and confident.  She is capable of love, but is too instilled with cold ruthlessness to show it.

The dwarves–eight of them in this version–are very interesting as well.  Stone golems with a home that is as much a character in the story as they are.  I have to say, though, that they fit a little oddly into the story.  The way they referred to the human world almost with disdain made it seem unlikely that they would be so interested in the well-being of a young girl.  Perhaps they were just more complex than I thought.

Which brings me to Snow White–or Bianca de Nevada in this story.  Though she is the center of the plot, Bianca seems to be a secondary character in Maguire’s novel, behind Vicente and Lucrezia.  I would have liked to see her character developed a bit more, but she came off as rather bland and one-dimensional.  No personality at all.  Just a plot device attached to a pretty face.

The romantic in me was disappointed in the lack of a Prince Charming in this story. It seems like Maguire noticed this at the last minute and shoved another character into that role, to a rather forced and unromantic effect.

I very much enjoy Maguire’s writing style.  His language is colorful and poetic without coming off as too flowery.  It’s one of the saving graces of the novel, and it’s what keeps me going back to read his work.  He is able to paint a picture with words, so rich and vibrant that I almost feel like I could reach through the pages and pluck a branch from one of the olive trees in Montefiore.

While the overall effect that Mirror Mirror had on me was disappointment, I appreciated the novel for its adept imagery and the fresh twist it gave to a classic tale.  Though that seems to be Maguire’s shtick.