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Published Sep 2014
496 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
In this tour de force, master storyteller Gregory Maguire offers a dazzling novel for fantasy lovers of all ages.
Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar's army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food.
But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg - a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena's age. When the two girls' lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and - in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured - Baba Yaga, witch of Russian folklore, in her ambulatory house perched on chicken legs.
"Starred Review. Rich, descriptive language will reward readers who like to sink their teeth into a meaty story. Ages 12–up." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Egg and Spoon is a beautiful reminder that fairy tales are at their best when they illuminate the precarious balance between lighthearted childhood and the darkness and danger of adulthood." - School Library Journal
"Starred Review. An ambitious, Scheherazade-ian novel, rather like a nesting-doll set of stories, that succeeds in capturing some of the complexities of both Russia and life itself." - Kirkus
"Maguire's fantastical world is filled with Russian folklore and history, particularly the growing unrest that eventually led to the October Revolution, and though Cat and Elena's quest at times feels overstuffed, the whimsical tone and lush setting are still plenty appealing." - Booklist
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
©2008 Andy Newman
Gregory Maguire is the author of several novels for adults and more than a dozen novels for children.
His few adult novels, include Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (1999); Lost (2001); Mirror Mirror (2003); Son of a Witch, the sequel to Wicked, published in 2005. His most recent work is After Alice published in 2015.
Wicked has been developed as a big-budget Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt, etc.).
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was filmed for ABC/Disney and aired originally in the Spring of 2002. It starred Stockard Channing and Jonathan Pryce.
Mr. Maguire's work for adults and for children has been published abroad in England, Ireland ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Gregory Maguire's Website
Name Pronunciation
Gregory Maguire: ma-gwire (rhymes with liar)
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