Synopses & Reviews
With Matchless, Gregory Maguire has reinvented the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Little Match Girl for a new time and new audiences. Originally asked by National Public Radio to write an original story with a Christmas theme, the New York Times bestselling author of Wicked and A Lion Among Men was once again inspired by the fairy tales we all loved in childhood—and he composed a poignant and enchanting tale of transcendence. A lovely and beautifully illustrated gift, Matchless places Andersens pitiful waif in the august company of Maguires previously re-imagined Snow White (Mirror, Mirror), Cinderella (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister), and, of course, the Wicked Witch and other denizens of Oz.
Review
“The little match girls story is now getting its due thanks to novelist Gregory Maguire of ‘Wicked fame…. Matchless glows with aching beauty.” Huntsville Times
Review
An Indie Next List Notable IndieBound
Review
“Maguires story has the weight and solidity of a treasured folk tale, something to be handed down and retold.” Ellen Trachtenberg, author of The Best Children & #8217;s Literature: A Parent & #8217;s Guide
Synopsis
Every year, NPR asks a writer to compose an original story with a Christmas theme. In 2008, Gregory Maguire reinvented the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Little Match Girl for a new time and new audiences.
When it was first translated from Danish and published in England in the mid-nineteenth century, audiences likely interpreted the Little Match Girl′s dying visions of lights and a grandmother in heaven as metaphors of religious salvation. Maguire′s new piece, entitled Matchless, reilluminates Andersen′s classic, using his storytelling magic to rekindle Andersen′s original intentions, and to suggest transcendence, the permanence of spirit, and the continuity that links the living and the dead.
Synopsis
With Matchless, "Gregory Maguire has reinvented the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Little Match Girl" for a new time and new audiences. Originally asked by National Public Radio to write an original story with a Christmas theme, the New York Times "bestselling author of Wicked "and A Lion Among Men" was once again inspired by the fairy tales we all loved in childhood and he composed a poignant and enchanting tale of transcendence. A lovely and beautifully illustrated gift, Matchless "places Andersen s pitiful waif in the august company of Maguire s previously re-imagined Snow White (Mirror, Mirror"), Cinderella (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister"), and, of course, the Wicked Witch and other denizens of Oz."
Synopsis
The beloved author of "Wicked" retells and illustrates the classic Hans Christian Andersen story for modern times, in this charming gift book. Illustrations.
Synopsis
The beloved
New York Times bestselling author of
Wicked reimagines Andersen's "The Little Match Girl" for modern readers, putting a new twist on a timeless classic.
In Matchless, Gregory Maguire adds a different dimension to the story, exquisitely intertwining the match girl's tale with that of Frederik, a young boy who builds a city out of trash, and whose yearnings are the catalyst for a better future for himself and his family. Maguire uses his storytelling magic to rekindle Andersen's original intentions, suggesting transcendence, the permanence of spirit, and the continuity that links the living and the dead.
About the Author
Gregory Maguire is the author of several best-selling adult novels, including Wicked, which was turned into a Broadway musical. His books for younger readers include the picture book Crabby Cratchitt, the novel The Good Liar, and the popular Hamlet Chronicles series. While writing Leaping Beauty, Mr. Maguire sadly became allergic to all creatures great and small. Now he lives in a house without pets, though he is the father of three happy, noisy small children to whom, at this writing, he has not yet developed allergies.