Synopses & Reviews
The beloved author of
Wicked reimagines Hans Christian Andersen's classic story "The Little Match Girl" for modern readers in this charming, beautifully illustrated gift book.
Each year, National Public Radio asks a writer to compose a story with a Christmas theme. In 2008, Gregory Maguire offered a new twist on a classic tale, reinventing the Hans Christian Andersen classic "The Little Match Girl."
When the story was first translated from Danish and published in England in the mid-nineteenth century, the match girl's dying visions of lights and a grandmother in heaven were often interpreted as metaphors of religious salvation. In Matchless, Maguire adds a different dimension to the story, intertwining the match girl's tale with that of a young boy, Frederik, whose own yearnings are the catalyst for a better future for himself and his family. Maguire uses 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.
Review
"In the end, Matchless is perhaps too slim to deserve the full Christmas-book treatment, but it's a worthy effort at creating a new story to stand alongside the classic Christmas tales of old. (Grade: B)" The Onion A.V. Club
Review
"This is a delightful little story of matchless loss and love, a story that is sure to become a Christmas tradition in many households." About.com
Review
"Matchless is a clever rescue of the Andersen story, bookending its sadness with a more hopeful tale, and, by changing the time frame from New Year's Eve to Christmas Eve, making it much more appropriate for young children." PopMatters
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
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 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.
About the Author
Gregory Maguire is the bestselling author of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost, Mirror Mirror, and the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men. Wicked, now a beloved classic, is the basis for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. Maguire has lectured on art, literature, and culture both at home and abroad. He lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.