Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Matchless: An Illumination of Hans Christian Andersen's Classic "The Little Match Girl"
    Matchless: An Illumination of Hans Christian Andersen's Classic "The Little Match Girl"
    Matchless: An Illumination of Hans Christian Andersen's Classic "The Little Match Girl"
    Ebook128 pages38 minutes

    Matchless: An Illumination of Hans Christian Andersen's Classic "The Little Match Girl"

    By Gregory Maguire

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    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. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 27, 2009
    ISBN9780061965975
    Matchless: An Illumination of Hans Christian Andersen's Classic "The Little Match Girl"
    Author

    Gregory Maguire

    Gregory Maguire is the New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked—the beloved classic that is the basis for the blockbuster Tony Award–winning Broadway musical of the same name and the major motion picture—Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. His series Another Day continues the story of Oz with The Brides of Maracoor, The Oracle of Maracoor, and The Witch of Maracoor, and his other novels include A Wild Winter Swan, Hiddensee, After Alice, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost, and Mirror Mirror. He lives in New England and France.

    Read more from Gregory Maguire

    Related to Matchless

    Related ebooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Last Christmas

      Oct 6, 2022

      Last Christmas
      6 min read

    • Article

      Saving Freyfaxi

      Feb 1, 2024

      Saving Freyfaxi
      8 min read

    • Article

      Saving Freyfaxi

      Jan 1, 2024

      Saving Freyfaxi
      8 min read

    • Article

      All I Want For Christmas

      Dec 16, 2020

      IT was more than an icicle. More like an icy boulder, oversized and murkily white, faceted like a cartoon jewel and, shortly, dripping. It had lurked beneath a low stone bridge at the bottom of the wood, where sycamore thickets bald for winter gave w

      18 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading Guide

      Jan 2, 2022

      Summer Reading Guide
      6 min read

    • Article

      Yuletide Reading

      Sep 24, 2020

      Many classic novels and short stories contains Christmas scenes-merry or otherwise. Can you indentify the works from which these holiday passages are excerpted? 1 “Merry Christmas, little daughters! I’m glad you began at once, and hope you will keep

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Last Lady of California

      Apr 6, 2021

      The Last Lady of California
      16 min read

    • Article

      Saving Freyfaxi

      Apr 1, 2024

      Saving Freyfaxi
      10 min read

    • Article

      Drawn to THE MOORS

      Feb 8, 2022

      Drawn to THE MOORS
      11 min read

    • Article

      When the SUN RISES

      Jun 14, 2023

      When the SUN RISES
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Kobold In The Corner

      Nov 1, 2022

      Friedrich lives by himself on a rundown farm. By the chimney sits a wooden carving of a little man. It has been there since the days of Oma Elsa, Friedrich’s grandmother. “That’s our kobold,” Friedrich’s mother told him before she passed away. “He wa

      5 min read

    • Article

      Nothing to Declare

      Jun 15, 2019

      All the senior partners were having a laugh about a movie they’d seen. Forty-Five Years. Something, something about the movie taking forty-five years to sit through. The woman McGuinness thought he recognized was in it with them at the far end of the

      24 min read

    • Article

      Charades Anyone?

      Nov 10, 2022

      Charades Anyone?
      6 min read

    • Article

      Your Poetry

      Nov 26, 2021

      Email your poems to: (editorial@choicemag.co.uk) or post to Your Poetry, Choice, 4 Milnyard Square, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6GX Let’s start our Christmas card listI need to make sure no one is missedDon my specs and take a lookFlick the pag

      3 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Dec 16, 2020

      WE recently bought two young donkeys. They had already experienced much in their short lives: transport from Ireland, several homes and a horse fair. In time, they settled, although the little grey gelding remained silent. We were astonished to disco

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Last Marchioness

      Jul 26, 2023

      The Last Marchioness
      4 min read

    • Article

      THE HOUSE with the BLUE DOOR

      May 7, 2020

      THE HOUSE with the BLUE DOOR
      6 min read

    • Article

      Snow Maiden

      Jan 1, 2024

      Snow Maiden
      8 min read

    • Article

      In Dad’s Hands

      Nov 24, 2018

      In Dad’s Hands
      5 min read

    • Article

      Caribbean CHRISTMAS

      Nov 9, 2022

      Caribbean CHRISTMAS
      9 min read

    • Article

      “I’m Licensed To Sleigh!”

      Nov 30, 2022

      “I’m Licensed To Sleigh!”
      3 min read

    • Article

      Saving Freyfaxi

      Mar 1, 2024

      Saving Freyfaxi
      8 min read

    • Article

      Notes From The Isles

      Apr 14, 2023

      Yet again nemesis has smothered my hubris. Having boasted of my expertise in getting the car up our steep, icy track, I awoke to find myself snowed in, near the top of a glacier, totally cut off from all traffic. A nephew and his wife, who were comin

      4 min read

    • Article

      Ring Silverbell

      Nov 1, 2021

      Ring Silverbell
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Matchless

    3.5/5

    223 ratings53 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      As is his norm, a take on The Little Match Girl, with the addition of Frederik, another child of poverty. Keeping much of the match girl's story in tact, (sadly) the family she left behind are united with Frederik and his mother after he happens upon a shoe she lost and later tried to return it. A sad time, but still holding in the beauty of making due with what you can.
    • 1/5
      I read the book while I listened on NPR. Part 2 is the story of The Little Match Girl with a few minor changes. Parts 1 & 3 are all Maguire and rather silly? sloppily sentimental? I always loved The Little Match Girl, Maguire should have left it alone.
    • 4/5
      I love all things Gregory Maguire, but this was something a little extra special. Short, very sweet, and heart wrenching in its telling of the joys and sorrows of life. From tragic death to fulfillment in finding new family, and from loved ones who have left us guiding us home to the great joy found in the happiness of children - this story leaves nothing wanting.
    • 4/5
      I like the Maguire calls this an "illumination" rather than a "retelling" of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl." That's really the best way to describe it, as the Andersen's original story is mostly left intact with very minor changes. Maguire's additions are the expansion of the story. He adds a framework and new characters that blend with Andersen's tale that make it just a little bit less melancholy. Beautifully done.
    • 5/5
      Never thought it would be that dark of a story!
    • 3/5
      Retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen story. Illustrations on every other page. A little boy lives with his mother who is a seamstress for the queen. And a little girl who passes trying to sell matches on the street.
    • 3/5
      A charming story based on Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Match Girl', and very well written by Gregory Macguire. I really enjoyed the story, and the beautiful illustrations, that went with it.
    • 2/5
      This is a short little tale that's described as a modern reimagining of Anderson's The Little Match Girl. I'll be honest, I don't recall the original (though I may have read it) and I also wasn't paying attention to the note that says this is a "Christmas story", so I wasn't really feeling it. Though, the only thing that's really Christmasy about this is that Maguire made it during Christmas time, so the holiday is mentioned, but it's not really what I'd consider a Christmas tale.Anyway, it's short, the illustrations are alright though not stunning and I really didn't feel anything particular (good or bad) after finishing. It's a tad bit depressing, but not overly so (as with many classic fairy tales I suppose). Mostly I picked this up because it's been sitting on my shelf forever and I love Maguire's work and I'm trying to read all of his books that I own. So....Meh.
    • 5/5
      Good story. Retake from Hans Christian Anderson
    • 3/5
      I thought this was an interesting "illumination" of the classic Andersen story (which I know mostly by cultural osmosis rather than actually reading it or hearing it read). Part of what I liked is the structure of the story, following what is incidental in one story and making it a focus of the next, then returning and intertwining.
    • 3/5
      Very sad retelling of a very sad story.
    • 3/5
      The Andersen tale is interleaved with original work to expand on its message. Well-done and "feel good" for Christmas.
    • 5/5
      This is the first of Maguire's books I have read. A friend who loves his other work gave me this book because she couldn't bear to read it twice, or to pass it on to her own daughter. The Little Match Girl (upon which this is based) affected me a lot as a child. I had a particularly creepy board book of that, with 1970s puppets.The prose in Matchless was originally meant to be read (via NPR) and this shows in the text. It really is best read aloud. The line drawings give the book a retro feel, and have been done by Maguire himself.This is a slightly expanded tale, and is now an ensemble work, about a boy and girl equally. This one has heartwarming bits. As Maguire notes at the back of the book, the religious parts can equally be interpreted as hallucinations.It's not only the rhythm that makes this prose excellent -- the dialogue is well-chosen and surprising. I would recommend this story for adults who remember the original, and for children with a high tolerance for sadness in fiction.
    • 5/5
      This was really a great story. Maguire didn't take away from the original story and did a good job with making a new story in it. I bought this for 1.00 and it was worth the full price.
    • 4/5
      An imaginative retelling of the classic tale. I enjoyed the quick pace and the illustrations. Clearly not as in depth as other Maguire novels, but still quite enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      This is a retelling of the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, "The Little Match Girl," from the perspective of the boy who finds the slipper. The setting is changed from the New Years Eve of the original tale to Christmas Eve for this rendition. Many readers will prefer the original story and books with full color illustrations. I did enjoy the illustrations even though they appear to be mainly pencil sketches. Each illustration is done in a circle.
    • 4/5
      Maguire carries on with his ability to tell the story from a different character's perspective: the boy who takes the match girl's slipper. The original story remains, yet is enhanced with this ulterior look. This retelling lacks darker side of Maguire's talents, lending to hope and resilience in the face of darkness. This book is also filled with accompanying illustrations.
    • 4/5
      I like the Maguire calls this an "illumination" rather than a "retelling" of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl." That's really the best way to describe it, as the Andersen's original story is mostly left intact with very minor changes. Maguire's additions are the expansion of the story. He adds a framework and new characters that blend with Andersen's tale that make it just a little bit less melancholy. Beautifully done.
    • 4/5
      I think the subtitle says it all: "An Illumination of Hans Christian Andersen's Classic 'The Little Match Girl.' Short, but excellent.
    • 3/5
      A short, illustrated retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl," which weaves Andersen's story (or a very slightly altered version thereof) into that of Frederick, the little boy who steals the freezing match girl's slipper, and shows us what happens next. It's nicely written, in its own very simple style, but I'm left at the end with the vague feeling that if there's a point here, I'm missing it. Admittedly, though, Andersen's original never did all that much for me, either.
    • 1/5
      Wish Gregory Maguire would quit writing. He used all his talent on the highly original Wicked and nothing else he has written has come close to its quality. This particular gem is right at the bottom of a competitive group of dreadful Maguire fairytales and books. Not worth using to even up the legs on your kitchen table. Just burn it.
    • 3/5
      Maguire weaves the original Match Girl story in with a new one of his creation. A poor boy named Frederik lives alone with his mother. Their lives cross with the Match Girl's and it changes their future. It's a sweet Christmas tale, but it lacks the depth and dark twists that have made the author so famous.
    • 4/5
      Having never read Hans Christian Anderson's rendition of the little match girl, I wasn't sure what to expect from this short Christmas tale. That said I am a fan of Gregory Maguire's work and his way with making fairy tales more human and realistic. This short tale is an easy bedtime read, it flows quickly and paints a vivid picture of the setting and the characters.
    • 4/5
      I actually first heard this story in its original form, read by the author on NPR at Christmastime.The story is beautiful and, as we have grown to expect from Gregory Maguire, really well adapted and true to its original form, but expanded and embellished.On par with the story in this collector's edition are the illustrations. The beautiful drawings are printed in circles surrounded by a dark green background. The words on the other side are centered, so they appear to be encircled as well. Hopefully this was deliberate, because the effect is beautiful.The story is short and heartwrenching and sweet. As it says in the back of the book, the story is meant to be read out loud. The combination of this and the visual appeal of the book itself makes it absolutely perfect as a Christmas gift, especially for a family who can read it to each other every Christmas
    • 4/5
      Lovely retelling of the little match girl story. Apparently any way you tell that story, I cry, and this book was no different.
    • 4/5
      'Matchless: A Christmas Story' is Gregory Maguire's retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Match Girl.' The book was published in 2009, but it comes from a story that Maguire originally read on NPR in late 2008.I enjoyed Matchless. It's an interesting expansion on the original Andersen story. Maguire's take on the story is quite a bit more cheery than the original tale, which is probably a relief for the reader. I'm used to Maguire's adult novels which cast well-known stories in a much darker light, but Matchless is quite the opposite. The original, The Little Match Girl is a gorgeous, moving story, but it is very depressing. Matchless doesn't focus so much on the little match girl, but on a boy named Frederik and his mother. It's a nice simple story that works well as a Christmas story.The book itself is quite nice. It has illustrations on every other page and the front cover is nice and tasteful. If you buy the hardback, however, it will cost you about $20. The story in the book is very short and it's doubtful that it's worth $20.All in all, I enjoyed the story, but unless you can get it cheaper, it may not be worth it to buy this book.
    • 4/5
      'Matchless: A Christmas Story' is Gregory Maguire's retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Match Girl.' The book was published in 2009, but it comes from a story that Maguire originally read on NPR in late 2008.I enjoyed Matchless. It's an interesting expansion on the original Andersen story. Maguire's take on the story is quite a bit more cheery than the original tale, which is probably a relief for the reader. I'm used to Maguire's adult novels which cast well-known stories in a much darker light, but Matchless is quite the opposite. The original, The Little Match Girl is a gorgeous, moving story, but it is very depressing. Matchless doesn't focus so much on the little match girl, but on a boy named Frederik and his mother. It's a nice simple story that works well as a Christmas story.The book itself is quite nice. It has illustrations on every other page and the front cover is nice and tasteful. If you buy the hardback, however, it will cost you about $20. The story in the book is very short and it's doubtful that it's worth $20.All in all, I enjoyed the story, but unless you can get it cheaper, it may not be worth it to buy this book.
    • 4/5
      "The Little Match Girl" has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. True, it's horribly depressing, but it seems all the fairy tales I really loved growing up were ("The Little Mermaid" is another good example of that). So I was ecstatic when I won this through Early Reviewers. I had no idea this was originally a story read on NPR. I wish I'd heard it because it's obvious that it's meant to be heard (I do plan on checking NPR archives to see if it's there). Part 2 of the book is the fairy tale we all know--the story of the little girl trying to sell matches on Christmas Eve and how she can't go home until she's sold them all. But nobody buys them and she ends up lighting them one by one; as she does, she sees visions in the match flame. And of course, they find her frozen to death in the morning. But Maguire has padded it out, included another family, and the Little Match Girl's father is not a tyrant. I'm not so sure I liked that. It's well written, but this just never seemed the right story to convert into a happy(ish) ending. Hence the 4 stars instead of 5.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this little book, the author's take of the original story "The Little Match Girl". The original is one of those tear jerker stories I love so I was a bit apprehensive about what Maguire would do to it. I didn't need to worry. His retelling is , as with all his books, from a different perspective while still managing to tell a poignant tale. While it didn't hit my heart as hard as when I first read the original story, it is a nice complement and worth the short time it takes to read it.
    • 5/5
      I was thrilled to receive this little volume through the October 2009 Early Reviewers lottery, anxious to see what Maguire would do to "illuminate" this Anderson tale. I don't think I was disappointed (except that I didn't get it until Feburary 2010).Around the Hans Christian Anderson tale of The Little Match Girl, Maguire wove the story of a young poor boy, his seamstress mother, his toy town, and eventually the family of the match girl. Almost as enchanting as the story are the ink illustrations by Maquire. Presented like a children's picture book, illustrations appear on most of the right-hand pages, with story text on the left-hand pages.Maguire's postscript to the printed version (it was originally an NPR All Things Considered performance and aired Christmas 2008, and still accessible on their website) notes "a sense of the transcendent apprehended by many nineteenth-century readers [of the original story]" as does the dust jacket flap, which also states the Maquire story points to "the permanence of spirit, and the continuity that links the living and the dead." While the boy was part of the match girl's tragedy, the tragedy was triumph* for both his and her family.*My favorite line from the book: "[...] they had the warmth of one another, and enough on which to live, and in most parts of the world, that is called plenty."

    Book preview

    Matchless - Gregory Maguire

    Matchless

    —A Christmas Story—

    An Illumination of Hans Christian Andersen’s Classic The Little Match Girl

    Written and Illustrated by Gregory Maguire

    TO GERALDINE FEGAN and to the thousands of school and public librarians who work to keep the library lamps burning during dark times

    Contents

    Part One

    Part Two

    Part Three

    Part Four

    A Note on Matchless

    An Excerpt from HIDDENSEE

    A Household Tale

    About the Author

    Books by Gregory Maguire

    Credits

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    PART ONE

    ON AN ISLAND so far north that it snowed from September to April, a boy named Frederik kept himself warm by keeping a secret.

    SOME MORNINGS the top of the water in the kitchen jug had frozen into a disc of ice. Frederik had to smash it with a wooden spoon.

    He piled the pieces of ice in a saucer, reminded of the way that harbor ice broke up in a thaw. Small ice made musical clinking sounds; large ice groaned like his mother.

    Not dawn, not yet! she protested through her morning congestion. The troubles of another day come to haunt me. Where are you, my sweet ginger biscuit?

    I’m making your tea to warm you up, replied Frederik.

    HE HURRIED to light the kitchen fire. Money was scarce, and this was the last match until his mother could afford to buy more, so he struck it carefully. The warmth on his fingers made him want—quick—to use them to make something clever before they became stiff with cold again. His fingers were the only clever part of him.

    My useful child, said the widow Pedersen. Tea on a cold morning: a reason to live. But this—she grimaced—pfaah! It’s thin as rainwater. Have you made one scoop of leaves do for a whole pot?

    The canister is nearly empty.

    It’s Christmas Eve: I’m paid today. I’ll buy some more.

    We need matches, too.

    AS DAME PEDERSEN and Frederik folded the bedding, their breath wisped in the chilly room. Look, it’s a pair of ghosts.

    That’s all that’ll be left of us, a pair of ghosts, unless you succeed today, said Dame Pedersen. Make those seagulls pay for waking me with their jeering.

    We work as a team, the gulls and I, Frederik reminded her. His stomach muttering with hunger, Frederik kissed his mother and left.

    The Pedersens lived in a couple of rooms tacked onto a herring smokehouse on an island in the harbor. From their threshold Frederik looked across the water to the prosperous city on the mainland. The town was bedecked with necklaces of evergreen. Setting out

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1