Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker

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From the author of the beloved New York Times bestseller Wicked comes a magical tale of a toymaker, a nutcracker, and a remade legend. Gregory Maguire presents an inventive novel inspired by a timeless holiday story, intertwining the narrative of the famous Nutcracker with the life of the enigmatic toy maker Drosselmeier. Set on Hiddensee, an enchanting island north of Berlin known for its white sandy beaches and artistic community, the story draws inspiration from the Romantic imagination. Maguire transports readers to the realms of the Brothers Grimm and E. T. A. Hoffmann, exploring the Black Forest of Bavaria and the salons of Munich. The novel imagines the Nutcracker's backstory, revealing how he was carved and how he guided a young girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on Christmas Eve. Central to the tale is Godfather Drosselmeier, the one-eyed toy maker immortalized by Petipa and Tchaikovsky, who presents the Nutcracker to his goddaughter Klara. However, this is not merely a retelling; Maguire delves into German Romanticism and its connections to Hellenic mystery-cults, contemplating how individuals who face life's challenges can still access secrets that empower the marginalized. Ultimately, the story conveys a message of hope: if Drosselmeier can bring an enchanted Nutcracker to a girl in distress, then everyone, no matter how lonely or overlooked, has something precious to share.