A breathtaking reimagining of Cinderella, as told through the eyes of its iconic "evil" stepmother, revealing a propulsive love story about the lengths a mother will go to for her children
A widow twice-over, Etheldreda is now saddled with the care of her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, and a razor-taloned peregrine falcon. Her entire life has become a ruse, just like the manor hall they live grand and ornate on the exterior, but crumbling, brick by brick, inside. Fierce in the face of her misfortune, Ethel clings to her family’s respectability, the lifeboat that will float her daughters straight into the secure banks of marriage.
When a royal ball offers the chance to secure the future she desperately desires, Etheldreda must risk her secrets, pride, and limited resources in pursuit of an invitation for her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the heir of the kingdom unfolds with unnerving speed, she discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she’s sought for years and the wellbeing of the feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.
As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairytale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.
I went into Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser with a bit of trepidation. I love a good fairy tale retelling or reimagining and I love getting the "villain's" point of view as well, but there was something about this blurb that had me thinking this would not be the book I was hoping it would be and that was the case, more or less.
As you can imagine in this book we follow Etheldreda who we would eventually know as Lady Tremaine...or "Cinderella's" stepmother. But as I always say when it comes to these fairy tale retellings or reimaginings or villain's point of view, put your Disney notions aside. Although, Tremaine is a nice nod to the Disney movie, I will admit that! Etheldreda was just a simple girl in love one day and eventually married the love of her life and eventually it all came crumbling down and she did what she had to do to survive and rebuild her life and help her daughters survive as well.
She eventually meets and marries, Elin's father who was a recent widow. Elin is our Cinderella. But when tragedy strikes Etheldreda again, she is left without a husband once more and learns that he had been keep secrets from her about his finances and basically the house is in shambles, Elin will inherit all the family money when she marries, and if they try to sell the house, they will owe more than its worth. So the family must stay and make the best of things. Except here we find that Elin is not the poorly mistreated stepdaughter. Etheldreda tried to embrace her with open arms and Elin shunned her and then refused to do her part in helping keep the household running. Her stepsisters end up doing all the housework while Elin does not want to ruin her delicate hands and skin.
This story definitely turns the Cinderella fairy tale on its head! But while I did enjoy parts of it, I found myself bogged down by the pacing. It was a rather slow paced book with interspersed flashbacks. I don't mind a good flashback that helps to shed light on the present but sometimes they felt ill-timed.
The story generally follow the original fairy tale but we go beyond what was to be a happily ever after and in fact, this story sort of rings true with the Brothers Grimm for the darker nature at its heart. Nothing is as it seems in this one. I did enjoy those darker aspects, because I am a paranormal girlie at heart and love a dark and twisted tale! So this story had a lot going for it, but that pacing, that pacing really bogged me down at the worst of times.
This book reminds me, in some ways, of Wicked. The book, not the musical or movie. This is a story that will totally change your opinion of a once preconceived villain. Do we ever know the full story when that fairy tale villain walks onto the page? Does the omniscient narrator really know all that has come beforehand? I've always been told there are two sides to every story and I love that we are finally seeing this in literature! How many Captain Hooks have we all fallen for? How many "witches" were given a bad rep and everyone just believed it? Lady Tremaine will change the way you see the stepmother in Cinderella and it will leave you shaken!
The ending was one I was sort of expecting. Certain details were being alluded to towards the end I was painting a picture in my head and some of those images became crystal clear. Always trust your own instincts!
While this may not have been the book I was expecting it to be in full, I did get the story I was hoping for. The pacing might not have been ideal but the characters and its heart were ultimately what I had wanted to see, making for a complicated and messy overall set of feelings for me! Still an enjoyable read if you're okay with a slower paced storyline and are a fan of the once villain's point of view.
Overall Rating 3/5 stars
