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A Novel
by Rachel Hochhauser
Book Reviewed by: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.
Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband's title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters' future through marriage.
When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters―only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the 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 fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother's love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.
CHAPTER ONE
I've been warned to be wary of strangers in the woods since I was a little girl. A person, alone, unfamiliar, hidden in the dappled darkness, is not to be trusted. And, certainly, the woods can hide the sorts of people you'd rather not encounter. Outlaws and outcasts. Gruesomely mutilated pariahs—those with fingers taken for thieving, lips and tongues cut out for lying, flesh rotting for submission to disease. But just as shadows serve to hide and disguise, they also provide privacy and solitude, and, if you look carefully, beauty. The darkness of the woods offers a break from watchful eyes and rules to follow and stiffened skirts and the never-ending etiquette of being a woman in the world. For a few short hours of the day, I've always considered it a fair trade: darkness for freedom.
But when I first heard the twig snap and saw the man ahead of me, I was scared. I saw beard and sword and steel. Year after year of warnings—to stay in the light, to travel in pairs...
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (5/14/2026)
I picked up https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/5179/lady-tremaine Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser to take a break from my usual selections. I'm halfway through and really enjoying it!
-Diane_Jones
This is a Cinderella retelling, told from the stepmother's perspective. In this version, Lady Tremaine is not a vindictive social climber, but a struggling single mom at the end of her rope. The motivations behind her intense interest in her daughters' romantic prospects are clear—there's no path out of poverty for women in their kingdom except for marriage. And although she cares about her stepdaughter, she's less concerned about Elin's marriage opportunities, because her dowry pretty much ensures she can find a good husband. The novel's wisest choice is allowing both Etheldreda and Elin to experience character growth. Though they butt heads in the beginning, they end up teaming up to fight a bigger injustice. Rather than being a story about women pitted against each other, this novel ultimately shows the wider impact women can make when they work together...continued
Full Review
(693 words)
(Reviewed by Jillian Bell).
Emilia Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Weyward
In breathtakingly beautiful prose, Hochhauser unpicks this old fairytale and weaves it into a feminist war cry. Visceral, powerful and stunningly told, Lady Tremaine soars. Glennon Doyle, #1 bestselling author of Untamed
Feminist, fierce, and wildly fresh: Lady Tremaine is my kind of fairy tale. As we resurrect and re-examine the historical women we've maligned, Hochhauser insists we include the wicked stepmothers. Hochhauser's prose is poetic, her story hypnotic, and her characters will live in my head and heart forever. Lady Tremaine is destined to be one of the biggest books of the year.
The most famous version of the Cinderella story is probably the one included in the Brothers Grimm's 1812 collection of fairy tales. But its roots as a folk tale go back far further, and stretch into many cultures. The ancient Greek story of Rhodopis tells of a king who finds a beautiful sandal and sends servants to search for the woman who wore it. The Chinese tale of Ye Xian, dating back to 860, includes many of the hallmarks of the Cinderella story, including the abusive stepmother and the shoe that only the protagonist fits.
Our fascination with this archetypal story continues into the present day, with a wave of modern Cinderella retellings. These days, authors tend to put their own twist on the classic tale. In Lady ...
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