Marianne’s Pick of the Week: Lady Tremaine

“You do not need to be afraid. You do not have to be good. You do not need to hide your fleshy interiors behind a carapace of frills and lace. Life is not meant for measurement. There is but one beat to heed. Live like this and you will know with certainty: You are the scariest thing in the woods.” – Lady Tremaine, page 335

Lady Etheldreda Isolde Tremaine Bramley, as a woman of a certain class living during the height of the Regency-era must never let weakness or poverty show. Her dress, pleats, lace, and frills must be just so. She must serve visitors a lovely tea with all the sweets one could wish. All this posturing is to secure an advantageous marriage for her daughters.

Unbeknownst to neighbors and members of the nobility, Lady Tremaine (let’s call her Ethel) is holding on by the fingernails. She is responsible for the crumbling estate she inherited along with her title from her second husband. Ethel also inherited guardianship of his young daughter, Elin, better known as Cinderella. She also has two daughters, Rosamund (Rosie) and Mathilde, from her first marriage (a true love match).

Ethel sells most of the home’s furnishings in order to feed and shelter the family. She provides her family’s meals by hunting in the woods with her falcon. So, when an invitation comes for Elin to attend the prince’s ball it seems that their fortunes may in fact change. The only twist is that Ethels’ biological daughters did not receive an invitation. Ethel humbles herself before the Queen (the gamesmanship is top notch – check out pages 106 to 111) to secure that invite for her offspring.

Elin, of course, catches Prince Simeon’s eye. A marriage is hastily arranged for the lovebirds. Ethel’s instinct is telling her that something is not quite right. Why the rush? Why are we skipping all of the fetes and galas that traditionally lead up to the wedding day? And why aren’t we waiting for the king to return from his tour to meet Elin?

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser retells the Cinderella story from the nasty stepmother’s point of view. But, trust me, this story paints Cinderella in a very different light.  At the heart of it, this is a a tale of female resilience, familial love and wisdom that comes from taking a step back to reconsider your own actions and how they impact those around you.  Ethel learns to be who she is meant to be, not who society says she should be. One does not need all the bows, frills and lace to be worthy. The plot moves along quickly with some surprising reveals along the way. The twists and turns proving that women can indeed be the scariest things in the woods. Grab this book if you read and enjoyed Wicked by Gregory Maguire or Weyward by Emilia Hart.