Lady Tremaime by Rachel Hochhauser
ARC from St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
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.
My Review: 4.25 stars
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser had me glued to the pages as I welcomed a completely different spin on Cinderella and the “evil” stepmother. This book was crazy creative and a perfectly paced story.
I always forget how much I enjoy retellings. When Gregory McGuire’s 1995 book Wicked came out, I was struck by how powerful a retelling can be. Since then, I’ve read one or two a year and I’m so glad that this one came my way. From what we gleaned form the original book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to the many renditions of Wicked and Wicked for Good in theaters, I never had thought of learning about the alleged awful stepmother’s POV. Seriously, what fun to see a whole new side to the beloved story.
Lady Etheldreda Tremaine is not evil. She is a mother doing everything she can to fill her two daughters and her stepdaughter’s bellies. She twice widowed, has a house that’s crashing down around her and trying to keep face amongst all around her. She has a hawk called Lucy, who is critical to the story as the hawk helps her hunt for food well before dawn.
When the Prince invites her stepdaughter to the ball, secrets are spilled and Lady Tremaine learns some powerful and unsavory facts about the prince and his mother. I will not divulge any more though. What I found most interesting about the novel is that at its heart, this is a mother/daughter story as she tries to secure her three daughters’ futures.
Well done!
Quotes I liked:
No one tells you now to mother. It is presumed to be buried within you, a deep, primordial instinct that awakens in your body—in your breast —when the time is right.”
“Any mother who tells you she loves all her children—or appraises them—equally is lying.”
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