All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother by Danielle Teller Series: standalone
Published by William Morrow on May 22, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Fairy Tales
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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Rating:
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In the vein of Wicked, The Woodcutter, and Boy, Snow, Bird, a luminous reimagining of a classic tale, told from the perspective of Agnes, Cinderella’s “evil” stepmother.
We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we?
As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. . . .
A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated from her family and forced into servitude as a laundress’s apprentice when she is only ten years old. Using her wits and ingenuity, she escapes her tyrannical matron and makes her way toward a hopeful future. When teenaged Agnes is seduced by an older man and becomes pregnant, she is transformed by love for her child. Once again left penniless, Agnes has no choice but to return to servitude at the manor she thought she had left behind. Her new position is nursemaid to Ella, an otherworldly infant. She struggles to love the child who in time becomes her stepdaughter and, eventually, the celebrated princess who embodies everyone’s unattainable fantasies. The story of their relationship reveals that nothing is what it seems, that beauty is not always desirable, and that love can take on many guises.
Lyrically told, emotionally evocative, and brilliantly perceptive, All the Ever Afters explores the hidden complexities that lie beneath classic tales of good and evil, all the while showing us that how we confront adversity reveals a more profound, and ultimately more important, truth than the ideal of “happily ever after.”
I picked this one up the other day, but wasn’t really in the mood for it. I do like when authors give fairy tale “villains” a backstory and try to show that the story isn’t as cut and dry as we think. It makes them more human. If I pick this one up again, I’ll keep in mind that it’s a bit slow and character-driven.
Interesting premise… a story for the “evil stepmother.” Even though it may be overly long (and a bit slow) it still sounds like an entertaining story.
Sometimes its fun to get the ‘villain’s story in a fairytale retelling. Neat that she was really fleshed out in this one and given a reason for the way she was.
Oh no,slow paced…yeah that does not always do it for me
I usually enjoy villain stories so I’m glad to hear this worked pretty well for you. Great review!
I have this on my kindle. I am glad you enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading this one.
I do love that cover! So many nice colours!
This sounds like an eye opening read… I like that someone is giving us an insight into Cinderella’s stepmother!