"Lady Tremaine: A Novel" | Reviewed by Chris Stuckenschneider

We’ve always known who the villain is in Cinderella, the stepmother who makes life miserable for the pretty, hardworking young woman in her care, a girl with a heart of gold. Author Rachel Hochhauser switches things up in “Lady Tremaine,” imagining a far different stepmother in her protagonist Ethel, known as Lady Tremaine. Ethel has her hands full with Elin, a stepdaughter who’s spoiled and entitled.

Ethel was the daughter of a brewer, her upbringing far from regal. She acquired her title when she married Henry Tremaine, having known him as a boy, the pair bonding as Henry shared his knowledge of falconry with a girl-become-woman who appeals to him for her beauty and kind ways.

Alas, their relationship grows rocky when Sigrid, a pretty, spiteful young woman, challenges Ethel for Henry’s affections. Ethel realizes her romance is threatened and makes a move that puts an end to the competition, thus winning Henry’s heart. Finally, Ethel wants for nothing—residing on an estate with a husband who adores her and two daughters, Matilda and Rosie, just one year apart in age.

But Ethel doesn’t know what the future holds, how loss will engulf her, and her happiness will be impacted by her nemesis, Sigrid, the woman who vied for Henry’s affections. Sigrid ends up marrying the king and having a daughter and son, the latter the illustrious Prince Simeon, a catch all the maidens in the kingdom clamor to meet at the ball.

      Ethel and Henry had lived an idyllic life, love reigning supreme as they raised their children, until tragedy hits. Henry dies leaving Ethel to care for two young daughters, ages 6 and 7, and no money of her own. Grieving the love of her life, Ethel still has to be practical. If she doesn’t remarry, her father-in-law has made threats concerning her daughters’ futures. Ethel sets about finding a husband. When she is introduced to Lord Robert Bramley, who has a daughter of his own, Ethel marries—this time for convenience. Once again, her marriage ends with her husband’s death, leaving her to raise Elin.

Elin is a great beauty, and Ethel does her best to love her, no easy task considering Elin is lazy, not interested in helping her stepsisters with what she considers menial tasks. She stays in bed until all hours, her only interest maintaining her personal care to enhance her beauty. 

The story continues on familiar territory with the prince needing a wife and the exquisite ball, meant to give Prince Simeon the chance to meet every available woman in the kingdom. Once the prince appears on the scene there are changes in the tried and true plot that send the narrative flying in directions that are creative beyond belief but work, each plot twist making sense of the insensible.

“Lady Tremaine” is a delight, well written, its pace brisk. Hochhauser breathes new life into a favorite old tale rewritten with shocking developments—surprises few readers will be able to predict in a novel certain to spark enthusiasm and discussion.

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