''Feminist, fierce, and wildly fresh. 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'' GLENNON DOYLE ''I''ve been warned to be wary of strangers in the woods since I was a little girl. But just as shadows serve to hide and disguise, they also provide privacy and solitude, and, if you look carefully, beauty.'' Widow twice-over, Etheldreda has learned that marriage can be violent - even if her husbands were not. Saddled with the care of two children, a priggish stepdaughter, and a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, her whole life has become a ruse like the slumping manor hall they live in: grand and ornate on the exterior, and crumbling, brick by brick, inside. Fierce in the face of her misfortune, Etheldreda clings to her family''s respectability, the lifeboat that will float her daughters along the gentle tides of stability, 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 coffers in pursuit of an invitation for her daughters - only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement unfolds with unnerving speed, she unearths a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing a choice between the security she''s sought for so many years and the wellbeing of a feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.

Autorentext

Rachel Hochhauser is a writer and co-founder of Piecework, a cult-favorite puzzle brand with an international following. Raised in Santa Barbara, she studied at New York University and earned her master's in professional writing from the University of Southern California. She now lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two young daughters.

Klappentext

THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK!

'Feminist, fierce, and wildly fresh. Lady Tremaine is destined to be one of the biggest books of the year' GLENNON DOYLE

'A reimagining of Cinderella's stepmother that explores motherhood, family, and the pressure to be perfect' REESE WITHERSPOON

Everyone said she was wicked.
Now Cinderella's stepmother tells her own story...

After the death of her second husband, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two daughters, Rosamund and Mathilde, her simpering stepdaughter Elin, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor buried in the woods.

When a royal ball offers the chance to change their fortunes, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of girls - only for her hopes to be fulfilled by the wrong one: Elin.

Yet as her stepdaughter's 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 feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn...

Bridgerton meets Circe in this breathtaking reimagining of one of the world's most iconic fairytales, Cinderella.

Lady Tremaine has stolen the hearts of readers everywhere!

"Stunning - lyrical yet razor-sharp, rich with atmosphere and brimming with lines that linger in your mind" Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Definitely one of my favorite books of the year! One of those rare books that stays with you, and moves you in ways you never anticipated" Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Wow! I was not expecting this to be as great as it is - I totally devoured it. This may be the best fairy tale reworking that I've ever read!" Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"This book is a masterpiece. Finally the fairy tale has been reclaimed with honesty and wisdom and nuance and depth" Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Fast-paced, unputdownable, and the story that women need right now" Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal" Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Praise for LADY TREMAINE

'Breathing new life into a timeless fairytale, a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of second chances. My favourite read of the year' SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary

'In breathtakingly beautiful prose, Hochhauser unpicks this old fairytale and weaves it into a feminist war cry. Visceral, powerful and stunningly told' EMILIA HART, author of Weyward

'Lady Tremaine shatters our preconceptions of a famous fairytale villain, presenting instead a mesmering portrait of a woman who discovers that real enchantment comes from daring to rewrite your own destiny' KIMBERLY KING PARSONS, author of We Were the Universe

'One of the best novels I've read in a long time. I am envious of any reader picking up this book for the first time' OLIVIA CLARE FRIEDMAN, author of Here Lies

'Wit, wisdom, poetry on every page. A voice that's both hauntingly familiar and crisp in contemporary understanding. Amazing' MARK RICHARD, author of The Ice at the Bottom of the World

'Cinderella gets the Maleficent treatment in the darkly sumptuous and deeply addictive Lady Tremaine, Rachel Hochhauser is a major new talent to watch' KATE QUINN, author of The Briar Club

'A totally fresh take on the story of Cinderella, Lady Tremaine feels like a miracle. With its gorgeous prose and nuanced characters, it's already in the running to be my book of the year. I just adored it!' PHOENICIA ROGERSON, author of HERC