''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. Praise for Lady Tremaine "Both intimate and epic in scope , Lady Tremaine shatters our preconceptions of a famous fairy tale villain, presenting instead a mesmerizing portrait of a woman who discovers that real enchantment comes from daring to rewrite your own destiny. With spellbinding prose and haunting moral complexity, Rachel Hochhauser excavates the heart of a timeless story, revealing the profound humanity that exists in the spaces between good and wicked. This stunning debut dares to ask what happens when a mother''s fierce love collides with the cruel machinery of power and privilege in a world that offers women impossible choices" Kimberly King Parsons "LADY TREMAINE left me in awe. Breathing new life into a timeless fairy tale, this is the story of a complex, resilient mother who demonstrates that love does not always come naturally: it is often built on difficult choices. A must-read for anyone who believes in the power of second chances, the nuances of motherhood, and the ways in which strength evolves through adversity. Hochhauser''s storytelling is a poignant reminder that even fairy tale villains have a story worth telling. My favorite read of the year so far!" Sarah Penner "Wit, wisdom, poetry on every page. Hochhauser brilliantly takes a classic from a shelf and reads from it in a voice that''s both hauntingly familiar and crisp in contemporary understanding. Her reappraisal of the cages we build for ourselves--in marriage and in love--reveals the freedom we possess, if only we''d look up and wait patiently for the hunting hawk''s heart to return to our outstretched arm. Amazing work." Mark Richard "Rachel Hochhauser''s prose is a gift. LADY TREMAINE is one of the best novels I''ve read in a long time--for its sentences, for its grace, and for its originality. I haven''t stopped thinking about it. I am envious of any reader picking up this book for the first time." Olivia Clare Friedman ...

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Rachel Hochhauser

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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