Reese Witherspoon selected Lady Tremaine as one of her book club picks.
She praised the novel for turning the classic Cinderella story on its head and making the “evil” stepmother the true hero.
The book reimagines Cinderella from Lady Tremaine’s perspective, portraying her as a widowed mother trying to protect her daughters and secure their futures in a patriarchal society.
We all know the story of Cinderella. A poor, hardworking girl is forced to do all the chores for her wicked stepmother and unkind stepsisters. There’s a fairy godmother, bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, and one glass slipper later, her happily ever after gets rubbed in the face of her ugly and miserable family.
Does that sound like propaganda to you? What if Cinderella’s evil stepmother was actually just a woman trying her best to help her family? And what if Cinderella herself was, well, kind of a brat?
These are the questions asked by one of Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks, Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser. It’s a feminist retelling of the Cinderella tale that follows Lady Etheldreda Tremaine, the “wicked” stepmother. The book has been compared to Wicked for telling the villain’s side of the story and to Bridgerton for its plot about needing a marriage to survive.
Widowed not once but twice, Lady Tremaine is responsible for the care of two daughters and a self-righteous stepdaughter who has never appreciated her. With their house and their finances crumbling, the only way for Lady Tremaine to secure her daughters’ futures is to arrange respectable marriages for them. But when the wrong daughter catches the prince’s eye, Lady Tremaine discovers a secret about the royal family that forces her to choose between the safety she’s been trying to achieve for her family and the fate of her difficult stepdaughter. What is a mother to do?
“I loved the idea that it’s a retelling of the Cinderella story,” said Reese Witherspoon. “What we thought we knew, we don’t know at all. Cinderella is not the hero. The evil stepmother is actually the hero of the story.”
This retelling is a story about motherhood, sacrifice, and surviving in a patriarchal culture. Grab a copy to read it yourself and prepare to challenge everything you thought you knew about the Cinderella story.
Don’t forget to join the GH Book Club for more great reads every month.
