All The Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother

Author: Danielle Teller
Genre: Fantasy
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 376
Source: Local Public Library
Publisher: William Morrow
First Published: May 22, 2018
Opening Lines: "Suppers at the royal court have become entirely too oppressive.  It isn't jus that they are interminable, or that we must adhere to the newest fashions, the face powder, our hair tortured into great bejewelled rams' horns, the silks with sleeves so tight that it's impossible to raise one's spoon to one's carefully tinctured lips - No, the worst is the gossip, the sinister buzz of wasps ready to slip their poisonous stingers into whatever tender flesh lies exposed."

Book Description from GoodReads: A luminous reimagining of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, told from the perspective of Agnes, the beautiful girl's “evil” stepmother

Compelling fiction often obscures the humble truth...

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, a woman who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. But what unfolds is not the princess's history. The tale Agnes recounts is her own.

A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated from her family and forced into servitude as a laundress’s apprentice at Aviceford Manor when she is just ten years old. Alone, friendless, and burdened with a grueling workload, Agnes carves a place for herself in this cold place that is home to Sir Emont Vis-de-Loup, a melancholic and capricious drunkard.

Using her wits and ingenuity, Agnes eventually escapes and makes her way toward a hopeful future, serving as a housemaid for the powerful Abbess Elfilda. But life once again holds unexpected, sometimes heartbreaking twists that lead Agnes back to Aviceford Manor, where she becomes nursemaid to Ella, Emont's sensitive, otherworldly daughter. Though she cares for Ella, Agnes struggles to love this child, who in time becomes her stepdaughter and, ultimately, the celebrated princess who embodies all our unattainable fantasies.

Familiar yet fresh, tender as well as bittersweet, the story of Agnes and Ella's relationship reveals that beauty is not always desirable, that love may take on many guises, and that freedom is not always something we can choose.

Danielle Teller's All the Ever Afters challenges our assumptions and forces us to reevaluate what we think we know. Exploring the hidden complexities that lie beneath classic tales of good and evil, this lyrically told, emotionally evocative, and brilliantly perceptive novel shows us that how we confront adversity reveals a more profound—and ultimately more precious—truth about our lives than the ideal of “happily ever after."

My Rating: 4.5 stars

My Review: Most of us have heard the story of Cinderella many times over - as children, as adults reading to children and Disney's take on the popular tale. But author Danielle Teller is asking readers to put aside their preconceived ideas of Cinderella, her stepsisters and, most especially, her 'evil' stepmother.

You may think "I already know the story of Cinderella - bullied, Fairy Godmother, glass slipper, happily-ever-after". But in this book, we witness the story of Cinderella through the eyes of Agnes, the woman who would become Cinderella's stepmother. Despite being such a well-known tale, I found this quite an engaging read. The popular aspects of the fairy tale are woven into this reimagined story that includes insight into Agnes' early life, the life of her two daughters and how their relationship with Elfilda (aka Ella) developed over time. I especially enjoyed seeing the complexities and dynamic relationships within this family. Life isn't all glass slippers and Fairy Godmothers, am-I-right? 

This is a creative retelling of a well-known, much loved fairy tale that gives readers a different perspective which may leave some readers feeling differently about the much maligned evil stepmother. With its stunning cover art, this is an eye-catching book but it's also an engaging coming-of-age story that features complex family dynamics, set within a well-known fable.