Review: All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother

All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother by Danielle Teller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be perfectly honest, it's been a long month of book commitments and this fairy tale retelling business is hard to keep fresh. Perhaps I am swayed by weariness but this book seems like it was turned into a fairy tale retelling when it could have been a perfectly good historical fiction novel emphasizing the difficult situation of second wives, stepchildren, what women have to put up with, and people who marry up but continue to be treated as if they were beneath respect. In this book, we are treated to the backstory of Cinderella's "cruel" stepmother, who just like Elphaba in Wicked, has been misunderstood and libeled. She is tired of everyone talking about her stepdaughter, and given that young woman's behavior, I don't blame her. The parts of this book that I enjoyed had nothing to do with fantasy or Cinderella. Frankly, Ella was an annoyance, which I guess is half the point.

In any case, if you're looking for something that is less fantasy and more historical fiction, this is might be it!

I received a Digital Review Copy and a paper review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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