All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother by Danielle Teller

I mean, c’mon how can the title not make you want to read the book? I was intrigued by the concept and was not disappointed.

Obviously, we all know the Cinderella story, but what do we know about the wicked step-mother? Nothing really.

I am fascinated by stories that take a premise that exists and then fills in the details. It started back in the day when I read Hamlet (you know, by Shakespeare) then saw the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (by Tom Stoppard). The play basically takes two minor (but important) characters from Shakespeare and gives them an entire back story. It was fascinating.

In this book, the author needs to end up and explain the glass slipper, the ball, the midnight thing and so on. I think she does a really good job of doing that. I won’t spoil it for you. I will say, in the end I was feeling bad for the step-mother and the “ugly” step-sisters.

The thing is, Agnes (the step-mother) is a self-made woman in a time where that was not an option. The story really does show how someone’s past can mold them. And that one circumstance that goes the wrong way can have life-long effects. Agnes is portrayed as being a product of her circumstances, and that makes sense to me. She is a mama bear who basically wants the best for her children.

I really enjoyed this book. If you like fairy tales this is a good one for you. (I won’t spoil it for you and let you know if there is a happy ending or not!)

I gave it a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

Full disclosure: I received this eARC from Edelweiss for a fair and honest review. (Thanks Edelweiss!)