When I read it last month, Rachel Hochhauser’s lady tremaine — Reconsidering Cinderella Seeing it from a stepmother’s perspective shocked me. In the novel, Lady Tremaine rises out of poverty as a teenager. But now, middle-aged, twice widowed and in debt, she needs to find a safe marriage for her two daughters before they end up on the streets. Is it even on her to-do list? Take care of your ungrateful stepdaughter, hunt rabbits for dinner, and literally keep your leaky house from collapsing.
lady tremaine Turn everything upside down – classic Cinderella Of course, it’s not just fairy tales, but history, literature, and even to this day how we view women and mothers. (Case in point: For the Big Salad, I shared how to do it This book made me realize a lot about dating..) Reese Witherspoon just chose the novel her book cluband I can already imagine the movie on the big screen. Here, we spoke to Rachel about her dramatic backstory, favorite quote, and what it’s like to parent…
First things first: What inspired you to write about Cinderella’s stepmother??
The backstory is more dramatic than you think. In 2023, my husband could no longer get out of bed, was dizzy, vomited constantly, and had lost 35 pounds. I had no idea what was going on. Eventually, it was determined that he needed emergency brain surgery. The recovery was difficult and we ended up spending a lot of time in the hospital. One day, as I was scrolling through my phone in the waiting room, an image from a cartoon depicting Cinderella’s mean stepmother caught my eye.
Why did that image come to mind?
At the time, I was working as a caregiver. I was caring for my husband, raising a toddler on my own, and working full time. When I looked at Cinderella’s stepmother, she didn’t seem like a villain. I saw a mother doing what she had to do to take care of her family.
What an amazing realization!
That seed got under my skin. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and felt compelled to do so, calling out this story.
Did you first learn about this story when you saw a Disney movie as a child?
Yes, and I was fascinated. To this day, I’m still fascinated by this iconic animation, set design, and scale. What’s interesting is that I’m trying to remessage this story. CinderellaBut it’s also a love letter to Cinderella.
One of the joys of reading novels is discovering the classics. Cinderella For example, when she comes down wearing an old blue dress, her stepsister touches it and the dress rips.
It was really fun to play with familiar plot points while also making U-turns against expectations. And in the second half of the book, that world explodes.
Lady Tremaine, of course, has two daughters and a stepdaughter. In your novel, she eventually realizes that she has to raise each of her children differently. It was a beautiful and profound moment.
You go into parenting with a lot of expectations about what parenting will be like and what your children will be like. But children reveal who they are, and that was an important lesson for me. Parenting is a time of disappointment, both big and small, and no two children can be raised the same way.
This novel is also cinematic. You can clearly imagine the grassland, the crumbling houses, and the village market. What background research did you do?
This novel is very similar to the Western European version of the novel. CinderellaHowever, it is not actually set in any particular time or place. So it was kind of like a get-out-of-jail-free card for me. I wanted it to read like a historical novel, but I didn’t want it to be too specific about life in England in 1797. Instead, we looked at a broader range of times. I read diaries of 18th-century women, etiquette books for women, and novels written during that era. Mrs. Tremaine had a peregrine falcon, so she read old falconry manuals and took bird workshops. helen mcdonald H is for Hawk It’s a great book.
How did you decide on the cover?
99% of authors don’t get to choose the cover, but I was able to provide feedback. Also, St. Martin’s Press gave us great feedback. I originally had a different floral pattern, but can I use one from the book’s worldview? I sent the image to clara petersOne of the few female painters of the Dutch Golden Age. I didn’t know this was actually possible, but St. Martin’s used flowers from her paintings on the cover. I loved it. It’s not just about beautiful florals, it’s from a woman who was ahead of her time and was doing something different.
You currently have two daughters, ages 1 and 4. Were you thinking about them while writing?
yes. The ending feels like a letter to young girls and daughters. My favorite sentence is the last one.you It’s the scariest thing in the forest. ”
Thank you so much, Rachel! lady tremaine It’s power.
PS My favorite books have increased. Kate Bear’s poems about motherhood make me laugh and cry.
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
