Rachel Hochhauser’s re-imagining of Cinderella upends our ideas of the evil step-mother trope. Ethreldeda Tremaine marries well…initially. But her beloved husband’s death and the subsequent death of her less beloved second husband leaves she and her daughters in financial straits. Ethel does what she thinks she must to keep up appearances and find a future for her daughters and stepdaughter. The book explores themes of female financial agency, what it means to be a mother, and doing what it takes to survive.
This is not a straight-up retelling and the complicated character arcs will give your book club a lot to talk about. Use these Lady Tremaine book club questions to get the conversation started. This discussion guide has 10 discussion prompts (+ one bonus question), a synopsis and selected reviews, all designed to help you get the conversation started.
And if you liked the vibe of Lady Tremaine, read further down for some suggested related reading.
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Synopsis for Lady Tremaine
(I always choose to provide the publisher synopsis because I feel that it’s worthwhile to discuss whether the official book description actually squared with your experience of the book.)
Lady Tremaine, Rachel Hochhauser
Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband’s title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters’ future through marriage.
When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.
As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.
10 Book Club Questions for Lady Tremaine
- Toward the end of the story, Ethel tells Elin, “I think you will find being a woman is nothing like being a girl. And that grace and justice are sometimes pursued by means less graceful and less just.”
Ethel’s pursuit of a future for her girls certainly includes methods are are neither graceful nor just. Discuss her determination and “at all costs” methods. - And what about Queen Sigrid? What about her “at all costs” methods?
- Ethel was the daughter of a successful tradesman. Then she married up. Then she married sideways. Then came the slow slide. Why was she so determined to keep up appearances as the landed gentry? Why was she unwilling for so long to have her girls pursue trades and marry tradesmen? And how did that choice affect her family?
- Is the Lucy character and the falconry plotline a metaphor?
- “You of all people should know there is nothing”, Mathilda gritted her teeth- each word ground out and carefully measured “protective about marriage!”
And there’s the rub. For many women in history, marriage is presented as security. And to secure it, they must market themselves as a product. Do you see elements of this in our current culture? Or have we moved past it? - Ethel loves her girls fiercely. Well, two of the three at least. She fights for them but often feels doubt about whether she’s doing the right thing…or doing it the right way. Discuss these contradictions of motherhood from your own experiences.
- In the end of the novel, “[Ethel] asks “You tell me: is this a happy ending?”
Well, is it? - What genre is this book? A folklore fable? Historical fiction? Fantasy?
- The book is pitched as a re-imagining of the Cinderella fable. Discuss the ways in which the book kept to the fable and the ways that it differed.
- How does the author re-cast the role of the Evil Stepmother?
- BONUS QUESTION: Did the story need a fairy godmother?
Selected Reviews for Lady Tremaine
“What elevates this story beyond a simple “twist on Cinderella” is its emotional core. This is not about glass slippers or magical transformations — it’s about motherhood in its rawest form. The sacrifices made in silence, the constant worry that keeps you awake at night, the small acts of love that never make it into fairy tales. Through Ethel’s narration, we feel the ache of compromise, the sting of failure, and the ferocity of a woman who refuses to stop fighting for her daughters, even when the world insists on labeling her cruel.”
“So this is a villain origin story in which the villain is not evil? Hmm, I’m not sure that works for me. But let’s backtrack a little. When it comes to fairytale reimaginings, there are two aspects that really matter. One, does the story bring something new to the table when viewed through the lens of the original fairy tale? And two, does it stand on its own as fresh and compelling? I’m sorry to say that Lady Tremaine didn’t really succeed on either front for me.”
“The book is very emotional and wonderfully written, but the pacing was a bit uneven. The middle section with the build-up to the ball dragged a bit for me. Ethel’s internal dialogue seemed to go on and on, and it slowed the momentum down. But overall, I really enjoyed this and couldn’t believe it was a debut. The author did a great job of having me cheer for a character I always thought I’d hate.”
“I adored Ethel, the stepmother. She’s the kind of strong willed, determined, resourceful woman I love as a main character. When faced with a moral dilemma, it’s a question as to how she will react and who exactly she owes her allegiance to. There are lots of interesting questions raised about family and motherhood.”
What to Read Next
Lady Tremaine is a Reese’s book club pick. If you’re a fan of her book club I’ve also got quite a few discussion guides for her picks. Here’s the full list. Each guide has a non-spoiler toward the top of the page and links to Amazon reviews and pricing.
Some in particular deal with female agency, court intrigue or motherhood. These include: The House of Eve, Honor, Our Missing Hearts, The Marriage Portrait, The Dictionary of Lost Words, and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.
And here are a few more ideas for you:
Cinderella Liberator, Rebecca Solnit
This short book is an interesting companion read to Lady Tremaine. In it, Solnit sets Cinderella and other key characters on journeys of self-discovery, helping them find agency and a happier life path. I found it a fiercely feminist and a profoundly satisfying read.
Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
If you’re keen on another retelling and want more socio-economic struggle, this would be a great read for you. In it, Kingsolver set herself the herculean task of re-imagining Dickens’ David Copperfield.
As a child, Demon has a much harder go than Elin, Mathilde and Rosie as he struggles with foster care, child labor and other derelictions of societal duties.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Vol. 1), Beth Brower
I do love me a Victorian or Regency era book wherein the plucky heroine gives a hard no to the rules of the time. Emma Lion is forced to do that when she returns to her inherited family home in London to find that her truculent “caretaker” of an older male cousin has risked her future. She’s not having it and she’s going to turn things around even if she has the bend the rules to do so.
If you find that delicious, try the following book series: Lady Sherlock, Wrexford & Sloane, and Veronica Speedwell.
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