All the Ever Afters, a Cinderella story with a twist
HAVE you ever considered the beloved fairy tale of Cinderella from the perspective of the evil stepmother? What if she wasn’t wicked at all, but a loving woman who cared deeply for all of her children? Danielle Teller’s debut novel, “All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother,” answers this with a fascinating reimagining of the original tale.
Before Agnes was an “evil” stepmother, she was a laundry girl and a housemaid. Agnes is strong, independent and a hard worker, but that doesn’t stop her from being seduced by a young man who has no intention of marrying her once she’s pregnant.
Agnes is asked to leave her job and finds sanctuary in a nearby village where she makes a home for him and their two daughters. When tragedy strikes, Agnes is forced to send the girls to school and takes a job as a nursemaid to the daughter of the manor’s lord and lady.
The child’s name is Elfida. Everyone calls her Ella. Agnes develops a bond with Ella and treats her as her own. She raises Ella to be kind, gentle and full of compassion.
Ella’s mother dies and eventually Agnes marries her father. After they marry, Agnes brings her daughters to live at the manor. Ella is threatened by the bond between Agnes and her daughters. She broods in the attic, befriends rodents and whines when Agnes suggests Ella isn’t grateful for all her father has given their family. As punishment, Agnes makes her do laundry for an entire day. Rumors swirl that Agnes forces Ella to live in the attic, do the cleaning for the entire manor and stops Ella going to the king’s ball. “All the Ever Afters” provides a unique view of Ella’s circumstances and how the young girl was far from perfect.
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