"Compelling fiction often obscures the humble truth...
"We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we?
"As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, a woman who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. But what unfolds is not the princess's history. The tale Agnes recounts is her own.
"A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated from her family and forced into servitude as a laundress's apprentice at Aviceford Manor when she is just ten years old. Alone, friendless, and burdened with a grueling workload, Agnes carves a place for herself in this cold place that is home to Sir Emont Vis-de-Loup, a melancholic and capricious drunkard.
"Using her wits and ingenuity, Agnes eventually escapes and makes her way toward a more hopeful future, serving as a housemaid for the powerful Abbess Elfilda. But life once again hold unexpected, sometimes heartbreaking twists that lead Agnes back to Aviceford Manor, where she becomes nursemaid to Ella, Emont's sensitive, otherworldly daughter. Though she cares for Ella, Agnes struggles to love this child, who in time becomes her stepdaughter and, ultimately, the celebrated princess who embodies all out unattainable fantasies.
"Familiar yet fresh, tender as well as bittersweet, the story of Agnes and Ella's relationship reveals that beauty is not always desirable, that love may take on many guises, and that freedom is not always something we can choose.
"Danielle Teller's All the Ever Afters challenges our assumptions and forces us to reevaluate what we think we know. Exploring the hidden complexities that lie beneath classic tales of good and evil, this lyrically told, emotionally evocative, and brilliantly perceptive novel shows us that how we confront adversity reveals a more profound--and ultimately more precious--truth about our lives than the ideal of 'happily ever after.'"
I picked this book off of the "new releases" shelf at my local library on a whim, though the back of my memory insists that I saw it somewhere in my Pinterest searches and it piqued my interest. I am a fan of interesting retellings of classic tales, so this one seemed like a good choice. I love inventive takes and unique perspectives. However, it is very easy for a book like this to go awry. We can run into a main character--a villain--who does nothing but justify all of his or her evil actions (which is boring), or there is little-to-no imaginative take on the traditional fairy tale. This was not the case with Teller's story and I must admit I was impressed.
Readers are immediately thrust into an extremely realistic world of an England ruled by king and, perhaps even more so, church; most people have nothing and live out their short and often tragic lives in serfdom. They toil as servants or tenants on manors and owe their labors and products to their lord and masters who, in turn, owes his loyalty to the Abbess Elfilda. Agnes happens to be one of the unfortunates born to a family that cannot support her. At only ten years of age, she's forced to leave her family's hovel and trek to the manor house in search of a job so she will no longer be the burden or responsibility of her family. She's given a position beneath the head laundress. What initially seems like good fortune -- with the promise of food and shelter -- quickly becomes a nightmare as she learns to work and live beneath the cruel thumb of the nasty, gluttonous, slothful laundress. Agnes quickly learns the politics of the manor house, though she remains somewhat of an outsider. She works her hands to the bone and survives by the strength of her back and power of her wit. While employed there for several years, she encounters the lord of the manor, Emont. His penchant for drinking and disinterest in running the manor earn the derision of other servants. Agnes, however, feels some form of pity for him. When he is ill, it is she who is brought in to care for him. It is clear that Emont trusts her and this affords her some moments where she has a small measure of peace.
This, however, does not stop Agnes from leaping at an opportunity to leave the manor for the Abbey to work for Abbess Elfilda's aging mother. Through clever machinations, Agnes is allowed to leave and take up the temporary position. Though it isn't quite what she imagined, she quickly finds her place and discovers that life at the Abbey suits her greatly. Her joy is short-lived and her decisions land her in a great deal of trouble with the Abbess. Agnes is forced to leave and, once again, she must find a way to support herself. Though ingenuity, intelligence, and sheer determination of will, she manages to carve out a new place for herself and attain a measure of comfort. Happiness, however, is impermanent. Tragedy strikes yet again; Agnes's life seems to come full circle when circumstances land her once more at Aviceford Manor. This time, however, she is nursemaid to Emont's infant daughter, Elfilda -- named after her godmother and aunt, the Abbess. Ella is an odd girl, finicky and withdrawn, unlike any other child Agnes had ever met. Agnes takes her duties seriously, making sure the child is educated and knows her parents, despite Ella's mother's disturbing habits, hallucinations, and tendency toward manic-depression. We witness Ella's upbringing at Agnes' hands and it is there that the truth of the "abuses" Ella suffered comes to light. This book is the epitome of perspective. To a dramatic, stubborn, spoiled, possibly-disturbed child, any enforcement of rules or authority is perceived as an attack. Even a small slight quickly becomes enormous in Ella's mind. These instances build upon one another to create the villain we were taught to believe Agnes was.
The interesting set up of past and present mingling to create a whole story kept the plot interesting. We learned about Agnes's past and Teller intertwined it with the present in such a beautiful way that witnessing the nuances and correlations kept everything captivating. Ella's new life at court changes everyone's lot, including that of her stepmother and stepsisters. Unfortunately, their hardships are not over. The rumors of Ella's suffering begin as whispers and grow in voracity and ferocity until Agnes and her daughters become pariahs and targets of not only gossip, but threats. Agnes fears that she will lose everything once more for doing nothing more than trying to be a source of constancy in Ella's otherwise mercurial life. How are she and her daughters to survive the vipers of court as the looming threat becomes ever greater? What will they do if Ella -- naturally oblivious to many social nuances -- is not present to protect or defend them?
Agnes uses her history as a form of catharsis during this time. She doesn't justify all of her actions, but rather uses them as a lens through which we can perceive and understand her more completely. She admits that she was not always the most loving or affectionate of stepmothers, but I genuinely believe that she tried and did the best with what she could manage. Her life was one of tragedy and hardships -- something none of her peers at court could possibly comprehend. In her descriptions of Ella and her daughters, she challenges the traditional conventions and notions of beauty; she demonstrates an appreciation of hard work and having a backup plan. We realize that there is no such thing as a true villain in any fairy tale. Something motivated their actions. Additionally, the hero's perspective isn't necessarily unbiased...
I loved the realism of this story. If you want Disney's talking animals and glittering magic, then this story is not what you're looking for. If you want Cinderella set in a realistic time period with believable plot, setting, characters, and (realistic) tragic circumstances, then this book is perfect. There were more than enough clues and hints at the traditional fairy tale for me to make the necessary connections between the fairy tale and this retelling, but it wasn't overly fanciful. I actually found it much more insightful than I anticipated. It was an examination of how we perceive people and their stories, why we believe one person over another (sometimes based solely on appearance and social standing), and how we can really only know someone when we understand their past. The world is not plainly black and white, so why should fairy tales be so?
I found Agnes to be an excellent narrator. I loved watching her grow and evolve over the years. I was struck by her intelligence and perseverance, and I appreciated her ingenuity. Teller has crafted a unique retelling and one I took great pleasure in reading.
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