This book is wonderful, I loved the mice with their intricate histories and adventures. I also loved how unpredictable the plot was (no easy feat when you're retelling fairytales!)

It's a very clever story with some brilliant characterisation, fantastic side-plots and epic histories. I will be recommending The Charmed Wife for sure!

I’m afraid this book just didn’t do it for me. It’s a great premise and I absolutely love re-telling of fairytales, especially those with a good twist. But this fell short of expectation by quite a way. The tale was long-winded with very little action, the weaving of other known fairytales was light, and the overall storyline was superficial. I think I particularly disliked the way that age and weight were judged, and that the character was portrayed as a perpetual victim, prone to fairytale delusions. Felt like a step back for female characters relying on outdated stereotypes.

I was grateful for the opportunity to read the ARC as always and apologise for the delay in sharing feedback. I had to take some time out due to ill-health.

I was so excited to read this as I love retellings and this one sounded so intriguing unfortunately I didn't enjoy this at all. It was boring and confusing and we are told things as opposed to seeing it happen in the story. There was lots of he did, she did etc and I just didn't enjoy this at all.

I am very overdue in reviewing this. After vowing I would request no more books on Netgalley towards the end of 2020, I got an email about The Charmed Wife and, a fan of dark fairy tale reimaginings, I was very easily convinced to break my promise. Ostensibly, it’s the aftermath of Cinderella, what happened after the Happily Ever After. It’s a subject that has been explored more than once, but the time period in this one interested me. They’ve been married more than a decade, they have children. This is an older, more jaded heroine we’re seeing. One who is taking the nuclear option through fairy tale means.

Cinderella is a fairy tale that I find weirdly fascinating, particularly in terms of the way adaptations have changed it to try and make the central character seem relatable to a modern audience, as opposed to her feeling like a passive, pliant drip of a protagonist. It’s a very hard line to walk! My undergraduate dissertation explored how this was one in Witches Abroad and Ella Enchanted, while my highest-marked assignment for my MA was a curation of adaptations of the story across every UK key stage, looking specifically at feminist adaptations. I feel like I ‘collect’ (through watching and reading) adaptations of Cinderella in the same way I collect adaptations of Pride and Prejudice.

Grushin is clearly aware of the tropes of fairy tales, and has presented the reader with a three act story. The first act is our heroine visiting the witch, and her fairy godmother arrives to try and intervene. Through the magic of the potion, we are granted an overview of the marriage to this point, how she has been driven to this. The witch is a pragmatist, a woman who is cynical and ready to accept that all men are awful, all women need to just get rid of them to be happy. The fairy godmother thinks you just need to hang around and try harder, particularly if you were in love once, but even her chants falter as she watches 13 years of increasing disinterest, infidelity, and isolation. It’s a lovely nod to Shakespeare (and, by extension, Terry Pratchett and Witches Abroad, hello BA dissertation), with three women – a fairy tale ‘maiden’, a fairy god ‘mother’, and a hag – crowded around a cauldron. Threes are a fairy tale staple, three wishes, three fairies, three tasks, and now these three women, as part of the wider three act structure. This is a novel with layers, and with an understanding of folk and fairy tales that really shines through.

The second act is quest. There’s the quest she takes when she believes her husband the Prince has been cursed, travelling across the land to find a cure. Then the quest of weaving a shirt from nettles in silence as a way to break the spell. She suffers, she works, she toils to try and save a man she believes is still in there. This section is another delight, with nods to The Snow Queen, Robin Hood, The Princess and the Frog and The Seven Ravens. And then the final act, Cinderella tries to find her freedom. She pushes through a wood in an homage to Hansel and Gretel, finds a house straight out of There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe, crosses paths with the Twelve Dancing Princesses and Sleeping Beauty.

This novel has layers and it alternates peeling them back with poking holes directly through to give us clues to what the reality might be. From magical potions to aid depression and keep the heroine placid that come in little orange bottles, to the concern of her stepsisters. Numbers of children which change constantly, characters who become less like caricatures as the story progresses. The story starts deep, deep in the fairy tale, straight out of a traditional Cinderella, but then as the heroine begins to accept her journey, passes gradually forward in time. The twelve dancing princesses are hedonistic flappers in a perpetual jazz age, while later appearances are 1950s suburbia.

There’s also a whole subplot with generations of mice, building society and religions around their progenitors, the two little mice that befriended Cinderella at the beginning of the story. It’s baffling, satirical and really rather complex, a surprising sidebar to the fairly dark main storyline. I’m not entirely sure how I felt about it, but it was a rather impressive epic satire of human social history.

It reminded me a lot of Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, and the magic realism you can find in Jeanette Winterson, although it didn’t go as graphic or as dark as either of them. It’s sexual, sad, dealing with mental health, the role of a woman within a marriage and as a mother, but specifically when she feels unmoored in both those roles. What does society expect of her? What does she expect of herself? How deep is her denial and delusion about her relationship, can she even admit the reasons she is there in the first place?

If you are interested in feminist fiction, dark fairy tale adaptations that are complex and thoughtful, this is worth a look. It plays with structure, timelines, and folklore in a way that shows a deep understanding of the genre in both the way it builds stories, but also the way it treats women within them. It’s not an easy book, or a quick read, but there is so much to unravel here. It ticked a lot of my fairy tale boxes, even if it wasn’t my usual sort of happy read, and was clever, deft and masterfully built.

Briefly:

A complex, multi-act story that begins as an adaptation of Cinderella, but plays with other European fairy tales and explores the structure of stories, the architypal characters, and how they are treated in the narrative. This is woven around a story of a woman that is trying to find her truth and happiness.
There’s a certain level of heavy allegory which becomes more obvious as the book continues, but what I find interesting is that as the characters progress the ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ become muddier. This marries with them becoming less physically extreme as well, becoming more human and nuanced.
I can’t remember exactly when we discover the main character’s name, but I think it’s far later in the book than you would expect. In much the same way fairy tale characters often are given roles rather than names so they can be universal, there’s something to be said about the way Grushin plays into these tropes and then carefully flips and subverts them.

An adult retelling of cinderella with interwoven women’s lived experiences. I would highly recommend this book it just fell a bit flat for me personally but I still really enjoyed my experience reading it and would definitely read more from this author in the future!

Fun read, wouldn't necessarily read again but was entertaining for a weekend with not much to do. I do think that the devolopment of the characters could have been slightly improved, that was it would be a lot easier to be drawin into the book.

What happens after happily ever after? Is it still bluebirds and butterflies or something decidedly darker? In this reimagining of traditional fairytales modern life clashes with fantasy. Cinderella is thirteen years and two children into her happily ever after when she approaches a witch for help, a witch who produces love charms for lovelorn girls and disenchanted wives. But Cinderella doesn't want her prince to love her again. She wants him dead.

This won't be for everyone (what is?), but if you like to be surprised by something a bit different to your run of the mill grown up fairy tales this may well be for you. I found it to be an intriguing story, that surprised me several times by the directions it took. I'll never look at that prince in the same way again though!

Although this was not what i was expecting it is a fab story. Cinderella with a twist but not the Disney version we all know and love, this does not paint quite a pretty picture as the Disney version but probably a more realistic versioin. Entertaining in parts and would recommend.

What happens after happy ever after? This! I loved this, it sucked me in straight away, a super unique concept and great read.

It well written and the concept is interesting. Unfortunately the dual timeline confused me and the story didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

13 and a half years after Cinderella’s happily ever after, we find her standing at a crossroads, making a deal with a witch to kill Prince Charming. Throughout this book we explore the years leading up to that pivotal moment and the aftermath, complete with asides about the lives and drama of her pet mice and their descendants.

This book held so much promise and the first third upheld it. The crossroad scenes established strong characters and blended dark and stormy nights with a touch of humour, and I was so intrigued as to how the story would play out. I kept wanting to come back to it. Then it started to go downhill.

Cinderella proved to be a character with little substance, despite the promise at the start. She was incredibly passive with little personality and while it was intentional within the context of the plot, it was incredibly frustrating to read and I stopped caring about her very quickly. Her story with Prince Charming was also predictable and his character was very one dimensional as well. These were both such a shame as the author proved she could write engaging and multi-faceted characters through the various side characters and, by the end, I was far more interested in them than the main story.

The story itself does a beautiful job of exploring fairytales, playing with the magic and structure as well as taking a look at them through a feminist lens, and I did really enjoy this aspect of the novel. However, avoiding spoilers as best I can, there was a twist towards the end that completely detached me from the story and I could not get back into it again.

The Charmed Wife has some really strong elements, but ultimately these were too few in comparison to the rest of the book. It says a lot that I was far more invested in the mice side-plot than the main story. I don’t particularly enjoy reading books about miserable people, and the book was not quite what I was expecting from the summary, even if I did thoroughly enjoy the first part of it. While others may appreciate the nuances of this book a lot more, The Charmed Wife was not for me.

Always been a fan of historical fiction. Loved reading this book. A true journey into World War II fiction indeed. If you are up for a heartbreak, go for it.

This book went in some really interesting directions that I wasn't expecting, but that I really enjoyed. It tells the story of what happens when the fairy tale princess has been married to the prince for 13 years, is losing her looks, has two children and just wants to murder her husband. The premise intrigued me and the first half of the book does follow Cinderella as she realises that her happy ever after may not be as nailed on as she thought. I loved the brief interludes that followed the various descendants of magical mice, Brie and Nibbles and thought that the narrative was well paced and compelling. However, it was in the second half that this book really came alive for me and became something other than a re-telling. Overall, this is a book that I will be thinking about for a long time and I think will only get better and better in my memory.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Unable to review as document was not download in time and sent to my kindle.. Really sad as wanted to read, however have added to my wish list!

Thanks for the opportunity and approving me in the first place.

Huge fan of this author and this is another absolutely superb read. I have nothing negative I can say about this book. It has been a great read filled with interesting characters and a unique plot.

This took me back to my childhood reading days, truly delightful! Just beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I loved the idea of this, but it just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t engage and I found my mind wandering whenever I picked it up. It wasn’t for me

I loved this re telling of the Cinderella classic, it was a nice and refreshing read. Simply perfect

A fascinating Cinderella retelling, full of postmodern asides and time hops and stories within stories.

It delves into on what happens after happily ever after, and becomes at times as steam of consciousness on divorce, middle age, and finding meaning outside of marriage and children.

One of the things I most enjoyed but was slightly confused by at times was the pieces of narrative from the perspective of mice. The narrator moves from the bog standard fairytale setting to contemporary NYC, and the fairytales become layered and inter-connected.

A beautiful homage the late, great Angela Carter.

Cinderella married her perfect prince and lived happily ever after… Didn’t she? Thirteen years and two children later, she’s seeking help from the witch who offers potions to disgruntled housewives. But, instead of asking for a love spell to win back her prince, she wants him dead.

The “what happens after happily-ever-after” story has been done many times before, but not quite like this. Classic fairytale elements are integrated with modern references, creating a not-so-far-away magical world where fantasy and reality cross over heavily. It is a fairytale retelling, but it isn’t really a fantasy novel and it certainly isn’t about magic and romance and happy endings.

The Charmed Wife is a compelling novel, but I didn’t think it was perfectly executed. The second half of the story, which focusses on after Cinderella (who was very unlikeable) has left her husband and we find out where everything went wrong, was more interesting and I particularly appreciated that the prince’s viewpoint was acknowledged. I liked the portrayal of many well-known fairytale characters in this book, especially the witch and the stepsisters, but unfortunately, I found the entire first half to be quite dull. The part that captured my attention the most was the intermittent saga of Brie and Nibbles, the princess’ mice.

Grushin does a good job of exploring outdated notions of romance and fairytale, but I found the delivery quite jumbled and tedious.