OLGA. GRUSHIN

Cinderella Meets Marriage Story in This Beautifully Written, Powerful Reimagining That Picks Up Thirteen Years After She and Prince Charming Said 'I Do'

The Charmed Wife

Olga Grushin

"Genre-bending and darkly comic, Grushin's fourth novel is a weird and wonderful triumph." –O, the Oprah Magazine One of the most anticipated books of the month: O, the Oprah Magazine • CNN • PopSugar • Time Out • Lit Hub • CrimeReads • Frolic • Palm Beach Daily News • Hello! Cinderella wants her Prince Charming dead in this sophisticated fairy-tale for the twenty-first century. Cinderella married the man of her dreams--the perfect ending she deserved after diligently following all the fairy-tale rules. Yet now, thirteen and a half years later, things have gone badly wrong and her life is far from perfect. One night, fed up and exhausted, she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the Witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives. But as the old hag flings the last ingredients into the cauldron, Cinderella doesn't ask for a love spell to win back her Prince Charming. Instead, she wants him dead. Endlessly surprising, wildly inventive, and decidedly modern, The Charmed Wife weaves together time and place, fantasy and reality, to conjure a world unlike any other. Nothing in it is quite what it seems--the twists and turns of its magical, dark, and swiftly shifting paths take us deep into the heart of what makes us unique, of romance and marriage, and of the very nature of storytelling.

olivia musick

** spoiler alert **
           *received this in a goodreads giveaway*

3.25/5

ok wow. this book was kind of an acid trip?? it was for sure not the retelling i was anticipating but it was probably the most creative retelling i’ve read thus far. i enjoyed the cinderella narrative & the unhinged woman in the middle of a life crisis storyline. i only knock off a few points because, in trying to blend the fantasy, fairytale world and the real world, it became very confusing (at least for me; like when the packard car showed up and i was like what? the? hell? because everything before that was all pumpkin carriages and whatnot). also, i kind of wish the main character went through with wanting to kill her husband, but that just may be my penchant for morally iffy female characters and deep seated misandry.

One of Oprah Magazine's Most Anticipated Books of 2021! 'Genre-bending and darkly comic, Grushin's fourth novel is a weird and wonderful triumph.' And they lived happily ever after . . . didn't they? Cinderella married the man of her dreams - the perfect ending she deserved after diligently following all the fairy-tale rules. Yet now, two children and thirteen-and-a-half years later, things have gone badly wrong. One night, she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the Witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives. But as the old hag flings the last ingredients into the cauldron, Cinderella doesn't ask for a love spell to win back her Prince Charming. Instead, she wants him dead. Endlessly surprising and wildly inventive, The Charmed Wife is a sophisticated literary fairy tale for the twenty-first century that weaves together time and place, fantasy and reality, to conjure a world unlike any other. Nothing in it is quite what it seems, and the twists and turns of its magical, dark, swiftly shifting paths take us deep into the heart of romance, marriage and the very nature of storytelling. 'Dark and dreamy. Inside the plot, magic comes and goes. But inside the reader, it's all magic - all of us happily caught in Grushin's hypnotic spell.' - Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and The Jane Austen Book Club 'Fall under its charms, I dare you' - Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked

'Does for fairy tales what Bridgerton has done for Regency England' (Mail on Sunday)

Imie Kent-Muller

What happens after the ‘happy ever after’?
•
Firstly thank you Hodder & Stoughton for sending me The Charmed Wife by Olga Grushin.

I’m someone who loves reading retellings or interpretations of anything mythic/folklore or fairytale so this book immediately piqued my interest. Looking at the story post the happy ever after, we see Cinderella meeting with a witch wanting a spell that will kill her husband, the prince. Through the process, we see her unfold where it went wrong.

This story was really interesting as it felt like a thriller and fairytale mixed into one. I loved how good and evil switched and the question of whether love at first sight actually exists. It’s also fun to spot some other fairytales hidden within the story. I did struggle occasionally working out when it was set and I’m not sure fully what was going on with the mice, but I did really enjoy this one. It did something with fairytales I’ve not really seen! It plays with what’s real and what’s a dream, along with discussing women and the idea of having to find the happy ever after. If you’re looking for a fun but thoughtful take on age old stories, then this is the book for you!! 

I gave it 4 stars overall and would definitely recommend any retelling nerd (like myself) or Disney/Fairytale fan to pick this up!

Moray Lyle McIntosh

I loved this original take on Cinderella. I'm a big fan of fairy tale reimaginings but in a growing genre Grushin still manages to be utterly original and very modern. Her Cinderella is 13 and a half years into her marriage with Price Charming but life is not all she imagined. With two children anda distant husband, she takes matters into her own hands and turns to a witch to solve her problems. But her solution isn't a love potion, she wants the Prince dead. Her visit to the witch behind a quest to right her wrongs but as Cinderella journeys through a land of magic and misery she begins to realise that nothing and no-one is quite what it seems. What is her real life?

Grushin weaves a story that creates a complex tapestry of folklore, magical realism and post-modernism in which neither reader or characters can trust what they see. The timelines resolve slowly and worlds shift and morph into new forms allowing Grushin to fully utilise her impressive ability with language and style. It's clever, it's modern, is funny and the subplot revolving around Cinder's fairytale mice is brilliant.

Cinderella married the man of her dreams, yet now, two children and 13-1/2 years later, things have gone badly wrong. One night she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the Witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives.

Renee Blankenship

The Charmed Wife by Olga Grushin is a story unlike any other I have read before. Typically a fan of traditional fairy tale retellings I was so curious about this one, which promised to be much more than just another retelling of Cinderella and gosh, I was certainly not disappointed. ((This is NOT, by far, a retelling of Cinderella.))

Told through the viewpoint of our main character, we travel on an adventure that will make you question what it means to have a fairy tale happily ever after ending, what is fantasy and what is real woven together sometimes in the same sentence! (Was it a carriage she called for and then a limo she took home? I was constantly questioning my understanding of the events happening in this book!). I found myself rooting for the main character and hoping she would find a way back to herself. If you know your fairytales, this one will also delight you with little bits here and there alluding to stories you may have forgotten all about! 

And don't get me started on the mice! I love the little interludes where we were caught up on their lives and the descendants of Brie and Nibbles, the original two mice who befriended Cinderella. Truly original and so funny. 

If you don't mind a story that isn't particularly straightforward and linear, this one is for you. If you're willing to start the first page knowing nothing is as it seems, good! You'll love The Charmed Wife. I cannot say enough how much I enjoy Olga Grushin's writing and the way she creates layers within her stories to challenge what you may have thought you know about a happily ever after and what these fairy tales we grew up with were actually telling us about finding our own happiness in life.

Manon van Heumen

This wasn't my thing. Although the plot definitely had potential, it was poorly executed. I had a hard time getting acquainted with the writing style, and therefore couldn't get into it at all.

The Charmed Wife Cinderella Meets Marriage Story in This Beautifully Written, Powerful Reimagining That Picks Up Thirteen Years After She and Prince Charming Said 'I Do'

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