Three Brides for the Devil

LoveReading4Kids Says

October 2026 Book of the Month

Companion to Godfather Death, Sally Nicholls’ Three Brides for the Devil is a beautifully-told, strikingly-illustrated, fabulously-resonant folktale. Its compelling opening sets a cunning, sharp-edged tone: “There are fairy tales where a man marries a proud or shrewish woman and turns her into an obedient wife.

I hear even Mr Shakespeare wrote a tale like that once. There are other tales where a woman opens a forbidden door, and terrible things happen to her. This story is a little different”. And then comes the Devil, riding into town disguised as a handsome man “with a sharp black beard and a wicked glint in his eye”, and with one aim: to find an obedient wife.  

After chancing upon three fatherless sisters, the Devil thinks he’s found exactly what he wants: “three meek, obedient girls” who are also sisters. Having long dreamed of living a life of luxury, the eldest sister, Carlotta, is quick to be convinced by the handsome Devil’s looks and wealth, and the pair are soon married at the church door, with an amusing authorial injection exemplifying the kind of wit that ripples through the book: “The Devil wasn’t keen on marrying at the altar, for reasons I don’t think I need to explain”.

On leaving her sisters, Carlotta is given free rein of the grand house owned by her new husband (“an excellent kisser”), except for one door that must never be opened. Of course, curiosity gets the better of Carlotta, who opens the door... After the Devil works through two disobedient sisters, it falls to the youngest, Margarita, to execute an exceptional coup.

While cleverly biding her time to beat the Devil at his own game, Margarita’s sharp-tongued asides are a joy (“’What a gift it is to have an obedient wife!’ said the Devil happily. ‘What a gift it is to have a stupid husband,’ muttered Margarita”), as is the story’s denouement.  

In Nicholls’ hands, this traditional tale is brilliantly witty, and perfectly paired with John Broadley’s illustrations. While the backgrounds of his woodcut-esque illustrations evoke classic editions of Slavic folktales, his characters display a degree of modernity in their expressions. Taken together, the text and illustrations make Three Brides for the Devil a glorious gift for readers who adore fairy-tale retellings with gleefully empowering feminist messages, and those who appreciate the beauty of exquisitely-produced books.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and workshop presenter whose lifelong love of books began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
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