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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Ruby May is a prestigiously trained children’s nurse in need of a fresh start which she hopes she’ll find in the home of Mr and Mrs England and their four children. Dedicated to her role, Ruby quickly takes control of the care of the children but can’t help feeling that something isn’t quite right in the home and she’s certain that it all stems from Mrs England. Feeling like she’s on her own in an unusual family set up and ignored by the other servants, Ruby is forced to revisit her own childhood and relationship with her parents. As tensions rise and events escalate, the past and the present collide with with tragic consequences.
I love a Stacey Halls novel (if you haven’t read The Familiars and The Foundling then I’d definitely recommend giving them a go) so I was really excited to get my hands on her latest novel. I found this a really enjoyable, fast paced read and I’m glad I read it although I have to say I did like her earlier books a little more.
Mrs England has a gothic mystery vibe and the writing really helps you picture the house, which is a central part of the story. There’s not a huge amount that actually happens in the book, its more about the build up to the end and I have to say I loved the very end of the book, just when you think everything is wrapped up, one sentence makes you question everything you think you know!
I love a Stacey Halls novel (if you haven’t read The Familiars and The Foundling then I’d definitely recommend giving them a go) so I was really excited to get my hands on her latest novel. I found this a really enjoyable, fast paced read and I’m glad I read it although I have to say I did like her earlier books a little more.
Mrs England has a gothic mystery vibe and the writing really helps you picture the house, which is a central part of the story. There’s not a huge amount that actually happens in the book, its more about the build up to the end and I have to say I loved the very end of the book, just when you think everything is wrapped up, one sentence makes you question everything you think you know!
An interesting read! This was my first book by the author and I’ll check out her other titles. I appreciated the atmospheric setting and writing in this book as well as how the plot developed throughout the story.
Stacey Halls presents us with yet another historical fiction novel. Despite the title, the main heroine of this story is Nurse May (Ruby), who, in a moment of desperation, accepts a position looking after four children in the countryside. While Ruby adjusts to the very different lifestyle at Hardcastle House, she starts noticing the strange behaviour of Mr and Mrs England, her employers. Little by little, the author unravels not only the family secrets of the Englands but also Ruby herself. The author cleverly keeps us guessing who is the 'good' guy and the 'bad' guy. The final twist at the end didn't wholly work for me; it was a bit too subtle (some might miss it altogether). Nevertheless, it was an interesting read that will appeal to genre lovers.
The third book I've read by Stacey Halls. None have yet measured up to The Familiars but this was still enjoyable. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the bulk of the story happens in the final quarter. It's a lot of build up but that did make it a very mysterious and quick read.
I really enjoyed listening to Mrs England. Hardcastle House is very reminiscent of Thornfield Hall, you get the same eery feeling that something isn’t quite right. While it doesn’t have the intensity of a classic Bronte gothic fiction, the plot simmers away leaving you with a sense of unease as the story gently unravels to reveal the mysteries behind the main characters. It was very atmospheric which I loved.
It’s my first foray into Stacey Halls writing and it appears that the majority of readers prefer her earlier works so I’ve got more to look forward to it seems.
It’s my first foray into Stacey Halls writing and it appears that the majority of readers prefer her earlier works so I’ve got more to look forward to it seems.
The writing was very good. I think she could have enhanced or drawn out the mystery a bit. I really liked the ending!
I have read the other two famous books by this author, The Familiars, and The Foundling, and I think this is probably my least favourite of the three. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it but it didn't grab me as much as the others. I thought the subject matter was interesting, in that we think of domestic violence and coercive control as being modern issues but they're not and it was refreshing to see that portrayed with modern eyes as it were.
I wasn't really a big fan of any of the characters to be honest. I felt like the slow drip feeding of the background story, meant you couldn't really connect with her. She came across as nice but standoffish and I can see why some of the other servants would have got that idea about her.
I liked the setting. I grew up in Yorkshire and it's nice to read a historical novel set there. Mills do loom large and are a big part of the community so that was interesting to read, even if most of the characters came from money and were not the people working in those mills.
I found the book interesting but it didn't rock my world.
I wasn't really a big fan of any of the characters to be honest. I felt like the slow drip feeding of the background story, meant you couldn't really connect with her. She came across as nice but standoffish and I can see why some of the other servants would have got that idea about her.
I liked the setting. I grew up in Yorkshire and it's nice to read a historical novel set there. Mills do loom large and are a big part of the community so that was interesting to read, even if most of the characters came from money and were not the people working in those mills.
I found the book interesting but it didn't rock my world.
Enjoyable, well written and well researched yarn with a good sense of mystery & tension. It dragged a little with a lot of threads that came to nothing but it was also engaging and emotionally astute. To compare the author with Hilary Mantel is unfair for Halls does her genre really well but looks a tad shabby next to Mantel's genius (as does much historical fiction). The novel is heavy handed & cumbersome at times, and I found the evasiveness coy & frustrating - we know Nurse May has a secret and it's not being revealed to us before our very eyes. The final reveal - basically a tale of gaslighting & domestic abuse - is not far from the extreme neglect of Mrs England's own family, which seems to be completely surmountable in the end. If Mr England is without fortune, what does she inherit on his death or does her family pay her off? And what of Mr England, the uppity solicitor's son used by a wealthy family to marry off their daughter - hardly well treated in turn. And is that a final twist in the last line? Are we to read everything about Mr E aligned to Mrs E's version of events? So of loving detail about towels and pots and prams but what really happened is more hinted and assumed.
I’m not a huge fan of sequels (and this one doesn’t really need one), but I would happily read a sequel because I liked the characters and the setting so much.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes