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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
just wow.. had no idea how so many questions and events could possibly be resolved but Stacey Halls did it so well! The pacing of the book was done well and once I hit the 3/4 mark I just could not put it down as I needed to know what happened next!
It’s an okay read for a autumn day with no other thing to do. I’ve read both “the foundling” and this book by the author and both were extremely easy to foresee. Good research on the era, nice story, but nothing I’d ever read again or recommend.
Probably should come with a trigger warning of domestic violence and violence against children.
Really enjoyed this book! Another one I picked up at my local library. Set at the start of the last century. The main character is a nursery nurse sent to look after the children of the mysterious England family. There are lots of gothic elements - secrets, a wild landscape, an old country house. I liked the main character and found it so easy to read. Great holiday book.
#mrsengland #staceyhalls #paperback #librarybook #bookstagram #lovereading #fiction #novel #countryside #houses #gothic #mystery #recommendedreads
#mrsengland #staceyhalls #paperback #librarybook #bookstagram #lovereading #fiction #novel #countryside #houses #gothic #mystery #recommendedreads
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This reminded me a bit of Jane Eyre. In a good way though, like an homage to the classic. A naive governess arrives at a mysterious country estate where things aren't quite what they seem. A charismatic master, secret whispers from the staff, a delicate mistress, family scandal and all the requisite Edwardian Gothic elements from a spooky house to windswept moors leads makes for an enjoyable and atmospheric read. I wasn't the biggest fan of Ruby to be honest, but I think that was the point. Everyone was prickly and intense, stifled by the house around them and by the expectations of the day. Mrs England was the standout for me, her character well drawn. The story was full of slow burn menace, and many a time it didn't quite go where I expected it too, which was pleasing. I've got to say, I also wasn't the biggest fans if the children, and felt their inclusion at times was almost as if shoehorned in! On some occasions the sudden mention of the children (especially the baby) pulled me out of the story as I found myself rolling my eyes or thinking, ugh, just send them to boarding school already! Probably not what they were going for, but there you go. I've read better spooky, precocious kids, and these ones weren't charming enough for me. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and would look for more by the author.
A well written book and got a real sense of place, but the plot wasn't as great as I expected it to be. It was interesting but just... fell a bit flat? The tension built and built and then the end was a bit nothing in my opinion. Don't regret reading it though - a nice quick read
3.5 stars
It's not this book's fault, but I read a novel with an extremely similar premise and a lot of the same tropes a month and a half ago, and that really dampened my enjoyment of both. This book is the "original" and much more popular of these two (the other being "The Secrets of Hartwood Hall"), but it just made me tired. In this novel, a young female nursemaid (in the other, a governess) in the Edwardian era (in the other, Victorian) accepts a placement at a large family manor that seems to be full of secrets, and surprise surprise, our protagonist also has a secret past. The secrets mainly revolve around a marriage, and what is revealed has to do with something that would have been discussed very little in the actual era the novel is set in. The secrets of the protagonist, at least, aren't the same, but it really annoys me when a first-person voice is keeping information from the reader for no good reason; it just feels so artificial and lazy and so clearly meant to create suspense and propel the plot, but it doesn't make sense to me as a narrative device. I guess it's my fault for choosing novels so similar to one another, but I do also think the historical fiction genre could stand to diversify their tropes a little bit. Anyway, this was fairly interesting but too long, I didn't care very much about the characters, and it was frustrating waiting for the protagonist to catch up to what we already know as the reader.
It's not this book's fault, but I read a novel with an extremely similar premise and a lot of the same tropes a month and a half ago, and that really dampened my enjoyment of both. This book is the "original" and much more popular of these two (the other being "The Secrets of Hartwood Hall"), but it just made me tired. In this novel, a young female nursemaid (in the other, a governess) in the Edwardian era (in the other, Victorian) accepts a placement at a large family manor that seems to be full of secrets, and surprise surprise, our protagonist also has a secret past. The secrets mainly revolve around a marriage, and what is revealed has to do with something that would have been discussed very little in the actual era the novel is set in. The secrets of the protagonist, at least, aren't the same, but it really annoys me when a first-person voice is keeping information from the reader for no good reason; it just feels so artificial and lazy and so clearly meant to create suspense and propel the plot, but it doesn't make sense to me as a narrative device. I guess it's my fault for choosing novels so similar to one another, but I do also think the historical fiction genre could stand to diversify their tropes a little bit. Anyway, this was fairly interesting but too long, I didn't care very much about the characters, and it was frustrating waiting for the protagonist to catch up to what we already know as the reader.
3.5 stars
It's not this book's fault, but I read a novel with an extremely similar premise and a lot of the same tropes a month and a half ago, and that really dampened my enjoyment of both. This book is the "original" and much more popular of these two (the other being "The Secrets of Hartwood Hall"), but it just made me tired. In this novel, a young female nursemaid (in the other, a governess) in the Edwardian era (in the other, Victorian) accepts a placement at a large family manor that seems to be full of secrets, and surprise surprise, our protagonist also has a secret past. The secrets mainly revolve around a marriage, and what is revealed has to do with something that would have been discussed very little in the actual era the novel is set in. The secrets of the protagonist, at least, aren't the same, but it really annoys me when a first-person voice is keeping information from the reader for no good reason; it just feels so artificial and lazy and so clearly meant to create suspense and propel the plot, but it doesn't make sense to me as a narrative device. I guess it's my fault for choosing novels so similar to one another, but I do also think the historical fiction genre could stand to diversify their tropes a little bit. Anyway, this was fairly interesting but too long, I didn't care very much about the characters, and it was frustrating waiting for the protagonist to catch up to what we already know as the reader.
It's not this book's fault, but I read a novel with an extremely similar premise and a lot of the same tropes a month and a half ago, and that really dampened my enjoyment of both. This book is the "original" and much more popular of these two (the other being "The Secrets of Hartwood Hall"), but it just made me tired. In this novel, a young female nursemaid (in the other, a governess) in the Edwardian era (in the other, Victorian) accepts a placement at a large family manor that seems to be full of secrets, and surprise surprise, our protagonist also has a secret past. The secrets mainly revolve around a marriage, and what is revealed has to do with something that would have been discussed very little in the actual era the novel is set in. The secrets of the protagonist, at least, aren't the same, but it really annoys me when a first-person voice is keeping information from the reader for no good reason; it just feels so artificial and lazy and so clearly meant to create suspense and propel the plot, but it doesn't make sense to me as a narrative device. I guess it's my fault for choosing novels so similar to one another, but I do also think the historical fiction genre could stand to diversify their tropes a little bit. Anyway, this was fairly interesting but too long, I didn't care very much about the characters, and it was frustrating waiting for the protagonist to catch up to what we already know as the reader.
Just finished this gorgeous book. Her books are always gorgeous; the designers are amazing. And the story inside! I loved this book. Characters I want to spend time with, incredible setting, & a story that satisfies! Highly recommended!