Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not as good as her other books, but I love Stacey Halls’ way of writing. I read her stories so quickly.
All of Halls’ books have given me a love for historical fiction. I love that her stories take elements from real life - places and institutions that are still standing today.
Unfortunately, I felt as though there wasn’t much in terms of the actual story. Nurse May’s backstory was fascinating and tragic, but the mystery surrounding Mrs England fell flat for me.
The climax of the story seemed to happen far too quickly, with one character becoming the villain in an instant. It felt slightly out of character given what we had read so far.
That said, I still love Halls’ writing and will read anything she publishes in the future.
All of Halls’ books have given me a love for historical fiction. I love that her stories take elements from real life - places and institutions that are still standing today.
Unfortunately, I felt as though there wasn’t much in terms of the actual story. Nurse May’s backstory was fascinating and tragic, but the mystery surrounding Mrs England fell flat for me.
The climax of the story seemed to happen far too quickly, with one character becoming the villain in an instant. It felt slightly out of character given what we had read so far.
That said, I still love Halls’ writing and will read anything she publishes in the future.
https://booknation.ro/recenzie-doamna-england-de-stacey-halls/
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
I really enjoyed this. Not much actually happens, but the characters are so alive and the undercurrent of menace keeps everything tense. And this is a little thing, but the kids actually seemed like kids. I've found in a lot of books with kid side characters, they don't actually behave as a child that age does. Even the description of how the baby slept was real. The audiobook narrator was good as well. The ending was a little short and surprising, and I would have liked more detail about certain elements, but honestly probably wouldn't have improved the book.
I absolutely LOVED The Foundling and The Familiars but this book did not stack up to those for me. It is an interesting read, but just felt like the ending was a little lackluster to me. Wrapped up so quickly, as if Halls was in a rush to finish the book… nonetheless, if you liked her other books you might like this one but not my favorite of hers!
Mrs. England is a well-paced and slow-burning thriller set in an earlier time, where men had much of the power and women did what they could to make the best of their situations. It’s a great read that held my attention until the very last.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mrs-england-thriller-suspense-clean-fiction-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mrs-england-thriller-suspense-clean-fiction-book-review/
It's 1904 and Ruby May has just qualified as a Norland nurse. The idea of formal training for nannies was a very new thing at that time. The training was intensive, even including a month working in a children's hospital. To this day, Norland nannies work for many Royal and wealthy families.
Ruby goes to Yorkshire to work for the Englands, a family with four children. As soon as she arrives it becomes clear that it's an unusual family. The mother spends most of her day shut away in her bedroom and the father wants Ruby to keep the children away from her. Ruby is lonely, the other servants are unfriendly and she worries about the situation. She also has secrets of her own, to do with her upbringing and family.
Mrs England has a terrific atmosphere, intriguing story, interesting characters and parts are inspired by some real life events. However the "grand reveals" are slightly underwhelming. It builds up the tension so effectively that you expect a bit more than you get. It was good, and I liked it, but I don't think I'll remember much about it in a few months' time.
Ruby goes to Yorkshire to work for the Englands, a family with four children. As soon as she arrives it becomes clear that it's an unusual family. The mother spends most of her day shut away in her bedroom and the father wants Ruby to keep the children away from her. Ruby is lonely, the other servants are unfriendly and she worries about the situation. She also has secrets of her own, to do with her upbringing and family.
Mrs England has a terrific atmosphere, intriguing story, interesting characters and parts are inspired by some real life events. However the "grand reveals" are slightly underwhelming. It builds up the tension so effectively that you expect a bit more than you get. It was good, and I liked it, but I don't think I'll remember much about it in a few months' time.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting