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emjay2021's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a good romp; think Downton Abbey meets Ocean’s Eight. It’s a nice bit of entertaining fluff! I wished we had a little more character exploration, but on the upside, I appreciated the way the author painted vivid pictures of the action scenes in the book. Quite cinematic. I could see this becoming a miniseries or movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Death of parent
Minor: Trafficking and Sexual assault
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I think up to the end, this was a solid mystery/heist story but the ending was quite lackluster and quite boring
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, Misogyny, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Classism, Stalking, Death, and Trafficking
shelfofunread's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
If I had to sum up Alex Hay’s debut novel, The Housekeepers, in a single line, it would be this: Downton Abbey meets Ocean’s Eight, with a dash of Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith added for good measure. Sold already?!
If the premise of didn’t send you immediately running off to your bookshop or online bookseller of choice, however, then hopefully the rest of my review might convince you that this assured debut is well worth your time and attention.
Set in London in 1905, The Housekeepers opens with the recently bereaved Miss De Vries is planning the party of the season at her lavish Park Lane home. With her suspiciously wealthy father now dead, Miss De Vries knows that it is vital that she makes a successful (and lucrative) marriage in order to protect the family ‘interests’. Downstairs, the equally shrewd and ambitious Mrs King is being shown the door. But whilst her tenure as housekeeper at Park Lane might be over, her connection with the house – and with the De Vries family – most certainly is not. Turning to the well-connected (in certain circles, at least) Mrs Bone, and aided by former and current staff members of Park Lane, Mrs King is planning the heist of the century. On the night of Miss De Vries’s ball, she’s planning to take the house and expose the De Vries name for what it really is.
As with it’s movie counterpart, The Housekeepers does a fantastic job of combining drama and comedy. The whip-sharp dialogue between the various members of the all-female heist crew – and the shifting power dynamics at work between them all – was probably my favourite part of the book, although I also enjoyed watching all of the moving parts come together as the heist progressed. And as with Ocean’s Eleven, what good heist movie would be complete with a few on-the-night mishaps!
There are, however, some surprisingly deep themes underlying all the heist capers. Without giving away any spoilers, the connections between several of the key players in the heist – Mrs King, Mrs Bone, Winnie, and Alice in particular – and the De Vries family and fortune are considerably more complex than they might first appear. Each of the women involved in the heist has their own reasons for risking it all and getting involved in the scheme, and some of these touch upon social issues such as poverty and sexual exploitation. Whilst these more dramatic elements are, for the most part, well integrated, there were one or two moments where the shifts in tone felt somewhat jarring, as well as a couple of personal storylines that felt somewhat extraneous.
That said, the characters are certainly varied enough to be interesting in and of themselves. My particular favourites were down-on-her-luck actress Hephzibah and the ‘Janes’, a pair of expert planners with a gift for machinery. The narrative alternates primarily between the perspectives of Mrs King, Mrs Bone, Winnie, Alice, and Miss De Vries which was, especially at the start of the book, somewhat disconcerting. Just as I felt I was getting to know one character, I’d be whisked into the head of another! I also didn’t really warm to any of the POV characters. They’re all very interesting in their own ways but I guess I just didn’t really like any of them all that much. And whilst unlikeable characters certainly aren’t a dealbreaker for me when reading a book, it would have been nice to have at least one perspective that felt like a variation. As it was, although I enjoyed the ‘voice’ of the novel as a whole, the individual voices of each character didn’t always come across strongly to me.
That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy The Housekeepers, however. Indeed, I think it’s a very impressive and assured debut. Although it does take a few chapters for all the pieces on the chessboard to be arranged, the pace really picks up once the heist planning is set in motion and it rattles along nicely despite the occasional digression into a subplot or character backstory. Although the storyline is somewhat fantastical, I never felt that it jumped the shark completely. Rather, like all good heist movies, it provided just enough twists and turns to keep things unexpected and entertaining. It is also clear that Alex Hay has done their research when it comes Edwardian London life. The streets, houses, back alleys, and shops came to life vividly on the page as did the people who inhabit them!
Overall, The Housekeepers is a cracking (insert groan for bad pun here) debut that would make the perfect fast-paced holiday read. With a range of interesting characters and some surprisingly deep themes underlying all the strategic capering, this would also make a fantastic book club read.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the blog tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher and to NetGalley UK for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
If the premise of didn’t send you immediately running off to your bookshop or online bookseller of choice, however, then hopefully the rest of my review might convince you that this assured debut is well worth your time and attention.
Set in London in 1905, The Housekeepers opens with the recently bereaved Miss De Vries is planning the party of the season at her lavish Park Lane home. With her suspiciously wealthy father now dead, Miss De Vries knows that it is vital that she makes a successful (and lucrative) marriage in order to protect the family ‘interests’. Downstairs, the equally shrewd and ambitious Mrs King is being shown the door. But whilst her tenure as housekeeper at Park Lane might be over, her connection with the house – and with the De Vries family – most certainly is not. Turning to the well-connected (in certain circles, at least) Mrs Bone, and aided by former and current staff members of Park Lane, Mrs King is planning the heist of the century. On the night of Miss De Vries’s ball, she’s planning to take the house and expose the De Vries name for what it really is.
As with it’s movie counterpart, The Housekeepers does a fantastic job of combining drama and comedy. The whip-sharp dialogue between the various members of the all-female heist crew – and the shifting power dynamics at work between them all – was probably my favourite part of the book, although I also enjoyed watching all of the moving parts come together as the heist progressed. And as with Ocean’s Eleven, what good heist movie would be complete with a few on-the-night mishaps!
There are, however, some surprisingly deep themes underlying all the heist capers. Without giving away any spoilers, the connections between several of the key players in the heist – Mrs King, Mrs Bone, Winnie, and Alice in particular – and the De Vries family and fortune are considerably more complex than they might first appear. Each of the women involved in the heist has their own reasons for risking it all and getting involved in the scheme, and some of these touch upon social issues such as poverty and sexual exploitation. Whilst these more dramatic elements are, for the most part, well integrated, there were one or two moments where the shifts in tone felt somewhat jarring, as well as a couple of personal storylines that felt somewhat extraneous.
That said, the characters are certainly varied enough to be interesting in and of themselves. My particular favourites were down-on-her-luck actress Hephzibah and the ‘Janes’, a pair of expert planners with a gift for machinery. The narrative alternates primarily between the perspectives of Mrs King, Mrs Bone, Winnie, Alice, and Miss De Vries which was, especially at the start of the book, somewhat disconcerting. Just as I felt I was getting to know one character, I’d be whisked into the head of another! I also didn’t really warm to any of the POV characters. They’re all very interesting in their own ways but I guess I just didn’t really like any of them all that much. And whilst unlikeable characters certainly aren’t a dealbreaker for me when reading a book, it would have been nice to have at least one perspective that felt like a variation. As it was, although I enjoyed the ‘voice’ of the novel as a whole, the individual voices of each character didn’t always come across strongly to me.
That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy The Housekeepers, however. Indeed, I think it’s a very impressive and assured debut. Although it does take a few chapters for all the pieces on the chessboard to be arranged, the pace really picks up once the heist planning is set in motion and it rattles along nicely despite the occasional digression into a subplot or character backstory. Although the storyline is somewhat fantastical, I never felt that it jumped the shark completely. Rather, like all good heist movies, it provided just enough twists and turns to keep things unexpected and entertaining. It is also clear that Alex Hay has done their research when it comes Edwardian London life. The streets, houses, back alleys, and shops came to life vividly on the page as did the people who inhabit them!
Overall, The Housekeepers is a cracking (insert groan for bad pun here) debut that would make the perfect fast-paced holiday read. With a range of interesting characters and some surprisingly deep themes underlying all the strategic capering, this would also make a fantastic book club read.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the blog tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher and to NetGalley UK for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Classism, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A lush and exhilarating heist novel that deftly explores the splendour, decadence and corruption of upper class living in Edwardian London — through the eyes of the women who know it best.
When Mrs King, the respected housekeeper in one of the grandest homes in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed from her post, she decides to take action— by stripping the place bare.
Returning to her criminal roots and the world of con artists and thrives that raised her, Mrs King recruits an eclectic group of women, each seeking their own form of revenge.
From black market Queens and trapeze trained housemaids to actresses and seamtresses looking for a big break—Mayfair society will soon learn to never to underestimate the women downstairs…
I absolutely loved this! I devoured it at breakneck speed and was soo thoroughly ensnared I didn’t want it to end. The ensemble cast of characters were all well written and fabulously multilayered, breathing life and purpose into each of their nuanced (and intricately intertwined) backstories.
It is a multi POV story which alternates between the POVs of each co-conspirator: Mrs. King, Mrs. Bone, Winnie, Alice and the Janes, with each chapter cleverly serving as a countdown to the heist and each woman’s thoughts and feelings leading up to it.
The complexity involved, from the drip-fed snippets which allow us to slowly piece together the motivations behind each woman, to the anticipatory sense of urgency that creeps into every aspect of their plans, made for such an engrossing and thoroughly immersive experience. And the shocking twists and big reveals were AMAZING!
Naturally, given the focus on characters from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; wealth, class privilege and corruption play a huge role in plot and really amp up the girl gang/ female empowerment vibes (which I absolutely loved.) It does however touch upon aspects of life in domestic servitude that weren’t so great for everyone, so I do suggest checking any TWs beforehand.
That being said, Alex Hay does a spectacular job of navigating sensitive issues and topics in his engaging prose without veering into an exploitative territory.
I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything so I’ll leave things here, however I do think this needs to be adapted into a movie or TV show ASAP. I mean ,women getting back at the rich and powerful people who’ve wronged them—I’d totally watch that!
So, If you loved the scheming, no holds barred grittiness of Peaky Blinders or enjoyed Downton Abbey-not for the Crawley family’s escapades, but for the compelling glimpses into the lives of their servants—then you’re definitely gonna enjoy this ambitiously pacey and delightfully audacious debut.
Also, a huge thank you to Caitlin Raynor and Headline book for the proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent
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