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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
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
slow-paced
i liked the ending and the story was nice, but it took me soooo long to get into it. i couldn't connect to any of the characters and the pace was way too slow for my taste
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love books that are so Jane Eyre coded, this being one of them. Something about this left me missing the characters as soon as it was ending. They grew on me the way they did with Nurse May herself. I really loved every moment Nurse May spent caring and being with children, and also their mother. In my mind, there is an epilogue where Mrs England and her children returns to England for a visit years later and they reunite with Nurse May 🥲
The scenes between Mr Boothe and Nurse May tho? Sorry to Blaise but, talk about forbidden yearning.
✨3.5 out of 5✨
Chased by her own family secret and financial urgencies, Ruby May takes on a position caring for the four children of Mr and Mrs England at Hardcastle House. They are a wealthy family from a successful line of mill owners in the Edwardian English countryside, excited by the prospect of their new nurse from the prestigious Norland Institute. However, the other servants in the house take an immediate dislike to Ruby and shun her. Soon, she finds that there is something off about the family in more ways than one, and the curiosities all seem to center around the mysterious Mrs England and her “condition.” Socially isolated and trapped by obligation, Ruby doesn’t know who to trust. If anyone.
Mrs England by Stacey Halls abounds with familial and social tensions that ultimately drive the palpable sense of dread throughout the novel. It is a slow burner. The suspense and stress build steadily through most of the book, culminating into a final explosive scream of action in the last 10%. Though the story could have started much later when Ruby arrived at her new post, the beginning did establish a sense of normal to reference in comparison to her experiences at Hardcastle House. The characters all have well-developed personalities and motives that shape their perplexing actions and make any of them difficult to write off as simply mean or clueless or innocent.
Sprinkled generously over the course of each chapter are ominous cliffhangers and pauses that kept me turning the pages despite the lack of action. The author makes good use of understatements that kept me guessing about characters’ backgrounds, their intentions, and what they were hiding. The gothic setting and vibrant language create a dark atmosphere that looms heavily over the plot. In her writing, Halls nimbly imbues life into nature and the inanimate, which gives the setting a real sense of remoteness and impending peril.
“Two cowardly lanterns glowed dimly at either end of the platform, as though they knew their chances of penetrating the night were slim” (38).
One can never quite be sure of their facts in this novel. Even the ending throws into question what the reader knows, and I enjoyed going through that paranoia alongside the characters. However, the timing of the reveal of Ruby’s secret was too little too late, very anticlimactic. Had it come earlier, the parallels and references made to it would have carried more weight. Furthermore, though the bit of ambiguity reintroduced in the last few lines was compelling, I still felt the conclusion of the story was too perfect a bow. Questions about how to move forward and the futures of the children were too easily sorted for my taste, as I am not typically a fan of such clean endings.
Overall, this story stressed me out the entire way through, making me hesitant to ever put it down. It is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, though one I do not see myself thinking about or returning to in the future. I would recommend it as an easy, suspenseful read for those who enjoy dark atmospheric writing, an Edwardian setting, familial tension and drama, and the paranoia of not being able to trust any of the characters.
A solid 3.5/5 for the wonderfully dark atmosphere, slow burning paranoia, compelling characters, and ending that was satisfying enough, if a little too clean.
___
Pleasing Argot
Baronetcy (n): the rank of baronet (below barons but above almost all knights)
piebald horse (n): a horse with colored splotches on a white background, primarily black splotches on a white background
Portmanteau (n): a large traveling bag, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts
blacking boys (n): shoe shiners
Chased by her own family secret and financial urgencies, Ruby May takes on a position caring for the four children of Mr and Mrs England at Hardcastle House. They are a wealthy family from a successful line of mill owners in the Edwardian English countryside, excited by the prospect of their new nurse from the prestigious Norland Institute. However, the other servants in the house take an immediate dislike to Ruby and shun her. Soon, she finds that there is something off about the family in more ways than one, and the curiosities all seem to center around the mysterious Mrs England and her “condition.” Socially isolated and trapped by obligation, Ruby doesn’t know who to trust. If anyone.
Mrs England by Stacey Halls abounds with familial and social tensions that ultimately drive the palpable sense of dread throughout the novel. It is a slow burner. The suspense and stress build steadily through most of the book, culminating into a final explosive scream of action in the last 10%. Though the story could have started much later when Ruby arrived at her new post, the beginning did establish a sense of normal to reference in comparison to her experiences at Hardcastle House. The characters all have well-developed personalities and motives that shape their perplexing actions and make any of them difficult to write off as simply mean or clueless or innocent.
Sprinkled generously over the course of each chapter are ominous cliffhangers and pauses that kept me turning the pages despite the lack of action. The author makes good use of understatements that kept me guessing about characters’ backgrounds, their intentions, and what they were hiding. The gothic setting and vibrant language create a dark atmosphere that looms heavily over the plot. In her writing, Halls nimbly imbues life into nature and the inanimate, which gives the setting a real sense of remoteness and impending peril.
“Two cowardly lanterns glowed dimly at either end of the platform, as though they knew their chances of penetrating the night were slim” (38).
One can never quite be sure of their facts in this novel. Even the ending throws into question what the reader knows, and I enjoyed going through that paranoia alongside the characters. However, the timing of the reveal of Ruby’s secret was too little too late, very anticlimactic. Had it come earlier, the parallels and references made to it would have carried more weight. Furthermore, though the bit of ambiguity reintroduced in the last few lines was compelling, I still felt the conclusion of the story was too perfect a bow. Questions about how to move forward and the futures of the children were too easily sorted for my taste, as I am not typically a fan of such clean endings.
Overall, this story stressed me out the entire way through, making me hesitant to ever put it down. It is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, though one I do not see myself thinking about or returning to in the future. I would recommend it as an easy, suspenseful read for those who enjoy dark atmospheric writing, an Edwardian setting, familial tension and drama, and the paranoia of not being able to trust any of the characters.
A solid 3.5/5 for the wonderfully dark atmosphere, slow burning paranoia, compelling characters, and ending that was satisfying enough, if a little too clean.
___
Pleasing Argot
Baronetcy (n): the rank of baronet (below barons but above almost all knights)
piebald horse (n): a horse with colored splotches on a white background, primarily black splotches on a white background
Portmanteau (n): a large traveling bag, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts
blacking boys (n): shoe shiners
«Sembrano una famiglia perfetta» dissi, provando ad essere vivace.
Sim fece una risata sardonica. «Le famiglie perfette non esistono, Miss May».
Sono stata indecisa fino all'ultimo su come valutare questo libro. Ho trovato il ritmo della narrazione molto altalenante: nella prima parte prevalgono passaggi lenti, dove mi sono sforzata di continuare solo per capire come andasse a finire, mentre gli ultimi capitoli si sono rivelati più incalzanti, quasi da non riuscire a staccare gli occhi dalle pagine. Peccato per il colpo di scena, che è stato meno d'impatto di quanto mi aspettassi, ed in parte ampiamente intuibile.
Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, nessuno è riuscito a rimanermi veramente nel cuore; Ruby non mi è dispiaciuta come narratrice, ma ho fatto molta fatica ad empatizzare con lei e Mrs England, se non verso la fine.
Tematiche come lo sfruttamento nelle fabbriche e la condizione femminile alla fine dell'Ottocento rimangono solo marginali, e probabilmente è una cosa voluta essendo narrato dal punto di vista di una bambinaia e dei suoi pupilli; nonostante ciò, credo che ci fosse un potenziale che non è stato sfruttato a pieno.
In conclusione, è stata una lettura piacevole che ha accompagnato le mie serate, particolarmente rilassante e adatta ad essere usufruita prima di andare a dormire; l'atmosfera è familiare è accogliente, anche se forse mi sarei aspettata qualcosa di più.
3,5 con la mezza stella guadagnata sul finale.
Sim fece una risata sardonica. «Le famiglie perfette non esistono, Miss May».
Sono stata indecisa fino all'ultimo su come valutare questo libro. Ho trovato il ritmo della narrazione molto altalenante: nella prima parte prevalgono passaggi lenti, dove mi sono sforzata di continuare solo per capire come andasse a finire, mentre gli ultimi capitoli si sono rivelati più incalzanti, quasi da non riuscire a staccare gli occhi dalle pagine. Peccato per il colpo di scena, che è stato meno d'impatto di quanto mi aspettassi, ed in parte ampiamente intuibile.
Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, nessuno è riuscito a rimanermi veramente nel cuore; Ruby non mi è dispiaciuta come narratrice, ma ho fatto molta fatica ad empatizzare con lei e Mrs England, se non verso la fine.
Tematiche come lo sfruttamento nelle fabbriche e la condizione femminile alla fine dell'Ottocento rimangono solo marginali, e probabilmente è una cosa voluta essendo narrato dal punto di vista di una bambinaia e dei suoi pupilli; nonostante ciò, credo che ci fosse un potenziale che non è stato sfruttato a pieno.
In conclusione, è stata una lettura piacevole che ha accompagnato le mie serate, particolarmente rilassante e adatta ad essere usufruita prima di andare a dormire; l'atmosfera è familiare è accogliente, anche se forse mi sarei aspettata qualcosa di più.
3,5 con la mezza stella guadagnata sul finale.
I was excited to read this book having read and loved The Foundling. The idea of a nurse joining a family on the Yorkshire Moors and being caught up in their dramas while dealing with her own past was intriguing.
The story was beautifully written, but I would rate this as a good read, not a great one. It did enough to keep me interested, but not enough to have me rushing to find out what happens.
I found it difficult to take to any of the characters, but I didn't dislike them either.
I enjoyed it but didn't love it.
The story was beautifully written, but I would rate this as a good read, not a great one. It did enough to keep me interested, but not enough to have me rushing to find out what happens.
I found it difficult to take to any of the characters, but I didn't dislike them either.
I enjoyed it but didn't love it.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Ruby May moves to Yorkshire to take up the post of Nurse to the four children of the England family. She soon suspects that all is not well with the well to do mill owning family. But Ruby has secrets of her own from her past life which add to the emotional unfolding of a tense story.
mysterious
medium-paced