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A review by cj_mo_2222
A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry
4.0
Claudine Burroughs is blessed with material goods, but lives her life in an empty, loveless marriage. Her only happiness is the volunteer work she does for a woman’s clinic run by former Nightingale nurse Hester Monk. Claudine is constantly afraid her husband Wallace will forbid her to continue her work here. Claudine is not looking forward to the upcoming holiday season at all since her ambitious husband will insist she attend endless parties, full of small-talk with society women in which she has nothing in common. She is surprised to find a kindred spirit at one of the parties, a poet named Dai Treggaron, who has the reputation of being a womanizer and yet treats Claudine with kindness and respect.
Claudine is horrified when Winnie Briggs, a streetwalker who crashed the party, is found dead in the garden and Dai is the top suspect. Claudine can’t bear to think the charming poet she had so recently befriended could be guilty of such as terrible act and thinks some of the party-goers are hiding information. Against the wishes of her husband, Claudine gets involved in this matter, seeking the help of the clinic’s bookkeeper Squeaky Robinson to get to the truth of the matter. Although the evidence against Dai seems to be mounting, Claudine is afraid an innocent man will hang for a crime he didn’t commit.
I enjoy Anne Perry’s stories that come out this time of year. Those I have read feature minor characters from the William and Hester Monk series. In spite of the title and the setting during the holiday season in 1868 London, “A Christmas Hope” isn’t a typical holiday story. Claudine has everything she could wish for in terms of having enough to eat, the latest ball gowns, and a beautiful house, but she lives with a cold husband who constantly insults her looks and her intelligence. It’s hard to see Claudine living this way, especially since women during this time in history had little recourse against a controlling or even abusive husband. I admire Claudine’s bravery in going against her upper-class acquaintances to get to the truth of the murder as well as trying to make sure a young woman she meets while discreetly questioning witnesses doesn’t make the same mistake in marriage that Claudine did. That part of the story is beautiful and does give some hope that this young woman will have a happy ending. I hope Claudine’s experiences help her to take action to improve her own life, although her options are limited compared to women today.
Readers of this series will enjoy getting to know Claudine better, as well as seeing the best side of Squeaky. If you’re not familiar with the series, this story is the perfect introduction to Anne Perry. She is an excellent author whose skilled, concise writing allows a story with such depth to be told in a 200+ page novel. You don’t need to have read other books by Anne Perry to enjoy this story, but you will probably want to look up other books in the series after finishing this one.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Claudine is horrified when Winnie Briggs, a streetwalker who crashed the party, is found dead in the garden and Dai is the top suspect. Claudine can’t bear to think the charming poet she had so recently befriended could be guilty of such as terrible act and thinks some of the party-goers are hiding information. Against the wishes of her husband, Claudine gets involved in this matter, seeking the help of the clinic’s bookkeeper Squeaky Robinson to get to the truth of the matter. Although the evidence against Dai seems to be mounting, Claudine is afraid an innocent man will hang for a crime he didn’t commit.
I enjoy Anne Perry’s stories that come out this time of year. Those I have read feature minor characters from the William and Hester Monk series. In spite of the title and the setting during the holiday season in 1868 London, “A Christmas Hope” isn’t a typical holiday story. Claudine has everything she could wish for in terms of having enough to eat, the latest ball gowns, and a beautiful house, but she lives with a cold husband who constantly insults her looks and her intelligence. It’s hard to see Claudine living this way, especially since women during this time in history had little recourse against a controlling or even abusive husband. I admire Claudine’s bravery in going against her upper-class acquaintances to get to the truth of the murder as well as trying to make sure a young woman she meets while discreetly questioning witnesses doesn’t make the same mistake in marriage that Claudine did. That part of the story is beautiful and does give some hope that this young woman will have a happy ending. I hope Claudine’s experiences help her to take action to improve her own life, although her options are limited compared to women today.
Readers of this series will enjoy getting to know Claudine better, as well as seeing the best side of Squeaky. If you’re not familiar with the series, this story is the perfect introduction to Anne Perry. She is an excellent author whose skilled, concise writing allows a story with such depth to be told in a 200+ page novel. You don’t need to have read other books by Anne Perry to enjoy this story, but you will probably want to look up other books in the series after finishing this one.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.